Windrose Ship Building Guide: Ketch, Brig, and Frigate

Getting Started with Ship Building in Windrose

Ship building is the heart of Windrose's gameplay loop, and understanding the system early will save you dozens of hours of trial and error. Every ship in Windrose is constructed at a shipyard, which is a specialized crafting station you build at your base. The shipyard requires 50 hardwood planks, 20 iron ingots, and 10 rope to construct, and it must be placed on a coastline with at least 15 meters of water depth in front of it.

Before you can build a ship, you need its blueprint. Blueprints are found in three ways: as quest rewards from faction storylines, as random loot in high-level shipwrecks, and as purchases from faction vendors once you reach reputation rank 3. The Ketch blueprint is available from the starter island questline and is effectively free, while the Brig blueprint requires reputation rank 2 with any faction and costs 500 gold.

Ship building in Windrose follows a modular system. You start with a hull frame, then add a deck, masts, cannons, and interior modules like cargo holds and crew quarters. Each component is crafted separately and snapped together at the shipyard. The order of construction matters because some components require others to be in place first, and the shipyard interface guides you through the correct sequence.

Resource gathering is the most time-consuming part of ship building. A fully equipped Ketch requires approximately 200 hardwood planks, 50 iron ingots, 30 rope, 20 sailcloth, and 10 tar. A Brig requires roughly double these amounts, and a Frigate requires quadruple. Plan your resource gathering expeditions accordingly, and consider setting up a dedicated resource outpost near hardwood forests and iron deposits to streamline production.

Building the Ketch: Your First Ship

The Ketch is Windrose's entry-level ship, and every player builds one as part of the main questline. It is small, fast, and maneuverable, making it perfect for early-game exploration and trade runs. While it cannot stand up to a Frigate in combat, a well-built Ketch can outrun almost anything, which is often the better strategy in the early game.

To build your Ketch, first complete the starter island questline up to the quest called Set Sail. This quest gives you the Ketch blueprint and a starter set of 50 hardwood planks and 10 rope. Gather the remaining materials by chopping hardwood trees in the starter island forest and smelting iron ingots from ore deposits in the nearby hills.

Once you have all materials, construct a shipyard on the beach designated by the quest marker. Interact with the shipyard and select Build Ketch from the menu. The construction interface appears, showing the ship's skeleton. Follow the prompts to install each component in order: hull frame, main deck, foremast, mainmast, sails, steering wheel, and finally the cannons.

Each component installation takes about 30 seconds of real time, and the full Ketch build takes approximately 15 minutes if you have all materials prepared. Once complete, the ship slides into the water and you can board it immediately. The starter Ketch comes with 4 cannons and 20 cargo slots, which is enough for early trading and small skirmishes.

Customize your Ketch with modules to fit your playstyle. If you plan to trade, install an expanded cargo hold which adds 10 slots at the cost of 1 cannon. If you plan to fight, install reinforced hull plating which increases health by 500 at the cost of 5 percent speed. The Ketch's flexibility is its greatest strength, so experiment with different loadouts as you learn the game.

• Complete the Set Sail quest for the blueprint
• Gather 200 hardwood planks, 50 iron, 30 rope, 20 sailcloth, 10 tar
• Build a shipyard on a coastal spot
• Follow the construction sequence in order
• Customize with trade or combat modules

Building the Brig: The Mid-Game Workhorse

The Brig is the mid-game ship that most players settle on for extended play. It offers a strong balance of speed, firepower, and cargo capacity, and it is the smallest ship that can effectively solo most PvE encounters. Upgrading from a Ketch to a Brig is a significant milestone that opens up the mid-game map and allows you to tackle tougher faction missions.

To obtain the Brig blueprint, reach reputation rank 2 with any of the three main factions: the Merchant Guild, the Navy, or the Pirate Brotherhood. The fastest way to gain reputation is by completing faction-specific delivery quests, which reward 50 reputation points each and can be repeated. You need 500 reputation points to reach rank 2, so plan on completing about 10 delivery quests.

The Brig requires approximately 400 hardwood planks, 100 iron ingots, 60 rope, 40 sailcloth, and 20 tar. At this stage of the game, you should have a resource outpost set up to streamline gathering. Consider taming a pack animal to carry heavy loads between your outpost and shipyard, as 400 planks weigh 4,000 units and your character can only carry 200 at a time.

Brig construction follows the same modular system as the Ketch but with more components. You build a larger hull frame, add two decks instead of one, install three masts, and mount 8 cannons in 4 gun ports. The construction takes about 30 minutes with all materials prepared. The Brig also supports a captain's cabin module, which provides a fast-travel point and a storage chest for personal items.

The Brig's 40 cargo slots make it ideal for inter-island trade runs. A typical trade route between Castellan Bay and Stormhold yields 200 to 300 gold per trip with a full cargo hold, and the round trip takes about 20 minutes. With 8 cannons and a crew of 8, the Brig can also hold its own against pirate NPCs and most player Ketches, making it a versatile all-rounder.

• Reach faction reputation rank 2 for the blueprint
• Gather 400 planks, 100 iron, 60 rope, 40 sailcloth, 20 tar
• Build a larger shipyard or upgrade the existing one
• Install 2 decks, 3 masts, and 8 cannons
• Add a captain's cabin for fast travel

Building the Frigate: The Endgame Warship

The Frigate is Windrose's largest player-constructible ship and the ultimate goal for dedicated players. It is a heavily armed warship with 16 cannons, 80 cargo slots, and a crew capacity of 12. A Frigate dominates naval combat, can transport massive cargo loads, and serves as a mobile base of operations. Building one is a significant undertaking that requires extensive resource gathering and faction cooperation.

The Frigate blueprint requires reputation rank 4 with any faction, which demands 3,000 reputation points. This is a substantial time investment, typically requiring 20 to 30 hours of focused faction questing. Many players choose to join a guild to share the reputation grind, as guild members can contribute to each other's faction standing through shared quests.

The Frigate's material requirements are daunting: approximately 800 hardwood planks, 200 iron ingots, 120 rope, 80 sailcloth, and 40 tar. Additionally, the Frigate requires 50 refined steel, a mid-tier material smelted from iron ingots and coal at an advanced smelter. Building the advanced smelter requires its own blueprint, found in high-level shipwrecks in the Cursed Swamps region.

Frigate construction takes about 90 minutes of real time at the shipyard, not counting material preparation. The ship has three decks, four masts, and 8 gun ports holding 2 cannons each. You can customize the Frigate extensively, choosing between a combat-focused loadout with reinforced hull and extra cannons, or a trade-focused loadout with expanded cargo holds and a luxury cabin that increases crew morale.

Maintaining a Frigate requires a crew of at least 8 NPCs, each of whom must be hired and paid weekly wages. NPC crew members cost 50 to 200 gold per week depending on their skill level, and a fully crewed Frigate costs approximately 1,000 gold per week in wages. Factor this into your income strategy, as a Frigate is a significant ongoing expense as well as a powerful asset.