Upgrading your ship is the primary way to get stronger in Windrose. Unlike buying a new vessel, upgrades improve your existing ship hull, cannons, sails, and crew quarters incrementally. This makes them a cost effective path to power between full ship purchases.
Upgrades are performed at shipwright stations found in every major port. Each upgrade requires three things: a blueprint that unlocks the upgrade, the materials needed to build it, and enough gold to pay the shipwright. Some upgrades also require a minimum ship tier or faction reputation.
The upgrade tree is divided into categories: hull reinforcement, cannon upgrades, sail and rigging, cargo hold, and crew quarters. You can pursue multiple categories simultaneously, but each individual upgrade has prerequisites, so you must progress through tiers within a category.
- Where to upgrade: Shipwright stations at major ports
- Requirements: Blueprint, materials, gold
- Categories: Hull, cannons, sails, cargo, crew
How Ship Upgrades Work
Upgrading your ship is the primary way to get stronger in Windrose. Unlike buying a new vessel, upgrades improve your existing ship hull, cannons, sails, and crew quarters incrementally. This makes them a cost effective path to power between full ship purchases.
Upgrades are performed at shipwright stations found in every major port. Each upgrade requires three things: a blueprint that unlocks the upgrade, the materials needed to build it, and enough gold to pay the shipwright. Some upgrades also require a minimum ship tier or faction reputation.
The upgrade tree is divided into categories: hull reinforcement, cannon upgrades, sail and rigging, cargo hold, and crew quarters. You can pursue multiple categories simultaneously, but each individual upgrade has prerequisites, so you must progress through tiers within a category.
- Where to upgrade: Shipwright stations at major ports
- Requirements: Blueprint, materials, gold
- Categories: Hull, cannons, sails, cargo, crew
Finding and Using Blueprints
Blueprints are the gating item for ship upgrades. Without the right blueprint, you cannot install an upgrade even if you have the materials and gold. This makes blueprint hunting a core progression activity.
Blueprint sources:
- Shipwright shops: Common blueprints for basic upgrades sold for gold
- Quest rewards: Story and faction quests award mid tier blueprints
- Treasure maps: Dig sites reveal rare blueprints for high tier upgrades
- Enemy drops: Defeating elite NPC ships can drop blueprints
- Crafting: Some blueprints are crafted from fragments gathered across the map
Basic blueprints for early hull and cannon upgrades are cheap and available immediately. The valuable ones are the high tier blueprints locked behind exploration and combat. Prioritize treasure map quests early, because they reliably yield upgrades that would otherwise take hours of grinding to afford.
| Blueprint Tier | Source | Example Upgrade |
|---|---|---|
| Common | Shipwright shop | Reinforced hull plating |
| Uncommon | Quest reward | Long cannons |
| Rare | Treasure map | Reinforced sails |
| Epic | Elite drop | Plated hull |
Upgrade Materials and Where to Find Them
Even with a blueprint, you need materials to build the upgrade. Materials come in several types, each gathered from different activities and regions. Efficient material gathering speeds up your upgrade progression considerably.
Common materials:
- Timber: Gathered from forested islands and bought at lumber ports. Used for hull and sail upgrades.
- Iron: Mined from rocky islands and salvaged from wrecked ships. Used for cannons and hull plating.
- Cloth: Bought at textile markets and crafted from raw fibers. Used for sail upgrades.
- Gunpowder: Crafted at workshops or looted from combat. Used for cannon upgrades.
- Rare alloys: Dropped by elite enemies and found in endgame regions. Used for top tier upgrades.
The most efficient approach is to combine gathering with your normal activities. Salvage timber and iron from every battle, pick up cloth during trade runs, and save rare alloys from bounty targets. Over time, your material stockpile grows naturally without dedicated grinding.
Best Upgrade Order for New Players
With limited gold and materials, the order in which you upgrade matters. Here is the recommended priority order for new players getting the most value per gold spent.
Recommended upgrade order:
- 1. Cargo hold: More cargo means more gold per trade run, accelerating all future upgrades.
- 2. Sail and rigging: Faster sailing means shorter voyages and better combat positioning.
- 3. Cannon upgrades: Better cannons let you win bounties and defend against pirates.
- 4. Hull reinforcement: More survivability once you start taking on harder targets.
- 5. Crew quarters: Extra crew slots are a late luxury once income is stable.
This order front loads economic upgrades so that every subsequent upgrade becomes cheaper relative to your income. A player who upgrades cargo and sails first will afford cannons and hull far sooner than one who rushes combat upgrades and struggles to pay for them.
Visit the shipwright in Saltmere for the widest selection of blueprints and the lowest material prices, as it is the largest trade hub in the game.