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The Windrose ship build order runs boat, then Ketch through the main story, then Brigantine around the midpoint of the game, then Frigate once your reputation and Piastre stash catch up. This guide covers the exact requirements for each step, clears up the Wharf-versus-Workshop confusion that stalls a lot of new captains, and gives an honest read on whether the Frigate is worth building if naval combat isn’t your thing. Everything below reflects the current early access state of the game, and Windrose‘s economy and reputation numbers have already shifted once since launch, so treat specific costs as a snapshot rather than a permanent rule.
TL;DR
- Ships get built at the Wharf. The Shipwright’s Workshop only upgrades gear in four slots.
- Path is boat, then Ketch through story, then Brigantine at Brethren reputation level 2, then Frigate at level 4.
- The Frigate needs reputation level 4 and 3,000 Piastre for the blueprint alone, on top of materials.
- Cannon choice depends on the target: hull damage, sail damage, or armor penetration are three different jobs.
- Reputation grind, not material farming, is usually the real bottleneck for the Brigantine and Frigate.
| Station | What it does | What it can't do |
|---|---|---|
| Wharf | Builds new ships from a blueprint and materials, docks and manages your fleet | Cannot craft or upgrade cannons, hull bracing, tactics, or boarding gear |
| Shipwright's Workshop | Crafts and upgrades the four equipment slots on a ship you already own | Cannot construct a new hull, no matter what materials you have |
Windrose Ship Build Order: Boat to Ketch to Brigantine to Frigate
You don’t buy or craft your first ship. The Ketch is the first proper ship you unlock in Windrose, received during the early main quest “I Need A Bigger Boat,” and instead of building a brand-new ship you repair a damaged vessel washed up on shore. From there the Brigantine becomes available once you’ve built a Wharf and a Workshop and put in faction work: you need to reach Brethren of the Coast Reputation Level 2, defeat the pirate boss guarding that milestone, then buy the Brigantine blueprint from the Brethren vendor for 1,000 Piastre. The Frigate sits at the far end of the same faction, but the bar is much higher: you buy the plans from the Brethren of the Coast vendor in Tortuga, and the blueprints cost 3,000 Piastre and require Reputation Level 4 with the faction before they’re even available.
Warning
Reputation thresholds and Piastre costs get touched by patches during early access. Treat the numbers above as accurate for the current build and double-check the vendor listing in Tortuga before you commit a farming session around a specific total.
| Ship | When available | What it requires |
|---|---|---|
| Boat | From the opening hours | Nothing — comes with the tutorial |
| Ketch | Early main story | Complete the story quest chain, then repair/build the hull at the Wharf |
| Brigantine | Mid-game | Brethren of the Coast reputation level 2, blueprint (around 1,000 Piastre), plus hull materials |
| Frigate | Late game | Brethren of the Coast reputation level 4, blueprint (3,000 Piastre), plus heavier late-game materials |
Step-by-Step: Windrose Ship Progression Walkthrough
Follow this sequence to get it done fast.
-
1
Finish the early story quest
the Ketch isn't crafted from scratch, it comes from completing the main quest chain that hands you your first real hull.
-
2
Build the Wharf and the Shipwright's Workshop
do both as soon as the story unlocks them so you're not stuck crafting gear later with no station to use.
-
3
Grind Brethren of the Coast reputation to Level 2
this comes from faction quests and naval encounters, not just generic piracy.
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4
Buy and build the Brigantine
pick up the blueprint, farm the hull materials, and construct it at the Wharf once you have both.
-
5
Push reputation to Level 4 while stockpiling Piastre
the Frigate blueprint becomes purchasable the moment you cross the threshold, so having the full amount ready saves a second grind.
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6
Farm late-game materials and build the Frigate
expect a noticeably heavier material list than the Brigantine required.
The Frigate: Windrose's Heaviest Warship, and Whether You Actually Need One
The Frigate is the ceiling of the current ship tree. It carries eight cannons per broadside, the heaviest hull bracing available, and the largest crew capacity of any hull in the game — but none of that comes cheap, and reputation level 4 takes a significant amount of time, earned through faction quests and naval combat in the Tortuga area, on top of the 3,000 Piastre blueprint cost. That mass also affects handling: a heavier hull turns and accelerates slower against the wind, which matters more once you actually understand how the Windrose wind system moves your ship through open water.
The honest question is whether you need it at all. If you’re mostly exploring, trading, or running story content, a well-geared Brigantine covers almost everything the map throws at you. The Frigate earns its cost specifically in sustained naval combat against factions or bosses that outgun a mid-tier hull — outside of that, it’s a resource sink with diminishing returns.
| Requirement | Detail |
|---|---|
| Reputation | Brethren of the Coast, Level 4 |
| Piastre cost | 3,000 for the blueprint alone, materials on top |
| Broadside | Eight cannons per side |
| Armor | Heaviest hull bracing tier in the game |
| Crew | Largest crew capacity of any current hull |
Best Cannons in Windrose: Matching Ammo Type to the Target
Cannon choice in Windrose isn’t just about raw power. The game runs three calibers: 12, 24, and 36 pounds, and within those calibers the ammunition type decides what actually happens on impact. Standard shot chips away at the hull directly, chain-style shot is built to shred sails and rigging rather than the hull itself, and heavier shot is meant to punch through armor plating that regular rounds bounce off. Picking the wrong one for the fight in front of you wastes a broadside more often than picking a weaker caliber does.
Tip
Save Piastre before you hit a reputation threshold rather than after. Blueprints and named gear tend to unlock the moment you rank up, so having the total ready means you’re building immediately instead of grinding a second currency wall on top of the reputation one.
| Shot type | Best against | What it does |
|---|---|---|
| Standard round shot | Hull, general damage | Balanced, default choice for straightforward broadsides |
| Chain-style shot | Sails and rigging | Cripples mobility instead of raw damage — useful if you want to board rather than sink |
| Heavy shot (24lb/36lb) | Armored hulls | Punches through reinforced plating, best for finishing tough, well-defended targets |
Common Misconceptions About Windrose Ship Building
Myth: The Shipwright’s Workshop Can Build a New Ship
It can’t, no matter how many materials are sitting in your inventory. The Workshop only touches the four gear slots on a hull you already own — cannons, hull bracing, naval tactics, and boarding party gear. New hulls only ever come out of the Wharf.
Myth: A Bigger Class Automatically Wins the Fight
Class tier and build quality aren’t the same thing. A fast, cannon-heavy Brigantine build can pack six 24-pound cannons and hit 22 knots, but because of its lower health pool, positioning and movement matter more in naval battles than they would on a slower, tankier hull. A well-built Brigantine can outperform a poorly geared Frigate in the situations it’s actually suited for.
Myth: You Need a Frigate to See the Rest of the Game
Most of Windrose’s systems — trading, exploration, faction questlines, even naval tactics like Ambush and Silence the Guns that unlock through the Smugglers faction — work fine on a Brigantine. The Frigate is an endgame combat investment, not a story gate.
Our Take: Is the Frigate Worth Building If You're Not Fighting?
Our Take
Build the Frigate when combat demands it, not because it’s the last item on the tree.
The build order itself isn’t optional — you can’t skip the Ketch or the Brigantine to rush a Frigate, since the blueprint sits behind a reputation wall that takes real time regardless of how fast you farm materials. What is optional is whether you push for it at all. If your Windrose sessions are mostly exploration and trading, a geared Brigantine will carry you through the late game without the extra Piastre and material sink, and the reputation grind is better spent on faction perks that pay off immediately. Frigate is worth it the moment sustained naval combat becomes a real part of your routine, and a lower priority everywhere else.