Ubisoft's long-awaited Skull And Bones is an open-world RPG where you explore vast oceans as a pirate captain. There's no telling what sorts of dangers and rewards you'll encounter once you hoist your sails, whether solo or co-op with up to two other players.

Worry not-we've got you covered as you start your journey. Our Skull And Bones beginner's guide contains several tips about exploration, questing, and combat. We also tackle side objectives, such as eliminating bounty targets and hunting for buried treasure.

Maximize Infamy by tackling multiple missions

The Infamy system is key to Skull and Bones. Defeat enemy ships and complete missions and you'll earn points that you can use to unlock additional equipment blueprints and ship types.

After you leave the initial area and arrive at Sainte-Anne, the main pirate hub, you should first complete the initial quest chain to learn the ropes.

From there, the campaign opens up, and you'll notice even more missions that you can tackle. We suggest focusing on the main missions given by John Scurlock, along with any side quests that can be completed close to each target location. That way you can maximize the Infamy points you obtain in a short period.

Familiarize yourself with map icons, the journal, and tracking resources

Whenever you head out on an expedition in Skull And Bones, make sure to check the world map by pressing the 'M' key. This lets you see nearby points of interest, landmarks, and resources. Pressing the 'G' key with the map open enables you to track quests, displaying related objectives or locations.

Moreover, you can track the materials that are needed to craft ships, weaponry, tools, and furniture. To do this, simply press the 'K' key to see the Knowledge panel, then check the Codex tab. Choose a particular item, structure, or vessel, and hit the Spacebar. You'll then see the related materials highlighted on your map.

Discover Outposts to unlock fast travel points

The aforementioned pirate hub of Sainte-Anne acts as a haven. You should explore the world to discover other Outposts, though. As you approach these areas, you can disembark by slowing down and holding the 'S' key. Doing so "tags" the location in question as a fast travel point.

Be forewarned that using the fast travel system costs Skull and Bones silver. As such, you have to consider whether it's worth paying to speed things up or if you should just sail to your destination the old-fashioned way.

Amass resources from flora, fauna, and flotsam

The world of Skull And Bones is filled with numerous resources. Specific tools are required to collect certain materials. You can craft tools via the Carpenter NPC in Sainte-Anne, including the Pickaxe, Saw, Sickle, Spyglass, Crowbar, and Hunting Spear.

In some cases, harvesting resources involves a minigame-salvaging shipwrecks, cutting down trees, and so on. Clicking the mouse just as the counter reaches the meter's "green zone" yields additional resources.

Take note of the items in your Cargo Hold, Mailbox, and Warehouse

Given that you'll amass a lot of loot throughout your journey, it's important to manage your inventory. Here are some quick tips:

Your ship can only store a limited amount of cargo, so it's important to have as much free space as possible before you head out.

Most crafting materials should be stored in the Warehouse.

It's better to keep different types of ammunition (i.e. cannonballs), restorative items, and quest items in your active ship's Cargo Hold.

Lastly, check your Mailbox whenever your Infamy level increases. You might find some cool rewards waiting for you.

Use map clues to find buried treasure

Like any good pirate, you can discover buried treasure in Skull And Bones. When you obtain a Treasure Map, open your journal and track the objective. You'll see a clue as to the general location of the chest. Head to that area and look for the marked object or structure that matches the hint. A glowing beacon should appear once you're close enough, and you'll be able to dig for the chest.

Manage your ship before leaving port

As you complete early-game quests in Skull And Bones, you'll learn about building ships and crafting armaments. Here's what you need to know:

You can utilize different kinds of weapons-Culverin, Demi-cannon, Bombard, Long Gun, and so forth-depending on your active ship's type.

You can also assign different weapons to each side of a ship. The weapon fired depends upon which side is facing your target when you're at sea.

Purchase armor blueprints from the Blacksmith or other vendor NPCs so you can craft and improve your ship's defenses.

Furniture refers to objects that provide passive buffs and additional effects. In some cases, items need to be equipped to gain their effect. For instance, a Scoping Station applies the Marked effect on targets you hit from more than 320 meters away-which can be a major advantage if your ship uses the Long Gun cannon type, thanks to its range.

Mastership navigation and management stamina depletion

When sailing the high seas, it's important to keep your ship in tip-top condition. The hull's hit points (HP) are depleted when you take damage from enemy attacks or rogue waves, storms, and other environmental disasters. Be sure to have Repair Kits with you to quickly replenish lost HP.

Managing stamina is also integral when exploring the oceans. Here's a quick summary:

The stamina meter gets depleted if your ship is sailing at full speed. Look for the green pip in the lower-right portion of your screen.

Lower your sails to decrease the ship's speed (white pips) and recover stamina.

Alternatively, you can eat certain types of cooked food, gain a stamina boost from bonfires, or equip specific furniture.

Note that sailing with a tailwind-meaning the wind blows from behind the ship-is also beneficial, since this greatly increases your ship's speed. Sailing against the wind can be problematic. You can see what direction the wind is blowing by looking at the small triangle next to your ship's speed indicator.

Use the Spyglass to reveal a target ship's resources

Once you've crafted the Spyglass tool, you can use it to inspect a target vessel by pressing the 'R' key. Revealed information includes a target's faction, the type of ship, its armor, the loot it carries, and whether or not it's part of a quest. It's a good idea to inspect and mark your targets before you engage them in combat.

Look for dueling factions (and try to get in on the action)

From time to time, you might spot vessels already duking it out in fierce naval combat. Certain factions tend to be at odds with one another, such as the Sea Peoples and the Clan of Fara.

When AI opponents are engaged in combat, you can either attempt to deal damage to one of them or wait and swoop in after a craft is already destroyed. You might even obtain some much-needed materials with minimal effort.

Shoot an enemy's weak spots and board them when possible

Ships tend to have weak spots, which are objects marked with a red glow. Ideally, you should prioritize shooting these with your cannons to deal critical damage. Doing so helps you lower the target vessel's HP.

In some instances, a ship that has taken severe damage might be vulnerable to boarding. You can initiate boarding by closing the distance and pressing the 'R' key. If several harpoons hit the enemy vessel, the boarding action proves successful and you could earn extra loot.

Beware of privateers and enemy captains that have bounties

Bounty targets and privateers tend to be tougher than the rest of the ships you'll encounter on the high seas. Time-limited bounty targets can be selected via the Bounty Board in Sainte-Anne. If you miss your opportunity, you have to wait until the bounty becomes available again.

Privateers, meanwhile, are armed to the teeth. While ships of neutral factions are likely to ignore you, privateers will become suspicious if you're within range. They'll then attempt to get closer before turning hostile.

Be careful when attempting to recover lost cargo

If you're not careful, your ship could get sunk. Whenever this occurs, you can respawn for free at the last dock you visited...or you can pay Skull and Bones silver to respawn at sea, a bit closer to your last location.

Either way, the goal is to return to where your ship sank so you can recover your lost loot. Be careful, though-this mechanic operates similarly to Dark Souls in that if your ship gets destroyed a second time before you recover your cargo, then those Skull and Bones items are gone for good.

Bring buddies or call for help if a task is too difficult

Skull And Bones allows you and up to two other players to join each other for a co-op session. Keep this in mind whenever you encounter difficult challenges, such as high-level bounty targets and privateers, or if you want to plunder strongholds and settlements.

You can make use of co-op by checking the Social menu on your map, or by selecting the Find Group option. You can also mouse over a target settlement or a quest objective and press the Call Help button. Doing so causes a distress beacon to appear, inviting nearby players to assist with your task.