Quick answer
Treat the first Landlubber as an economic milestone, not a button to press as soon as the Pier appears. Finish the visible hull requirements, assign the required crew, load supplies, and leave enough workers at home for food, drink, storage, and the next construction task.
Version and source notesUpdated 2026-09-06 · Within source review window
- Updated
- 2026-09-06
- Works with
- Current PC first ship, Pier, crew, and voyage systems
- What this guide covers
- First-voyage readiness sequence grounded in ship and pirate system sources
- Version notes
- Crew requirements and event outcomes are patch-sensitive
- Update status
- Within source review window
Before construction
- Read the ship panel and write down the missing hull materials.
- Keep the Pier connected to a readable camp and storage route.
- Finish the food and drink loop before opening more ship jobs.
- Make a manual save before committing the last scarce material.
Before departure
Check the selected captain, crew count, Health, Crew, Supplies, and the event objective. A higher tier is not automatically safer when the crew or cards do not match the voyage. If the event is a discovery encounter, follow the Discovery Event checklist; if it turns hostile, use ship combat.
Keep the island running
Crew leaving the Pier can expose a hidden labor shortage. Watch the home Campfire, Galley, Tavern, warehouse, and essential producer after assigning the ship. If one turns empty, pause the voyage preparation, release a nonessential worker, or postpone departure until the reserve recovers.
If the first voyage fails
Separate a failed choice, damaged ship, and game crash. Preserve the save, note the exact event and version, then use ship damage and repair or crash fixes as appropriate. Do not rebuild every production chain after one unlucky result.
Sources and caveat
This preparation order combines the official ship and pirate system descriptions with the site’s existing early-game checks. Crew requirements, ship stats, and event outcomes are patch-sensitive; always trust the visible panel in the current save over a fixed video route.