Flying Lab Software is currently in the process of consolidating all players onto the Antigua and Roberts servers, and the team is holding a Welcome Ball on Saturday, Feb. 13, at 3 p.m. EST to ensure that the transition is a smooth one. The event will mark the first time that Flying Lab's official voice chat server will be open to the public.

The server merge may have just started with the launch of build 1.22 last week, but the Pirates of the Burning Sea team is already looking ahead to patch 1.23. Lum just posted a devlog entry that outlines numerous changes coming to the game in the patch, and you can read it after the jump.

We’ve got a lot of changes in store for you in the upcoming 1.23 patch. We’ve spent this milestone dedicating time to important issues that you the players have brought to our attention. This is the first of several devlogs, but I’ll try to keep it short and answer specifics in the comments as I can.

Combat Tuning

In 1.17 we introduced Cannon Resistance Penetration. As part of the rollout, we made some reductions to overall cannon damage. Players have noticed a growing trend that long-range linefighting is much more difficult because the damage output just isn’t high enough to overcome the defense of opposing ships. This is especially obvious against heavily armored, resistance-tanked ships. More often than not, battles devolve into close-range brawls. Close range fights can be fun, but we’d like to try and make line fighting more viable than it is currently.

To that effect, we’re making the following changes this milestone:

• Increasing the damage of all cannons by 1.
• Increasing the amount of resistance penetration on canons 7lb and up by 1-3% depending on weight.
• Decreasing the resistance floor and ceiling on cannons 11lb and up by 1-3% depending on weight.

Cannons above 26lb still have the same penetration values as 26lb cannons. In addition to these broad changes, we’re going to make some more targeted changes aimed specifically at Ammo:

Round Shot:

• Reducing secondary crew and mast damage on Heavy Round Shot, Bronze Round Shot, and Explosive Round Shot.
• Increased the minimum damage on Bronze Round Shot from 55% -> 60% and decreased the maximum from 105% -> 100%.
• Decreased the minimum damage on Explosive Round Shot from 55% -> 40%.

The goal here is to make Round Shot more focused on armor damage. For Bronze Round and Explosive Round we want to offer a trade-off between long-range effectiveness (Bronze) and short-range power (Explosive). We’re also making some changes to dismantling shot:

Dismantling Shot:

• Increased the range multiplier on Bar Shot from 85% -> 90%.
• Decreased the minimum damage on Bar Shot from 49% -> 45%.
• Increased the range multiplier on Chain Shot from 67.5% -> 70%.
• Decreased the damage range on Chain Shot from 62.5-90% -> 55-80%.
• Decreased the damage range on Star Shot from 80-105% -> 60-90%.

These changes are aimed at reducing the harsh spike damage on Star and Chain Shot, while retaining the utility of Bar Shot at longer ranges.

Refit Ships

Next, on to Refit Ships! Also in 1.17, we introduced 5 new class refits. These have been incredibly well received, and you can see many of them out fighting on the Open Sea every day. However, as we do with all new ships, it’s time to take a second look. Here are our proposed changes for 1.23:

• Macedon:
  The Macedon is going to take on some characteristics of its smaller sibling, the Mercy. It’s going to remain durable, but be slightly less maneuverable. As a trade-off, we’re going to make some larger changes to the Mercy and the Gallant.
• Khan:
  The Khan is a great ship, but it’s just a little too hard to catch and kill. We’re going to slightly reduce its speed and acceleration and also remove a little defense. These changes should help bring it more in line with other ships.
• Bloody Dagger:
  This ship is already pretty close to where we want it, but is lacking a bit of survivability. It’s going to gain some defense, a little speed, and some target tracking.
• Hyperion:
  The Hyperion was a powerful ship in the right circumstances, but wasn’t agile enough to utilize its considerable DPS even in the hands of the Buccaneer. We’re going to boost all of its’ handing characteristics to give Buccaneers a more usable ship to sail side by side with the Pirate Hercules.
• Bahamut:
  This brick of a ship is going to get a little more light on its feet and get some much needed punch in the form of more 22lb guns.
• Abaddon’s Will:
  Not to be left behind, we’re also changing the Abbadon’s Will: A little more acceleration and a better turning should give Pirates another viable heavy ship to bring to OS fights and port battles.

We’re also giving some love to the all-class refits: the Dauntless and the Archelon. The Dauntless gets more useful sailing polars, as well as improved survivability and accuracy. The Archelon becomes less of a slow moving cinder block and more of a powerhouse heavy frigate.

You can see the complete changes to these ships in the comments thread.

Pirate Invalid Ships

And last, this is the return of Pirate Invalid Ships. Pirates get the benefit of being able to capture and use any ship in the game, but not without risk. Buccaneers and Cutthroats can no longer sail specific captured ships without being flagged for PvP. Text has been added to all class-restricted captured deeds explaining that they’re invalid for once class or another. You’ll also receive a warning when capturing an invalid ship, or when trading in an invalid deed explaining the risks you’re about to face.

These ships include:

• All Lineships
• All class specific refit ships
• All Indiaman class merchant ships (Dromedary, Mignone, Oliphant)
• The Bermuda Traders Sloop, and the Curieuse Traders Snow
• The Mastercraft Hercules
• The Mastercraft Couronne

Additionally, specific merchant ships (and their variants) are invalid for the Cutthroat:

• ‘Atlas’ Bark
• ‘Limburg’ Flute
• ‘Santiago’ Galleon
• ‘Sultan’ Flute
• ‘San Mateo’ Galleon
• ‘Couronne’ Galleon
• ‘Leviathan’ Bark

Buccaneers can sail most merchant ships, with the exception of Indiamen. As part of this change, the Buccaneer can now also use the Leviathan, the San Mateo Heavy Galleon, and the San Mateo Trader’s Galleon.

Now, as I said at the beginning of this devlog, these are largely changes that have been requested by you the players. These changes are not final and are definitely subject to change based on more of your feedback. We’re always watching to see what changes and improvements can be made, so please continue to provide constructive feedback.