Weapons fire automatically — skill is positioning. Everyone launches in a cheap little Skiff: farm creeps, scout the fog, bank gold. Your first big shipyard trip is commissioning a real hull — Frigate, Monitor, Corsair or Carrier — unlocking hardpoints and an ability. Then upgrade your hull Mk I→II→III, bolt on weapons and upgrade them in place, stack a family for synergy, and sink their harbor.

Rougher waters breed smarter captains: they dodge shells, counter-build your loadout, hunt your last position through fog and punish your respawns — not just richer, better.