In your first steps, you will find yourself commanding a Sloop which turns out to be the ideal ship for the beginning. Despite its small size, it is very fast, extremely maneuverable and armed with a sufficient number of cannons. Moreover, the addition of upgrades (a feature which was inducted into the new Pirates) can increase the ship's speed, fire power and damage resistance. This combination of speed and guns makes the Sloop a lethal opponent for the slow moving Galleons and the merchant ships and it can easily disengage when it faces stronger opponents.

Some of the ships of Pirates...

	Sloop: Your first ship in the game. "Faster than the strongest ships and stronger than the fastest", sloop is the ideal ship for piracy.
	Galleon: These leviathans are the strongest among Spanish ships They are slow but extremely stable and reliable, ideal for the voyages in the ocean.
	Frigate: The combination of high speed and the alll-powerful arsenal makes frigate the absolute ship-of-war. Most of the pirates flee in sight of a frigate.

and some of the upgrades.

	Bronze cannon: Increases the accuracy.
	Iron scantlings: Allows a vessel to resist hull damage.
	Copper plating: Allows a ship to turn more quickly.

More Sid Meier's Pirates scrennshots