Breaking the masts of flaggies
 

Once you've grappled a flagship, do you break the masts before boarding? Is there any advantage? Some say it brings the crew out on deck so you can dispatch them with your cannon before boarding, but I haven't noticed that happening. I know it's just fun and, like a lot of people, I like the sound it makes when the mast comes tumbling down.

It used to be that the crew would show up on deck before boarding. Now you can only kill the captain prior to boarding. The crew only show up once you've boarded.

yea i find that weird that u only see the capn no gunners then when u board all these other guys come at u O_o but i do like the sound of a cracking mast :p

I have had friends tell me that it increases booty, but I am not sure about that... I just like to shoot them.
:stcool:

increases booty ?? idk maybe we should do a study of what the effects are if u take the masts down

Bringing down the sails is for luck. No other reason really.

Bringing down the sails on a ship before you sink/disable it gives you more rep based on the "More Hits=More Rep" theory, don't think it impacts the plunder.

So how does that work when you disable the flag, you get teh rep there. Then you would hook it an disable the flags and get more rep? Never seen that before.

No you take down the masts usually prior to hitting the hull. That's where the extra rep comes from.

So it's masts, hull, grapple, board.

well i dont know if the crew comes out cuz of that but it seems that way for me cuz i soloed a kingfisher at lv 16, and while i waited for the timer to go down to about 30 seconds, the crew members came out 1 by 1 and i killed em with my cannon, and then boarded the ship and there were only 3 seargents on the ship but i dont think atkin the mast affects the crew members comin out cuz the crew still keptin comin out 1 by 1 long after the mast was completely destroyed ^^

yea bc once a flagship is disabled it gives u rep so hitting the masts after its been disabled wont get u any rep what so ever

Woah, you can break masts?!? SWEET!

basically, atkin the mast does nottin but slow or stop the ship(i think) u dont get exp(notoriety) for atkin the masts

yup :) and its funny when they are all down they u just call the ship a stub

I try to hit the masts when Im working with a flag. After I have it crippled... I grapple it and then shoot the masts down (if I didnt get them in the first place) and shoot the guys on the deck as the pop up. I will do this until the clock is ticking too close to "0". The more guys I can shoot with my cannon before boarding.. the better! This is especially important when I board the Man O' Wars alone.