I was on today doing this, and I must say that I am really impressed. Before, sailing was pretty easy. I didn't have to worry much about sinking unless I took a broadside of explosives (I'm still terrified of Corsairs.
). Now, sailing is intense. It takes some real sailing skill to get a full cargo of royals, and an even better crew (if you're going for full royals, you NEED fury gunners). I wasn't able to stay for long, so I didn't see any of the SOTL Hunters, but I can only imagine how tough they are based on the others. From my hour or so of sailing, here's what I was able to find:
1) First Scoundrel level appears as soon as you attack an enemy ship. Nothing really happens when you reach this rank. It just lets everyone know that you're a pirate.
2) Second Scoundrel level comes about when you fill up your cargo (if you've got a War Frigate or War Galleon.). Its probably after you kill a set amount of ships. At this rank, not much will happen, but the enemies you're attacking will supposedly call for reinforcements (haven't really seen anything special though).
3) Third Scoundrel level comes after killing, maybe about 5 more ships. At this point, Bounty Hunters will come after you. The bounty hunters I saw were the Cutter Shark (WS), the something Storm (WS), Killyaded (WG), Scorned Siren (WF), and Red Dirvish (WF). I didn't get the chance to see any SOTL's, but those guys were tough. Out of all of them, I'd say the Cutter Shark and Killyaded were the easiest. All of them use different ammos and look different. This really looks like Ship Customization is coming, as they have different hull colors, different sails and sail designs, and different cannon ammo. Very nicely made, I'll say. Also, after you sink one, another appears one or two minutes later, giving you VERY little time to repair. If your hull is weak, you need to make sure that you have a good sailor and a lot of crew to repair, because these guys keep comin' at ya. Not to mention that these guys are as fast as player ships. For those of you that SVS a lot, the chase is quite similar to when you've got a runner.
4) Not sure when the fourth scoundrel level comes, but I'd imagine after you've sunken several Hunters and other ships. This is supposedly when Ports Close to you.
5) If you're going for a full plunder trip, BRING A GOOD CREW! With this new update, its gonna be crazy hard to get a full cargo of royals solo or with just one person. Their power is not incredibly stronger than that of a normal ship, but they are a lot faster, don't give up chase, and their hull is stronger.
6) I like making fun of the pirate man that talks to you. "Captain, we've sunk her!" Really?! You mean the ship's hull isn't supposed to fill with water and sink below the surface of the sea?!
