ArcheAge is a previously Asia-only Sandbox MMORPG that has recently made its appearance on the western stage. ArcheAge is praised for its in-depth crafting system, expansive world for players to explore and PvP that allows player to not just fight another faction, but their own as well. Those who have indulged in ArcheAge may know of the two default factions - the Nuia and the Haranya - but those are not the only options available. The game allows players who commit enough bad deeds to become banished from their faction and join the Pirate faction, officially embracing the pirate's life. While many are enticed by the pirate's life in ArcheAge, it's not easy. Getting into the Pirate faction can be a task in and of itself, but the pirate's life comes with as many downfalls as it does benefits.
It's alluring and likely why you started playing ArcheAge in the first place, but what specifically are the benefits of being expelled from your lame old faction and being welcomed into the embrace of a life of crime?
You get non-hostile access to Growlgate Isle, the island of the Pirate faction. It has its own fully functional town where all vendors and crafting stations are found in one place. Growlgate Isle is always at war, but if any other faction is silly enough to set foot on it, you can steam roll them with your criminal brethren.
On Growlgate Isle, you will be treated to quests, items and a buff while on pirate isle that non-pirate players will never be able to obtain. You will also be able to get faction specific titles like Desert Fox that increases swim speed by 20% or Great White that increases swim speed AND naval cannon damage by 20%.
You can openly kill any faction, be it Nuians or Haranyans, without gaining any crime or infamy.
When you do commit a crime, you no longer leave evidence behind.
So long as you die at sea, on an island, on Auroria - basically anywhere besides the two main continents - you will not go to jail for any reason.
You get to watch Nuians and Haranyans lose to Morpheus, leader of the Pirate faction, all the time, perhaps even help them on their way to losing.
Once embracing the pirate's life, you are treated to better teamwork. This differs from server to server, but you are placed in the default faction, in the pirate faction, you choose to be there. It tends to bring people together. However, most pirates tend to be trolls or shills, but nice to each other in general. If you don't find trolling to be fun or funny, then maybe you should reconsider.
For every pro, there is a con. When it comes to pirating, many people tend to work towards the goal without taking into consideration what it really means. Some things will take a while to set in, but other disadvantages will be immediately noticeable.
You are expelled from your current faction, obviously, but you are also expelled from any guild you had joined. Generally if you have aspirations of being a pirate you will likely leave (or get kicked out of) your guild well beforehand because...
Once you go pirate, you can no longer whisper non-pirates nor can you participate in any non-pirate raids or sieges. So it is best to cut ties with your non-pirate friends beforehand, but try to leave on good terms.
The biggest disadvantage of this lifestyle is that you can now be attacked at any time by non-pirate players and neutral guards that are no longer quite so neutral. Non-pirate players who attack you will never be charged for their crimes against you and the worst part is in non-PvP zones, you can't fight back. This is problematic as you can still build a house anywhere, but if you choose anywhere other than Auroria or Growlgate Isle (where housing is usually full up), you can be attacked. In general, this makes prowling around the main continents problematic at best.
As well as neutral guards, all NPCs will be hostile to you. This means that most quests and dailies will be closed off to you forever. You will want to tie up all those loose ends before switching over.
On the East and West continents, you will notice the "Contemptuous" debuff. This means that if you are killed on these two continents, you will immediately be sent to jail for 40 minutes.
Not all Pirate factions are the same. It really depends on the server. As I've heard through the grapevine (i.e the ArcheAge Reddit) some servers have a very small Pirate faction, meaning you have limited choices in people and guilds. This can be good or bad in its own way. Other servers, like Tahyang (the server I pirate on), the faction is filled with in-fighting and general d*ckishness. As it stands now, Ollo server is where the most pleasant pirates dwell, those who live with a code and work well with each other.
If you have any unfinished business, do it before committing. Here are some things that you should consider taking care of beforehand. Some can be done after being banished, others cannot.
Hit Max Level - The most important thing. Growlgate Isle has its quests, but they are terrible for leveling. Unless you want to endlessly kill monsters in the middle of nowhere, hit max level first.
Have a Decent Ship - Growlgate Isle is, obviously, an island. Unless you intend to teleport everywhere, you will want a ship that is faster than a rowboat.
Level an Alt - Not technically necessary, but helpful. Having a non-pirate alt allows for players to have safe farms on the south continents, quick access to certain merchants and a way to keep in touch with other non-pirate friends you may have made on your way. Mail yourself useful items then get back to pillaging and looting on your main.
Get Any Titles You Have Your Eye On - Most titles will be difficult to get once you go pirate. One that particularly springs to mind is the Executioner title. Before you even consider becoming a pirate, you'll want to get this title. You merely need to do Jury Duty 5 times (which requires 0 infamy to qualify for) and do a quest. The title is nothing special by it does give a good cloak that gives +7 to all stats.
Get Your Glider Pieces - If you want to construct a specific glider, which will help your criminal going-ons, you will want to do so before you switch. Constructing a glider requires five different materials: the design, a special item specific to the glider design, ultralight wing ribs, a glider steering mechanism and a glider thruster. The first two can be bought on Mirage Isle or crafted, but the other materials are obtained through quests. Once you are a pirate, the NPC quest givers will hate you so...You know the drill.
So you've committed, that's great! Players who aren't in the know generally do a mix of these four different ways on their path to becoming a pirate. To become a pirate in ArcheAge, you need to get 3,000 infamy and you will officially be in. It is best to commit to one of these four methods to do it quickly, otherwise it could take awhile.
The PvP Method
If you listen to faction chat, this is the only true way to become a pirate. However, it is also the most difficult. For this method, go to a high level PvP zone that is in conflict or at war, toggle on bloodlust (ctrl+f) and kill players of your own faction. Only same faction kills will give you infamy. Of course, you best be decent at playing your class. Also, having the element of surprise can go a long way as well.
Slaughtering Lowbies
Not so great at killing players that stand a decent chance? Well, go to a lower level zone that is at war and slaughter some low level players of your own faction that are likely just there to level. Be ready for tears, though. It's faster than the above method, but even among pirates you won't make many friends with it.
Horse Slaying
For this method, you will require a friend, preferably one that is not a jerk. For horse slaying, sit outside of a town (in a PvP zone) with a stablehand, with a friend and have them summon their mount. Be sure there are no guards close by and kill the horse. Have them report the blood, go to the stablehand to revive their mount, repeat and role in your infamy points. This is the fastest method and doesn't result in a lick of jail time, unless your friend is a jerk and kills you at some point.
Potato Picking
This method also requires a friend, but is safer than horse killing since it involves no murder. It is the safest method to become a pirate, but also the most tedious. Anyway, both players (or one, if the other doesn't want to be a criminal), purchase 1,000 potato eyes and head out to a secluded spot in a non-PvP zone. Plant all the crops and the player with pirate aspirations can uproot them once they mature (it takes 10 minutes). Uprooting the plant costs 1 labor point and gives 3 infamy points. It takes awhile to get to 3,000, but it's better than getting rolled on the battlefield or sitting in jail.
You've done it! Congratulations. Now what is there to do as a pirate? Many pirates generally stick to growing their fortunes or just making life unpleasant for other players. Here are some things to do as a pirate.
Join a Guild - You'll want to take some time to learn what guilds are available on your server, but you should try to join one as soon as possible. It is possible to solo-pirate, but you won't get very far. You'll definitely want some friends to help with dungeon running or other activities.
Pirate Trade Packs - This is really the main thing to do as a pirate. Instead of crafting trade packs yourself, you can now steal the ones that others have crafted. The most profitable way is to round up a bunch of other pirates, usually guildies, and set up at a choke point where a lot of trading vessels come through and can't outmaneuver you easily. Generally, you raid enough ships until everyone has a pack, then you travel to Freedich and trade them in for either Gilda or resources, but the resources really aren't worth it. Unfortunately, there is no gold merchant on Freedich. Smart pirates will keep a trading ship of their own at a safe distance so they can store double the haul.
Dive for Treasure - If you feel like gambling for your gold, you can give diving a try. Put on your scuba suit and find a suitable treasure hunting spot. Sometimes you can find decent things, sometimes there is a bunch of junk.
Barrels - Much like diving for treasure in the open seas, but a little easier. Under Captain Morpheus's ship are a whole bunch of barrels. Dive down there, destroy them all and loot. You can get some spiffy pirate clothes as well as some goods that can sell up to 15 gold.
Farm Coinpurses - This is generally what non-pirates do when they don't want to craft, trade or do anything else. It's harder for pirates, unfortunately, as we basically have to hide from everyone else while doing it.
Start a Farm - Yup, the old classic. Grow some stuff, craft or sell it to the auction house. On some servers you can get some land on Growlgate Isle, which is nice. On others you will only be limited to Auroria. Some pirate guilds even have some extra land to sell or give out to members, but not as many now that the game has been out for awhile.
Archeage: Ultimate Book of Trade Runs: Profit, Maps, Ingredients List to Make Trade Running A Breeze (Archeage Guides 1)Sick of drinking rum, being hated by everyone and having a run in with scurvy every couple of months? Well, you can technically stop being a pirate. Unfortunately, while you can become a pirate in a matter of hours, it takes a few months to switch back. For most people, it's easier to just level a new character rather than work off a reputation for piracy. However, if that's what you want to do, here's how.
The goal is to work that 3,000 infamy back down to 0. After that happens, you can rejoin your old faction and wander the main continents in relative peace.
If you have 15 loyalty points lying around, you can buy Draughts of Forgiveness that lower infamy by 100 apiece.
If you don't, there are several quests you can do, but only the Austera and Marianople quests are repeatable.
Infamy Lowering Quests:
Crime Points: -30
NPC: Foreman Canzel
Quest: Remove debris from the construction site south of Austera.
Crime Points: -20
NPC: Facility Manager Ryan
Quest: Clear the mud over the drains in the Marianople sewer
Crime Points: -30 points
NPC: Wandering Confessor
Quest: Return their valuables to the redeemed criminals Siralt in Watermist, Altah on the road from Watermist to Hermit's Valley, and Tarus in Hermit's Valley.Talk to Wandering Confessor in Duskgleam in Rookborne Basin.
Crime Points: -30
NPC: Absolving Confessor
Quest: Pick up 5 litter from the ocean floor just off the beach in Mermaid’s Tears and deliver it to Absolving Confessor.
Crime Points: -20
NPC: Wharf Overseer Inzagi
Quest: Take the Kalia Cargo to Cargo Manager Angelo and Chat with it.
Crime Points: -20
NPC: Landscape Manager Angela
Quest: Remove 15 weeds growing in the grass around Marianople, and back to chat with NPC.
Crime Points: -100
NPC: Bruno
Quest: Collect 8 Crescent Boubloons Wanerer Usef in the fortress
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