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Uncharted Waters Origin battles are turn-based fights on a hex map: ships move, then take an action, while fleet roles determine whether they damage hulls, attack crews, or keep allies in fighting shape. The practical foundation is to match attacks to position, protect your flagship, and bring enough supplies to sustain the fleet.
How a naval battle works
Before combat, inspect the target and your fleet. Depending on the encounter, you may be able to fight, parley, retreat, or surrender. Once a battle begins, the game displays its objectives; some fights include goals beyond defeating the opposing fleet.
Combat plays out on a hex map. Ships take turns in an order affected by Mobility. On its turn, a ship can move and then choose an action. Terrain, water conditions, and flotsam may constrain movement, so a ship’s position can determine whether it has a viable attack or can reach an ally to help.
The usual path to victory is sinking the enemy fleet. A duel can also decide a battle in the conditions described below. LINE Games’ Combat Guide, updated December 13, 2023 (UTC+9), explains the actions and conditions; details may change with game updates.
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What each ship and fleet role does
These roles describe useful jobs, not a rule that every ship class has one fixed best use. Choose actions that suit the ship’s position, available resources, and condition.
Flagship and Admiral
The first ship in the fleet is the flagship and carries the Admiral, your player character and fleet commander. The older LINE Games Fleet Management Guide, published in 2022, warns that a battle can be lost if the flagship sinks. Keep it out of unnecessary exposure when possible. The Admiral can issue a Combat Order during the flagship’s turn without using up that turn, but the order costs Morale.
Artillery ship
Artillery attacks at range and damages an enemy ship’s durability (hull strength). It consumes ammunition, and an enemy within range may counterfire. Mate Artillery expertise improves relevant attack, accuracy, critical-chance, and defensive attributes; it supports the role but does not remove the need to manage range and exposure.
Rank #2
Ramming ship
Ramming deals durability damage through a direct, aligned charge. Being next to an enemy is not enough: the approach must satisfy the alignment requirement. Mate Ramming expertise improves this approach, which depends on finding a workable path and angle.
Melee and boarding ship
Melee requires an adjacent target and attacks its crew rather than primarily damaging hull durability. It can improve the opportunity to capture a ship, but the attacking crew can also take losses. A ship assigned to this job needs enough crew to absorb the risk.
Support ship or support-focused Mate
Repair restores ship durability; Medicine restores crew; tools can remove certain conditions. Support expertise improves repair and medicine recovery. A fleet does not need every ship to be a damage dealer: recovery actions can preserve ships and crews for the rest of a fight.
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LINE Games’ Mate Guide, updated May 24, 2023 (UTC+9), describes Mate expertise and effects. Its Combat Guide covers the actions themselves.
Choose an attack that fits the position
| Action | What it targets | Position or condition | Key trade-off |
|---|---|---|---|
| Artillery | Enemy durability | Target must be within range | Uses ammunition and can draw counterfire |
| Ramming | Enemy durability | Requires a direct aligned charge | Approach geometry matters; adjacency alone does not qualify |
| Melee | Enemy crew | Target must be adjacent | Can aid capture chances, but may cost allied crew |
| Duel | One-on-one contest | Ships must have matching deck height, and the opponent must accept | Conditional option, not a general substitute for ship attacks |
| Repair or Medicine | Allied ship durability or crew | Use the relevant support action | Restores fighting capacity instead of directly damaging an enemy |
The duel condition is specific: matching deck height does not force an opponent to accept. The action descriptions and requirements are given in LINE Games’ Combat Guide.
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Formations have different effects by row, so formation choice and ship placement are part of preparation. Mobility influences action order, while map features can limit where ships move. The official guides establish these mechanics but do not provide a current, complete formation-bonus comparison; check the in-game descriptions before choosing a formation for a specific build.
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Supplies matter during the fight as well as on the voyage. Food and water are consumed at sea; low stores can reduce Morale during combat and may eventually cause allies to flee. Ammunition supports artillery, while materials support repair. Both take cargo capacity, so packing for combat competes with room for other cargo. LINE Games’ Combat Guide describes these effects.
The 2022 Fleet Management Guide also explains the flagship and row-effect concepts. Because it is older, use current in-game descriptions for patch-sensitive details rather than assuming every historical fleet-management detail remains unchanged.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Manual combat, Auto Combat, and Repel Support
Manual combat
Manual control lets you choose each ship’s movement and action. That matters when you need to preserve the flagship, line up a ram, reach an adjacent target, select a safer firing position, or use a support action at the right time. Manual play offers more control; it is not a guarantee of victory.
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Auto Combat
Auto Combat directs all ships automatically. LINE Games’ Fleet Growth Guide warns that ships tend to attack head-on in Auto Combat and can be sunk under concentrated fire in difficult fights. Use manual control when positioning or protecting a key ship matters more than convenience.
Repel Support
Repel Support can immediately resolve eligible ordinary fleet combat when your Combat Power is at least 1.3 times the enemy fleet’s. The official guide excludes powerful opponents, event fleets, and quest fights. It provides basic combat rewards except supplies and consumes a variable number of supports based on national control in a Limited Area; daily tasks can provide free supports. Eligibility and the support requirement can be patch-sensitive, so check the current interface before relying on a particular fight qualifying.
Build around a job, not a universal “best fleet”
The official mechanics support comparing fleet choices along several practical axes rather than declaring one ship, Admiral, or Mate optimal for every battle:
- Damage method: ranged artillery, aligned ramming, or adjacent melee and boarding.
- Resilience: durability repair, crew recovery, and removal of certain conditions.
- Positioning and tempo: Mobility and action order, formation row effects, map constraints, and flagship placement.
- Readiness: ammunition, repair materials, food, and water.
- Control: manual positioning versus Auto Combat convenience, especially in difficult fights.
LINE Games’ Mate Guide and Admiral Guide explain expertise and Admiral context. The official material cited here does not establish current comparative win rates, a complete current formation-bonus table, or a patch-specific top fleet. Base choices on the jobs your fleet needs to perform and the encounter in front of you.
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