Alpha 1: the persistent server is open

Until now Pirate World ran on a laptop for an evening at a time. From today it runs on an always-on server in Europe, and invited testers can log in whenever they like. Characters stay where you left them.

This is an alpha. Expect bugs and rough edges, expect restarts when we deploy, and know that we may still wipe characters if we have to.

What’s in the world

Two islands. Everyone starts on Gullhaven Isle (levels 1–5). A long way south-east lies Tidecrown Isle (levels 6–10) and its capital, Port Sovereign, with the Canefields, Blackwater Fens and the ruins of Fort Ashcombe beyond the city walls.
Ferries. The Gull’s Promise and the Sovereign Dawn sail between the two harbours on a timetable. Walk up the gangplank, listen for the bell, and stay aboard.
Quests. Givers with “!” over their heads, objectives in the tracker, quest items that drop for everyone in the party who needs them. Gullhaven has its starter chain; Tidecrown adds 23 more quests across three zones.
Classic combat. Tab-targeting, auto-attack, a global cooldown, cast bars, interrupts, range, facing and line of sight.
Talents instead of classes. One point per level, spent freely across five branches: Swordsman, Marksman, Doctor, Bruiser and Craftsman. A branch’s first ability needs 5 points in it. Respec is free in port.
Ships. Take the wheel, set the sails, man a battery and aim your broadsides with the mouse. Patch leaks, mend the rigging, and shoot an enemy’s gunners to silence her guns. When she sinks, her survivors swim over to finish the fight on your deck.
Adventures. Private instances for your crew, launched from the chart table at sea: Wreck Cove, The Black Gull and Rumrunner’s Rock (level 7). Every creature in an adventure is elite, so bring friends.
And around it: parties and loot rolls, trading, a cargo hold, achievements and titles, inspecting other players, enterable buildings, and a shared day/night cycle about two hours long.

New for the alpha

Accounts. Sign in with the email you were invited with. While the alpha is invite-only, anyone can ask for an invite.
Characters live on the server. Your characters, bags, quests and position are saved on the server, not in your browser, so you can switch between computers or between the browser and the desktop app.
In-game bug reports. Type /bug in chat, or choose Report a bug in the game menu. You can attach a screenshot of the game view. The report also carries your position and some technical details, so we can find the problem; the FAQ lists exactly what.
The desktop app. A small app for macOS and Windows that opens the game in its own window, so browser shortcuts don’t steal your keys and the game isn’t slowed down in the background. Get it from the download page.
Smoother restarts. When we deploy, you’ll see a countdown first. After the restart the game reconnects you on its own.

Known issues

The desktop builds aren’t signed yet. macOS says the app “can’t be verified” and Windows shows a SmartScreen warning the first time you open it. The download page shows how to get past both.
Wipes are possible. We don’t plan one, but if a change needs it, characters may be reset. We’ll announce it beforehand.
Content ends around level 10. Tidecrown is as far as the world goes for now.
Some buildings in Port Sovereign are placeholders. The Exchange, the Counting House and Artisans’ Row have people in them who talk about what’s coming. The systems behind them aren’t built yet.

Thanks for testing. Please report anything odd: it’s the most useful thing you can do for the game right now.