Corsair Cove Captain Tier List & Specialties

Captains in Corsair Cove modify ship stats and bring unique combat cards to the tabletop-style naval battles. Choosing Teach because he is famous is weaker than matching captain bonuses to encounter scripts and hull profiles from the ship tier list. This page ranks known captains from demo and preview content, notes hidden captains unlocked by exploration in full release, and recommends pairings aligned with Seafaring builds.

Bonuses below reflect early access listings; verify in-game after patches.

Tier summary

Tier	Captains	Best for
S	Teach, Scarlet	Gun and boarding flagship roles
A	Charlie, Honorata, Kanja	Speed/maneuver and supply-heavy voyages
B	Raven, Timothy	Niche economy or luck mechanics
C	Enrique	Situational destroyer scripts only

Six additional captains remain hidden behind map exploration and events per official stat site notes—expect tier shifts when those unlock post-launch.

S-tier — Teach

Bonuses: Health +20%, Gun Damage +20%

Identity: Old guard survivor; abilities like Easy as Murder expand dice pools for gun-focused turns.

Best hulls: Iron Fist, Azimuth, Moonlight when encounters scale off gun damage rather than boarding.

Why S-tier: Tutorial combat and many early Crown patrols reward direct hull damage and crew preservation via extra health.

Avoid: Boarding-only scripts where gun damage does not advance win conditions—swap to Scarlet.

S-tier — Scarlet

Bonuses: Health +20%, Boarding Damage +20%

Identity: Boarding specialist; Old Hob’s Favorite-style abilities lean into crew fights and sustained hull health.

Best hulls: Sharktooth, Goldseeker, Nightshade when unlocked; Moonlight only if boarding checks dominate.

Why S-tier: Many events kill player crew if mishandled; Scarlet stabilizes boarding paths Teach cannot.

A-tier — Charlie

Bonuses: Speed +30%, Maneuverability +20%

Identity: Strategist captain for players who read enemy intents and kite damage.

Best hulls: Moonlight, Tide Runner, Huracan speed lines.

Why A not S: Requires encounter types where maneuver rolls matter; wasted on stationary gun duels.

A-tier — Honorata

Bonuses: Speed +20%, Maneuverability +20%

Identity: Privateer heritage flavor; flexible prowler captain before Charlie unlock.

Best hulls: Moonlight, evasive prowlers on chase nodes.

Pair with demo layout pier upgrades so speed stats actually affect initiative checks.

A-tier — Kanja

Bonuses: Supply +20%, Speed +20%

Identity: Former spice trader; extends supply pool for long multi-round fights.

Best hulls: Supply-hungry destroyers and events with extended card chains.

Why valuable: Corsair Cove combat treats supply like mana—Kanja reduces forced crew sacrifices.

B-tier — Raven (Enguerrand Le Bris)

Bonuses: Maneuverability +20%, Raid Coins +100%

Identity: Cynical merchant-turned-pirate; economy skew.

Best use: Farm coin nodes and raids when combat difficulty is low; bring Teach or Scarlet for serious Crown fights.

B-tier — Timothy (Phoenix)

Bonuses: Legend’s Luck

Identity: Crown-hating burn survivor; luck mechanic rather than flat stat stack.

Best use: Experimental full-release content—demo sample size too small for consistent S ranking.

C-tier — Enrique

Bonuses: Speed -20%, Maneuverability -20% (heavy captain profile in current data)

Identity: Listed alongside destroyer recommendations in some previews despite penalties—likely tied to specific hull synergies or datatable errors.

Use only when journal scripts demand slow destroyer platforms and penalties are offset by hull base stats. Re-test after launch balance.

Pairing matrix (quick reference)

Encounter type	Captain	Ship direction
Gun duel / fort shelling	Teach	Iron Fist, Azimuth
Boarding / crew kill	Scarlet	Sharktooth, Nightshade
Chase / escape	Charlie, Honorata	Moonlight, Tide Runner
Long supply drain	Kanja	High-supply destroyers
Coin farming	Raven	Fast prowlers on weak raids

Demo fleet advice

Demo feedback notes you often cannot send two ships on one mission—maintain two captains ready for different node types instead of doubling Teach on one sortie. Cycle assignments at pier before committing; pause with Space per keybindings.

First assignment: Teach on Landlubber tutorial, then move to Moonlight when unlocked. Add Scarlet as second captain before boarding-heavy map icons.

Hidden captains (full release)

Steam and community sites reference six undiscovered captains from exploration. When found, compare their bonuses against this matrix:

• Flat gun/boarding boosts compete with Teach/Scarlet tiers.
• Unique economy effects may outrank Raven on trade routes.
• Luck or event-specific kits belong in B-tier until encounter data proves otherwise.

Common mistakes

• Teach on boarding scripts — You stall while enemy crew mechanics ignore gun damage.
• Ignoring supply captains — Kanja prevents late-round collapses when enemies spam high-cost actions.
• Captain without hull synergy — Charlie on Iron Fist speed 2 fights physics and encounter design.

Related pages

• Ship tier list — hull stats
• Compass priorities — unlock captains via exploration deeds
• Getting Started — combat tutorial
• Builds hub — economy supporting multiple captains