Competition between players is at the core of the game and pushes them to battle often. Here is a synopsis of the main features

Factions :

During the game, players will have to choose their side : Pirates or Corsairs.

Sinking a ship from the opposite faction increases the player's reputation, unlocking new ranks, titles and items as a reward.

Treasure hunt:

Sinking an enemy ship allows to steal the gold it was carrying and also gives a chance to retrieve its treasure map leading to where most of the gold is stashed.

The defeated players will have a limited amount of time to retrieve their maps and protect their gold. To accomplish that, they can either find their enemies themselves and try to beat them, or put a price on their heads and let other players handle the matter.

Guilds, Mutinies and Plots:

Guilds allow players to group and fight clans of enemies, players or NPCs, in order to acquire powerful artifacts. 

When a guild's opponent is defeated, only the guild master is noticed of the booty, and him alone can distribute it among guild members or keep it for himself.

However, at any time, a disappointed guild member can start a mutiny or a plot and try to overthrow the guild master.

Good political skills are one of the most important quality of a successful guild master.

Auto-regulated rampage:

When a Pirate sinks a Corsair's ship, he sees his threat level increase. A high threat level increases the reputation earned or lost during battles against other players. The threat levelis reduced when the Pirate is defeated or when he doesn't sink a ship for a while.

A high threat level will get the Pirate targeted by the Corsairs who will receive help from NPCs to locate him. However if the Pirate can avoid the Corsairs long enough, he will be able to keep his booty.