Windrose Ship Building 2026: Ketch, Brig and Frigate

Windrose ship building always follows the same pattern: put a Wharf on the shore, get the ship design, stack up the materials. There are three classes to choose from, the Ketch, Brig and Frigate. Only the Ketch comes from a quest, everything bigger costs faction reputation and piastres.

This guide shows which building does what, what each class costs in materials and what stats it brings. The numbers come from the game data in the windrose.gaming.tools database, game version 0.10.0.9. The start of the game is covered in our Windrose beginner tips.

⛵ Three Classes, Three Variants Each

According to the Early Access description on Steam, Windrose currently has three playable ships, ranging from nimble ketches to versatile brigs to monstrous frigates. In the game data, the Wharf lists every class in three variants: Stock, Blackbeard and Brethren of the Coast.

The variants cost the same but differ in stats. According to the in-game text, stock ships are balanced. Blackbeard ships trade armor and cargo space for speed and bigger cannon calibers, while Brethren ships are tough sea fortresses with a large hold, but slower. Heads-up: on October 8, 2026, Kraken Express announced that the fixed faction variants will be removed with the Ashlands update and replaced by free customization.

🔨 Wharf and Shipwright's Workshop: Two Buildings, Two Jobs

The most common mistake in Windrose ship building is using the wrong building. Ships are built and repaired at the Wharf. According to the game data it costs 10 Wood and 10 Coarse Fabric and can only be placed on the shore. You unlock it through the quest "How My Sea Adventure Began".

The Shipwright's Workshop is something else. That's where gear and upgrades for your ship are made, for example Boarding Party Gear, which according to its description raises your crew's strength when boarding. You then slot cannons, hull reinforcements, battle orders and crew gear into the matching places on the ship.

🎯 Ketch: Your First Real Ship

The Ketch is your entry into seafaring and the only class that doesn't need faction reputation. You get its ship design as a reward for the main quest "I Need a Bigger Boat". It's built at the Wharf from 100 Nails, 150 Wood, 40 Coarse Fabric and 30 Rope.

According to the game data, the stock Ketch has 50,000 hitpoints, a max speed of 19, 28 cargo slots and a main battery of three 12-pounders. That's enough for your first trips between islands and smaller fights.

💰 Brig: Faction Level 2 and 1,000 Piastres

From the Brig on, you buy the ship design. The seller is the Brethren of the Coast Provisioner. According to the game data, Ship Design: Brig costs 1,000 piastres and requires faction level 2. How to build reputation and earn piastres is in our Windrose resources and trading guide.

The recipe is the first real jump in materials: 200 Wooden Plank, 200 Nails, 120 Coarse Fabric, 80 Copper Ingot, 40 Timber, 40 Linen Fabric, 40 Rope and 30 Shipwright's Tools. The stock Brig brings 70,000 hitpoints, speed 20, 24 cargo slots and six 12-pounders. The Brethren Brig has 90,000 hitpoints and 32 cargo slots, but is slower at 18.

🔍 The Brig Is Not a Brigantine

Many guides call the middle ship a brigantine. That's wrong: the store and the game data list a Brig. Kraken Express only mentions the brigantine in the devblog from July 1, 2026, together with the fluyt and the galleon, as a ship in development. At least one of them is supposed to arrive with the Ashlands update.

🏴 Frigate: Faction Level 4, 3,000 Piastres and Swamp Materials

The Frigate is the endgame ship. Its ship design costs 3,000 piastres at the same provisioner and requires faction level 4. The stock Frigate has 160,000 hitpoints, speed 18, 40 cargo slots, a main battery of twelve 24-pounders and a secondary battery of six 12-pounders.

The recipe according to the game data: 320 Wooden Plank, 300 Nails, 240 Linen Fabric, 160 Timber, 120 Foothills Iron Ingot, 80 Tarred Planks, 80 Tarred Fabric, 80 Rope and 50 Shipwright's Tools. According to the in-game text, tar only exists in the swamps, so you won't build a Frigate without the third biome. The Blackbeard Frigate trades armor for speed: 110,000 hitpoints, speed 20 and bigger calibers up to 36 pounds.

📊 Windrose Ship Building Costs at a Glance

⚠️ Fan Guide Contradictions, Resolved

Two sets of numbers are going around for cannon slots. Some guides say 8, 14 and 36 cannons, others 3, 6 and 18. The game data confirms the second set: three cannons on the Ketch, six on the Brig, and on the Frigate twelve in the main battery plus six in the secondary battery.

The Brig's nail requirement was also disputed, sometimes 100, sometimes 200. According to the game data it's 200. Besides Tarred Fabric, the Frigate also needs 80 Tarred Planks, which some lists leave out.

🧪 Build the Production Chain Before the Ship Design

If you want to get into Windrose ship building, you rarely fail at the ship design. You fail at the intermediate products. Nails and ingots need the metal chain of charcoal production and smelting, and Linen Fabric is spun from flax fibers. Set up this chain before you buy the Brig design.

The second bottleneck is Shipwright's Tools. According to the game data, the Brethren of the Coast Provisioner sells them for 10 piastres each from faction level 1. The Brig needs 30, so 300 piastres, the Frigate 50, so 500 piastres. Factor that into your budget.

🗓️ Officially Confirmed: Patch Status and Outlook

According to the Steam patch notes, version 0.10.0.9 from August 25, 2026 makes cannonballs deal damage correctly to the stern, sails and hull. Version 0.10.0.8 from July 8, 2026 fixed projectiles passing through ships at range. In the same patch notes, Kraken Express lists as a known issue that front cannons occasionally deal no damage despite a hit. How fights play out is shown in our Windrose naval combat guide.

Looking ahead, the devblog from July 1, 2026 promises at least one more ship class with the Ashlands update. On October 8, 2026, Kraken Express announced a rework of ship customization, including fittings like a workbench and a cooking fire in the cargo hold. Resources from dismantled faction ships are supposed to be fully refunded. According to publisher Pocketpair, Ashlands is due this winter. More in our Windrose Ashlands overview.

❓ FAQ: Windrose Ship Building

Where do I build ships in Windrose?

At the Wharf, which according to the game data costs 10 Wood and 10 Coarse Fabric and only goes on the shore. The Shipwright's Workshop, on the other hand, makes gear and upgrades for the ship.

How many ships are there in Windrose?

Three classes, Ketch, Brig and Frigate, each in three variants according to the game data: Stock, Blackbeard and Brethren. The fixed faction variants are set to be replaced by free customization with the Ashlands update.

Is there a brigantine in Windrose?

Not yet. The middle ship is the Brig. Kraken Express only mentions the brigantine as a ship in development, together with the fluyt and the galleon.

What does the Frigate cost in Windrose?

Faction level 4 with the Brethren of the Coast and 3,000 piastres for the ship design. On top of that come 320 Wooden Plank, 300 Nails, 240 Linen Fabric, 120 Foothills Iron Ingot, 80 each of Tarred Planks and Tarred Fabric and 50 Shipwright's Tools, among other things.

Why do my front cannons deal no damage?

That's a bug documented by Kraken Express. The patch notes for version 0.10.0.8 list it as a known issue. No fix appears in the patch notes up to 0.10.0.9.

Checked as of October 2026, game version 0.10.0.9 (Early Access). Official sources: the Windrose Steam store page, patch notes 0.10.0.7 to 0.10.0.9, the "Ashlands" devblog from July 1, 2026, the post "Voyage to Ashlands: Ship Customization, pt.1" from October 8, 2026 and the Pocketpair press release from October 9, 2026. Build costs, ship designs, faction levels and ship stats come from the game data in the windrose.gaming.tools database. There is no official Windrose wiki.