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Easily obtainable 'Astray'
Is it still worth upgrading now?
Astray vs. Estoque for beginners?

The hurdle for 'Astray', the ultimate goal of Season 1 sailing content and a symbol of romance, has been greatly lowered. Astray required 2 million Pirate Coins in Season 1, making it virtually impossible to obtain, but on May 6, 2020, the requirement was reduced to 300,000, and the first producer appeared, making it known as the ship of dreams. That 'Astray' has now become a ship that anyone can easily obtain. This is because the 300,000 Pirate Coin requirement for purchasing the 'Star of the Pirate: Astray' quest has disappeared along with the relaxation of the Internal Affairs Express.

Of course, it's still not easy. From the final reward of the Una's Tasks and Blackfang's Rapport Trust, to a large amount of ship materials and crew members boasting high costs and difficult acquisition... Nothing is easy from production to setup. However, obtaining the ship itself has become easily achievable.

How much does it cost to upgrade Astray? Basically, all ship upgrade costs are the same. Only the materials are slightly different, but if Astray is supplied with all kinds of materials through Sailing Coin Selection Boxes and market purchases, it requires 6,000 gold and 106 Sailing Coin Selection Boxes. It's not an easy cost, but the reward is certain. This is because Astray is the fastest ship.

In the past, two sailing contents were essential: sailing co-op content and 'Ghost Ship'. Accordingly, two types of ship settings were required: a farming ship that required participation in sailing co-op, and Eibern's Wound, which was required to participate in Ghost Ship, but now the need has almost disappeared. Accordingly, ships are mainly used for transportation, and in that respect, Astray, which is the fastest, is advantageous.

The ability to navigate through sailing co-op or specific dangerous waters is mediocre, and the ship has the disadvantage of low durability, but it is the best ship for short-distance sailing. Currently, ships are mostly used for this purpose, so it is a ship without major drawbacks.

Even if you don't set up a special high-end setup, you can achieve a maximum speed of 70 knots by wearing the 'Aufheben' ship skin, and if you set up the 'Notos Coral Orca', which boasts high efficiency for transportation, you can move at a normal 43.5 knots and a fast 59 knots with a small crew farming.

In conclusion, beginners hardly need to strengthen the ship side. Currently, there are regular liner boarding and Bifrost, so most calendar content can be covered with these two means of transportation, and ships are used for a short time when doing Island Souls or internal affairs content. A suitable level 1 ship is enough to cover it. In this situation, it is better to ride Eibern's Wound or Tragon, which has high basic durability, rather than Astray, which is an expensive sports car.

However, it's a different story if you want to enjoy sailing content. If you want to participate steadily in the sailing co-op quests that take place every day, it is better to set up a 'vulnerable' dangerous sea. Very vulnerable has a debuff of 20 seconds, and it takes 20 seconds for the danger gauge to reach its maximum, making it difficult to proceed with the sailing co-op quest. The vulnerable stage has a debuff of 10 seconds, and it takes 50 seconds for the danger gauge to reach its maximum, making it much more relaxed. You need to increase the ship's resistance value that comes out when you press Z, which is possible with crew and ship level up.

Generally, if you make about 3 to 4 common dangerous sea areas vulnerable, you can enjoy comfortable sailing co-op. Most ships can meet this condition, but there is a difference in cost-effectiveness. Astray, which is famous for its expensive crew prices, costs more than 500,000 Pirate Coins in the final combination, while Estoque can easily set up Kals - Pupuuring with less than half the resources. If you are thinking of enjoying sailing co-op, it is much more useful to use Estoque instead of Astray.

Estoque is a balanced ship with evenly distributed resistance values in all sea areas instead of having special specialized sea areas. The movement ability is also excellent compared to the upgrade, so it is good to use it as the main ship in the early stages. It is also possible to alternately use ships with excellent dedicated stats (such as Tragon, which has strengths in storm sailing co-op) after cost-effective upgrades to level 5, or to set up all sea area resistance for sailing co-op after upgrading to level 10.

Astray has a high dependence on the relic crew member 'Barakas' when setting up for sailing co-op. Barakas is a crew member who raises all sea area resistance except for aquatic sea area resistance. The problem is that the relic grade is 14,000 Procyon Coins, which translates to 280,000 Pirate Coins, making it the most expensive crew member. The legendary grade Barakas is a little cheaper, but it is not easy to obtain because 'Hearty Gador', a level 35 stronghold merchant, sells it with a low probability.

Astray is naturally ahead in terms of speed. The basic operating speed at level 10 is not much different at about 3 knots, but Astray is ahead in terms of fast operating speed, fast operating duration, and fast operating recovery. In addition, Astray's exclusive crew member Blackfang has the 'Tailwind' skill, making it difficult to catch up with Astray in terms of speed.

As expected, the price of the crew is expensive, but skilled adventurers can also set up cost-effective settings such as 'Notos Coral Orca'.

Lost Ark InvenChoi Min-ho Reporter
2023-12-28