When one side or the other gets damaged it will turn orange and then red which means you are going to sink. The strength of the hull is separated into left and right curved segments which start green. The icons above each ship indicate various important pieces of information. For the most part it is a trade off with a choice between speed and manoeuvrability or firepower and hull strength. All ships have a number of cannons, a crew, a firepower rating, a hull strength rating, a manoeuvrability rating and a top speed. To begin with there are several different types of ship and as you develop more technology you’ll be able to build increasingly impressive and destructive units.

There are lots of things to take into consideration when conducting naval battles and it can prove very tough to win a victory until you understand the tactics. For the first time in a Total War game you can fight battles upon the high seas, directly controlling a range of ship types. The naval warfare in Empire: Total War is probably the biggest addition to the series.

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