A huge Industrial Age and Victorian metropolis in Anno 1800: Console Edition is only as good as its naval power (assuming pirates and A.I. factions were allowed). Because that lucrative and complex web of trade routes carrying luxury goods from the New World to the Old World will easily crumble into flotsam without warships.

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So while the prospect of and expensive war and the diverting of funds to military tools might make players groan, it's necessary in Anno 1800's intended vision. At the very least, players can consider these top-of-the-line vessels to safeguard their precious trade routes or to violently spread peace on the high seas.

10 Pirate Frigate

Players can forget about the regular Frigate once they have obtained the elusive Legendary specialist, Petra Piper, Fashioner of Pirate Frigates. It outclasses the cleaner and less aggressive Frigate with better speed and higher damage.

Like most ships that rely on sails, sadly, the Pirate Frigate is a sitting duck with no wind as faster ships can circle around it during an engagement. Still, the higher damage can make up for it and the cheap upkeep helps in making it more sustainable as a naval standard.

9 Monitor

The monitor might not be as threatening as the Battle Cruiser but it's great for outmaneuvering larger and slower ships and might even chip away at their HP while their bulkier brothers tank all the cannon hits. The range isn't much lower compared to Frigates, letting it close the gap fast.

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Moreover, the regular Monitor doesn't require a Legendary specialist compared to the other ships though it does ask for Investors as a requirement, which is easy enough to achieve since they're considered as the mid-game in Anno 1800.

8 Flagship

Turns out the starting Imperial Flagship is already a good warship and players needn't look further. Its main strength is its speed thanks to the hybrid engine/sail design. It's one of the fastest ships in the game if the wind is on its side, making it great for guarded explorations.

The damage is more than decent too with frequent-enough attacks and a range that lets it attack first compared to lighter and faster ships. Of course, there's another downside, players can only have one and its hitpoints are rather low.

7 Pirate Monitor

The pirate variant of the Monitor, the Pirate Monitor (figures), is an overall better vessel. It has higher speed and attacks more frequently, resulting in a higher overall damage. Both improvements are crucial in maintaining naval superiority.

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In fact, the Pirate Monitor might even be one of the most useful ships for attrition due to its speed and frequent attacks. If not, then it can also win static fights with a better chance since it fires more shots compared to broadside loaders. It will require Maria Pizarro, Maker of Pirate Monitors.

6 Pyrphorian Warship

Speaking of frequent attacks, the Pyrphorian Monitor is what players will want if they prefer a higher chance at winning close range ship clashes. The Pyrphorian Warship excels at rushing down enemies at close range and then unleashing a Flamethrower stream every second.

It's expensive to build and maintain, of course, and will require Slinky Sinistra, Warlock of Pyrphorian Warships. It's worth it, however, since the Pyrphorian Warship is a formidable one, as long as players want to actively participate in combat maneuvering.

5 Pyrphorian Battle Cruiser

An even more expensive ship than the Pyrphorian Warship would be its sibling, the Pyrphorian Battle Cruiser. It has less range than the regular Battle Cruiser and the mode of operation also involves charging the enemy and then unleashing a Flamesthrower stream.

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To that end, it somewhat nullifies the main advantage of the Battle Cruiser which is the range but it makes up for it by attacking more frequently and being tankier. Players will need Suspicia Slyhood, Begetter of Pyphorian Battlecruisers for this ship.

4 Ship-Of-The-Line

Most ships thus far have required some random and ultra-rare specialist that's usually only obtainable during the late-game, so not beginner-friendly. That's why the Ship-of-the-line might be more advantageous for those who prefer their warships more available and cheaper.

It's a powerful broadside annihilator whose main weakness is that it's slower than a whale. The range is impressive, however, and second only to the Battle Cruiser, meaning it can chip away at approaching enemies before they even get a fighting chance.

3 Battle Cruiser

Don't feel too dissuaded by the lower overall DPS, the Battle Cruiser is still the ideal ship for harassing enemy fleets or coastal defenses. Because it has the longest range out of all the warships in the game, and if players equip it with a telescope item, it becomes untouchable.

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If players are decent at micro-managing, the Battle Cruiser can become even more invincible, especially with an additional speed item. It's still slower than a warship with sails—if the wind is in favor of the sails, but that doesn't always happen.

2 Royal Ship-Of-The-Line

Like the regular Ship-of-the-line, it's slower than a geriatric whale after a krill buffet, but this variant actually has increased broadside damage and more hitpoints, making it a stationary beast of a warship. Players don't even need to move it. After positioning it for broadside firing, they can just let it rip smaller vessels apart.

The speed also isn't really that bad if the wind favors it, but one can't ignore that damage potential and range. The obvious tactic here is to let Pyrphorian ships charge at enemies to keep them at bay while the Royal Ship-of-the-line shreds them to splinters in the backline. Players will need Sir Milfoy Credenza-Belfry-Guscott, HM Ship Architect to build this ship.

1 Pirate Ship-of-the-line

For the best naval firepower in the game, nothing beats this scrouge of the seas. The Pirate Ship-of-the-line variant (buildable via Shih Yang, Shirer of Pirate Ships-of-the-Line) has the range of regular Ship-of-the-line variants but fires more frequently.

It's also faster, somehow mitigating one of the weaknesses of the Ship-of-the-line class. Players can forget about those chunky and expensive steam ships, this one is more powerful and as an added bonus, it looks like the Black Pearl, perfect for sending those A.I. competitor ships to Davy Jones' locker.

Anno 1800 is available on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X and Series S, and Microsoft Windows.

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