OpenFront Build Warship — Cost, HP and Naval Control

An OpenFront warship is the unit that turns a coastline into a weapon. It patrols, sinks transports, fights other warships and captures enemy trade ships, which makes it the main tool of naval control and piracy. It also has a hard requirement, a steep price ladder and a veterancy system that rewards keeping ships alive. This page covers what a warship does, what it costs, and how to use a fleet without wasting it.

What a Warship Does

A warship patrols an area, attacks enemy transport ships and other warships, and captures enemy trade ships, which is how you steal a rival's shipping income rather than just blocking it. It is also what defends your own trade routes, since an enemy warship cannot take your trade ships if your own fleet is screening them. The build menu entry from the official client describes exactly this patrol-and-capture role, and the community wiki adds that warships can be repaired and gain veterancy as they serve.

• Patrol, do not wander. A warship guards the area you targeted when you built it.
• It captures rather than sinks trade. The prize is the route's income, not the hull.
• It kills transports and warships. That makes it the counter to an amphibious landing.
• It levels through combat. Captures and kills raise its damage and health.
• It can be repaired. A damaged veteran is worth restoring rather than replacing.

Building a Warship: Cost and Requirements

The port requirement is absolute, and the price ladder is one of the sharper curves in the game because it scales with fleet size.

Warship number	Cost
1st	250,000
2nd	500,000
3rd	750,000
4th and later	1,000,000

Property	Documented value
Requires	A completed port; launches onto water
HP	1,000 in the current wiki; older source says 500 growing to 1,000
Damage	250 per shell in the current wiki
Max level	3, reached by captures and kills
Upgradable	No, as a structure; it levels through combat instead

Spawn behaviour is worth knowing before you buy: the ship appears at your nearest port and then travels to the water tile you targeted, so a fleet based far from the front takes time to arrive.

Using Warships Well

• Screen your own trade first. A port economy without a warship screen hands its income to the first raider.
• Raid the longest route. Trade ships pay more the further they travel, so the richest targets are long coastal runs.
• Group before you commit. Use F to select all warships and shift-drag to box-select, then move the fleet together.
• Protect veteran ships. A level-3 warship has more HP and damage than a fresh one, so screen it rather than trading it away.
• Repair after heavy fights. Damaged warships are cheap to restore and expensive to replace on the ladder.

Situation	Best naval move
Rival runs a long coastal trade route	Raid with one or two warships and capture the ships
Rival is massing transports for a landing	Patrol the crossing and sink transports
Your economy is port-heavy	Keep a standing screen near your richest ports
Rival has a larger fleet	Retreat, repair and rebuild, because the price ladder rewards rebuilding late