It's time to hoist the sails and prepare for battle, because one of the deadliest ships in Skull and Bones has made its return to the high seas-stronger, tougher, and more vicious than ever before. The Black Prince, once known for dominating PvP skirmishes, has roared back into relevance thanks to the new Armor Ascension system. This upgrade has turned an already tanky warship into a near-unkillable fortress of cannon fire, repair speed, more Skull and Bones Items and toxic devastation.

Let's dive into how this build works, why it's such a powerhouse in both PvE and PvP, and how you can replicate its setup to crush your enemies and plunder the seas like a true pirate legend.

The Black Prince: A Defensive Titan Reforged

The Black Prince has always had a reputation as a juggernaut-and for good reason. Its defining perk, "Reduced Damage Taken by 40% when Hull Health is below 33%," makes it extremely hard to finish off in a firefight. But with Armor Ascensions now enhancing base stats and resistances, the ship's defensive potential has skyrocketed.

To make the most of this, the build doubles down on sustainability and damage reduction:

 Maintenance x2: Restores 190 hull health per second and 180 hull health per second, allowing for constant regeneration even under sustained fire.

 Stout Perk: Adds +5200 hull health, giving the ship a massive pool to work with.

On top of this, the Black Prince's resistances are stacked across multiple damage types:

 40% Noxious Resistance

 35% Piercing Resistance

 35% Explosive Resistance

 18% Fire Resistance

 5% Flooding Resistance

That combination makes it ideal for plundering, where explosive projectiles and fire-based defenses are common. You'll shrug off tower bombardments and dockyard mortars while keeping your hull repaired through constant regeneration.

Weapon Loadout: Lethal Precision and Stamina Drain

The build revolves around Leic 3E Cannons, also known as the Insidious Weapons wielded by Leest Slackis. These cannons fire tainted shells that drain enemy crew stamina, making them not only damaging but also disruptive-perfect for PvP where stamina is life.

Each cannon rolls with a deadly trio of modifiers:

 Combustion: Converts the weapon into an explosive type, boosting AoE and enabling synergy with explosive buffs.

 Siege: Increases structural damage and projectile velocity-essential for sieging forts and capital ships.

 Deadly Strike: Boosts critical hits and weak point damage without requiring perfect aim.

Most cannons are rolled this way for consistent offensive synergy. However, one back weapon carries Lethal, a solid substitute for Deadly Strike when reroll options are limited. As the builder notes, rear cannons are situational, so investing heavily in their rolls isn't always necessary.

For the auxiliary slot, the Little Grace III is the tool of choice. Many captains forget to utilize their auxiliary weapons-especially rockets and mortars-but Little Grace stands out for its utility. Equipped with:

 Rapid Reload Restorative: Reduces severe damage while keeping your cannons firing.

 Empower: Grants +3% weapon damage for 10 seconds per stack (up to 5 stacks), rewarding captains who hold position during firefights.

This combination transforms you into a stationary powerhouse-deadly when holding a siege or pinning down enemy fleets.

Furniture Setup: The True Core of the Build

While weapons and perks define your offensive capabilities, the furniture setup is what truly brings the Black Prince build to life. Every piece here works together to enhance explosive damage, reload speed, and toxic synergy:

 Worm's Breath Turner-"Shifter Spice and Everything Not So Nice"

 +20% secondary damage of explosive weapons

 +5% base weapon damage for explosive weapons

This works because of Combustion-once your weapons are rolled with Combustion, they count as explosive, activating this bonus. (Without Combustion, these perks won't trigger.)

Long Gun Works I

 +19% secondary damage for long guns-a major boost for sustained side cannon fire.

Plaguebringer's Ward

 –7% reload time for toxic weapons

 +4% damage from toxic weapons

La Potent Schematics I

 +10% damage to weak points (also applies to structures, even if the text doesn't say so).

 New bonus: Weapons ignore 10% of enemy toxic resistance, further amplifying the tainted cannon damage.

Ammo Priming Bench

 +20% damage to structures for siege weapons.

 +18% repair amount for repair weapons beyond 160m.

 +4% overall weapon damage for siege weapons.

 +10% projectile speed for siege weapons.

Ramrod Workshop

 –7% reload time for broadside weapons.

 +7% secondary damage from broadside weapons.Together, these furniture bonuses create a balance of sustain, reload efficiency, and raw damage output, especially against structures and large ships.

Testing the Build: Against the Hardest Bosses

To showcase the power of this setup, the creator took the Black Prince into battle against some of the toughest bosses in Skull and Bones: Vikram, the Hubach Twins, and others that most pirates avoid due to their long, grueling fights.

Vikram Fight Highlights

Vikram is notorious for his barrier mechanic, which recharges through surrounding towers. The key trick here? Don't destroy the towers. Every time one falls, Vikram absorbs their stored energy, refilling his barrier.

With this build, high toxic damage, explosive synergy, and Deadly Strike allow for massive hits when targeting weak points. Thanks to double Maintenance, the ship regenerates faster than Vikram can chip away-effectively outhealing incoming damage.

The Bladder Sloop of War configuration also provides excellent maneuverability compared to heavier frigates. You get five long-gun shots per broadside, only one fewer than a frigate, but with far better sailing performance. The creator notes that it feels like "a mini frigate-but way better to handle."

Hubach Twins Showdown

The Hubach Twins are infamous for their drawn-out battle, but this Black Prince setup handles them efficiently. The key challenge here isn't damage-it's endurance. Torpedoes and toxic effects can wear you down over time, but thanks to high resistances (especially noxious), the ship can outlast them.

Why Deadly Strike Beats Long Gun

One of the smartest decisions in this build is using Deadly Strike over Long Gun modifiers. While Long Gun boosts consistent DPS, Deadly Strike gives you bonus weak point damage even if you don't directly hit the weak point.

In practice, this means your shots still deal critical-level damage during chaotic fights when precision aiming isn't possible-especially useful in PvP or when engaging multiple targets at once.

PvP Potential: A Tank That Bites Back

In PvP, the Black Prince thrives on attrition. It's not about landing the first shot-it's about being the last ship standing. The combination of 40% damage reduction at low health, constant regeneration, and stacking Empower buffs means your opponents will struggle to finish you off once you dig in.

The toxic and explosive synergy makes this ship dangerous in close-range brawls and siege-style engagements alike. Draining enemy stamina cripples their ability to repair or maneuver, while the combustion rolls ensure every hit has splash potential.

Even when double-teamed, this ship's sustain allows it to hold the line long enough for allies to arrive-or to simply turn the tide solo.

Final Thoughts: The Black Prince Reigns Again

The Black Prince isn't just back-it's evolved. With armor ascensions amplifying its natural defenses, double Maintenance for unmatched sustain, make more Skull and Bones Silver and a carefully tuned furniture setup enhancing every shot, this build stands as one of the most complete and versatile warships in Skull and Bones.

Whether you're plundering forts, raiding trade convoys, or dueling in PvP waters, this setup turns the tide in your favor. It's resilient, efficient, and absolutely punishes anyone who underestimates its stamina-draining cannon fire.

So if you're looking to dominate the seas in Skull and Bones, the Black Prince is your ticket to legend. Just be ready-when you sail this ship, you're not running from a fight. You are the fight.