Battle Pirates FAQ

My Battle Playback does not match my Battle Log
Battle Playback is not a recording of the battle; rather, it is a recreation of the battle based on stored game data. For this reason, it is possible that there will be some small discrepancies between the outcome depicted in the Battle Playback and the outcome recorded in the Battle Log. In these cases, the Battle Log outcome should be considered the authoritative version. The general series of events should still be fairly accurate and of great value when evaluating base design.

Why are my fleet repairs costing more than usual?
You are likely being charged extra for repairs because you do not have sufficient resources to repair your fleet. It is a common misconception that, when you coin a fleet repair, you do not pay the resource cost. This is not, and has never been, the case. When you don’t have sufficient resources to repair a fleet, the game includes the price of purchasing all necessary resources into the final “Instant Repair” cost.

With full warehouses, the damaged fleet below only costs 35 gold to repair:
However, when there are not enough resources to cover those repairs (note that the resource totals for Metal, Energy, and Zynthium are all red) the cost to instantly repair the fleet becomes much higher:

Why doesn't Armor Bypass work against Draconian enemies?
The Armor Bypass module decreases the defensive bonuses of enemy ships. In order to decrease an enemy defensive bonus, that enemy needs to have a defensive bonus in the first place. For example, an enemy ship with Ablative Armor III has a defensive bonus of +66% against Explosive Damage. Looking at the image below, a ship with Armor Bypass II would reduce this defensive bonus by 30%.

If the enemy ship has no defensive bonuses, the Armor Bypass module will not provide any defense reduction. Most Draconian ships do not have defensive bonuses. As such, the Armor Bypass module will not have a significant effect on those ships in battle.

Mercenary Fleets
There is a bug that causes Merc Fleets to launch themselves; this means that your Merc Fleet timer will always be counting down, even if you did not recently launch one.

Free Gift Crates
If you are trying to send a Gift Crate to a friend and that friend does not appear in your friends list, your friend has likely already received a Gift Crate that day; players can only receive one free Gift Crate per day.

!!! So this has been going on for over 2 years! Is there any fix in the near future?? because now my friends list is not working at all !?

There is also a bug that causes Gift Crates to fail to arrive to your chosen friend.

Both of these bugs are being worked on; in the meantime, if you experience either of these bugs, please be aware that Customer Support can neither restore these gifts to your account nor compensate you for their loss.

I did not receive Alliance points for a base hit
If you hit another player's base and did not receive Alliance points, ensure you met all of the following criteria:


 * You must be in an alliance.
 * The enemy must be in a different alliance.
 * The enemy must be your level or higher; if you are level 50+, you can hit any other 50+ base.
 * You must do 50% damage in a single hit and, in that hit, you must destroy the enemy's Outpost.

If the hit is successful, you will see the points you earned in the post-battle pop-up window:

Note that these points can take 5-10 minutes to appear in your "My Alliance" window or the "Weekly Alliance Points" section of the leaderboards.

Why aren't I receiving blueprints from salvages?
Blueprint drops are random and very rare. Most players who haven't received a blueprint piece in a long time are simply experiencing a streak of bad luck. However, there are a few things you can do to maximize your chances of finding blueprints:


 * Try hitting Elite Cargo Fleets; they are more likely to yield blueprint pieces.
 * Hit a variety of different levels of salvages; some blueprints can only be obtained from low-level salvages and others can only be obtained from high-level salvages.
 * Try using your Uranium to recruit the Lucky Bastards Rogue Crew; this crew will increase the drop rate to 100%, provided you are hitting salvages at the level appropriate to the blueprint pieces you need.

If you are still not finding any blueprint pieces, consider that you may have already found all salvageable blueprint pieces! Comparing your blueprint inventory to other high-level players is a great way to confirm whether or not this is the case.

My ship is "invalid and cannot be used"
If you see a "!" behind your Hurricane or Arbiter and receive the message below, do not be alarmed!

This error is caused by a bug in the Drone Tactical Module repair process. All you need to do to correct the error is repair that fleet. If the other ships in the fleet are already repaired, take a damaged ship from a different fleet and place it in the fleet with the Hurricane/Arbiter. Then repair the fleet naturally; do not pay to instant repair the fleet. Once the repairs are complete, the ship should no longer be "invalid."

Battle Pirates will not load
Loading issues can occur for a variety of reasons and are difficult to resolve without extensive troubleshooting. Please start with the following:


 * 1) If you’re not using it already, we recommend that you switch to Google Chrome to play Battle Pirates. While we do support other browsers, we find that Chrome runs Flash better than anyone else. You can download ithere for free. Once you’ve done this, continue on to the next step.
 * 2) Clear your Flash cache by following these steps.
 * 3) Increase Battle Pirates’ local Flash storage. To do this, first open Battle Pirates. From there, right click on the game screen and select “Settings.” Then find the “Local Storage” tab, which is marked by a folder icon. In the “Settings” window, increase the available memory to “Unlimited.”
 * 4) Clear your browser’s cache. To do this, open the Chrome dropdown menu from the toolbar, select “Tools,” and click on “Clear Browsing Data.” Select the information you want to delete and, in the dropdown menu, choose to delete everything since “the beginning of time.” Then, click “Clear Browsing Data.”

These steps will eliminate the most common causes of Battle Pirates loading problems.

Something broke! S.O.S.
This is a generic error message that can occur for a number of reasons, most related to server connectivity.

If you’re not using it already, we recommend that you switch to Google Chrome to play Battle Pirates. While we do support other browsers, we find that Chrome runs Flash better than anyone else. You can download it for free at chrome.com.

Start by clearing your Flash cache by following these steps.

Then, increase Battle Pirates’ local Flash storage. To do this, first open Battle Pirates. From there, right click on the game screen and select “Settings.” Then find the “Local Storage” tab, which is marked by a folder icon. In the “Settings” window, increase the available memory to “Unlimited.”

Avast! Lost at Sea/Virus Scanner/Firewall
You may receive this message around the time of an update; if you do, wait a few minutes and try again, as it may be directly related to the update in progress. If there is no scheduled update in progress, ensure your Firewall is properly configured by following the steps here.

Battle Has Ended
This often indicates a problem connecting to the Battle Server. If you frequently receive this error message, try following the steps outlined above in the "SOS" section. If you continue to experience problems, try running a Traceroute to our servers by following the steps here, using bp-fb-vip.sjc2.kixeye.com as your destination address. If any of the ping times in the test exceed 200ms, you may want to contact your Internet Service Provider and ask if there is anything they can do to help.

New Draconian enemies are too powerful
The Draconians are formidable opponents with advanced technology that is frequently more powerful than anything currently available to the Forsaken Alliance. This can include developments like long-range weapon technology and the ability to hit submerged submarines with mortars. While we are not able to fully reveal the details of this Drac technology, we know that that certain technological advances present players with a difficult tactical problem. If you're looking for assistance, the Battle Pirates forum is a great place to start. For every new type of Drac enemy, you'll find plenty of tips and discussions centered on how to bring them down. If you can't find what you're looking for, feel free to start your own thread!

I bought gold on Facebook and did not receive it
If you purchased gold on Facebook and it did not show up in your Battle Pirates account you will need to contact Facebook support. KIXEYE has no way to access or verify purchases made on Facebook.

When you purchase anything from Facebook, you initially purchase Facebook Credits and, in the case of Battle Pirates, it should then automatically be converted to in-game gold. If you have not done so already, we recommend checking to see if they failed to convert from Facebook Credits to gold by going to Facebook and then selecting Account Settings > Payments. The top of that page shows your Facebook Credit balance.

If you see the missing number of  Facebook Credits there, all you need to do is log into Battle Pirates and use the "+" icon next to your current gold total to convert your credits to gold. If you do not see any Facebook Credits on that page, we recommend using the "Purchase History" link on that same page to find and dispute the Facebook Credit transaction you did not receive. Please make sure to use the term "Facebook Credits" as Facebook will assume that "gold" is an in-game item and send you back to us.

My ships are unresponsive in battle
If you're having problems with unresponsive or erratic ship behavior in battle, try the following steps:

Power cycle your modem by unplugging it for 10-15 seconds. Then directly connect your computer to your modem via an ethernet cable. WiFi is the most common cause of this problem.

If you’re not using it already, we recommend that you switch to Google Chrome or the Torch browser to play Battle Pirates. While we do support other browsers, we find that Chrome runs Flash better than anyone else. You can download it for free at chrome.com.

Make sure you are not running any applications or plug-ins that use up your internet connection. This includes browser plug-ins, file downloads, chat applications, or anti-virus software.

It is also possible that there could be an issue with either a firewall or antivirus software blocking your ability to connect to the battle server. You can check this detailed guide for how to resolve these problems.

If you continue to experience problems, try running a Traceroute to our servers by following the steps here, using bp-fb-vip.sjc2.kixeye.com as your destination address. If any of the ping times in the test exceed 200ms, you may want to contact your Internet Service Provider and ask if there is anything they can do to help.

Why isn't my level 2 Shipyard decreasing my ship weight?
When you upgrade your Shipyard to level 2, it provides a 15% weight decrease for all Forsaken weapons, armors, specials, and tactical modules. The upgrade does not decrease the weight of Draconian technology. For example, every Thud Cannon IV component you use will see a 15% weight decrease, while Strike Missile D51-L components will see no decrease. If you're not certain which components are Forsaken and which are Draconian, simply look up the component in your Intelligence Lab; it will show what type it is on the right.

How can I be part of a preview session?
If you'd like to help us test a new feature or release on our preview server, you'll need to keep a close eye on the forums. When a preview session is coming up, we post a notice in The Outpost. That notice will contain the server URL and password, what is being previewed, how long the preview will run, and how many players will be allowed to participate. Spots on the preview server are given on a first come, first serve basis; unfortunately, if the preview session is already at player capacity, we are not able to allow additional players to join.

How to I block/un-block someone in chat or private messaging?
If you'd like to block all messages from a specific user in chat, simply mouse over their user name and click the "X" that appears next to the name.

If you'd like to block all messages from a specific user in private messaging, select your conversation with that user on the left and then click the "Ignore" button in the top right corner of the window.

If you'd like to un-block any user from chat or private messaging, simply type "/list" into your comms window and click on the check mark next to that user's name.

How do I fill my Warehouses beyond maximum capacity?
If you want to build a ship that costs more resources than your Warehouses can hold, there are two ways to go about it. The first is to overfill your Warehouses. To overfill your Warehouses, you need to start building or refitting a ship. Once the build or refit has started, fill up your Warehouses with resources. When your Warehouses are full, cancel the ship build or refit; most of the resources you originally committed to this build or refit will be added back to your Warehouses.

Only cancelled ship builds and refits will allow you to do this. Canceling other researches or upgrades, causes resources beyond warehouse capacity to be lost. Overfilled Warehouses can hold a maximum of 64 million of each kind of resource; if you fill them beyond 64 million, the excess resources will disappear when you return to your base.

Another method specifically for ship building involves two stages. Start by building an empty hull in your Shipyard with only a single weapon.

Once the empty hull is built, captains can refit the ship with whatever weapons, armors, and specials desired. Performing a two-stage build means captains never require more than the cost of a single hull, weapon or special. This has two other advantages. It increases flexibility in ship configuration. For example, if in the middle of a long ship build a player earns a better blueprint it can be used much more quickly. Also, ships which are only partially configured still have some use in battle even with some weapons slots are empty. This can be helpful to meet weekly mission deadlines.

I used the Lucky Bastards and did not find any blueprints
If you assigned the Lucky Bastards Rogue Crew to a fleet and did not receive any blueprint pieces, you may have not been hitting salvages at the correct level. Blueprint pieces are organized by tier; not all blueprints are available at each tier. This means that there are some blueprints that are only available from low-level salvages, some that are only available from mid-level, and some only from high-level. If you already have all available blueprints from one tier, the Lucky Bastards will not guarantee a blueprint drop, as there are no blueprints at that level left to find. Try hitting a variety of different salvage levels if you're not finding what you're looking for!

How do I make sure my base saves properly?
If you suspect that your repairs, builds, upgrades, or researches are not progressing as they should while you are offline, your base may not be saving properly. The best way to ensure that your base saves correctly is to follow these steps before closing the game:

This should ensure that your game keeps proper track of all your timers while offline.
 * 1) Bank your resources; wait a moment for the resource numbers above the generators to appear and fade.
 * 2) Launch a fleet onto the world map.
 * 3) Recall that fleet to your base.
 * 4) Re-enter your base.
 * 5) Close the browser window; do not let Battle Pirates time out.

My buildings are stacked or placed on water
Base Planner can, in rare circumstances, fail to correctly apply a base design; as a result, the buildings in your base may be placed on water or stacked atop one another:

To correct the problem, simply load your base in Base Planner and move the land tiles or buildings to valid locations. If you are unable to complete the action using Base Planner, the only way to correct the problemis to manually move the buildings to valid locations by clicking on the building and selecting "Move" in the menu.

My Launch Pad is broken
If you select your Launch Pad and the menu looks like the image above, you will not be able to scrap the rocket nor will you be able to speed up the rocket build with gold. Do not pay to speed up the rocket, as gold will be deducted from your account but the rocket will not complete. The only way to correct this problem is to wait the time remaining for the rocket build to naturally complete; once it does, you will receive the rocket and the Launch Pad will no longer be broken.

How did so few enemy ships steal so many resources?
If you're looking in your battle logs and see that fewer than five enemy ships has taken more resources from your base than those ships can possibly carry, it may be that there were additional, destroyed ships in that fleet. When another player attacks you with a fleet that contains destroyed ships, the ships that are destroyed previous to the battle will not show up in the battle log. These destroyed ships, however, can still help carry away resources. If you see someone carry away 35 million resources with 2 Threshers, it may be that there were a couple of destroyed Floating Fortresses along for the ride!

Retargeted missiles are shooting too far
When a ship capable of missile retargeting runs out of targets to hit in-range, any missiles that are already in the air will automatically search for another target. Usually, this target will be the closest available building or ship. However, in some instances, retargeted missiles can fly great distances, even across an entire base.

This is performed most commonly by Missile Cruiser Xs but can also be performed by Mercuries or any ship fitted with missile weapons and the Laser Targeting special. This is not a bug! This is an intentional gameplay mechanic and, while difficult to control, it can be used to the attacker's advantage.

My drones won't launch
If you are manually piloting a ship with a Drone module on it, you will need to give the mother ship a targeting command before piloting it away to safety.

The targeting command can be given immediately and the piloting command immediately after that but the drones will not deploy if your first action is to pilot the ship out of enemy range.

My fleet is stuck in battle on the world map
Fleets can become stuck in battle on the world map as a result of a lost connection to the battle server; you will not be able to re-join battle but the fleet will still appear red on the world map, as if still in battle:

Fleets that are stuck on the world map are currently ejected from battle every 15 minutes; after this time has elapsed, you should be able to pilot your fleet back to your base. Do not attempt to re-join the battle, as this could result in the fleet being stuck for longer than 15 minutes.

I've researched Ablative Panels III and can't upgrade my walls
If you're trying to upgrade your walls to level 5, you may see a notice that you need to research Ablative Panels III before you can begin the upgrade. Ablative Panels III is often confused for Ablative Armor III, making it easy to believe you have completed the prerequisite research when you have not.

Ablative Armor III is a ship special and can be found in the "Ship Specials" section of your Advanced Lab:

Ablative Panels III is a base special and can be found in the "Base Specials" section of your Advanced Lab:

If you're having trouble upgrading your walls to level 5, be certain that you've researched the correct special!

How do "Upgrade" specials work?
The new "Upgrade" specials provided a welcome boost to existing specials; these include Evade Upgrade, Speed Upgrade, and Concussive Upgrade.

If you want to take advantage of these specials, you do not replace the current special with the Upgrade. Instead, the Upgrade allows you to use multiple of the same kind of special when otherwise you would not be permitted to.

In the example above, the Evade Upgrade can be used twice in conjunction with Guidance Scrambler III, all contributing a bonus to the ship's Evade statistic. They are not used to replace Guidance Scrambler III but, rather, to supplement it. Stacked bonuses are still multiplicative, the mechanics of which are explained in detail here.

Why can't I launch my rocket in battle?
There are two possible reasons that you are not able to launch rockets in battle.

The first is that your Launch Pad is damaged; when this is the case, you will still see the "Launch Rocket" tab on the left side of the screen while in battle but will not be able to launch the rocket.

The second reason is that rockets are not available for use in base defense; while defending your base, you will not see the "Launch Rocket" tab in battle. While it would be useful in some cases to be able to use rockets for base defense, this is currently not possible.

My turret special is not displaying all of its bonuses
With certain turret weapon/special combinations, you will not see all bonuses given by a specific special:

In the example above, the only bonus listed under Compound Panels E is the +33% Ballistic Defense. However, if you look at Compound Panels E in the Intelligence Lab, there are two additional defense bonuses:

The reason you're not seeing the other two bonuses is because there's not room in the turret menu for that text. You are still receiving those bonuses, even if you can't see them. If you'd like to confirm that those bonuses are in effect, there are two things you can do. The first is, if your mouse has a scroll wheel, to scroll down in the turret menu window; doing so should reveal the additional bonuses. The second is to swap out your turret weapon for a Howitzer Cannon I; you don't need to build it, you only need to select it. This should provide enough room for you to see all special bonuses.

Why can't I earn more than 1,000 Alliance points since Medals were released?
As part of the release of Medals, players can no longer earn more than 1,000 Alliance points per week. Previously, any Alliance points beyond 1,000 would not contribute toward Alliance bonuses but wouldcontribute toward leaderboard totals. This is no longer the case. If you've already reached your Alliance point quota of 1,000, hitting additional bases or salvages will not yield additional Alliance points. The "Alliance" section of the leaderboards has now been replaced with the "Medals" section. Players can earn an unlimited number of medals with no weekly restrictions.

I defeated a Draconian Base but didn't get a blueprint piece
When a Draconian Base is defeated, a single blueprint piece drops. This is the case regardless of whether there is one player or four players involved in the battle. If there is more than one player in battle when the Drac Base is defeated, that blueprint piece will be given randomly to one of the players; the other victorious players will not receive anything beyond the usual reputation and resources. This is not a bug; these blueprint pieces are very rare and very powerful and, as such, will take both work and luck to earn!