Ys X: Nordics invites you to navigate the seas aboard your ship, where you’ll face maritime combat, combat the undead, and discover islands in the Obelia Gulf. However, you start with the Sandras, a ship that is more of a relic than a reliable vessel.
Fortunately, the game allows you to upgrade and modify your ship as you advance in the storyline, transforming it into a valuable ally for your adventures across the Obelia Gulf. At first, the enhancements might appear minor, but you’ll soon realize that even small changes can significantly boost the ship’s performance.
How to Upgrade and Modify Your Ship
To make adjustments to your ship, you’ll need to visit a shipwright. The first one you meet is Ulvar on Balta Island. During this initial encounter, Ulvar will perform essential repairs on the Sandras, allowing you to safely complete the rite of shield brotherhood.
After completing this part, you can return to Ulvar, who will now help you upgrade and enhance your ship for a fee. You can also adorn your ship if you have the Sandras Pack DLC. Until you advance further in the story, Ulvar will be your only available shipwright.
Once you save Cruz on Termina Island, he will join your crew. After reaching Chapter 4, Cruz becomes accessible on Sandras as a shipwright. At this point, you can access ship upgrades and modifications from anywhere on the open sea by heading to the common room table below decks.
How to Unlock Additional Upgrades
As you progress through the game, you’ll automatically unlock various ship upgrades. However, finding Carnac villagers is the best way to unlock additional upgrades.
Each time you rescue a Carnac villager, a related upgrade will become available in the Shipwright Shop’s Upgrade/Refit menu. The upgrades you earn for rescuing villagers also correspond to their roles in your team. Remember, upgrading your ship will require gold and various materials.
The most common material needed is Basic Craft Stock, so keep a good supply on hand whenever you want to upgrade. Some upgrades may additionally require materials like Celadon Clay or Aged Wood.
One effective way to gather these materials is by participating in naval battles and collecting scattered items in the open sea.
Certain blueprints and upgrades can only be unlocked by completing specific parts of the story or purchasing them from merchant ships. These blueprints might enable new types of ammunition upgrades, which can be bought multiple times to increase capacity.
It’s important to only purchase capacity upgrades that you genuinely need. If you buy too many, you might deplete your resources for other more beneficial upgrades early in the game.
A priority icon accompanies each upgrade request. The upgrades with higher priorities offer more benefits compared to those with lower priorities, but they will require more materials to unlock.
How to Manage Your Ship’s Loadout
Your ship’s loadout consists of six slots. The first slot is designated for normal artillery. You can acquire various types of ammo for this slot by upgrading, but you can only select one at any given time.
The standard ammo for the normal artillery deals moderate damage to enemy ships and breaks, while the Smasher Shot ammo inflicts significant break damage, but only moderate ship damage.
The second slot allows you to choose your heavy attack ammo, with the default ammo often being the best option. The last four slots are reserved for special ammunition, which is limited in quantity, though capacity can be expanded by purchasing upgrades from the Shipwright’s Upgrade/Refit menu.
In the Loadout tab, you’ll see an adornments section where you can customize your ship with all the cosmetic upgrades from the Sandras DLC Pack. After setting your loadout, you’re ready to sail the seas, battling any wandering undead ships or reclaiming islands under the grip of Griegr.