Dead Sails: A Beginner's Guide

You thought being a ship captain was easy? The new hit game *Dead Sails* proves otherwise. It turns out to be quite hard when you need to balance your own survival with maintaining the ship, selling valuables, and, of course, fighting off various monsters. Here’s how to become a pro in *Dead Sails* and reach the 100k meters finish line in no time.

Beginner’s Guide for Dead Sails

Before You Set Sail

dead-sails-beginners-guide-boat-day Screenshot by The Escapist. If you’re not familiar with the game, no need to worry. *Dead Sails*, just like its predecessor *Dead Rails*, is quite straightforward—literally. You’re the captain of a ship that needs to sail in a straight line for 10 thousand meters between towns and ultimately reach the goal of 100k meters sailed. Keep moving, don’t run out of fuel, and don’t die. Easy, right?

How To Choose A Class

dead-sails-beginners-guide-class Screenshot by The Escapist. Our recommendation is to spend your 15 Dabloons on a class. They are in-game perks purchased in a loot box style, where you don’t know which class you’ll get. Every purchase costs 3 Dabloons, and if you're lucky, you might get a class you enjoy on your first try. The game offers strong Common and Uncommon classes such as Pirate and Gunslinger, but what you choose depends on your playstyle. Check out our *Dead Sails* Class Tierlist if you want a breakdown of every available class.

What To Do In Towns

dead-sails-beginners-guide-town-day Screenshot by The Escapist. Once you join a round, you’re spawned in a town where your ship is docked. These towns appear every 10 thousand meters sailed and act as safe zones. They offer several useful amenities:

Trading Hut: Sell items you’ve collected along the way.
General Store: Purchase helpful items for your journey.
Hospital: Heal yourself before heading back out.
Gun Shop: Buy guns and ammunition.
Sheriff’s Office: Earn bounty money from bringing corpses of pirates and other creatures.

Since you start with a blunt weapon (like a pickaxe or hammer), there's no need to buy a firearm immediately. However, it's essential to purchase coal—and we recommend spending all your money on as much as you can. Fuel is crucial in *Dead Sails*, as your journey ends once your ship runs out of power.

Dead Sails Tips & Tricks

Tips For Never Running Out Of Fuel

dead-sails-beginners-guide-zombie-fuel Screenshot by The Escapist. For a game that includes “sails” in its title, it’s only logical your ship runs on coal. Each chunk of coal adds 20% more fuel to your tank, and you could technically complete the entire game by buying five coal pieces at each town stop. But where’s the challenge in that?

You’ll find many collectible items when exploring off your ship, and many of them will have the “fuel” marker when hovered over. However, they only give a 5% increase in fuel, regardless of the item. To maximize efficiency, the best alternative fuel source (besides coal) is the undead’s corpses. Since you must kill everything attacking you to survive anyway, using their bodies as fuel is a smart move.

How To Survive The Night

dead-sails-beginners-guide-wire Screenshot by The Escapist. Similar to *Dead Rails*, *Dead Sails* becomes significantly harder at night. With lower visibility, extra caution is needed to avoid damage from unwanted attackers. Remember, if you die, it's game over.

Ideally, you should spend the night in a town since you’re protected there. If that's not possible, consider purchasing Barbed Wire beforehand. Mounting this on your ship prevents mobs from approaching. Without Barbed Wire, the best strategy is to pause your journey and attack any creature that gets too close.

Which Weapon To Choose

dead-sails-beginners-guide-shotgun Screenshot by The Escapist. This largely comes down to personal preference. If you prefer melee combat, the starting hammer or pickaxe may suffice. However, as you progress, you'll face stronger enemies that require better weapons.

A shotgun is arguably your best option. While some favor rifles due to cheaper ammo, shotguns deal heavier damage, making them ideal for unexpected combat situations. An early-game alternative is the revolver—it’s weaker than most weapons but great for learning firearms and often found in buildings.

Best Items To Collect

dead-sails-beginners-guide-water Screenshot by The Escapist. Most items can be sold, starting with junk worth 3 or 5 cash per piece. However, your sack inventory is limited to 10 items, so collecting everything isn't practical. Focus on these high-value items:

Moyai and Bars: Available in diamond, gold, and silver variations—great for earning in-game cash.
Healing Packs: Can be sold, but it's wiser to keep them for emergencies.
Crosses: Useful both as currency (35 cash) and as a weapon against the undead.
Weapons: Either use them or sell if not needed.
Robot Head: Found in houses and banks, sells for 45 cash.
Holy Water: Usually located in churches, sells for 25 cash.
Gold Llama: Rare but highly valuable, worth 150 cash. You can stack items on your boat, but remember—they’ll fall off unless you weld them to the surface! Simply place an item and press Z (on keyboard) to secure it.

And that’s the beginner’s guide to *Dead Sails*! Follow these tips and you’ll become the finest captain to ever navigate the seas—or in this case, the narrow canal-like river. For an edge in gameplay, check out our *Dead Sails* redeem codes [ttpp].