Plunder.be

Plunder.be is an online pirate ship combat game with a top-down camera and 3D ships. Sail the sea, collect cargo, battle rival captains and AI vessels, and grow from a small ship into a stronger warship.

Its defining mechanic is broadside combat: your standard cannons fire from the sides, so turning your hull into position matters as much as aiming. You can compete for points in free-for-all battles or work toward flag captures in the team mode. Salvaging, repairs, crafting and captain talents give you more to manage than simply firing at the nearest ship.

Created by igotlagg, Plunder.be was publicly playable in June 2026. The developer later replaced its original 2D renderer with 3D visuals while retaining the overhead view and naval combat loop.

You may still see Plunder 2D in the browser title or loading screen. This refers to the same game; the newer presentation is also listed as Plunder - Online Pirate Battle.

Choose Your Voyage

• Conquest / Free-for-All: every captain competes for themselves. Collect treasure, sink enemies and build your score on the leaderboard. The current lobby labels this voyage Conquest, while the battle HUD uses Free-for-All.
• Capture the Flag: steal the opposing faction's flag and return it while defending your own. Covering a carrier and protecting the return route matter more than chasing unrelated fights.

Sailing and Broadside Combat

You control your sails and heading separately. Raising sails gets you moving; steering changes which side of your ship faces an opponent. Keep track of your own cannon arc instead of treating the ship like a character that shoots directly forward.

Begin with ordinary round shot, then use crafted ammunition for particular situations. Chain shot damages sails, grapeshot suits close-range fighting, heated shot adds burning, and explosive shot deals splash damage. TNT barrels can be dropped behind your vessel. Special ammunition needs materials, so it is not an unlimited replacement for normal cannon fire.

Loot, Repairs and Trading

Salvage resource nodes and collect cargo from defeated ships. Safe havens are marked on the world map and let you sell plunder at a port. Your cargo also supplies crafting, so selling everything immediately is not always the best choice.

Hull repairs consume Wood. Keep a reserve if you expect another fight. Crafting has material requirements and a queue; a cancelled queued job returns its ingredients.

Captain Progression and Sea Events

Level-ups offer talent choices across Gunnery, Seamanship and Tactics. These branches cover weapons, hull strength, sailing and resource handling. Check what a talent actually does before committing to a build rather than assuming a larger ship solves every problem.

The sea also has events beyond ordinary ship duels. Watch for escorted treasure fleets and the Drowned Bells notices associated with the Kraken. Their rewards may be tempting, but moving toward an event can bring you into a busier part of the map.

These are the current desktop controls for a QWERTY keyboard. Check the in-game Controls & Keybinds panel if your layout differs.

Sailing and Combat

• W ↑ S ↓: raise and lower sails
• A ← D →: steer left and right
• LRMove Mouse: aim your cannons
• LRLeft Click or ␣ Space: fire; hold Space for repeated broadsides
• 1–5: select cannonball type
• 6: drop a TNT barrel behind your ship
• R: repair using Wood; tap to toggle or hold to sustain
• LR↕Scroll Wheel or Numpad +/−: zoom in or out

Menus and Communication

• C: crafting
• T: view captain talents
• M: world map
• Y: trade at a port
• Q (hold): quick communication wheel; aim and release to send
• ↵ Enter: chat
• ⇥ Tab: switch chat channel
• Esc: close an open panel

• Plan the turn before the shot. A bow-first chase can leave your standard cannons pointing away from the target. Turn your flank into range before committing to a broadside.
• Save some Wood for the trip home. Spending your entire cargo on recipes can leave you unable to repair after the next exchange.
• Match ammunition to the job. Use chain shot against sails and save grapeshot for close encounters instead of spending special ammunition at unsuitable distances.
• Check the map before carrying valuable cargo across the sea. Identify a nearby safe haven and a return route before sailing toward a distant fleet or boss notice.
• Read your talent choices before the next engagement. Decide whether you need stronger guns, better survival or resource support; do not spend a level-up choice simply because it is available.
• Escort rather than crowd the flag carrier. Cover the route and watch approaching enemies so the carrier has room to sail home.