Tortuga

Positioned at the center of all the action in Antilles and capital of the Pirate Nation, Tortuga is a shining beacon of Pirates of the Burning Sea’s potential. It’s one of a kind right now. It’s a unique looking port that offers atmosphere, story, utility, and a level of quality that FLS needs to recognize and expand upon. It’s the only port in the entire Caribbean that feels lived in. It’s the only port that feels alive and thriving. The entire city is an adventure in and of itself.

As you enter the city you are greeted with a dark and foreboding foggy dock with large ships floating in the harbor. As you work your way throughout the city the first thing you should notice is how enormous Tortuga is compared to other ports in the game. This is purely a guesstimate but I would say it’s easily 4x the size of any other port in the game. In fact, Tortuga is so enormous that there are “smugglers routes” which act as teleports within the city taking you from one location to another instantly. If you take your time and explore the city you’re in for a treat.

Tortuga has a fantastic design. The city seems divided in to several quarters all with a unique and thrilling atmosphere. There are the docks, fortress, classic “city”, Inferno, swamp, and caverns. I’ll expand on a few of these areas. The entire city seems to be built around a volcano. As you travel in to the center of Tortuga you can enter in to the Inferno and see the molten rocks and lava flowing through the city. Working out from the center there is the classic city and then the docks. The swamp area towards the back of the city reminds me a lot of the swamp scenes from the Pirates of the Caribbean movies. Almost every corner you turn in the city you’re sure to find something new.

I’ve said it several times; PotBS lacks the adventure feeling found in traditional MMORPGs. However, for the first time ever I found that feeling. I found it in Tortuga. The city itself is an adventure. Traveling through the streets you’ll hear NPCs talking, singing, dancing, performing on stages, and offering quests. Here’s the real gem of Tortuga. The quests are actually the best in the entire game. Reason being that they, unlike quests in the rest of the world, offer good rewards (stuff you’ll actually use!) and an amazing story. I don’t want to give too much away but if you’re like me (and you probably are if you like PotBS), you’re a sucker for this time period. Knights Templar, The Inquisition, Captain Kidd, spys and subterfuge, assassination, and all sorts of adventure await you in the Tortuga questlines.

From reading the patch notes and what FLS has planned for the future of the game I think they’re on to their success with Tortuga. I think they understand that they need to make each nation’s city offer everything that Tortuga does. That can’t be where it stops. The game needs ports throughout the entire game in all level ranges that offer this same type of gameplay experience. In my opinion the PvE gameplay would rival the PvP if we had more of what Tortuga has to offer. There is lots of potential here. The ball is rolling! Just keep the momentum going.