The Brig is Windrose's mid-tier warship, sitting between the nimble Ketch and the heavy-hitting Frigate. It balances firepower, cargo capacity, and speed well enough to handle most PvE naval encounters without the crew demands of larger vessels. If you're graduating from a Ketch and want a ship that can trade broadsides and still outrun trouble, the Brig is where you land.
Quick answer: To craft a stock Brig, you need the Ship Design: Brig blueprint and the following materials: 200 Nails, 80 Copper Ingots, 40 Timber, 200 Wooden Planks, 40 Linen Fabric, 120 Coarse Fabric, 40 Rope, and 30 Shipwright's Tools. Build it at the Wharf.
Stock Brig Crafting Materials
The default (player-buildable) Brig requires a Ship Design: Brig blueprint, which you'll need to obtain before visiting the Wharf's Build Ships tab. Once you have the design, gather the following resources and drag them into the build queue.
| Material | Quantity |
|---|---|
| Nails | 200 |
| Copper Ingot | 80 |
| Timber | 40 |
| Wooden Plank | 200 |
| Linen Fabric | 40 |
| Coarse Fabric | 120 |
| Rope | 40 |
| Shipwright's Tools | 30 |
The material cost is a significant jump from the Ketch (which only needs 150 Wood, 100 Nails, 40 Coarse Fabric, and 30 Rope Fiber). Copper Ingots and Linen Fabric, in particular, may require you to push into higher-tier islands before you can stockpile enough. Make sure your Shipwright's Workshop is upgraded to handle these recipes before committing to a long farming run.
Default Brig Baseline Stats
The stock player Brig — the one you craft without any faction affiliation — carries the following stats in version 0.10.0.
| Stat | Value |
|---|---|
| Class | Brig |
| Crew Capacity | 50 |
| Cargo | 24 |
| Health | 70,000 |
| Top Speed | 20 kn |
The stock variant is intentionally middle-of-the-road. No glaring weaknesses, no standout strengths. That makes it a reliable workhorse while you figure out which faction variant suits your playstyle.
All 13 Brig-Family Ships Compared
The Brig family in Windrose includes 13 distinct entries across player-buildable ships and AI-controlled vessels you'll encounter on the open sea. Three of those are player ships tied to different factions, while the rest are AI opponents belonging to various enemy groups.
Player Brig Variants
| Name | Faction | Cargo | Health | Top Speed | Trade-off |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brig (Default) | Default | 24 | 70,000 | 20 kn | Balanced across all stats |
| Blackbeard Brig | Blackbeard | 16 | 50,000 | 22 kn | Faster and cheaper to repair, but weaker hull |
| Brethren Brig | Brethren | 32 | 90,000 | 18 kn | Toughest hull and bigger cannons, but slowest and most expensive |
The faction variants create a clear triangle. The Blackbeard Brig is the glass cannon — it hits 22 knots and carries more cargo, but 50,000 HP means you'll feel every broadside. The Brethren Brig is the opposite extreme, a floating fortress with 90,000 HP and room for larger-caliber weapons, but its 18-knot top speed makes disengaging from bad fights harder. The default Brig splits the difference and remains the safest pick for players who haven't committed to a faction yet.
AI Brig-Class Ships
| Name | Faction | Health | Top Speed |
|---|---|---|---|
| Blackbeard Interceptor | Blackbeard | 500 | 16.3 kn |
| Brethren Interceptor | Brethren | 500 | 16.3 kn |
| Bucaneer Interceptor | Bucaneers | 500 | 16.3 kn |
| Interceptor | Civilians | 500 | 16.3 kn |
| Smuggler Interceptor | Smugglers | 500 | 16.3 kn |
| Brig (Quest) | Quest | 700 | 21.8 kn |
| Cutter (×4 entries) | Default | 500 | 16.3 kn |
AI Interceptors and Cutters share nearly identical stats — 500 HP and 16.3 knots — regardless of faction. They're fodder encounters designed to be sunk quickly. The Quest Brig is a notable exception with 700 HP and a faster 21.8-knot speed, making it a tougher fight during scripted missions.
How the Brig Fits Into Ship Progression
Windrose's ship progression follows a fixed path. You start with a small dinghy after the Islander tutorial, repair a shipwreck on the second island, then build a Ketch at the Wharf during the Seafarer tutorial. The Brig comes after the Ketch, though the exact unlock requirements beyond having the Ship Design: Brig blueprint are still being finalized during Early Access.
You cannot capture enemy Brigs and sail them. Boarding an AI Brig lets you fight its crew in melee, but you won't gain control of the vessel afterward. Your Brig must be built from scratch at the Wharf using the crafting recipe above.
Equipping and Managing Your Brig
Once built, manage your Brig through the Wharf's "Manage Ship" interface. Drag cannons, hull bracing, and boarding racks into the Ship Gear slots. All ship equipment is crafted at the Shipwright's Workshop and can be upgraded there as well.
The Brig supports a crew of 50 NPC members. Crew are visible on deck with full animation cycles — they fire and reload cannons during combat, sleep in hammocks below deck during downtime, and sing sea shanties while sailing. The Brig is specifically receiving additional crew-related gameplay mechanics, making it the ship class with the most active NPC development right now.
Officers are a separate NPC type exclusive to ships. They improve vessel capabilities and cannot die during combat, so you don't need to worry about losing them in a bad engagement.
Choosing Between Brig Faction Variants
Your faction choice determines which Brig variant you can build, and the differences are meaningful enough to shape your entire mid-game experience.
If you prioritize speed and trade runs, the Blackbeard Brig is the pick. Its 22-knot top speed lets you outrun most threats, and lower repair costs mean you recover faster from mistakes. The downside is real, though — 50,000 HP disappears fast under concentrated fire, and you'll need to play more evasively during naval combat.
If you want to stand and fight, the Brethren Brig is built for sustained engagements. Its 90,000 HP pool and access to larger-caliber cannons let you absorb punishment while dealing heavy damage. The 18-knot speed ceiling means you commit to every fight you start, so pick your battles carefully.
If you're unsure, the Default Brig remains a strong generalist. Twenty knots is fast enough to disengage from most encounters, and 70,000 HP gives you a comfortable margin of error while learning tougher sea zones.
The Brig is where Windrose's naval gameplay opens up. It's the first ship class that genuinely lets you engage with the game's faction system, crew mechanics, and mid-tier combat encounters on your own terms. Gather your Copper Ingots, stock up on Linen Fabric, and get building — the archipelago's tougher waters are waiting.