Hey guys, I wrote a brief FAQ for Cannons due to the difficulty I was having. As Storm pointed out, there is a
guide on Stratics. Here's my take:
I. HOW TO CRAFT CANNONS AND CANNON AMMO
Cannon Types:
Light Ship Cannon
Skills Req.: 65 Smith / 65 Carp
Ingots: 900
Boards: 50
Heavy Ship Cannon
Skills Req.: 70 Smith / 70 Carp
Ingots: 1800
Boards: 75
Ammo Types:
Light Grapeshot
Skills Req.: 0 Smith
Ingots: 6
Cloth: 1
Heavy Grapeshot
Skills Req.: 15 Smith
Ingots: 12
Cloth: 2
Light Cannonball
Skills Req.: 0 Smith
Ingots: 6
Heavy Cannonball
Skills Req.: 10 Smith
Ingots: 12
II. HOW TO PLACE, LOAD, AND USE CANNONS
Placing Cannons
In order to place a cannon on a ship you need to look for a yellow, bullet shaped outline on the side or near the front of the ship. Double click your cannon deed and then target the yellow bullet region and if you are close enough to the region a cannon will be placed.
Using Cannons
Using a cannon is a process. Once you have your cannons placed on your ship, you can use them by one of two methods: context menu or by double clicking the cannon itself. If you use the context menu you can do things somewhat faster, whereas double clicking on a cannon gives you a pop-up menu, which might be better for a dedicated cannon worker. Also, if you hover over a cannon, a tool-tip will inform you on its status.
There are four main actions for each cannon on your ship: Clean, Charge, Load, and Prime. Each action must be completed in order.
01. CLEAN
Required after use.
02. CHARGE
Saltpeter: Acquired from Alchemist NPC on floating dock
Charcoal: Crafted via Cooking -> Preparations (Req. 0 Cooking, 1 Board)
Sulfurous Ash: Acquired from Mage or Alchemist NPC
Cloth: Acquired from Tailor
A. Craft Black Powder
(85 Alchemy -> Explosive)
6 Saltpeter, 1 Charcoal, 1 Sulfurous Ash
B. Create Powder Charge
(0 Tailoring -> Materials)
Light Powder Charge: 1 Cloth, 1 Black Powder
Heavy Powder Charge: 1 Cloth, 4 Black Powder
Create a powder charge type that matches the cannon you want (light or heavy). Once you load the powder charge, you can go on to the easy part, loading the cannon.
03. LOAD
Use this option to load cannonballs or grapeshots. The size must match the cannon.
04. PRIME
Once the cannon is charged and loaded, the last thing you need to do is prime it. Only prime the cannon if you are about to fire.
Water: Acquired from Innkeeper
Board: Acquired from lumberjacking
Saltpeter: Acquired from Alchemist NPC on floating dock
Ball of Yarn: Acquired from Tailor
Potash: Created via 0 Alchemy -> Ingredients (Req. 1 Water, 1 Board)
Black Powder: Created via 85 Alchemy -> Explosive (6 Saltpeter, 1 Charcoal, 1 Sulfurous Ash)
Match Cord: Created via 25 Alchemy -> Explosive (Req. 1 Saltpeter, 1 Ball of Yarn, 1 Water, 1 Potash)
Fuse Cord: Created via 55 Alchemy -> Explosive (Req. 1 Black Powder, 1 Ball of Yarn, 1 Water, 1 Potash)
Once you add the Match Cord and the Fuse Cord to a cannon, you can
Fire the cannon!
BUTTTTTTT (EDIT) to fire, you need to first make a Match, then double click it to light it! Will edit more specifically in a bit
Oh, and final note, get yourself a nice Alchemist talisman to make that Black Powder, its fail rate sucks.