Ghost Ships

Ghost Ships are a type of Enemy in Sea of Thieves returned from the Sea of the Damned by Flameheart. These Ships usually appear in larger Fleets, headed by Ghost Captain Ships. Ghost Ships can be encountered during Ghost Ship Voyages or the Ghost Fleet World Event.

Where to Encounter
Ghost Ships usually sail in groups and can currently appear as a part of two encounters:
 * Ghost Ship Voyages sold by Order of Souls Representatives at Outposts send players to take on Ghost Fleets headed by Ghost Captain Ships.
 * The Ghost Fleet World Event, headed by the giant ghostly head of Flameheart marks the location of a Ghost Armada lead by the Burning Blade and Ashen Dragon Ships.

Mechanics
Ghost Ships never appear alone, but rather in fleets, circling a single Large Island in group formations. These Ships don't stray from their trajectories and keep circling on, even if faced by obstacles like rocks or Ships. Ghost Ships will shoot Ghostly Cannonballs at any Ships that appear in their firing range and leave behind Explosive ghostly Mines when Ships are behind them. When a Ghost Ship sails through a Player Ship, it will leave behind several holes worth of damage in the Ship's Hull. Ghost Ships can be destroyed by any Cannon fired Projectiles. Sometimes, when Ghost Ships sail too far away, they will enter a portal back to the Sea of the Damned and sail out from one closer to Players. When a Ghost Ship is defeated, it will explode with a shockwave that will push back any Vessels in their vicinity.

Types of Ghost Ships
There are five types of Ghost Ships:
 * Grunt Ships - These are the basic Ships with worn down sails and hulls that dissipate from just three Cannon hits.
 * Ghost Flagships - These are the full-sailed Ships with Pennants that accompany the Ghost Captain Ship during Ghost Ship Voyages. Take around 10 Cannon hits to defeat.
 * Ghost Captain Ships - These Ships sail with the Ghost Captain Sails and require considerably more Cannon hits to defeat than other ships. These Ships appear as the final encounters during Ghost Ship Voyages and have variable health depending on the difficulty of the Voyage.
 * Ghostly Ashen Dragon Ship - These are Ghost Captain Ships that sail with the Sails of the Ashen Dragon and accompany Flameheart's Ship during the boss waves of the Ghost Fleet World Event. They take 10 Cannon hits to destroy.
 * The Burning Blade - Flameheart's Ship, sailing with the Burning Blade Sails, is the final boss of the Ghost Fleet World Event. This Ship has a more visible outline than other Ghost Captain Ships and takes 24 Cannon hits to defeat.

Rewards
Ghost Ships mainly drop Ghostly Treasure items that are marked by swirling phantoms after Ships have been defeated.
 * Grunt Ships' occasionally drop Storage Crates of the Damned with Wooden Planks and Cannonballs inside.
 * Ghost Flagships drop 2-4 Skulls of the Damned and a Storage Crate of the Damned.
 * Ghost Captain Ships drop 4-5 Skulls of the Damned and a single Captain Skull of the Damned.
 * Ashen Dragon Ships generally drop around 7-9 of the following items: Skulls of the Damned, Ashes of the Damned, Chests of the Damned & 1 Storage Crate of the Damned.
 * The Burning Blade drops around 15 of the following items: Skulls of the Damned, Ashes of the Damned, Chests of the Damned; 1 Captain Skull of the Damned and 1 Cannonball Crate of the Damned, which contains Ghostly Cannonballs.

Trivia

 * Ghost Ships first made their appearance in Tall Tales, being a part of both The Seabound Soul and Heart of Fire. These Tale Ships are not hostile towards the Players.