It s About Pirates Weapons Tier List: Best Cannons, Rams, and Swivels

A Tier List Built From One Real Run

Most pirate roguelites drop you into a shop and hope you guess right. This It s About Pirates weapons tier list skips the guesswork by ranking only the gear that actually appeared in a documented playthrough, where a creator set out to turn a starter ship into a floating fortress. If you are building your first warship, the picks below show you where real damage comes from and which shop items quietly waste your gold. Treat this It s About Pirates weapons tier list as a field report from that voyage, not a spreadsheet of damage numbers.

The source is a full recorded run on YouTube, published under the title "I Build the ULTIMATE PIRATE WARSHIP in this Bullet Heaven Roguelike!" The creator describes It's About Pirates on Steam as a pirate survival roguelite where you fight waves of enemy ships, scoop up loot, and stack weapons like flamethrowers, harpoons, and mortars. You can watch the full playthrough on YouTube to see every shop screen yourself.

Two caveats before the ranking. First, the run covers the opening adventure, so late-game weapon behavior is not documented anywhere in the available material. Second, shop offers are randomized and rerolls exist, which means your build will not mirror this one exactly. Everything below is labeled as player experience and should be read that way.

How Weapons Actually Fit on a Ship

Before ranking anything, it helps to understand that It s About Pirates does not use a single weapon slot. Firepower is spread across multiple hardpoints, and the run shows each one filling a different job.

The practical takeaway: you are not choosing one best weapon, you are filling six jobs. A strong run keeps base damage topped up while rotating the other slots toward whatever the shop hands you.

The It s About Pirates Weapons Tier List

Here is the ranking, scored on how much each pick contributed in the recorded run.

Why the cannon wins S tier. The very first upgrade choice came down to cannon level two for base damage, a powder monkey for reload and elemental damage, or a spotter for range and crit. The player chose raw damage and then kept choosing it at nearly every later stop. If you want one rule from this It s About Pirates weapons tier list, it is this: base cannon damage is never a wasted pick.

Why the grapeshot swivel earns its spot. Late in the run the player bought a grapeshot swivel, upgraded it, and kept it equipped to the end. Its described role is a close-range spread that shreds enemies, which pairs naturally with a ram-heavy, in-your-face build.

Why the flintlock pistol stands out in shops. Among one shop's offers, the pistol was the only item rolling four separate stats at once. Multi-stat items like that are efficient because they scale two or three parts of your build for a single purchase.

Best Early Picks for Your First Days at Sea

• Take cannon damage on day one. The tutorial level-up arrives fast, and the safest choice is the flat damage increase.
• Grab the flintlock pistol when it appears. Four stat lines on one weapon beats three narrow upgrades.
• Buy the ram eventually. The player skipped the spike ram early because he did not want to collide with enemies, then discovered a ram performed far better than expected once he equipped one.
• Hire crew whenever you can afford it. Damage to the ship also costs crew members, so a full roster acts as extra cushioning.
• Use the carpenter. Repair picks appear as level-up options, and armor repair keeps a long run alive.

Crew choice matters as much as the gun. A powder monkey adds reload and elemental damage, a spotter adds range and crit, and harpooner crew amplify harpoon damage. Officers like Conviction and Calypso's Wrath level up by collecting items from your faction, which rewards loyalty to one upgrade path.

Traps and Downgrades to Skip

The clearest trap in this It s About Pirates weapons tier list is the beer jug. It reduces sailing speed in exchange for morale and plunder. Speed is your escape valve — the tutorial explicitly teaches the breeze boost for getting out of trouble — so trading mobility for economy is a gamble that only pays off if you are already comfortable dodging.

The voodoo doll is the second question mark. It offers pierce damage and life, both useful stats, but the player bought it early and admitted he had no idea how to use it. If an item's activation is unclear to you, spend that gold on cannon levels instead.

Other mistakes worth avoiding:

• Buying and forgetting to equip. The run contains a clear example of a weapon purchased but never slotted. Always check your hardpoints after shopping.
• Clicking before checking your gold. Misclicks happened, and one purchase landed on the wrong item entirely.
• Letting the fire tornado sit unused. The player later said he wished he had triggered it much earlier in the round because it helped him farm far more gold.
• Ignoring mermaids and eels. Crew losses to these enemies stacked up quickly and did more damage than any single boss attack.

Upgrade Economy: Making Every Shop Stop Count

Gold is the real progression currency, and a few habits stretch it further. The ship auto-upgrade button handles your existing gear cheaply, but it will not buy new weapons or equip them for you — that stays manual. When your inventory fills up, selling old gear is the intended solution rather than hoarding.

Rerolls are the most underrated tool. One shop stop in the recorded run was rerolled because the first spread was unhelpful, which is exactly the right instinct when you are hunting a specific slot.

The puffer fish item deserves its own mention: it grants bonus gold for enemies killed with ram attacks. That single item flips the ram from a niche pick into an economy engine, which is why synergy matters more than raw tier placement in this It s About Pirates weapons tier list.

Finally, remember that the first adventure gives you a second chance after death without losing progress. That safety net makes early experimentation cheap, so test a strange weapon while the cost of failure is still low.

FAQ

Is there an official It s About Pirates weapons tier list?

Not in the sources reviewed for this article. No official damage tables or developer rankings were available, so every placement here comes from player experience in a single recorded run. Check the official Steam store page for developer updates and patch notes.

What is the strongest weapon in It s About Pirates?

In the documented run, cannon base damage carried the most weight because it was upgraded at nearly every opportunity. The grapeshot swivel was the strongest single purchase, delivering close-range spread damage that stayed equipped through the end of the voyage.

Do weapon offers change between runs?

Yes. The shop presented different stock at each stop, and rerolls let the player swap an offer he did not want. Expect variance, and build around what appears rather than forcing a fixed list.

Should I use auto upgrade?

Use it, but verify the result. Auto upgrade improved existing cannons and harpoons efficiently, yet it never purchased or equipped new gear. Treat this It s About Pirates weapons tier list as a shopping guide, and handle the equipping yourself.