Corsair Cove: How To Keep Cohesion High

In case you don't know much about the dynamic between pirates, the pirate's code absolutely is a thing, but they also aren't the most trustworthy bunch either. This means that you lead your merry band of misfits in Corsair Cove and make tough decisions on a minute-to-minute basis, all in a bid to keep the group from revolting, stealing, and even killing one another. 

It's an unenviable job, but heavy is the head that wears the captain's hat. So, to help you keep cohesion high, we have a few helpful tips that will keep your rogues relatively well-behaved.

Follow The Main Quests

While there are a lot of preventative measures and supplementary add-ons you can do to avoid losing cohesion and increase cohesion, respectively. The reality is that nothing will buff up this stat quicker than simply completing quests. 

This will require you to continually build and upgrade ships, ensure your crew is well looked after, and strategize when in Turn-Based naval battles. 

However, if you master the seven seas and keep ticking off quests, you'll find that the rewards are very generous when it comes to group cohesion. 

Manage Gameplay Speeds 

One thing that might seem obvious, but can easily be forgotten in the haze of managing various systems, is gameplay speed. Most players will likely have this set at 3x speed to get things done in record time. 

That's great when all your resources are stockpiled, and everyone is happy, but when things are going badly, this excess speed will only compound the problem, giving you little chance to recover. 

So, when this happens, pause the game, make the changes you feel that you need to reverse the unrest, and then resume when you feel comfortable at a slower speed to ease back in. 

Keep Upkeep Resources Stocked

One of the most important things when it comes to the overall happiness of your people is food and booze. If you keep these guys fed and tipsy, they'll rarely get uppity. 

This requires the player to always have a Galley and Tavern distributing the goods, distilleries and campfires making the resources, and a handful of warehouses in play to stock these items in bulk. 

Also, do your best to ensure that all connection routes are as fast as possible. 

A Bed For Every Head 

Alongside food, the only other major dealbreaker for your pirate pals is a bed to sleep in. You need to accommodate all your drifters, or they'll be up in arms. 

In the short term, you'll need to build a lot of tents, and ideally you should make use of the cliffside to keep these tents off fertile areas that could be put to better use. 

But, soon enough, you'll unlock Cabins which will allow you to take up less space with lodgings, freeing up space for more lucrative buildings. 

Newbies Ruin The Dynamic 

When you're given a random event in Corsair Cove, a lot of the time it will be a scenario that sees a load of Drifters come to your hideout seeking refuge. Something that is pretty helpful if you need more hands on deck. 

However, this usually comes with the added caveat that these people are former crown, desperately sick, or something along those lines. 

Which essentially leads to a steep decline in Cohesion if you choose to take on these people, sometimes as much as a 30 Cohesion drop. 

So, unless you are desperately in need of Drifters to up production or fill out your crew to sail off for missions. I would use this option very sparingly when it pops up. 

Go To Jail 

Some of the best ways to improve or maintain your cohesion level are hidden away within the Compass unlocks and don't become available right away. But one you can get relatively quickly is the Gibbet.

This is a jail cell of sorts where you can place one Drifter in the hold, effectively pinning the blame on them for your lack of cohesion, and giving you a 5+ boost to your Cohesion stat.

The drawback is that this scapegoat tactic is a temporary measure, and as soon as you let them out, the stat will drop by 5.

But, who's to say you ever let them out?

Build Some Banners

Within the aforementioned Compass unlocks, you'll also have the option to unlock one of four different Banners, all tied to their respective principle categories. But, critically, they all do the exact same thing.

For every Banner of any type that you build, you'll gain a buff of four to your maximum Cohesion. So, while this doesn't recover your Cohesion, it does give you more scope to raise the stat.

It's essentially the ability to provide a wider, stronger safety net for when your crew get annoyed, so it's best to build a few as soon as possible.

Share The Wealth 

Then lastly, we have an unlockable asset that will only become available later in the game, as you'll need to spend a minimum of 12 Seafaring Points to unlock and build one.

The Quartermaster building is effectively like a Trading Post, but for gaining Cohesion instead of gold.

You'll fill this building with resources you no longer want or need, and in return, you'll be able to share the spoils with the crew to regain some Cohesion. The better the booty, the more cohesion you'll gain.

Plus, for simply having the building in place, you'll also gain an additional 1 Cohesion Point when you partake in Discovery Events.