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There are many important and notable elements to Sailing Era, but the characters stand out significantly. While sailing is certainly a big part of the game, there's also a huge social component. As the sailor of your choosing, you'll head out on a seafaring adventure that will take you to numerous ports and islands to talk to everyone you can.

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However, depending on which sailor you pick, you'll have different circumstances and surroundings with which to work. Take your time to decide what kind of gameplay experience you're going for before you decide which character you want to lead your fleet.

The Sailors

Sailing Era Sailors Standing On A Map

Sailing Era gives you a choice of four Sailors to pick, each of them representing a different country. The one you choose will affect your starting point, the bonuses you receive for certain actions, and the overall story that you'll follow.

What's fortunate is that none of the sailors have any weaknesses, rather each one specializes in certain strengths based on their skills. As such, some are easier to play than others, so take some time to learn about each one.

Andrew - Portugal (Beginner)

Sailing Era Andrew

Since Andrews starts in Portugal, he and his crew get access to the open ocean that is the Atlantic very early on. This works in tandem with his primary strengths, which all involve bonuses around sailing and reaching new ports.

As a result, you'll build up a nice reserve of EXP points relatively quickly to level up Andrew and his crew members, with the latter requiring less EXP if they're below his level thanks to his Innate Leader skill.

Lastly, Andrew has an ability that gives you a strong start whenever you reach a new port. Simply by docking, you'll add to the Contribution level of the port which makes it more prosperous and viable for trading.

Abdullah - Arab (Intermediate)

Sailing Era Abdullah

Abdullah is a swashbuckling sailor who starts in the Arabian sea, which gives you a more confined but still diverse space.

Because of his background, his main strengths come from being able to turn combat victories to his advantage. This means you're encouraged to pick off pirates whenever you get the chance in order to benefit from Abdullah's EXP boost.

His most appealing skill lets you build your fleet in a quick and inexpensive way by allowing you to recruit ships after you get them to surrender. Should they fall in battle, his resourcefulness will let you find more loot. This makes restocking supplies while out on the ocean much easier.

Yun Mu - Ming Dynasty (Intermediate)

Sailing Era Yun Mu

Yun Mu is the scholar among the sailors. She starts near Taiwan, which gives you an open ocean full of islands.

Because of her pursuit of knowledge she grants EXP boosts to making discoveries, which means you'll need to spend a lot of time covering a lot of ground in Lookout Mode. However, since she also translates books faster, you'll get a better sense of direction that you're not sailing blindly.

She's also learned about goods and can raise their value the more you know about them. This essentially gives you the opportunity to earn a lot from the most common goods early on so you can make some decent money, as long as you're willing to put the time in.

Yoshitaka Shizuma - Japan (Advanced)

Sailing Era Yoshitaka Shizuma

Yoshitaka Shizuma is the breadwinner for his family, and he begins in Japan with access to islands, coastlines, and the wide Pacific Ocean to explore.

Since he's talented in Shipbuilding, his skills are ship and crafting related. You'll have to spend a lot of money to make use of his Shipbuilding EXP bonus, but this is balanced out by the fact that he raises the profits of Industrial Products, which are some of the most valuable.

This sailor is unique in that he has four skills, instead of three. His other shipbuilding skill saves you tons of money by granting you free cabin modifications. Since he also has cats to handle rat infestations, this is just one less issue (and expense) for you to worry about.

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