There’s a particular joy in shouting “Fire!” and watching a chorus of canons and parrots turn a hallway into a fireworks display. The Pirate Captain is Trove’s salty sea-dog of controlled chaos: part turret-master, part tactical taunter, part explosive ordinance specialist. In 2025 the class still plays like a captain who prefers paying crew members in doubloons — you lob explosives, you spawn turrets (and parrots), you bait fights with decoys, and the room pays you back in loot. If you like orchestrating mayhem from a safe-ish distance while little mechanical parrots peck holes in enemies, this class will feel like home.
This Trove guide walks you through the Pirate Captain Abilities, and the three builds: Turret DPS, Doubloon-Boom, or speed-Farm — with practical rotations, gem choices, emblem/flask picks and endgame tuning.
The Pirate Captain Abilities & passive
Understanding the Pirate Captain means knowing what earns you doubloons, how turrets upgrade, and how the decoy & ultimate change a fight. Below is the functional kit with numbers and how to use each ability in practice.
- Plunderbuss = short-range AoE + doubloon generation; angle and spacing matter—aim so the cone hits as many targets as possible.
- place First Mate early in a pull then hit enemies with Plunderbuss to drop Doubloons and upgrade it quickly.
- Pretend Pirate = taunt + explode; throw it into choke points or under the boss’s feet to control phases.
- Man O’ War = heavy sustained AoE; time it for boss windows or dense packs.
- understand your ring’s hidden effects; they can change your ideal rotation (more doubloon generation vs extra minions).
- subclass matters less than your main turrets and doubloon management, but pick one that complements your role.
The Pirate Captain Builds: DPS Turret, Doubloon-Boom, and Speed-Farm
Turret DPS Build
This build leans hard into maximizing turret effectiveness. You want your First Mate(s) and Man O’ War to hit like freight cannons while you micro-manage Doubloon flow. Upgrade turrets fast and keep Man O’ War uptime high during boss phases; turret attack rate/damage upgrades scale extremely well with PR.
Why it works: turrets scale with invested stats; upgraded cannons + Man O’ War provide relentless, multi-target damage while you stay relatively safe. Many top-end builds on Trovesaurus are turret-DPS oriented.
- Core stats: Crit Damage → Physical Damage → Attack Speed (for some interactions) → Max Health (for safety).
- Gems (empowered): Pyrodisc (AoE circles) and Explosive Epilogue (on-kill explosions) are strong; prioritize gems that boost turret MD/PD or general PD/crit.
- Emblems & allies: Surestrike + Martial for damage; allies like Rapt Berserker for extra DPS.
- Rotation: place First Mate → hit packs with Plunderbuss to spawn Doubloons → pick up Doubloons to upgrade First Mate quickly → when boss spawns, call Man O’ War + additional First Mates if class gem allows → stand in safe zone and reapply.
Quick tip: prioritize Doubloons in the first 2–4 seconds of a pull to reach turret upgrade thresholds swiftly; upgraded turrets are where the burst comes from.
Doubloon-Boom Build
This build amplifies the decoy + explosion interplay. You deliberately generate energy to spam Pretend Pirate decoys as both taunts and area bombs. Combine that with a few turrets and on-kill explosions to create multi-phase chain-clears.
Why it works: decoys convert into powerful timed explosions and buy windows for your crew to re-position. In chaotic Delves, planting a Pretend Pirate under a boss's feet often decides a phase.
- Core stats: Max Health / Energy Regen (indirectly via survivability) → Physical Damage → Crit.
- Gems: Explosive Epilogue (chains on-kill into more explosions) and Vampirian Vanquisher if you need sustain during decoy-heavy solo runs.
- Emblems & allies: Chronomancer (cooldown reduction for more frequent decoy usage) + Unyielding if you front-line. Allies that grant energy cooldowns or sustain help.
- Rotation: open with First Mate(s) → hit with Plunderbuss to build Doubloons → deploy Pretend Pirate in choke point and let it absorb hits, then detonate as it breaks → call Man O’ War during the stacked explosion window.
Quick tip: use decoys intentionally as timers — drop one at the edges of a pull to force enemies into predetermined AoE traps.
Farming Pirate Build
Pirate Captain can also speed-farm when built for movement and sustained AoE: Man O’ War shells plus Explosive Epilogue chain-clears let you pre-place turrets and run routes, while Pretend Pirate clears sticky packs. This is a surprisingly efficient farm class when optimized.
Why it works: AoE shells and on-kill explosions clear nodes fast. Turrets provide passive damage so you can move immediately after placing them.
- Core stats: Movement Speed → Attack Speed → Physical Damage → Energy Regen (so you can still use decoy occasionally).
- Gems: Empowered on-kill gems (Explosive Epilogue) + movement/minor attack speed lesser gems.
- Emblems & allies: Beamer for summoned damage synergies and Trailblazer/Movement type emblems for route speed.
- Rotation: pre-place First Mate(s) on node entry → spam Plunderbuss to spawn Doubloons and upgrade turrets → drop Man O’ War in dense nodes → use Pretend Pirate only when a pack stalls progress → sprint to next node.
Quick tip: map knowledge + turret placement = 80% of speed success — pre-plan where turrets will cover spawns.
Gems, Class Gems & Signatory Rings
Empowered gems: i prefer Explosive Epilogue and Pyrodisc on Pirate Captain because they multiply AoE potential — Explosive helps chain clears, Pyrodisc gives consistent area circles that layer with turret shells and Man O’ War. Berserk Battler or Vampirian Vanquisher can be situational picks for sustained damage or lifesteal.
Class gems: Pirate Captain class gems typically modify turret behavior (e.g., ARR-tillery to deploy an extra turret, or allow both turrets to upgrade from the same Doubloons). Stellar class gems from the Everdark Vault can dramatically increase damage or utility (double turrets, extra parrot types). These gems are game-changers for turret-focused builds — they are worth chasing.
Signatory Ring Hidden Effects: these can add “All Hands On Deck” (extra minions on Man O’ War), “AVAST YE!!!” (basic attack debuff), or “Raiders” (First Mate doubloon generation). Pick and Polish the hidden effect that complements your role: DPS builds want “Raiders,” decoy builds might favor “All Hands On Deck.”
Emblems, Flasks & Allies
Emblems: Martial + Surestrike remains a reliable damage combo for turret/DPS builds. Chronomancer is great for cooldown-focused decoy spammers. Beamer or movement emblems improve farm efficiency.
Allies: Rapt Berserker for raw DPS, Chronomancer-style allies for cooldown reduction (if you spam decoys), and tank-support allies for hybrid runs. Pick an ally that complements your weakness — more damage, more cooldowns, or more survivability.
Flasks: Death-Defying Vial for risky soloing; Elysian Bandolier for farming rhythm.
Pirate Captain Gear Stats priorities by slot
Gearing your Pirate Captain correctly is what turns your humble cannon crew into a ship-destroying armada. Since the Pirate’s energy is Doubloon-based (not Energy Regen) and most of your DPS comes from Physical Damage scaling, you’ll want to optimize each slot for raw Physical DPS, Crit, and attack tempo to keep Doubloons flowing and turrets upgraded fast.
| Slot | Main Stat Priority | Explanation |
|---|---|---|
| Weapon | Physical Damage → Critical Damage → Attack Speed → Critical Hit | Pirate Captain relies heavily on PD scaling for both Plunderbuss and turret DPS. Attack Speed helps your basic generate Doubloons faster; Crit stats amplify turret & ability burst. |
| Hat | Maximum Health → Physical Damage → Critical Hit | Since Pirate Captains often stand mid-range while turrets tank, survivability matters. Max Health helps you survive while picking up Doubloons. |
| Face | Physical Damage → Critical Damage → Critical Hit | Straight DPS slot — prioritize the heaviest-hitting combination to boost turret firepower and ultimate shell impact. |
| Ring (Signatory) | Physical Damage → Critical Damage | Always aim for a high PD Signatory Ring. The hidden effects (Raiders, All Hands On Deck, AVAST YE!!!) are massive force multipliers for your build focus. |
| Banner | Light → Physical Damage → Magic Find (optional) | Light is essential for endgame delves; PD secondary boosts all turret & Man O’ War damage. |
Progression roadmap — early → mid → endgame
- Early (0–PR5k): learn to place First Mate and use Pretend Pirate for clutch aggro control. Prioritize survivability & some PD.
- Mid (PR5k–PR20k): decide turret vs decoy style; hunt for explosive empowered gems and a useful class gem from Everdark Vaults. Upgrade turrets and practice doubloon economy.
- Endgame: invest Mystic/Cosmic gem lines for Light/PR scaling, polish signatory rings for best hidden effects, and tune emblems & ally pairings for your role (Delve carry vs speed-farm). Class gem upgrades make the biggest single jump in turret builds.
Frequently Asked Questions
Final thoughts
The Pirate Captain is a class of deliberate placement and economic rhythm. You win by controlling where enemies stand, by extracting the maximum value from Doubloon economy, and by letting turrets and Man O’ War shells do the messy work while you call the shots. In 2025 the class is flexible: you can dominate PR with turret optimization, anchor a party with smart decoy play, or clear topside nodes at speed with Explosive chains. Learn the doubloon beat, polish your rings, and your crew will sing — and the spoils will be all yours.