Beating the Flying Dutchman

[modernknight1]

OK, As many hours as I've spent playing COAS, I've never had the pleasure of running into the Flying Dutchman until tonight. I had got sidetracked on doing upgrades and finally snuck into Charleston looking for Elizabeth and the Brig Queen to try to complete the Des Moines curse quest. While questioning tavern patrons, one told me the Flying Dutchman was in port now. I ran back to Bat Beach and when I went to map view, sure enough the only large man-o-war map level entity with pirate markings I'd ever seen was coming after me. I didn't think Id have problems. After all I'm at level 50 with two large Class 1 Dutch Escort ship Man-O-War and a Coastal Frigate. All three have had all Bermuda upgrades so are not only fast, but boast crews over 500 with the Frigate having over 5000 hit points and both the Dutch Escort ships close to 7000 HP. All three ships had 32 pounders and crews at max experience.

We quickly dismasted the Dutchman and were battering away with bombs. I closed and loaded grape. The Dutchman starts the battle with just a little red hull strength and max blue sails and white crew. It would appear that the only thing you can really effect is the rigging (masts/sails). I closed to boarding distance right on him hull to hull. I poured several grapeshot broadsides into him with no effect while my other ships proveded supporting fire on the hull. No hull or crew damage were incurred on the dutchman the entire battle. Because of my closeness and him being dismasted he had a hard time shooting at me, so I survived awhile, but despite this I could not board. As close as I got (hulls grinding on one another) the grappling hook symbol never appeared and I have an expert bosun with 100 percent abilities.

The outcome was inevitable. With no way to damage or board, he finally sunk me. I replayed the battle two more times with the same outcome. When I sink, an old silent films dialogue window would appear saying 21 days had passed and I was on X carribean Island. When I awake I am assailed by bounty hunters because of the 72,000 the English have on my head. No money, no officers, no ships and alone facing a dozen armed men. I kill half of em, but die every time. Thank God I saved prior to all this.

So after my sad salty yarn of defeat, I gotta ask.....HOW DO YOU BEAT THE **&$%^ Flying Dutchman???? Or can you?

V/R AS

 

[Luke159]

By the sounds of it your not ment to beat the Flying Dutchmen, in normal situations after been sunk at sea the game ends so to wake up on an island means its part of the story line. My suggestion would be to put your ships into storage and use a crappy ship, try to put all your officer's (1 per ship) into safe storage aswell, that way you won't loose anything apart from all the experienced crew and the crappy ship your have bourght.

 

[Handel]

So after my sad salty yarn of defeat, I gotta ask.....HOW DO YOU BEAT THE **&$%^ Flying Dutchman???? Or can you?

V/R AS

Finding the Flying Dutchman is the beginning of a quest. It (actually I must write "she") always has active the two perks one which instantly repairs the ship to 10% (without materials and not allowing the ship to be sunk) and the second is which make it invincible to collisions and crashes AND in addition the boarding is not allowed so it cannot be defeated... untill the end of the quest.
So as the above post advises give your chest stuff to the officers and store them with ships in the ports (3 ships per port). Then buy a tartana and the min crew , STORE ALL you money with the moneylender and go near the FD to get sunk.
You will appear on random island couple weeks later in very bad shape, no ship, no crew, no officers, absolutelly no money and all the stuff from the chest missing (if you had any). But you will retain your personal gear. The next bad news is you may happen to land on a hostile island.
PS. You may have good armor and good weapon and have good fighting skills too but because of the very bad health you will have trouble in defeating even some measly jungle gang. Also you probably will be overburdened and will become very slow.

 

[modernknight1]

Handel, Did you eventually complete the quest and destroy the FD? I would very much like to hear about it. Between Fred Bob, Luke 159 and you, I'd like to piece all of your comments together and write a detailed mission tutorial for the walkthrough once I've done it and request the moderators post all the FD posts together on the walkthrough thread.

V/R AS

So after my sad salty yarn of defeat, I gotta ask.....HOW DO YOU BEAT THE **&$%^ Flying Dutchman???? Or can you?

V/R AS

Finding the Flying Dutchman is the beginning of a quest. It (actually I must write "she") always has active the two perks one which instantly repairs the ship to 10% (without materials and not allowing the ship to be sunk) and the second is which make it invincible to collisions and crashes AND in addition the boarding is not allowed so it cannot be defeated... untill the end of the quest.
So as the above post advises give your chest stuff to the officers and store them with ships in the ports (3 ships per port). Then buy a tartana and the min crew , STORE ALL you money with the moneylender and go near the FD to get sunk.
You will appear on random island couple weeks later in very bad shape, no ship, no crew, no officers, absolutelly no money and all the stuff from the chest missing (if you had any). But you will retain your personal gear. The next bad news is you may happen to land on a hostile island.
PS. You may have good armor and good weapon and have good fighting skills too but because of the very bad health you will have trouble in defeating even some measly jungle gang. Also you probably will be overburdened and will become very slow.