This has been working good for me so sharing. I'm at level 38 with Hero rep. I'm attracting very strong officers now. I have a group of fighters that I like and are extremely loyal and together we kick major ass. I don't like firing disloyal officers - after all I paid good money for them. The thing is if you trust them to captain a captured ship as a companion, like as not you won't have the ship or them around next day - Mutiny at midnight and they're gone.
What I've began doing is using my best fighters as captains and putting the disloyal guys in the ranks as my fighters. Their stats at this point are generally pretty good, they hold their own well, but of course I don't equip them with potions or better weapons because they are expendable and I don't care if they die. Once they do, money well spent me harties. There is also some twisted satisfaction in a disloyal man going down to Davy Jones in this way. I love it when I've been through a particularly bloody outnumbered affair and I have a couple of bloddy disloyal officers at my feet, and myself, one good guy and a couple of crew are all that remain on deck. After all I am a pirate. No gold for them - YAARRRR!!!
V/R Aaron S.
What I've began doing is using my best fighters as captains and putting the disloyal guys in the ranks as my fighters. Their stats at this point are generally pretty good, they hold their own well, but of course I don't equip them with potions or better weapons because they are expendable and I don't care if they die. Once they do, money well spent me harties. There is also some twisted satisfaction in a disloyal man going down to Davy Jones in this way. I love it when I've been through a particularly bloody outnumbered affair and I have a couple of bloddy disloyal officers at my feet, and myself, one good guy and a couple of crew are all that remain on deck. After all I am a pirate. No gold for them - YAARRRR!!!
V/R Aaron S.