Dovion's Mermaids: Threat or Opportunity?
They sing, they bite, and they're worth a fortune. Dovion's mermaids are probably the most double-edged creatures in the game: run into them at the wrong moment, and they turn your crossing into a nightmare; approach with a plan, and they become the best XP accelerator in the whole archipelago. This guide teaches you to tell the difference.
The threat: never underestimate a pack
A lone mermaid is manageable. The problem is, they know it too:
- Mermaids are aggressive in groups. Face a pack, and the math changes completely — damage piles up fast, and fleeing becomes the only sensible option.
- Their cry can rally other mermaids. THIS is the mechanic to know: a fight that starts one-on-one can spiral into one-against-several if you let it drag on. When you hear the call, decide fast — finish the fight immediately, or break off.
Simple survival rule: count them before engaging. One, you play. Several, you think twice. The cry sounds, you finish or you leave.
The opportunity: the altar that changes a match
Here's why mermaid hunters exist: a captured mermaid can be sold at the black market, at the altar in the center of the lagoon — and the XP payout is enormous. It's one of the most powerful progression sources in the game, the kind that skips whole levels.
The journey, however, is anything but free:
- Capturing already means dealing with the creature and its possible pack.
- Delivering forces you to cross the central lagoon's fog, its bosses and its ambushing players — re-read our guide to surviving the center before attempting the run.
- Everyone knows the value of your catch: a ship towing a mermaid toward the center is announcing its wealth to anyone who spots it.
It's exactly the kind of risk/reward gamble that makes Dovion addictive: selling at the altar is covered in detail in the lagoon black market guide.
The sled: when mermaids pull for you
One last, most unexpected side of the mermaid: raw pulling power. Small hulls on the Skirmish path can harness mermaids to pull a sled. At the top of this line of thinking sits the Trirème des Sirènes (Mermaid Trireme, end of the Narval line), capable of hitching up to 10 mermaids and 5 draft whales.
Watching a fully-harnessed Trirème sail past remains one of the great spectacles of the game — and a statement of intent: this player has tamed what makes everyone else flee. Curious? The concept gets its own dedicated article, and the full line has its own guide.
And what about the Queen in all this?
Above all ordinary mermaids reigns the Mermaid Queen, a boss in her own right. Needless to say, if ordinary packs already give you trouble, Her Majesty deserves serious preparation — we've devoted a full combat guide to her.
In practice: your relationship with mermaids by level
- Beginner: avoid the groups, full stop. The altar's XP will still be there once your hull can handle it.
- Intermediate: start hunting lone mermaids, and learn the route to the altar with an empty hold.
- Advanced: fold mermaid selling into your progression routine — it's the most reliable shortcut to high levels.
Threat or opportunity? Both, captain. Play Dovion for free and form your own opinion — from a distance first, it's safer that way.