Spending Your Stat Points: The Mini-Guide
Every level gained in Dovion hands you stat points — and a question: where do you put them? Spending your points wisely to improve your ship is what separates two players of the same level once the cannonballs start flying. No need to panic: a few simple principles are enough to avoid a wasted build.
How points work
The system is straightforward: every level, up to 50, grants points to invest in your stats. These choices stack with your hull choices (at levels 5, 15, 30 and 45) to define your playstyle. Two ships identical on paper can therefore play in radically different ways depending on how their points are spent.
Two stats deserve special attention, since they define entire playstyles.
Rate of Fire: the choice of consistency
Rate of Fire increases how often you shoot. It's the "safe bet" stat par excellence:
- It benefits nearly every line, since Space stays your main tool from level 1 to level 50.
- It forgives missed shots: more volleys means more chances to land a hit.
- It shines in prolonged exchanges, where sheer volume of fire eventually tips the scale.
If you're torn, Rate of Fire is rarely a bad investment.
Ram: the stat that surprises
Ram increases your collision damage. In other words: your ship itself becomes a weapon. It's the stat for aggressive players and contact enthusiasts:
- It turns every failed boarding attempt by an opponent into punishment.
- It's the heart of Narval-line builds, whose Charge ability deals damage based on speed — Ram and Charge form a fearsome pairing, covered in the Narval line guide.
- It surprises: few players expect to lose an exchange by simply running into you.
Its obvious drawback: to benefit from it, you have to touch the enemy hull, meaning you have to expose yourself.
Fitting your points to your line
The real golden rule: your stats should serve your hull's game plan, not fight it.
- A fast harassment line wants to stay elusive: favor whatever supports hit-and-run.
- A siege or area-control line (Mortar, Traps) wants to hold its ground: invest in what makes you sturdy and consistent.
- A rammer wants contact: Ram, obviously, and anything that gets you into close combat faster.
Before locking in your strategy, take a look at our Goélette, Brigantin or Chalutier comparison: the path you choose at level 5 already sets the tone for your build.
Classic mistakes to avoid
- Spreading points everywhere: five half-built stats make an all-around mediocre ship. Winning builds commit to priorities.
- Copying a build without understanding it: a spread designed for the Dreadnought makes no sense on a Torpilleur.
- Ignoring your own playstyle: if you avoid close combat, Ram will sit unused. The best points are the ones your style uses every minute.
- Forgetting levels 46-50: after the final hull at level 45, there are still five levels of pure fine-tuning left — keep in mind what you'll be missing by end game.
Test, sink, adjust
The secret to good builds isn't much of a secret: it's iteration. Every sinking teaches you what was missing — more rate of fire to finish off a fleeing target, more toughness to survive a broadside. Note it, adjust for the next match, repeat. To place all this within the bigger progression picture, re-read how XP and levels work.
Your points are waiting: Play Dovion for free and build the ship that's truly yours.