"Playing Ram: The Collision Stat That Surprises"
When it's time to spend stat points in Dovion, the reflex always goes to the same boxes: Rate of Fire, hit points, speed. And then there's that line most players skim right past: Ram, the stat that increases collision damage. Those who ignore it are wrong. Those who discover it — usually by sinking to a ship that never fired a single cannonball at them — never forget it.
What exactly is Ram?
Every level gained (up to level 50), Dovion hands you points to spend on your stats. Ram is one of them: it increases the damage you deal through collision. In plain terms: the more you invest in it, the more it costs an enemy hull just to be hit by yours.
It's a whole combat philosophy in itself. Where other stats improve what your cannons do AT RANGE, Ram turns your ship itself into ammunition. No trajectory to calculate, no salvo for the enemy to dodge — just your mass, your speed, and their flank. For an overview of stat allocation, take a look at our stat mini-guide.
The natural pairing: Ram and the Narval's Charge
If Ram has a home, it's the Narval line: Corsaire, Corsaire noir, Trirème des Sirènes. Its active ability, the Charge, is a ramming rush whose damage depends on your speed at the moment of impact. You can see the synergy: a stat that boosts collision damage, on a line whose signature attack IS a collision.
A Corsaire built for Ram, launched at full speed, is one of the most brutal instant-damage sources in the game. The tradeoff is well known but worth repeating: charging into empty water stuns you instead. A ram build doesn't forgive imprecision — it's a pact: enormous damage in exchange for a tiny margin for error.
The surprise factor: your real weapon
The great strength of a Ram build isn't in the numbers — it's in the enemy's head. Most players judge a threat by what they SEE: hull size, salvo rhythm. A ship built around collision shows nothing — until contact.
The result: scenes that make the build so satisfying:
- the duelist who manages the exchange of fire perfectly... and collapses to a boarding they never budgeted for;
- the wounded runner who thinks they're safe because they're out of cannon range — but not out of bow range;
- the merchant who lets you approach because "they haven't even fired."
Limits to know
Let's be honest, the build has its natural enemies. Estacades from the Pièges line, first: those log walls block ships and damage on contact — ram into one, and you're handing your collision damage to a log. Highly mobile hulls come next, simply refusing contact. And finally, geometry: a predictable rammer is a dead rammer, since everyone knows what you're after — angle and timing decide everything.
Should you go all in on Ram?
For most players, the truth lies in between: a few points in Ram pay off every skirmish — and in a melee, skirmishes are constant — without sacrificing your gunnery. The "full ram" build, on the other hand, is a lifestyle: spectacular, risky, unforgettable when it lands.
There's only one way to find out if it's for you. Play Dovion for free — and this time, aim with your bow.