Fighting Around Islands: Cover and Ambushes
Out on open water, combat is a stat contest: the bigger build wins. Around an island, it becomes a contest of wits — and that's where average players take down monsters. Knowing how to use islands as cover is the tactical skill that pays off fastest in Dovion: the scenery is free, it's everywhere across the archipelago, and most of your opponents treat it as nothing more than an obstacle to sail around. Big mistake. It's a weapon.
One island, three tactical roles
Before the techniques, the mental framework. Every island in the archipelago can play three roles depending on your situation:
- The shield: placed between you and a shooter, the island cancels their line of fire. Passive, free defense, no cooldown.
- The curtain: what the enemy can't see, they have to guess. Vanishing behind an island strips them of information — your position, your heading, your condition.
- The wall: for a fleeing or poorly-positioned opponent, the island becomes an obstacle that limits THEIR options. Pinning prey against a coastline strips away half its escape routes.
Same rock, three uses. Island tactics all come down to knowing which one to activate, and when.
The duel around the island: the cat-and-mouse dance
The classic scenario: you and an opponent on opposite sides of an island, both circling to keep the rock between yourselves and the other's cannons. How do you win this dance?
- Break the rhythm. The natural instinct is to circle at a constant speed. Break that pattern: a sudden stop, a U-turn, a burst of acceleration. Your goal is to appear where they're not looking — the 180-degree ambush (suddenly reversing your direction of rotation) is a classic that still works every time.
- Use the island's shape. The archipelago's coastlines aren't perfect circles: capes, coves and bulges create uneven blind spots. Circle on the side where the island hides you the longest.
- Watch out for arsenal exceptions. Two lines don't care about your hiding spot: the Mortier, whose lobbed shells arc right over obstacles, and the Voiles Mortes (Dead Sails) ability of the Vaisseau Fantôme (Ghost Ship), which can turn your defensive dance into hide-and-seek against an invisible opponent. Identifying the enemy's silhouette BEFORE you start the waltz is still rule number one — just like in any well-played duel.
The ambush: the island as an offensive weapon
Let's switch to the predator's side. A successful island ambush rests on three ingredients:
- A predictable choke point: players follow logical routes — toward selling points, between mining zones. Post up behind an island that borders one of these maritime highways. Reading the minimap helps you spot the traffic.
- The patience of a fisherman: an ambush can't be forced. If you move every ten seconds to "check things out," you're not ambushing anymore — you're just poorly positioned.
- The burst on contact: the element of surprise lasts about two seconds. That's the moment to open with your E ability — a point-blank Éventail de torpilles (torpedo fan) or a full-speed Charge from a Narval launched out of the blind spot are openings the victim can barely play around.
Ideal target: a ship with a full hold on its way to sell. It's rich, cautious, and above all it will refuse a long fight — exactly what an ambush punishes best.
Terrain traps (they cut both ways)
The island is neutral: it serves whoever understands it. Three mistakes to ban from your coastal navigation. Never hug a coastline during mobile combat — you're gifting yourself a wall at your back and half your dodges vanish. Never flee into a narrow channel without knowing its exit: straits are the favorite spot for players dropping Estacades, the floating walls from the Pièges (Traps) line that block both ships and cannonballs. And be wary of terrain that looks too perfect: an obvious ambush spot might already be occupied by someone who had the same idea as you, better armed — fleeing in time is always a champion's move.
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The archipelago has more hiding spots than you'll have matches to explore them: play Dovion for free and let the terrain do the talking.