Caribbean Legend: Age of Pirates News

[h2]Ahoy, sea wolves![/h2][p][/p][p]Our team is working at full steam to make the release of "CoAS" remaster as enjoyable and stable as possible for you. We remind you that the release is coming very soon - March 13, 2026.

Add to your wishlist so you don't miss the release of Caribbean Legend: Age of Pirates![/p][p][/p][p][dynamiclink][/dynamiclink][/p][hr][/hr][h3]There were many questions from players, but we will only answer the most important ones.[/h3][p][/p][p]Q: Can I purchase the game anywhere other than the Steam store?[/p][p]A: No. Other platforms are not being considered at this time. If anything changes, we will announce it on our official channels.[/p][p][/p][p]Q: How did the playtest for developers go? [/p][p]A: It was a valuable experience for our team. You could say it was a dress rehearsal before the release. And it was successful and ran at a very high pace - there were many players, bug reports were processed on the fly, and the feedback from players was mostly positive.[/p][p][/p][p]Q: Will you have time to fix and add everything?[/p][p]A: All the most critical soft locks, blockers, and issues have already been fixed. [/p][p]Except for one: for some reason, owners of AMD 6000-9000 series graphics cards experience random crashes in sea mode. As it happens, our team doesn't have a PC with AMD graphics cards, and the cause of the crashes isn't clear from the logs. In any case, solving this problem is our top priority, either before or after the release.[/p][p][/p][p]Q: How can I get the Native American companion upon the game's release? Will they be with me right away?[/p][p]A: Not exactly. You'll have to rescue them from the clutches of Fadey Askold. Ironic...[/p][p][/p][p]Q: Will playtest saves work with the release version of the game? [/p][p]A: Absolutely NOT. Even if they miraculously load, there will be plenty of bugs. We ask you not to do this. Support will be denied for such saves.[/p][p][/p][p]Q: Will there be autosaves at release?[/p][p]A: We'll rely on player feedback. Possibly, we'll add this functionality in critically important places.[/p][p][/p][p]Q: Why isn't there ship aiming like in CL? [/p][p]A: Ship aiming is a development by the studio BlackMark Studio. They informed us that they will help us port this mechanic, but only when it is fully polished and finalized in its concept. We ourselves are waiting for this moment, so it will come after release.[/p][p][/p][p]Q: Will there be a character creation system, like in other RPGs?[/p][p]A: The AoP character creation system already provides more freedom than in CL. If only because you can choose a nation and any P.I.R.A.T.E.S. characteristics. In the future, we will improve the character creation system with various traits and backgrounds. As for a visual character editor, we are unlikely to take that step.[/p][p][/p][p]Q: What will happen to the Blood storyline? Do you plan to expand it?[/p][p]A: Perhaps not everyone noticed, but we have already expanded it up to the arrival in Tortuga, although this was not originally part of our plans. However, if all the stars align - then the continuation of Blood's adventures will happen. Moreover, work in this direction is already slowly but surely underway.[/p][p][/p][p]Q: Why don't you have the same ships as in CL?[/p][p]A: There are three reasons for this:[/p]

1. [p]Balance. Our ship fleet compared to the original has been significantly reworked. There are more ships and the balance has changed a bit.[/p]
2. [p]Stylistics. In AoP, the ship fleet is more diverse and differs from what is in CL. Replacing all models with higher quality ones won't work. We don't want strong disparities in the quality and style of ships at sea.[/p]
3. [p]Remaster. Our task was to fix the old, not to make models from scratch: improving textures and sail behavior, fixing errors in models and cannon locators (so that forward chase guns don't tear their own ship's sails), etc.[/p]

[p]However, the Cinco Llagas unexpectedly received a completely new and reworked magnificent model! Thanks for that to comrade Phoeny. [/p][p][/p][p]Q: Will you bring back item bonuses?[/p][p]A: ...[/p][p][/p][p]Q: Will special attention be paid to mod support?[/p][p]A: Currently, Steam Workshop support is planned from release.[/p][p][/p][p]Q: Will the scripts be open immediately upon release?[/p][p]A: To our and your regret - no. We respect and approve of any efforts to modify the game to your liking, but we already received bug reports during the playtest stage with altered game files. Scripts will be opened after some time, when we are confident in the game's stability without modifications.[/p][p][/p][p]Q: Will there be more heroes? I'd like to play as Beatrice or Jessica.[/p][p]A: I think that over time the number of heroes will increase through updates or through modifications.[/p][p]Regarding female characters... Believe me, the fact that Danielle Greene is present in the release is, so to speak, a "Critical Success". Without exaggeration, I can say that implementing this idea required a huge amount of resources, knowledge, and perseverance.
Just look at the list of works and any dissatisfaction that female characters were deliberately cut from CL should disappear.: [/p]

• [p]retargeting new animations from the male skeleton (by Wazar), [/p]
• [p]improved Danielle model (by karlik.nos), [/p]
• [p]unique dialogue lines for the female character, [/p]
• [p]a new localization system for other languages (by Mr.Tehon and Wazar), [/p]
• [p]manual refinement of animations to add femininity to movements (by Antix), [/p]
• [p]balancing all animations, testing, and other details.[/p]

[p]Thanks to everyone who helped us in this challenging implementation. Without your help, this would not have been possible![/p][p]However, we already have some work in progress for Beatrice and Jessica, but they are far from completion.[/p][p][/p][p]Q: Will there be achievements at release? [/p][p]A: Most likely - yes. But in the future, their number will likely expand.[/p][p][/p][p]Q: Will the game be supported further? Will there be DLCs?[/p][p]A: We would very much like to continue developing and improving this remaster. And we already have certain plans for the future, as well as concepts for future DLCs. [/p][p]In any case, everything depends on how our launch goes at release. [/p][p][/p][hr][/hr][p] [/p][p] And, well, that's enough for today. We've answered the most important questions as thoroughly as possible this time. Alas, a quest diary is not meant to be - instead, we gave full access to all content during the playtest so you could evaluate everything yourselves without spoilers. [/p][p][/p][p]P.S. As a small compliment - here's the process of creating a ship. Can you guess which one?[/p][carousel][/carousel][p]Switch slides using the side arrows. Work by Phoeny.[/p][p][/p]

This is Joruba, head of BlackMark Studio.

The Caribbean Legend: Age of Pirates playtest is officially over — and it was big.



The game held up remarkably well. For a beta, the bug count was impressively low. Some of you logged dozens of hours, cleared most of the side quests, and hit a serious character level. That means a lot to us. Thank you! ːrespect_soldierː
[hr][/hr]
Reading through the comments, it's clear that some players aren't quite sure what this game actually is — or how it's different from Caribbean Legend. If that's happening, that's on me as a publisher. Let me clear things up. ːrespect_soldierː

Why didn't you just merge AoP content into the base CL?
Age of Pirates is a remaster of City of Abandoned Ships. Caribbean Legend is a remake of a completely different game — each built by a different team, at a different time, with a different design philosophy. Both run on the Storm Engine, which still does certain things better than anything else out there — but it's also notoriously painful when it comes to cross-project development and compatibility. Moving content or mechanics from one game to the other isn't just hard. It's expensive, slow, and often simply not worth it.

CL is a story-driven adventure. AoP is an open-world sandbox. They're not two versions of the same game — they're two very different games that happen to share a universe. Believe me, I'd love to have one definitive pirate RPG that does everything. We're not there yet.

Why does CL have things that AoP doesn't?
Things like the new naval targeting system or autosaves — yes, those would be great in AoP too. If the game does well, ReCon Team will look at adding them post-launch. But some things, like the item and perk system, aren't being ported over by design. The team has their own vision for where this game goes, and I want them to build something new — not a second CL. And again, the technical barrier between these two games is real.

Why are you working on a second game before finishing the first?
We're not. Age of Pirates is developed by an entirely separate team. 90% of BlackMark Studio's resources are going into Patch 2.0 right now — we've been at it for nearly a year. Once AoP launches, there'll be a teaser trailer, and you'll see exactly what I mean.

Why is AoP so hard?
Because City of Abandoned Ships was a hard game. With CL, we pulled the difficulty back significantly — and honestly, a portion of the audience wasn't happy about that. ReCon Team will be addressing some of the rougher edges based on playtest feedback. Beyond that, it's their call — and I think that's the right approach.

Thank you to everyone who participated, played, and helped us catch bugs and rough spots. We've got plenty to work with before launch.
[hr][/hr]
[h3]Release Date[/h3]
March 13, 2026 — 10:00 AM PST
[h3]Price[/h3]
$19.99
[h3]Special Offer[/h3]
25% discount for Caribbean Legend owners
[h3]About the Game[/h3]
Caribbean Legend: Age of Pirates is a remaster of City of Abandoned Ships — one of the most distinctive open-world pirate RPGs ever made.

It was never an easy game. It didn't hold your hand, didn't forgive mistakes, and didn't show you everything upfront. But the players who pushed through found something rare: a living open world with real freedom, real depth, and dozens of hours of adventure that few games in the genre have matched.

Now it's ready for a new generation of players — and it has plenty to offer the old guard too. Overhauled controls, hundreds of fixes and improvements, dozens of side quests, a mountain of new content, officer patents, colony capture, a playable female character — and that's just the start.


[hr][/hr]
With your support, Age of Pirates can go the same distance Caribbean Legend has — from remaster to full remake.

City of Abandoned Ships deserved a second chance. Now it's getting one.

March 13 — set sail.
What we do — we do for you.
ːjollyrː

[h3]5,000 applications and counting — so we've made a call: everyone's in. The full game in beta — yours for 5 days.[/h3][p][/p][h3]🛠 How to join?[/h3]

1. [p]If you had applied previously, then just check your Steam library. The beta should be there already.[/p]
2. [p] If not, head to the game's Steam page. [/p]
3. [p] Click the "Request Access" button (or "Play" from your library if you're already in). [/p]
4. [p]Download the client and set sail![/p]

[p][/p][h3]📅 Schedule[/h3][p]The playtest runs strictly within these dates:[/p]

• [p]Start: February 13, 2026[/p]
• [p]End: February 17, 2026
  [/p]

[hr][/hr][h2]🏆 Challenge: "Stronger Than Iron"[/h2][p]We've cooked up a special challenge for the playtest. Just logging in won't cut it — show us you've got what it takes to be a true corsair. Here's the deal:

Your task: Reach Rank 5 during the playtest.

Your reward:
The legendary native musketeer Tichingitu and his unique Ancestral Musket. [/p][p] Tichingitu is a rare musketeer officer type in our game — a unique collaboration with BlackMark Studio. [/p][p] [/p][h3]⚠️ IMPORTANT:[/h3]

• [p]The reward will be granted in the release version.
  We'll be tracking your progress. Hit Rank 5 before February 17, earn the "Stronger Than Iron" achievement, and Tichingitu will be waiting for you on release day.[/p]
• [p]Tichingitu won't be a major story companion like Charles was in Caribbean Legend.[/p]

[hr][/hr][h3]🗨 Where to report bugs?[/h3][p]We're counting on your bug reports and feedback. Your help now directly shapes the final release! [/p]

• [p]Our Discord Server[/p]
• [p]Steam Discussions
  [/p]

[h3] Attention![/h3][p]The French, German, Spanish, Polish, Brazilian Portuguese, and Simplified Chinese translations are currently in "\[BETA]" mode. We need time and your support to improve their quality and finalize them. You can help improve the translation for your language in dedicated forums on our Discord Server.[/p][p][/p][p]Time's running out, and the sea won't wait. Fair winds, captains! [/p]

[p][/p][h2]Ahoy, sea dogs![/h2][p]Our remaster is entering the home stretch before release, and we're inviting the most seasoned sea wolves and newcomers alike to join the closed playtest for Caribbean Legend: Age of Pirates![/p][p]But most importantly — make sure to add the game to your wishlist![/p][p][dynamiclink][/dynamiclink][/p][h3]🌊 The entire archipelago at your disposal[/h3][p]We've decided to take a bold step: for the duration of the playtest, all content and features will be temporarily available without restrictions.[/p]

• [p]Optimization for modern systems and configurations.[/p]
• [p]All storylines and side quests.[/p]
• [p]All quality-of-life improvements from Caribbean Legend: tutorials, markers, controls, camera.[/p]
• [p]Full archipelago map and expanded ship roster.[/p]
• [p]Fresh visual enhancements.[/p]
• [p]No cut gameplay mechanics.[/p]

[p][/p][h3]🛠 How to participate?[/h3][p]Access is granted through the Steam Playtest system:[/p]

1. [p]Go to the game's Steam page.[/p]
2. [p]Click the "Request Access" button in the playtest section.[/p]
3. [p]Once your request is approved, the game will appear in your library.[/p]

[p][/p][p]Applications are accepted until February 13, 2026 — on the same day, we'll open temporary access to the game. [/p][p][/p][h3]🎁 Exclusive reward![/h3][p]As a special reward, all playtest participants who reach Rank 5 will receive a unique achievement and an exclusive bonus in the release version:[/p][p]The legendary native Tichingitu...
and his ancestral musket![/p][p][/p][p] The beloved loyal companion and unmatched marksman is now part of the Age of Pirates universe, ready to swear an oath of allegiance stronger than iron. Exclusive to playtest participants, highlighting the connection between the Caribbean Legend series and the friendship between ReCon Team and Black Mark Studio. Don't miss your chance to recruit this officer to your crew at launch![/p][hr][/hr][h3][/h3][h3]🗨 Your role in development[/h3][p]Since you have access to the full game, we're especially looking for feedback on both the early content and how the new features perform in the long run, as well as stability during extended play sessions.[/p][p]Discuss your playthrough and submit bug reports here:[/p]

• [p]Official Discord[/p]
• [p]Our Steam Forum[/p]

[p]Prepare to conquer the seas of the Age of Pirates![/p]

[p][/p][p] While we're preparing a meaty developer diary on "Quest Improvements" — the winner of the recent poll — today we'll talk about the main character's property: equipment, items, ships, and goods. We've put a solid chunk of work into these. Fair warning to all fans — things are going to heat up towards the end...[/p][p][/p][p] But before we dive into the property overhaul — don't forget to add Age of Pirates to your wishlist![/p][p][dynamiclink][/dynamiclink][/p][p][/p][hr][/hr][h2]Chapter 1 — Storage[/h2][p] A true captain isn't just a terror of the seas — let's be honest — they're also a professional hoarder and packrat. Sooner or later in the original game, everyone faced the same problem: the chests in your cabin are stuffed to the brim, and you'd really like to save all that plundered loot for later. Well... It's time to leave behind this nomadic romance and move on to civilized storage.[/p][p][/p][h3]Personal Vault[/h3][p] The lack of anywhere to store your hard-earned goods was frustrating. In the original, players had to exploit bugs — hiding items in stoves, caves, dubious chests on deck — which obviously wasn't ideal. Finally, the moneylender's house has been upgraded into a proper bank with a vault! Now, for a reasonable fee, you can use their services to safely store your belongings.[/p][p]Making storage arrangements before heading off to the Isle of Justice.[/p][p][/p][h3]Commodity Warehouse[/h3][p] Storing goods isn't the most sought-after feature, but for stockpiling players it'll be a dream come true. Now in every town, shipyard managers have joined forces with port authority chiefs to expand their warehouses into proper storage facilities. Specially trained clerks at the shipyard building will now offer cargo storage services at reasonable rates. [/p][p]With the warehouse, you can start stockpiling materials for Master Alexus in advance.[/p][p][/p][h3]Ship Docks[/h3][p] While storing items and goods is now possible, ship storage — though it existed from the start — needed an overhaul. Forget about clunky dialogues with the port authority chief and the need to assign an extra officer just to babysit your vessel at the docks.[/p]

• [p]Mooring a ship no longer requires a spare officer.[/p]
• [p]Under the new port authority rules, sailors no longer live aboard docked vessels. You can discharge them ashore with their wages or redistribute them across the rest of your squadron with a single click.[/p]
• [p]The port authority doesn't allow storing cargo in the hold. So when handing over your ship, you'll need to empty it. You can:[/p]
  • [p]Sell everything to the shop at once (contraband will be confiscated);[/p]
  • [p]Transfer the entire cargo to your flagship (if there's room);[/p]
  • [p]Offload it to a rented warehouse (slaves will be set free).[/p]

• [p]The docks will always have 3 slots available for ships, though there may be exceptions.[/p]

[p]All fleet management in the player's reserve is now handled through a convenient interface.[/p][p][/p][h3]A Place for Officers[/h3][p] An attentive player will likely have a reasonable question: "How do I keep my officers now if I can't hand them over with the ship?" Fair point, but... Let's be honest — the old mechanic of handing ships over to the Port Authority was sometimes used to bypass the officer limit. [/p][p] The exploit was simple: hand over an officer with any old tub for storage, hire a new one, retrieve the old one — and suddenly you have more officers than your (A) Allure allows, which we discussed in the first developer diaries. This turned yet another Main Character stat into a meaningless number and broke the intended progression.[/p][p] We've solved this problem radically but fairly: An officer's place is beside the captain. Since they're no longer "preserved" along with ships, the limit regains its meaning. This approach forces players to think more carefully about building their crew. You'll have to choose the best of the best.[/p][p]That said, there will be a way to keep officers around — but we'll save that little secret for release.[/p][p][/p][hr][/hr][h2]Chapter 2 — Goods[/h2][p] In this category, we tried not to mess too much with the balance and types of goods. Still, some changes related to ship cargo did happen. For example: [/p]

• [p]Players should now stock up on more medicine, as there was a bug with consumption rates;[/p]
• [p]Slaves can now be purchased on the new island of Providence, but in limited quantities;[/p]
• [p]Contraband goods can be bought in small amounts from shops with a special perk;[/p]
• [p]Trading with smugglers will now happen through an interface, not dialogues;[/p]
• [p]Pearl divers now give you actual ship cargo, not just fill your pockets with pearls.[/p]

[p][/p][p]However, our team understands the original still has many problems in this category: [/p]

• [p]lack of strategic goods for ship upgrades;[/p]
• [p]historically and logically questionable goods;[/p]
• [p]no interaction between production buildings and the player;[/p]
• [p]no ability for players to produce goods by starting their own business;[/p]
• [p]goods are barely connected to other gameplay aspects, representing only basic trade and plunder;[/p]
• [p]icons and rarity of goods are often hard to identify.[/p]

[p]Working on improved cargo icons. For now, we can only show a very rough draft.[/p][p] In the future, we'll try to pay more attention to this gameplay aspect and approach the problem more comprehensively. Maybe you have thoughts on this — share them in the comments![/p][p][/p][hr][/hr][h2]Chapter 3 — Items and Equipment[/h2][p] The entire list of items in the game — from important documents to cold steel — has undergone a massive overhaul. Let's break down the changes and improvements into several main directions.
[/p][h3]Visual Changes[/h3][p]Icons for almost all items have been redrawn not just for aesthetic pleasure and historical accuracy (in the case of weapons), but also for convenient readability:[/p]

• [p]markers: bonus +, mixed ±, negative - and set *;[/p]
• [p]backgrounds: quest (gray), unique (purple), and legendary (gold);[/p]
• [p]charge count and ammo type.[/p]

[p]Three icon versions, since the AT 1.3.2 patch from BlackMark Studio was only available in Russian.[/p][p][/p][h3]Semantic Changes[/h3][p] First and foremost, we revised the names of some melee weapons, matching them to historical analogues of the era (where possible). We did extensive work with historical sources, examined some of the blades at the Hermitage exhibition, and consulted with fencing reenactors. [/p][p]It was the amateur mod "Reblading", which replaced the weapon arsenal, that started BlackMark Studio's journey.[/p][p] A monetary reform deserves special mention for the sake of logical financial relations. This might remind you of the doubloon mechanic from CL. Now the hero's pockets will jingle with the well-known silver piastres, while heavy chests stuffed with gold remain reserved for serious matters like ship upgrades.[/p][p][/p][h3]Functional Changes[/h3][p]These are essentially gameplay and QoL changes. We tried to fix old problems and expand the player's equipment options. Here are some of these improvements:[/p]

• [p]more firearms, including the blunderbuss (the original had a meager selection);[/p]
• [p]restoration of unused items from the original;[/p]
• [p]documents can now be conveniently read in a separate interface;[/p]
• [p]new ammo types for firearms;[/p]
• [p]proper resurrection with the jade skull;[/p]
• [p]item and potion crafting;[/p]
• [p]and... a rebalance of bonus items.[/p]

[p]Thanks to his backstory, Peter Blood is the only one who starts with the "Alchemy" perk.[/p][p][/p][hr][/hr][h2]Chapter 4 — Bonus Items[/h2][p]And now — the promised heat. The ancient Mayan gods grew angry and stripped almost all enchantments from their idols, totems, and artifacts. And not just those...[/p][p]You can see some of the cut items from the game that have been restored in AoP.[/p][p]After studying the ins and outs of the leveling system, it became clear: the old "bonuses from the backpack" mechanic is hard to justify and leave "as is". Let's highlight several problem points: [/p][h3]Artifact Slots[/h3][p]Let's start with the fact that the original has no slots for bonus items. This means the mechanic of getting bonuses from your backpack is very hard to balance and expand with new items. Your first thought might be — "Just add slots or port everything from CL!" [/p][p]Well, another popular mod already added slots for bonus items, but it didn't make things better. It's still quite imbalanced — items can be easily juggled at any moment, turning into excessive actions, routine, and inventory clutter. Taking this mechanic from CL doesn't fit AoP conceptually.
[/p][h3]Devaluation of Progression[/h3][p]Keeping all these bonus items in your backpack is quite easy and doesn't require anything from the player in return, except weight. Moreover, they all become useless junk once all skills reach their maximum values.[/p][p]Let's say even if an item permanently gives +10 Stealth just because the player rummaged through ordinary containers rather than something valuable, that's a bad mechanic to begin with.[/p][p]For example: Giving +20 Navigation (Atlau) in a barrel on the global map with the possibility of save-scumming is an example of bad game design. Such an item breaks linear progression, allowing you to jump an entire ship class higher.[/p][p]Giving too few bonuses from many items means cluttering the player's inventory, which isn't good either.
[/p][h3]Value of Rewards[/h3][p]Thirdly, unique items are very hard to make desirable for players, as is adding new ones as quest rewards. If a regular idol gives 20 pistols and 10 accuracy (out of 100), then what should the hard-to-obtain and set bonuses from the great Toltec skulls give? 50 out of 100 everywhere? But that leads to the next point...
[/p][h3]Lack of Logic[/h3][p]And my favorite — there's a certain absurdity that such seriously enhancing items are lying around everywhere, yet the game's lore doesn't explain where these wondrous properties come from. And moreover — nobody is particularly interested in them, except for quest-specific bonus items. [/p][p]Additionally, it's a bit strange that all these enchanted things work "out of the box" on a European. [/p][p][/p][h3]Conclusions[/h3][p]It would be great to see a separate mechanic for shamanism/Christianity with obtaining bonuses. But introducing such a gameplay layer just for bonus items is a bad idea — such a theme should comprehensively affect the entire game. [/p][p]And that's a huge resource expenditure and pushing back the release date. I think everyone's a bit tired. Players are tired of waiting, and the team is tired of adding new things and reimagining old ones without live feedback.[/p][p]Besides, we have a monstrous design document for a mechanic that could easily replace the old bonus items. But for now, let's not rush — we might overload the game and the player's brain, so it's better to take it slow and postpone it for later. [/p][p][/p][hr][/hr][h3]📢 What's next?[/h3][p]Leave a thumbs up and write your comments. We're always glad for feedback and criticism — even the kind that sometimes sounds negative. We're doing this for you and for the game we've always dreamed of ourselves.[/p][p] As a bonus, we'd like to share a concept of our new land interface with you.[/p][p][/p][p]See you in the next issue of the developer diaries![/p]