Maelstrom is an arena style game based in the sea.
In Maelstrom you set off to destroy other ships or teams in order to be the winner. At the end of the match all that matters is you are the last one standing. You can customize ships to fine tune your strategies.
Types of ships in Maelstrom
Maelstrom offers 3 types of ships with 3 styles or factions of each. The ships can also have cosmetic skins for them as well that will grant extra experience and gold per game.
Sloops are generally fast and little armor. They will generally have a speed buff with the exception of the orc sloops, but even those have a great a base speed rate. However sloops are generally lacking in firepower.
Frigates are a happy medium of maneuverability, power, and armor. With each faction offering slightly different variations. These are well rounded ships and a good starting point for learning the finer points of Maelstrom.
Battleships are the big boys. They either have a ton of defense or a ton of firepower, with a sacrifice to maneuverability. They are slow, which means they are easily outmaneuvered , but they can hit hard.
Factions of Maelstrom
Humans, Orcs, and Dwarves. Each having their own type of ship, they will have different aesthetics and slightly different perks or stats.
Humans generally have more firepower, not all ways the case but lack in crew and hull armor. Humans also gain the perks Tail Wind Passive for the sloops overload for the Frigates, and Artillery for the Battleships.
Orcs seems to have the faster ships with the better crew. They gain the perks Shrapnel, Bear Down, and Grappler.
Dwarves are more focused on defense and armor. They also gain the perks GearJammer, Bully Balls Passive, and Master Repair.
Crews in Maelstrom
Crews are made up of 1 Captain and up to 3 Mates. The Captain offering an additional skill and the Mates offering more stat alterations. You can pay gold to unlock these slots but keep in mind the more you add the higher your match making score goes, more on that latter.
Hardpoints in Maelstrom
Hardpoints are optimizations unlocked based on the level of your ship that lets you change stats as well. Anything from the range of your cannons to how much armor you are carrying. These will allow you to really make the perfect battleship, or Sloop, Frigate, whatever.
Match making level, or Power Rating.
This is basically the way the game puts you with other ships close to your level so you don’t get slammed too hard. I notice that more people seem to stick with a lower Power Rating opposed to maxing out everything. The cue times are really quick the lower the your score is, but once you start putting on tons of high level equipment the times are slowed. So basically if you add 3 Mates that are level 5, you wont be placed with someone who has no Mates.
Maelstrom is a free to play game
So of course it has a way to generate money. The Shop isn’t really a Cash Shop as it has both in game currency and the Cash option. From what I have seen the Cash option is for a season pass of sorts, which gives more gold, experience, and some special cosmetics. Most of whats in the ship you can pay for with gold, which you gain from playing. I also want to note that you can gain the Cash currency by completing quests as well.
Maelstrom is in my opinion well worth the try
I had a ton of fun playing with the game. Knocking people into the whirlpools, running from the huge monsters that roam the map, and customizing the ship to my preferred play style. I highly recommend this game for anyone that enjoys a quick pvp match you can play in under a half hour. The customization of the ships lets you have a completely different feel to what someone else is using. And for literally no cost except for some hard drive space (which isn’t much) its well worth it.
Check out Maelstrom here:
https://store.steampowered.com/app/764050/Maelstrom/