Skull and Bones: How to lower faction hostility

You’re not the only pirate lurking on the waters of Skull and Bones. And I’m not just talking about your fellow pirates. There are many NPC faction ships for PvE combat, but they won’t just take it lying down. Here’s how to lower your faction hostility Skull and Bones.

You can lower faction hostility toward you in Skull in Bones by using typical GTA rules: Run away and hide for a bit. Sadly, you won’t be able to swing your ship into a paint shop to shake the feds. But if you’re able to put some pace between you and some angry faction ships long enough, you should be able to get away scot-free.

How faction hostility works and ways to lower it in Skull and Bones

There are multiple NPC factions in Skull and Bones, and they will all fight you and any other pirates poised to pilfer their goods. You can usually take out an NPC ship quickly if you catch them unawares, though that does depend on your level versus theirs (don’t bite off more than you can chew). Attacking an NPC faction ship can cause you and said faction to enter disagreements and become ‘Hostile’. You’ll see the label appear onscreen after the attack.

There are four hostility levels, and the fights become more fierce as they climb up. Ships under attack will call for allies, and the hostility level increases as the fight continues and more ships are brought in to defeat you.

If things get too tense, it’s ideal to run away and try to get the faction hostility level lowered back to its default of ‘Neutral’. But that can take a bit of effort, and it becomes harder as your hostility level climbs.

Your best bet is to run off and stop your ship in a place like a river, so fewer ships can draw near. You’ll know you’re away from enemy eyesight once the faction difficulty level and icon at the top right of the screen begins to blink. After a while, the game will announce that you and the faction are now neutral; you’re free to go.

Drawing near hostile NPC ships will cause an orange light to emit from their Crow’s Nest. That’s a warning. It turns red when you get too close, and the ship will attack.

Are all NPC factions neutral?

Not all factions are okay with you sharing the same waters, I’m afraid. Factions like the Privateers and Rogues are often hostile right from the start. Use your Spyglass to see what faction to which a ship belongs. For the aforementioned, watch for the red sails of Privateers and the black sails of the Rogues.