Overview
Treasure Islands are tiny islands scattered across the Seven Seas where devious Pirates have buried loot in hopes of returning to claim it - and then gotten side-tracked, or worse! You can find and collect Timber, Gold, Rum, Rubies and even Gears hidden away on Treasure Islands.There are different sizes of Treasure Islands to be found, and the higher your Level in the game, the larger and more lucrative the Islands you'll be able to locate.
The speed at which your crew can dig up the Resources from a Treasure Island depends on the upgrade Level of the Levers an' Axles Discovery. The total number of Resources you can collect in one trip is determined by the collective carrying capacity of the Defensive Units you have stationed at the site.
A Treasure Island will disappear into obscurity if no one has attacked or held it for an extended period of time, or if it has been depleted of Resources.
When new Treasure Islands appear on the Map, they are vacant and unguarded – so try to be first to capture one! Any player can view the number of Resources currently stored there by positioning their cursor over the site.
Interactions with Treasure Islands
Position your cursor over a Treasure Island on the Map to view information about it.You will be able to view the number of Resources stored on it, and its status (whether the Treasure Island is occupied by a Captain, or empty). You can also choose from a set of possible ways to engage the site, such as "Attack," "Capture," or "Scout".
Capture
Building the Lighthouse allows you to locate and capture Treasure Islands. Initially, you may hold a maximum of 3 Treasure Islands at a time, as indicated by the number of Barges you have. To increase that number, go to your Witch Doctor's Hut and upgrade "Maximum Targets and Treasure Islands" to Level 30.To capture a Treasure Island, select it on your Map (or via the Lighthouse), pick out the Units you want to send, then click "Capture." You will need BOTH Offensive and Defensive Units to capture a Treasure Island, though only the Offensive Units will take part in the attack. All surviving Offensive Units will be automatically returned to your Harbor, if the engagement is successful (otherwise, they'll make their way back to your Haven but stay outside the Harbor). The Defensive Units will stand by, and will NOT engage in the battle. If you succeed, you will be able to view your captured Treasure Island's information under the "Treasure Islands" tab in your Pirate Stronghold.
Once you've captured a Treasure Island, after taking a few minutes to get find the exact location of the buried treasure, your Defensive Units will begin to dig it up, loot it and load it onto their Barge. Only Defensive Units can do the gathering and loading, and the number of Resources that they can load depends on their collective carrying capacity and the Resource type (Gears are heavier than Rum, for example). Therefore, the more Units you have at the site of the treasure, and the greater their carrying capacity, the more Resources you'll be able to collect. Upgrade your "Levers an' Axles" Discovery to increase the speed at which your Units can dig up and load the Resources buried at Treasure Islands. Once your Units have loaded all the Resources they can carry, they will be returned to your Harbor. This happens automatically - no recall action is necessary on your part.
To maintain control over a Treasure Island you've captured, you will want to keep a sizeable garrison of Defensive Units stationed there. They will not only gather Resources, but also protect the Treasure Island from rival Captains in the area.
Remember that these locations are a sort of no-mans-land - you are free to engage Treasure Islands that are held by your Shipmates! Choose your battles carefully, though – sometimes, a load of loot isn't worth throwing away a good Accord. If your Units are defeated, and an Enemy takes control of the Treasure Island, all surviving Units will return to your Haven empty-handed. They will not recover any Resources.
Note: You cannot send Massed Attacks to Capture or Attack a Treasure Island.
Scout
You must have the Dutchman's Hangar built in your Haven in order to send Scouts to Treasure Islands. To scout an Island, select it on your Map (or via the Lighthouse), pick out the Units you want to send, and click the "Scout" button.Attack
All Captains are free to either Attack or Capture Treasure Islands held by any other players. Attacking a Treasure Island will NOT allow you to collect its Resources, but you will be able to earn Experience Points and other Points relevant to the Rankings. More importantly, it allows you to disrupt a rival's Resource collection.Go to the Lighthouse or find an occupied Treasure Island you want to attack on the Map, choose the Units you want to send, then click "Attack".
The battle for a Treasure Island takes place immediately upon the arrival of your Units at its shore. None of your Units will remain on site to garrison the Treasure Island if you attack it; all surviving Units are withdrawn to your Haven immediately following the battle.
When attacking a Treasure Island, it is recommended that you only send Offensive Units. Unlike the capturing mechanics, if you attack a Treasure Island using both Offensive and Defensive Units, your Defensive Units WILL participate in the battle and will likely suffer heavy losses.
Note: You cannot send Massed Attacks to Capture or Attack a Treasure Island.
Reinforcements
You can only send Reinforcements to Treasure Islands that you already hold. You can choose the number and type of Units you wish to send under the "Treasure Islands" tab in your Pirate Stronghold. You can also recall Reinforcements from this interface.IMPORTANT: Any Units you recall early will come back bearing no Resources. If you would like to recall so many Units that the carrying capacity of the remaining Units is insufficient for the amount of Resources already loaded, then you must recall ALL Units. For example, let's say you have 10 Bonnie's Beauties stationed at a Treasure Island, and their carrying capacity is 10 each. 40 Gold are already loaded. If you recall 5 of the Bonnie's Beauties, the other 5 will remain until the last 10 Gold are loaded, then return home. If you wish to recall 8 of them, however, that would leave only 2 Bonnie's Beauties with 40 Gold - too much for them to carry on their own! So in the latter case, all 10 of them would come home together, immediately, with your 40 Gold, leaving the Treasure Island empty and unguarded.