The Barbary Corsairs are generally regarded as the best of the “minor” factions (outside of the Big 6). Their ships are fast with large cargo holds. However, their fighting prowess is a little bit underrated.

It is exceptionally difficult to rank their gunships because there are a number of oddities pertaining to Corsair ships. Their masts are arranged in such a manner that firing the starboard broadside is quite difficult (especially on the larger galleys), and even to port the foremost gun is often the only one in range. In addition, many of their 2 masted ships have great cannons that don’t suffer from the syndrome of the larger ships, which have cannons whose rank get worse as you move from bow to stern. When you combine these two aspects, it can be argued that their smaller ships make better gunships. However, I still value size and I tried my best to rank these ships fairly. That being said, they are still one of the lightest factions for combat and therefore I’m only ranking 5 ships.

Top 5 Barbary Corsair Gunships

1. Janissaries’ Blood

This ship combines good speed with a nice ability. Most importantly, however, all four of her cannons are serviceable, while the other 4 masted galleys have poorer ranks and get worse as you go from bow to stern.

2. Gallows

This ship is cheap compared to some of the other and more flashy BC 2 masters. Her speed and cannons don’t necessarily need augmentation. Perhaps best of all, access to Pirate crew lets you pick from an impressive selection of great named crew, something the Corsairs really could use more of. On an 8 point ship with 2 cargo, you won’t be able to do much, but it still helps.

3. Tiger’s Eye

I wanted to rank this ship lower but I couldn’t. Her speed and ability make her the perfect treasure runner, but also a good candidate to be a fighter. Her cannons don’t recede with the ship. This is the most popular BC ship.

4. Meshud

Another nice ship with great overall stats. This is a nice midsize option to have, especially if you’re going to play against the French. She’s one of the best BC options for a gunship, but with a captain and explorer she’ll still have two spaces available for gold.

5. Nubian Prince

#001 in the Barbary Coast set, this is the first Barbary Corsair ship and therefore sort of their unofficial flagship. Her stats leave something to be desired, but her ability and size make up for it somewhat. She could really use some kind of boost to make her a true gunship. Bonus points for having a cool name and being aesthetically pleasing (not unlike a lot of BC ships of course!).

Honorable mentions (in no particular order): Ivory Star, Jackal’s Teeth, Wicked Kareen, Divan’s Punishment, Silent Death, Bey’s Revenge, Desert Wind, Queen of Sheba, Sahara