Is there any detriment for starting PvP without loot onboard
I'm just reading about the game as a newbie, and it seems like if you get jumped while carrying loot, there's all to lose, but nothing to gain.
I just want to clarify, does the aggressor have anything to lose, other than their time? Does the attacked player have anything to gain if they win instead of running away (other than experience?)
If not, shouldn't there be some detriment to starting and losing a PvP battle, even if you had no loot onboard?
You probably won't be attacked for no reason and the attacker will at least have an emissary flag which you can sell if you sink them + you can also get their resources. But it's true that the attacker doesn't really lose much and you're risking way more if you're carrying loot. Although if you dislike the PvP experience you can always play on a private server.
Generally starter supplies run out pretty quickly, especially on like a sloop.
So if someone immediately guns after you, all you have to do is out sail them for a while and they become combat ineffective. Then, they either:
A: sink
Or
B: have to go find more supplies, which takes even more of their time
I usually try to keep them alI’ve so they have to hobble away.
But realistically other than a serious lack of staying power, there is little downside to relentlessly hunting a ship every time you spawn in.
However, each time you sink you tend to spawn further and further away.
Edit: oh! If you sink an enemy ship fast enough you can also take whatever food/supplies they have. Again, if they have defaults it’s not even worth the time, but sometimes you sink someone that’s been doing a ton of fishing for example and now you have a lot of excellent pvp food