Blockading or blockade harbour is the process of isolating a town by stationing warships at its harbour, preventing ships from entering or exiting the blockaded ports of the town. The town cannot trade, send or receive goods, attack, or build a colony.
Ordering a blockade[]
- In Island view, click on a town and select Blockade harbour
- You need warships available in order to blockade a town.
- During the blockade, any Cargo Ship intercepted will lose their cargo and scatter.
Breaking a blockade[]
The icon for the Free Harbour action
If you would like to trade with the blockaded town, you may want to help them remove the blockade by sending warships.
- In Island view, click on a blockaded town and select Free harbour to send your warships to engage the blockaders of the town.
- Once a blockade in your is established, new ships built in the blockaded town will not engage the blockade fleet. The Free harbour command has to be used to break the blockade. Note also that, oddly, a city's own ships cannot join a naval engagement in progress at their own location.
Ongoing sea battles[]
If a pillaging army arrives while there is an ongoing naval battle, it will return back to their owner's town. You have to successfully blockade a town with warships to pillage it.
Multiple blockades[]
A town can be blockaded by multiple fleets. Any new hostile fleets will join the blockade along side the original blockader's fleet. The new player's pillaging army can bypass the original blockader's fleet and pillage the town only after his blockade is in place.