Sea of Conquest combines exploration, crew management, ship customization, resource gathering, and real-time naval battles. The opening can throw all of these at a new captain at once. A reliable start is to make each early voyage serve one purpose.
Choose one priority before leaving port: story progress, resource collection, ship improvement, or crew development. This prevents the common mistake of spending every currency the moment it appears. Return to port, review what the voyage delivered, then improve the part of the ship or crew that blocked the next goal.
The official site highlights five pillars: pirate cabins, real-time sea battles, treasure hunting, ship appearance upgrades, and crew recruitment. Use that as a map of the game rather than a shopping list. Early on, practical upgrades that make travel and fights more consistent usually matter more than cosmetic choices. Save a note of where resources come from and which task unlocks the next useful improvement.
Most importantly, learn a battle before trying to force it. Watch enemy movement, identify what your ship can safely handle, and retreat when a run would only waste resources. A measured captain reaches the next season with more options.
Source notes: Sea of Conquest official website.