Part of the Sea of Conquest Ships Series:

Ships Hub: Damage types and fleet roles (Start Here).

Crimson Sentinel: The free Epic upgrade.

Ship Tier List: Every hull ranked.

Beginner's Guide: Your first weeks.

Quick Answer

Black Raven and Dragon Lance are the two Rare ships handed to you free during the Season 1 story, and between them they cover the two jobs a beginner fleet needs:

Ship	Role
Black Raven	Offense — an all-type damage increase, very versatile
Dragon Lance	Defense — damage reduction, a tank

They are Rare, not Epic or Legendary, and they are still worth upgrading — because a 6-star Rare beats a 2-star Legendary, and these are the hulls you can actually finish in your first month.

Do not bench them chasing a Legendary. The shipbuilding rate is 10%, and a badly-rolled Legendary is worse than a properly upgraded Rare.

Black Raven: The Versatile One

Black Raven's defining feature is an all-type damage increase, which makes it unusually flexible for an early ship.

Most hulls commit to a damage type — Artillery multi-target, Cutthroat lowest-HP execution, Blazing and Drowning over time. Black Raven's bonus applies broadly, which means it works with whatever heroes you happen to have pulled. For a new account with a random roster, that is genuinely valuable.

Crew it with your best damage hero, whatever type they are, and check the +20% attribute bonus for matching damage types where it applies — see best heroes for ships.

Dragon Lance: The One People Skip

Dragon Lance reduces damage taken, and it is the ship new players ignore because tanks feel unexciting.

That is the most expensive early mistake in the game. The most common beginner fleet is three damage ships and nothing else, and it loses to almost anything built properly — because your damage only counts while your ships are alive.

A tank hull is not a defensive purchase. It is a damage purchase routed through survivability. A fleet that survives twice as long deals roughly twice as much damage.

Crew it with a defensive hero — Yuji, Obi, or Akhlut the Anchor Lord if you have him, since Akhlut pulls aggro deliberately. Add a healer as First Mate; Madame Lulu is free from the 7-day Pirate King's Trail.

Gems: green, for Critical Resistance. Yellow damage-type gems are wasted on a tank — see the captain equipment guide.

How Long Do They Last?

Longer than their rarity suggests, and the upgrade path is clear:

Weeks 1–2: Black Raven and Dragon Lance are your fleet. Upgrade both.

Week 1, if you can: claim Crimson Sentinel from the 7-day Pirate King's Trail. Free Epic, dual Blaze and Drowning damage, and a hard deadline.

Season 2: claim Providence from the 30-day Sea Voyage event — a free Epic tank that supersedes Dragon Lance directly.

Season 3 onward: add a support hull — Primal Roar or Boreas — because support becomes a required fleet role.

Dragon Lance retires when Providence arrives. Black Raven stays useful longer, because versatility keeps it relevant while your roster is still forming.

What Not to Do

Do not spread upgrade materials across both plus a newly built hull. Three half-upgraded ships lose to one finished one, and they cost more materials to get there.

Do not skip the tank. See above. It is the single most common composition failure.

Do not chase a Legendary instead of upgrading these. The build rate is 10%, built ships roll random skills, and materials spent chasing are gone either way — see the shipbuilding guide.

Do build a cheap gathering fleet early. Uninvested heroes, capacity loadouts, never fights. Over a month it out-earns anything else built with the same materials — see the progression guide.

FAQ

Are Black Raven and Dragon Lance worth upgrading?

Yes. A 6-star Rare beats a 2-star Legendary, and these are the hulls you can actually finish early.

What is Black Raven good at?

An all-type damage increase, making it versatile with whatever heroes you have.

Do I need Dragon Lance?

Yes. A fleet without a tank loses fights its stats say it should win — your damage only counts while it is alive.

When should I replace them?

Dragon Lance when Providence arrives in Season 2. Black Raven stays useful longer.

How do I get them?

Free during the Season 1 story, in the early chapters.

Should I upgrade both at once?

No. Finish one before starting the other — spread materials cost more and deliver less.

Key Takeaways

Two free Rare ships covering offense and defense from the Season 1 story.
A 6-star Rare beats a 2-star Legendary. Upgrade them properly.
Do not skip Dragon Lance. A tank is a damage purchase in disguise.
Crimson Sentinel and Providence are the free Epic upgrades to claim.
Finish one hull before starting the next.

Sea of Conquest Black Raven and Dragon Lance: Your First Two Ships