Over at the official Pirates of the Burning Sea website, the developers have posted up their new skill tunes and tweaks for players to discuss and churn over. In general, it looks like Buccaneers and Privateers are seeing the most change. Here's a breakdown:

1.12 contains a variety of changes to career skills. These changes are based on a combination of your feedback about the careers and data about how the skills and careers are getting used. There’s a theme to the changes for each career:

* Buccaneers: We want to make their group skills more worthwhile and give them more active time in combat with less cooldown cycling. This means they gained some reload rate, improved Command skills, lower reset timers and loosened skill use requirements.
* Cutthroats: They’re close to where we want them, but there are a few areas where they can use some improvement. One of those is the general lack of damage resistance, and another is a couple skills that aren’t very useful.
* Freetraders: This milestone doesn’t have many changes for Freetraders, as most of our plans for them are longer term.
* Naval Officers: We’re making a set of changes to help Navy with their speed and morale issues.
* Privateers: This class is seeing the most varied set of changes. They’re gaining better spike defense and improvements to a variety of skills. We’re also planning some chain restructuring down the road.

These may change between when they hit testbed and when we take them live. Feel free to provide feedback now and after you give these changes a run on testbed! Here’s the tentative list:
Grappling

* Maximum Usable Speed 10 knots -> 8 knots, applies to both target and self.
* The grappling chance penalty for traveling 0 knots is now 20% instead of 15%. The maximum grappling penalty is unaffected.

Buccaneer

* Battle Logistics: Added 5% reload rate.
* Bloody Minds: Added 5% crew recovery rate.
* Command Battle: Group Reload 1% -> 4%, Group Damage 1% -> 4%,Self Accuracy 2 -> 4, Self Reload 1% -> 5%, Self Damage 1% ->5%
* Command Evasion: Self Sail Defense 2 -> 3, Group Defense 2 -> 3, Group Sail Defense 2 -> 3, Added 5% group resistance
* Command Maneuvers: Added 15% crew recovery group
* Command Speed: Added 10% group morale recovery, Self Speed 3% -> 6%, Self Acceleration 15% -> 20%
* Deadly Force: Reset Timer 8min -> 5min, added 25% reload rate
* Disrupt Formation: Max Hits 6 -> 7
* First Blow: Activation requirements loosened. 92.5% total armor instead of 95%.
* Jugular: Morale 35 -> 30, can now be used against equal sized targets. DR Reduction 2% per hit -> 1.5% per hit
* Shatter Armor: Reset Timer 8min -> 5min, removed reload/accuracy penalty
* Shred Armor: Reset Timer 4min -> 3min. Added 8 accuracy.
* Survival Instincts: Added 4 DR.
* Weapons Handling: Added 3% maximum cannon range.
* Will to Survive: Added 10 max morale.
* Wolf Pack Prowlers: Morale 50 -> 20, Reset Timer 8min -> 5min.

Cutthroat

* Defense: Bow DR 2 -> 3, Resistance 2.5% -> 4%
* Devil Take the Hindmost: Target Defense -4 -> -5
* Drink and the Devil: Changed Acceleration to Resistance.
* Fury: Added 10% morale recovery rate
* Sacrifice for Damage: Added 5 accuracy.
* Shred Armor: DR Penetration 60% -> 75%, Added 8 accuracy

Freetrader

* Evasion: Revamped skill. Click buff. +20 defense for 15 seconds, 30 morale, 5 minute reset timer. Stacks with Defense.

Naval Officer

* Career Base: Added 1.5% Max Broad Reach Speed, Combat
* Crippling Broadside: 40 Morale Cost -> 30
Emergency Repairs: Morale Cost 50 -> 30
* Escort: Morale Cost 40 -> 30
* Fortress: Removed speed penalty.
* Last Resort Speed: Close Haul Speed 5% -> 4%, Beam Reach Speed 5% -> 4%, Broad Reach Speed 5% -> 7%,
* Pirate Hunter: Revamped skill. Passive, no ship restrictions, increases Max Speed by 4%, Broad Reach Speed by 4%
* Rally the Crew: Morale Cost 30 -> 20
* Scatter Shot: 40 Morale Cost -> 30
* Show of Force: 40 Morale Cost -> 30
* Speed Increase: Self effect 10% -> 11.5% (total self speed boost of 16.5%)

Privateer

* Aggression: Added 10% morale recovery rate.
* Agile Tactician: Morale 50 -> 20. Reload Rate 1% -> 1.5%, Damage 1% -> 1.5%, Acceleration 1% -> 2%
* Battle Preparations (Defense & Offense): These are now group buffs. Added a 5% self-only resistance component.
* Concentrated Fire: Morale 40 -> 30, DR Penetration 50% -> 65%.Now applies a 15 second DoT that deals 5% armor and structure damage to equal or larger sized ships.
* Cripple Enemy: Added -2 target accuracy.
* Crushing Broadside: Added -3 target accuracy.
* Demoralize: Duration 1min -> 3min
* Evasion: Revamped skill. Click buff. +20 defense, 15% resist for 10seconds, 15 morale, 90 second reset timer. Stacks with Defense.
* Hidden Reserves: Reset Timer 12min -> 8min
* Hired Crew: Added 15% Crew Recovery Rate
* Jugular: Morale 35 -> 30, can now be used against equal sized targets
* Plunder: Doubloon Bonus 20% -> 30%, Bonus Loot Chance 5% -> 7.5%
* Signals: Target Defense -4 -> -5
* Surprise Below Decks: Reset Timer 5min -> 4min, Morale 40 -> 30
* Unpredictability Offense: Morale Cost 25 -> 20 (does not impact morale block)

Beyond 1.12, we’re looking at replacing some unused skills and restructuring some lines to be more thematically and mechanically appropriate, such as fewer mixed group and solo skills.

You can read the full Pirates of the Burning Sea article over at the official site.