Getting Started
This page covers installing Tide Keep, the short opening letter, and your first few minutes on the island.
Install Tide Keep
- Download Tide Keep from the App Store. It needs iOS 27 or later, or iPadOS 27 or later.
- Open Tide Keep.
There's no account to create. The game plays in portrait.
Checking iCloud
Each time it opens, Tide Keep spends a few seconds on Checking your iCloud save…. If you've played on another iPhone or iPad with the same iCloud account, your game is brought over. See Privacy & Data.
The opening letter
New players get a five-page letter before the game starts. Tap the gold button at the bottom to go on, or the navy button to go back.
| Page | What you do | Button |
|---|---|---|
| By Royal Decree | Read how the Crown grants you the island | Break the seal |
| Sign the Deed | Type your name (required), pick Lord or Lady, and optionally rename your home island. It's called Saltmere until you do. | Sign the deed |
| Customize Your Castle | Pick a colour, an emblem and an emblem colour for your banners and ships | Raise the colours |
| Customize Your Ship | Pick a hull paint for your fleet | Ready the fleet |
| Island Is Yours | Read the basics, then start | Take command |
Signing the deed means you agree to the Terms of Service and Privacy Policy. You can read them later in Settings > Terms & Privacy.
You can change your name, title, island name and looks later. See Settings and Customization.
Your first minutes
You start with the keep, a single cannon on top, and no walls. Pirates sail in from every side.
- Tap a ship to fire. The keep only fires when you tap. Each sunk ship pays gold.
- Drag to look around. Red arrows on the screen edges show raiders out of view. Tap one to turn toward them.
- Tap chests and kegs. Sunk ships sometimes leave a treasure chest. Powder kegs drift in now and then; tap one to blow it up and damage every ship nearby.
- Open Manage Castle. Tap the big round castle button at the bottom right. On the Upgrades tab, build Castle Walls to raise a Wooden Stockade. That unlocks your first tower spot on the Defenses tab.
- Solve the build puzzle. Every build opens a quick puzzle. Faster solves build faster. See Defenses & Upgrades.
Towers fire on their own, so from then on your castle defends itself, and keeps earning while you're away.
TIP
The battle pauses while the castle card, a menu or a puzzle is open. The ribbon on the card says Battle paused.
The main screen
| Element | Where | What it does |
|---|---|---|
| Gold | Top left | Your gold, with your income per second under it. A badge shows when Double Plunder or a bonus weekend is boosting gold. |
| Pearls | Top left | Your pearls. Tap it to open the shop (unless the shop is hidden). |
| Shop | Top left | Opens the Shop. Hidden if you turn off Show the shop. |
| Countdown | Top left | Appears 30 seconds before nightfall or a midday boss, and counts down the night raid. |
| Infamy | Top right | Your Infamy level and progress ring. Tap it to see the ranks. See Infamy & Achievements. |
| Achievements | Top right | A badge shows how many are ready to claim. |
| Sea Chart | Top right | Islands, Renown and Set Sail. A badge shows when you can sail on. See Islands & Renown. |
| Harbor | Top right | Only when online play is on. See Harbor & Invasions. |
| Settings | Top right | See Settings. |
| Event | Top right | The running holiday event and its tokens, or the next one when it's under a week away. See Events. |
| Boss bar | Top | The health of a boss on the water |
| Builds | Bottom left | Each build in progress, with the time left |
| Walls | Bottom left | Your island's name and the walls' health. It reads Castle sacked if the walls fall. |
| Manage Castle | Bottom right | Opens the castle card. An arrow badge shows when you can afford something. |
Next steps
- Learn how walls, nights and bosses work in Defending the Castle.
- Plan your towers and upgrades with Defenses & Upgrades.
- When you're ready to play other captains, see Harbor & Invasions.