Originally posted by John:

I once, got killed by necks while wearing full silver. I could pretty much kill anything in the game, berserkers, clearing out entire fulling camps, events, no problem. Then i was in water cause i jumped in for an item, then 4 necks followed me in the water, knockback, knockback, knockback, knockback, nothing i did could help my poor character against the relentless assault of knockback necks... i died. Being able to do nothing in water is one of the most absurd mechanics they implemented, i mean why.

Potentially if an Ocean update ever comes, they might make water based combat both on and off a boat much better. And not in a way that "makes the game super duper easy". Let the player use knives for example, where stamina drain is higher, damage and attack speed is lower. You're less effective when fighting in water, whilst also needing a specific weapon, but aren't completely defenceless. Still, with that said, a tiny rock thrown at you has enough force to move you through a body of water, completely disregarding water resistance, knocking you back even further. Which is probably what causes most of the complaints, at least for me. Or hell, add a sprint swim feature, which would help the player avoid projectiles or enemies at the risk of running out of stamina faster.