Spring has sprung, the grass is riz in the fields around Rare HQ and we’re in full swing with a new Season in Sea of Thieves. March saw no end of excitement as we launched Season Six, kicked off our latest Adventure with ‘Forts of the Forgotten’ and celebrated the game’s fourth anniversary! Yes, we did get your card, it’s gone right on the mantelpiece. Now don your flower crown, join us in the meadow and let’s dance merrily as we regale everyone with March’s escapades.

As you can imagine, Season Six and the sudden appearance of Flameheart’s Sea Forts provided the largest update this month, with the Season’s arrival bringing with it the usual accoutrements of a spring-scented Plunder Pass, new goodies in the Pirate Emporium and an in-depth set of release notes to dive into. We did notice that the hatches and cranes at the Sea Forts were in need of an oiling after their arrival from the Sea of the Damned, so we followed up with a quick hotfix at the launch of our second time-limited Adventure for good measure.

Speaking of which, we put out the call to Adventure once more this month, with ‘Forts of the Forgotten’ sending players to break the captured denizens of Golden Sands Outpost out of some dank jail cells. Finally, a way to put that mysterious Prison Cell Key to use! If you missed the boat on our previous Adventure ‘Shrouded Islands’, be sure to check out the latest Adventures Ahead primer, which will bring you up to speed on all the latest events in our unfolding seabound saga.


With muckrakers spinning sleaze and scandal about what goes on in Flameheart’s Sea Forts, you can count on the diligent reporters of our nautical news desk to jump on the News Sloop and find you the important stories from across the sea.

March saw us celebrating our fourth anniversary – they grow up so fast, don’t they? We marked the occasion with all sorts of fun, ranging from a Gold & Glory Weekend to a commemorative eyepatch and sales in both the Pirate Emporium and our official merch store. There was also a lovely banana cake – we definitely sent you all a slice, it must have gotten lost in the post…

For the bibliophile buccaneer, we officially revealed both the cover art and the title of the upcoming second Sea of Thieves novel, Heart of Fire. While Flameheart may not be floating ominously above the water at the moment, you’ll soon be able to have him lurking in your library and judging your taste in literature.

On International Women’s Day, we published a special article championing the fearless female freebooters that help make our community such a wonderful place – with a piece of commemorative #IWD2022 artwork starring just a few of the inspiring women you’ll meet during your adventures on the Sea of Thieves.

In our spring theatre season, the Community and Creator Stage saw two more guests join us as we chatted to Race of Legends First Mate Kaitzu and the keg queen herself, Octagon Ron. We’re glad to inform you that no pyrotechnics were employed in either performance. And with Easter bonnet time rapidly approaching, another batch of eight Hats of Unfeasibly Glorious Fame were shipped to some of the most creative of corsairs. We’ll be nearing a whole year of hat distribution soon, which means we may have to award ourselves a hat, causing some kind of infinite hat recursion loop.

Right at the end of the month, our new series of behind-the-scenes articles tracking in-game items From Concept to Cosmetic kicked off by digging into the creation of the Snowbound Ship Lantern – better known to many as The Orb. If you enjoyed that, we’re glad to hear it as we have more cosmetic-based explorations in the pipeline.

Okay, places everyone, we hope you’ve all been practising. Let’s take it from Bar 46, ‘Anthem for a Round-Up’. 5, 6, 7 and…



VII-DEEEE-OOOOOS. AND STREAMS! Back row, much better this month! The release of a new Season and a new Adventure meant that we were rushed off our feet in the pirate TV studio. Season Six came with its usual combo of announcement trailer and Deep Dive, full of juicy details on the creation of Sea Forts. Fun fact – it’s not a trumpet that you can hear in the Spanish-inspired music for Season Six, it’s a Flumpet! For more jaw-dropping facts, read our Deep Dive write-up on the Deep Dive video.

To tee up the next chapter in our unfolding Adventures narrative, ‘Forts of the Forgotten’ received its own cinematic trailer, alongside a quick gameplay run-through to prepare you for the trials ahead. We really hope we didn’t banish those two guards from the cinematic while completing the Adventure – they seem like alright blokes.

Ahead of our anniversary, a new episode of SoT News set up the celebratory fun while revealing ‘Forts of the Forgotten’ and recapping our 24-hour GameBlast ’22 stream. If you’re looking for the latest official SoT Podcast to listen to while folding laundry or cooking tea, that managed to make it into March too. Discussion topics included Adventures, Mysteries, bin covers, graffiti art – everything you’d want from a podcast and a packet of crisps.

For those who prefer their entertainment live, avid stream viewing would see you rewarded with some new arsenal additions in March, with this month’s Twitch Drops doling out Twilight Hunter weaponry. We also found a dented flagon, two butter knives and a dog-eared copy of Weaponsmith’s Weekly. Expect them in a giveaway sometime soon.


Despite the slight disruption caused by Forts being dragged from one realm to the next, our social channels remained a steadfast place for content for the corsair about town. As well as blowing out the candles on our fourth anniversary cake, we offered up a Pancake Day menu, celebrated 100k Instagram followers, asked aesthetically-minded pirates what painting they’d hang in their Sea Fort, bid a bittersweet farewell to The Arena and paid tribute to our favourite head in the sky. Gone, but not Fort-gotten. No? Please yourselves.

You can always rely on our stalwart hashtag triad for a constant flow of intriguing tidbits. #TriviaTuesday was there to provide kernels of knowledge on topics like the Flame of Souls, the Reaper’s Heart pets and captured weaponsmith Wonda. For the fashionistas among you, #SoTGear continued to serve the hottest looks, spotlighting bold items like the Sunshine Parrot set, Azure Ocean Crawler gear and Gilded Phoenix Sails.

For a bright spring month, March’s first #SoTShot contest was rather gloomy as we tasked pirates with sailing through the fog and capturing atmospheric Misty Moments. We cleared the air with the next one, looking for the jolliest Fort Frolics you could frame – a shark steak on every hob in the Homestead room as a minimum. Meanwhile March’s #SundayVibes posts offered good starting points, showing off locations like Royal Crest Fortress, Ancient Gold Fortress and even the spectral echo of a Fort, just before it was wrenched into the land of the living.



We hope you’re enjoying frolicking in a flowery field as April progresses – we’re hard at work here keeping everything ship-shape on our ongoing Adventure cruise. To keep abreast of every development as it happens, you’ll want to be following our social channels. If you need reminding, you can find Sea of Thieves on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, Twitch and TikTok, as well as on our official Forums and Discord server. We’ll all be capering around a maypole by the time the next round-up arrives, so join us for a Morris dance and to hear us recount April’s happenings as a folk song. Pay no attention to the giant wicker pirate we’ll also be constructing.

Sea of Thieves Round-Up: February 2022Sea of Thieves Round-Up: January 2022

Roll up, roll up! As part of our week of Legendary fun, we’re pulling back the curtain and giving you all a tantalising look at Legend of the Veil, a brand new Voyage exclusive to Pirate Legends that’s coming to Sea of Thieves very soon. But don’t worry, while today’s video follows the same format as our other Seasonal Deep Dives, it doesn’t reveal everything – we don’t want to spoil all the surprises before it launches later this Season.

As the video features a multi-disciplinary group of Rare staff members discussing their work on Legend of the Veil, for the purposes of this article we tracked a couple of them down afterwards to get some more thoughts and feelings on what promises to be an epic three-stage Voyage. But first, let’s watch!


As this Voyage sees players finally interacting with the Ancients – the enigmatic civilisation who left a lasting mark on the Sea of Thieves – their theme had to be suitably grand, but still with an air of mystery. As we heard from in-house Musician Chloe Kwok, it took some revisions to get the theme of the Ancients just right:

“Making the new music for this Voyage was super fun, as we were able to conjure up a new theme for the Ancients which appears in all the new banners, cutscenes and approach music. It was a challenge to try and get the theme to sound ‘Ancient-y’. But also good. But also ambiguous. Yet it had to have its own unique sound – so that was also a challenge. However, we got there in the end, using pipes and some choral underlay to bring the Ancients’ theme to life!

“We’ve also added another music layer onto the Soulflame Captain battle music, so it now contains the Sea of Thieves theme as you reach the climax of the battle, which hopefully gets your heart pumping.”

One key feature of this Voyage is its dramatic finale where you have to destroy ghostly emplacements during a supernatural storm, in the final fight against an imposing Ghost Garrison. As you fire at these structures with your ship’s cannons, masonry will crumble and fall. This environmental destruction required multiple teams working in tandem, says Lead Environment Artist Andrew Finch, with the final result being a thrilling new gameplay experience:

“I’m really proud of how satisfying the destruction of the environment is. As Environment Artists, we always want to create exciting, dynamic spaces. We developed this tech with one of the Tall Tales from Sea of Thieves: A Pirate’s Life, so we were able to build on that and push it even further.

“Having the world react to what the player does adds so much life to the scene. It was a huge cross-disciplinary effort to get that ‘wow’ factor of the Ghost Garrison exploding and crumbling away, mixed in with the atmosphere, lighting and weather effects. It makes for a visual treat for everyone.”



With new Pirate Legend content being something that’s often requested by the community, Chloe hopes that the Legend of the Veil Voyage delivers what players want:

“I hope the players do enjoy the Voyage, as it’s been widely asked for a very long time and this update shows that we are listening! Also, watch out for the final sea battle because the environment looks absolutely epic!”

For Andrew, it’s the variety of new environments that he hopes players enjoy. From haunted islands to sunken shipwrecks, Legend of the Veil aims to provide players with some fresh surroundings to explore on their nautical adventures:

“The shipwrecks provide a very dramatic backdrop – huge Galleons connected with intertwining debris; they look so impressive. Navigating these spaces, solving clues while dodging sharks and finding air vents to breathe will lead to fast-paced exciting gameplay that I’m sure players are going to love.”

The Legend of the Veil Voyage forms one prong of this year’s three-pronged plan to expand Sea of Thieves’ evolving world with engaging narrative content. For those intrigued to find out more about Adventures and Mysteries, the other two prongs in our trident of excitement, you can find out more in the most recent episode of the official SoT Podcast! If that doesn’t entice you enough, there’s an electrifying discussion about wooden bin stores that simply can’t be missed.


Our Legends Week frolics continue apace, culminating with in-game celebrations this weekend such as Gold & Glory multipliers, a login gift for Legends and free Athena’s Fortune Fireworks for all players! You can also take a look at this week’s Legendary stats article for a shiny infographic and in-depth statistical breakdown of what makes a Pirate Legend, and check in on the Sea of Thieves Community Hub and News pages this weekend for even more content showcasing some of the bold followers of Athena’s Fortune. Enjoy!

April is set to be an eventful month on the seas, and it begins with this update that closes the book on ‘Forts of the Forgotten’ while stocking the Pirate Emporium with some volatile new finery – not forgetting the latest list of fixes, improvements and balances. First, freshen your memory of Season Six’s introductory features back in March with the official trailer!


Release notes from the Season’s launch are still available for browsing, but what have we crowbarred into this initial April update? Find out below...

April’s Emporium restock explores the pirate idea of recycling, with Gunpowder Barrels recklessly repurposed into Barrel Bombardier cosmetics. The latest emote offerings include another monthly freebie, and Season Six’s Plunder Pass is still in stock too!

Season Six Plunder Pass

• Anyone wishing to take full advantage of Season Six rewards can still buy the Plunder Pass. Any rewards unlocked will become available upon purchase, so players who have raised their Renown throughout Season Six can instantly see their hard work rewarded before the Season ends.
  
• This Season’s Plunder Pass offers early access to the complete Spring Blossom ship set, the evolving Forest's Blessing Costume and other items of upcoming Emporium stock, and can be purchased at any time through the Pirate Log, Pirate Emporium or Steam Item Store.

Barrel Bombardier Ship Collection

• Blaze a trail across the seas with the volatile Barrel Bombardier ship cosmetics! In addition to the main Barrel Bombardier Ship Bundle, an explosive Collector’s Figurehead and Collector’s Sails can be purchased separately.
  
• A Barrel Bombardier Essential Ship Bundle is also on offer, including just the core ship cosmetics at a discount.

Barrel Bombardier Costume

• Don't stand near an open flame in this soot-stained outfit festooned with wicks, fuses and all manner of flammable material! The costume contains three variants: base, with goggles and with a new hairstyle.
  
• While wearing this hazardous outfit, players can perform the Flaming Fuse Emote – look out!

Barrel Bombardier Weapons

• Handle these four weapons, crafted from Gunpowder Barrels, with extreme care.

Barrel Bombardier Tankard

• Celebrate a demolition job well done with a sooty swig from this tankard.

Wave After Wave Emotes

• With this pack of four distinctly different waves, your arms are sure to get a workout.

Blighted Cannon Flare

• A Cannon Flare is now available for another fan-favourite Pirate Emporium ship set – check out the ominous orange illumination of the new Blighted Cannon Flare!
  
• Players who already own all items in the Blighted Ship Bundle will soon find the Cannon Flare added to their inventory as a gift from the Emporium owners.

Freebie Fire in the Hole! Emote

• After laying a clever trap, retreat to a safe distance and get ready for the boom!

Legends Week

• The week-long celebration of the one million Pirate Legends milestone in Sea of Thieves ends with a special Gold & Glory Weekend: from April 8th-11th (10am BST), Legends earn double gold and rep on treasure handed in to the Mysterious Stranger, while April 10th offers a day of more traditional Gold & Glory boosts to gold, rep and Renown for all players.
  
• Pirate Legends can also earn a free Silvered Legendary Eyepatch by playing this weekend, while all players can temporarily claim free Athena’s Fortune Fireworks from the Merchant Alliance.
  
• Make savings in the Pirate Emporium’s celebratory weekend sale too!

Twitch Drops

• Continue to unlock even more cosmetics throughout Season Six with Twitch Drops! Stay tuned to Sea of Thieves social channels to find out when Twitch Drops will be active for Partnered streamers, allowing players to earn more items from the Twilight Hunter set. Find out how to link your accounts and more on our dedicated Twitch Drops page.

Improved Harpoon Aim Assist

• Harpoons now have an improved aim assist when launched at loot, making players more likely to snag the targeted treasure instead of just striking the nearby sand.

Emerald Imperial Sovereign Clothing Set

• The Outpost clothing shops now stock the Emerald Imperial Sovereign clothing set, available to purchase for gold.

Nightfall Hunter Clothing Set

• The Outpost clothing shops now stock the Nightfall Hunter clothing set, available to purchase for gold when moving up through the Grades of the Hunter of Cursed Captains Commendation. Players tuning in to Twitch Drops during Season Five may have already earned items from this clothing set under their previous Twilight Hunter name, and will retain access to those items under their revised Nightfall Hunter name.

Fish Name Narration

• Players using ‘Let Games Read to Me’ while fishing will now find the name of a fish is narrated as it surfaces. While this is enabled by default, this specific narration can be disabled using ‘Narrate Fish Nameplates’ in the in-game language settings.

Emote Narration Control

• Players using ‘Let Games Read to Me’ now have the ability to disable emote narration specifically from the game settings to reduce audio overload.

Thai Language Support

• Sea of Thieves now supports Thai localisation across the entire game. Players can now select Thai from the in-game language settings.

Gameplay

• The Sea Dogs Reputation tab will now be visible for players who have at least one fully completed Commendation at any Grade.
  
• Players can no longer bypass the limping restriction of a broken leg by using auto-move.
  
• Snakes and pigs have been demoted from Sea Fort Captain status and now award the correct Seasonal Renown.
  
• Ammo Pouches dropped by skeletons will now disappear from islands after a crew leaves.
  
• Players will no longer find Pondies at Black Water Enclave.

Sea Forts

• The map in the Sea Forts’ living quarters now displays ships flying the Reaper’s Mark flag in addition to Reaper Emissaries.
  
• Players are no longer able to cause Sea Fort treasure to respawn in the Treasury by getting themselves under the environment.
  
• Inactive Sea Forts no longer show a raised flag.
  
• Players are no longer able to sell the Sea Fort Keys to Trading Companies in exchange for gold and reputation.
  
• Players using the Sea Fort barrel winches should no longer experience camera stutter when rotating mechanisms.
  
• Traitor’s Fate Fortress no longer has a bobbing barrel in the bunk room.
  
• The Treasury door now sits correctly on its hinges.
  
• The Storeroom Door Key no longer shines through doors when viewed from a distance.
  
• Within Old Brinestone Fortress, the lower-level grates should now prevent players swimming through when closed.
  
• Players can no longer walk up the Sea Fort walls in some locations.
  
• Detaching from Sea Fort cannons should no longer cause players to safe teleport.
  
• Players should no longer be able to find a way into the dock pillars inside the Fort and move inside the geometry.

Sunken Kingdom

• Sunken Kingdom Commendations requiring players to complete Siren Treasuries now correctly unlock when completing the required criteria.

Environment

• ‘Captains of the Damned’ – Players should no longer fall through the floor when moving through the corridor from the armoury to the well.
  
• Players can no longer access the Treasury vault within the Treasury of the Secret Wilds prior to it becoming unlocked.
  
• Players should no longer become stuck in trees on Ashen Reaches.
  
• Within the Pirate Legend Hideout, players should no longer be able to push through the environment and appear in the sea.
  
• Players should no longer be launched up into the air when pushing in between rocks on Plunder Outpost.
  
• Players should continue to be able to move freely after jumping onto trees at Morrow’s Peak Outpost.
  
• While exploring Plunder Outpost, players should no longer discover a floating patch of grass out in the bay.
  
• While exploring the Pirate Legend Hideout, pets should no longer become blocked by invisible barriers when leaving the waterfall cave entrance.
  
• Treasure can no longer be placed in locations within The Reaper’s Hideout that prevent any player from accessing it.

Visual and Audio

• Swimming onto a beach and sprinting out of the water should no longer cause player animations to show their arms stuck to their sides.
  
• Within the Reputation tab, Commendations with Doubloon rewards now display their currency counts correctly.
  
• The Athena’s Fortune symbol on the Legendary Wheel is finally symmetrical.
  
• The Sea of Sands, Cronch, Dark Warsmith and Lodestar Cutlasses now display a trail when used.
  
• Killing small animals while they are running will no longer cause them to slide across the ground.
  
• Repairing a damaged Spring Blossom Wheel will now visibly show the attached wooden poles.
  
• The ‘Disable Centered Text’ setting now correctly affects all locations where text can be centered throughout the UI.
  
• When the Lunar Festival Costume is equipped, the glowing eye effects are now consistently seen when emoting or when viewed by other players.
  
• Players equipping a Bilge Rat or Admiral Dress now have the correct shoulder pieces displayed.
  
• Players using the Japanese language setting will now find Order of Souls Bounty Maps no longer have overlapping text.
  
• When multiple ships are nearby, players should now see all figureheads on ships within range.
  
• With a HDR-supported setup, the HDR Calibration Settings page no longer causes UI elements to overlap when returning settings to default.
  
• Sea of Thieves error messages are now displayed in the language chosen within the game settings.

Performance and Stability

• Server stability has been improved, reducing scenarios where crews are removed from a game session.

Letters of Recommendation

• Players will find themselves unable to purchase new Letters of Recommendation in this 2.5.1 April update. Fear not – Letters of Recommendation will become available for purchase later this month.
  Reduced Server Performance
  
• Players may experience scenarios where they encounter ping spikes at random while playing, resulting in rubberbanding or client stutters.

Steam Achievement Unlocking Issues

• Some Steam players may find that after an achievement is unlocked in the game, it is not unlocked within Steam.

Ranged and Melee Weapon Hit Detection

• In areas of intense action, players may find themselves firing shots or landing strikes that do not cause damage to their targets. While small improvements continue to be delivered during our regular updates, we are continuing to investigate and identify further improvements to the player combat experience.

To learn more about known issues in Sea of Thieves currently being tracked and their status, head over to our Known Issues support site article.

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Download size:
Steam: 6.49 GB

Welcome to Legends Week, everyone! As we’ve now passed the milestone of one million players who have reached Pirate Legend status, we thought it was a good a time as any to hold a big, week-long bash to celebrate our most dedicated sailors.

A quick reminder if you’re unsure of what a Pirate Legend is: it’s a player who has managed to hit rank 50 with at least three of Sea of Thieves’ Trading Companies. You’ll usually spot them by the purple and green outfits and their propensity to sail circles around you when you engage them in a sea battle.

With the Pirate Legend population now mirroring that of a small city, we thought we’d pull out our comically large magnifying glass to examine the stats behind our cohort of legendary corsairs, and see what really makes a Pirate Legend. All these facts and figures are accurate up to March 31st, 2022 – so apologies if you screamed in with some amazing Pirate Legend stat on April 1st.

Although more than 25 million sailors had set sail on the Sea of Thieves by October 2021, under 4% of them have so far been inducted into the hallowed ranks of Athena’s Fortune. So it’s quite the rare achievement, reserved for truly top-shelf buccaneers. Now, calculators and jotters at the ready – we’ve got figures to pore over!



Let’s first consider the time it takes to reach Pirate Legend. On average, most players hit this Legendary milestone after around 192 hours of hard graft. Obviously, there are many pirates who pride themselves on how quickly they can hit Pirate Legend, while others like to take the approach that it’s a marathon, not a sprint. So far, the longest recorded journey to Pirate Legend took one chilled corsair 2,664 hours – around 111 days! We salute your devotion to taking it easy.

Should you want to see someone try to hit Pirate Legend as fast as they can, be sure to tune in to our new Path to Legend series on Sea of Thieves TV, where the intrepid HitboTC attempts to get to this glorious position as fast as possible. Will he manage it over the course of the series?

In terms of how players spend those (roughly) 192 hours on the way to Pirate Legend, most take the conventional route of raising their reputation with the Gold Hoarders, Order of Souls and Merchant Alliance. A single pirate managed to do it by levelling up their reputation with the Sea Dogs, The Hunter’s Call and The Reaper’s Bones. We wouldn’t want to be on the receiving end of their broadside…

Some players also manage to level their Trading Company rep without completing a single Voyage, with 1,518 players favouring this more chaotic route to Pirate Legend. But if you plan to follow a more well-worn path to Legend status, it tends to take our pirates an average of 90 Voyages alongside all their other day-to-day buccaneering activity, so plan accordingly!



How about those lonely Sloop captains who shun the comradery of their fellow sailors? Well, it turns out they’re as elusive as they are antisocial, as only 50 Pirate Legends have made the climb entirely solo. On the flip side, 2,001 of our Pirate Legends have never sailed without a companion, social butterflies that they are. In terms of how many unique companions our Pirate Legends have had on their journeys, seven is the lucky average. How magnificent these seven are may, of course, vary.

You’re naturally going to cross blades and blunderbusses with enemy pirates during your long and winding road to Pirate Legend, and players vanquish an average of 76 other pirates in doing so. Their own kill/death ratio is ever so slightly in their favour, with players making around 74 trips to the Ferry of the Damned on their journey. Spare a thought for one very persistent Pirate Legend who died a grand total of 6,239 times before achieving those purple and green stripes.

There’s also one Pirate Legend who seems to be moonlighting as a butcher, racking up 10,751 kills (!) on their climb to the heights of pirate fame. We’re equal parts impressed and terrified. To balance out the bloodshed, there is a contingent of pacifist pirates who choose peace over violence, with 78,411 sailors not slaying a single one of their fellow freebooters before becoming Legends. Also, congratulations to all the pirates who remained alive and kicking while striving to become Legend – 53,955 of them dodged a visit to the Ferry of the Damned, and long may they stay hale and hearty.

Finally, how about the truly devoted corsairs – those who have reached the pinnacle of Pirate Legend, the apex of Athena’s Fortune, the tippest of tops in the nautical world? Only 30,908 people have reached that shining peak of rank 20 with Athena’s Fortune, making it an exclusive club within an exclusive club. We hope those 30,908 are ready to go again when the Athena’s Fortune level cap is raised to 30 later this Season!

And that’s our analysis of the myriad of stats making up a million-strong troop of Pirate Legends. If you have any impressive stats of your own to share, let us know on social media! And keep your eyes locked right here on the Sea of Thieves website and on our social channels for more Legends Week fun – including an in-depth look at the upcoming Pirate Legend-exclusive Voyage, coming later in Season Six!

Our Pirate Legends are the best of us: tough, tenacious players who’ve faced down everything the Sea of Thieves could throw at them to reach the upper echelons of the pirate world. We’re delighted to share today that we recently passed the figure of one million Pirate Legends across the Sea of Thieves! In recognition of this milestone moment, we’re throwing a week of celebratory shenanigans for both our current Pirate Legends and prospective ones.

But how do you become a Pirate Legend? The title is bestowed upon players who prove their skill and spirit by reaching rank 50 with at least three Sea of Thieves Trading Companies. So whether you dedicate your time to collecting treasure for the Gold Hoarders, mastering the art of fishing with The Hunter’s Call or sinking other player ships in service to The Reaper’s Bones, the world’s your oyster. It takes mastery in a breadth of nautical skills to gain this high honour, but the pace and pathway you take is uniquely your own.



Along with the Pirate Legend title comes a host of perks: the iconic ‘We Shall Sail Together’ shanty unlocks the secret entrance to the Pirate Legend Hideout, where elite Legendary wares are on offer alongside Voyages to build reputation with the Legends-only Trading Company, Athena’s Fortune. Brand new Pirate Legend-exclusive content is also coming up soon as part of Sea of Thieves’ current Season!

If you’re thinking Pirate Legend status sounds special, that’s because it is – and for us to hit seven figures of Legends is something that deserves fanfare, more than just a mere tip of the hat to those pirates who’ve persevered this far. So let’s get into what’s planned for the rest of Legends Week after today’s announcement of our million-strong milestone!

• April 5 – We’ll be serving up some piping hot stats on the Pirate Legend experience. Ever wondered how many Legends have maxed out Athena’s Fortune, or how many Voyages players might have to complete to hit Legendary status? Jump into these significant stats on https://www.seaofthieves.com/ and SoT social channels.
  
  
• April 6 – Join Sea of Thieves Partner HitboTC as he starts a journey from swabbie to Legend live on Sea of Thieves TV! Legends Week showcases the first episode of a seven-part weekly series, streamed live on https://www.twitch.tv/seaofthieves and http://www.twitch.tv/xbox, and later available on demand at https://www.youtube.com/hitbotc.
  
  
• April 7 – Enjoy an exclusive video insight into the upcoming Legend of the Veil Voyage, a brand new replayable experience for Pirate Legends. This Voyage is set to deliver new map types and some memorable setpieces, so check https://www.youtube.com/seaofthieves on this day to see what awaits our Legends a little later in Season Six.
  
  
• April 8 – In-game activities kick off for Pirate Legends, offering double gold and reputation for items handed in to the Mysterious Stranger over the weekend. As an extra incentive, some treasure items also provide Athena’s Fortune reputation when they usually wouldn’t!
  
  
• April 9 – We spotlight some Legendary activities on the Sea of Thieves website, with inspiring Pirate Legend feats in the Community Hub and our inaugural Legend Spotlight – a new type of player profile to sit alongside our regular Community and Creator Spotlights.
  
  
• April 10 – The festivities expand to all pirates, with a one-day Gold & Glory multiplier offering boosts to gold, reputation and Renown – plus free Athena’s Fortune Fireworks from the Merchant Alliance, and extra bonuses for all pirates generous enough to gift treasure to other players on this day!
  
  
• April 11 – The third and final day for Pirate Legends to log in and receive a Silvered Legendary Eyepatch, available from Friday April 8 to Monday April 11 (10am BST). This is also the final day of a special weekend sale in the Pirate Emporium – be sure to check that out for savings on ship sets, emotes and pet outfits, including some only available to Legends!

Whether you’re a veteran of the Pirate Legend Hideout, a freshly minted Legend or still on the road to sailor stardom, we hope you’ll join us in this week-long festival of fun. Keep tabs on the Sea of Thieves website and social channels to stay up to date on the Legendary festivities as they unfold.



To finish, we just want to say thank you. To the million (and counting) players who have hit Pirate Legend, we want to recognise that achievement – thank you for spending hundreds of hours exploring our world and mastering the waves. To those of you who are still on your journey to Pirate Legend, whether you’re at the beginning of that journey or nearing its end – the very best of luck, and we’ll see you on the seas!

With Season Six underway, the team have been working on additional fixes based on feedback from the community. We’re introducing more of these fixes in today’s release, update 2.5.0.1.

For a refresher on all the new features that arrived in Season Six, check out the full-length release notes!




The second of Sea of Thieves’ time-limited Adventures kicks off on March 24th. Prepare to chart a course for Phantom-filled Sea Forts and free the captives kept inside – formerly the residents of Golden Sands Outpost!

• During the events of ‘Shrouded Islands’, pirates became the unwitting catalyst in a scheme to further weaken the barrier between the Sea of Thieves and the Sea of the Damned.
  
• Larinna awaits pirates at the Outpost, beckoning them over for an urgent task – the missing Golden Sands inhabitants have been located! Speak to Larinna to begin the ‘Forts of the Forgotten’ Adventure, then set sail to learn more.
  
• Pirates who complete the daring rescue mission to Flameheart’s strongholds during this time-limited Adventure will earn an exclusive Title and cosmetic reward to serve as a Memento of their quest.

• Crews will now find a steady rotation of World Events taking place across the seas.
  
• The ominous ship cloud in the sky signifying an encounter with a Skeleton Fleet has been returned to the rotation of World Events.
  
• After the ‘Forts of the Forgotten’ Adventure has passed, crews exploring the Sea Forts will no longer be required to locate the Prison Cell Key to gain access to the cell.

• When approaching a Skeleton Fort, players should now hear the appropriate music.
  
• Players fighting Phantoms and performing actions on the lower floor of the Sea Forts should no longer hear those audio effects on the floor above them.

• Purchases of the Season Six Plunder Pass and Boisterous Brigands Bundle from the Microsoft Store will now correctly display the Game Pass discount when purchased.

• Following the introduction of Sea Forts, improvements to server performance have been implemented.
  
• Improvements made to general client performance on lower-spec hardware.

• Players may experience scenarios where they encounter ping spikes at random while playing, resulting in rubberbanding or client stutters.

• Some Steam players may find that after an achievement is unlocked in the game, it is not unlocked within Steam.

• In areas of intense action, players may find themselves firing shots or landing strikes that do not cause damage to their targets. While small improvements continue to be delivered during our regular updates, we are continuing to investigate and identify further improvements to the player combat experience.
  To learn more about known issues in Sea of Thieves currently being tracked and their status, head over to our Known Issues support site article.

Steam: 4.9 GB

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Time to stage a daring prison break as Sea of Thieves’ second story-driven Adventure, ‘Forts of the Forgotten’, goes live! Rally your crew, rendezvous with Belle and set sail for the Sea Forts pulled through from the Sea of the Damned by Captain Flameheart. Expect heavy resistance from a Phantom phalanx as you battle through these ghostly fortifications to rescue the missing inhabitants of Golden Sands Outpost!

Sea of Thieves’ plans for 2022, including this suite of new Adventures designed to let players take part in an ever-evolving story within the world, were laid out in our Preview Event earlier this year. As with the first Adventure, ‘Shrouded Islands’, we offered a look at the cinematic trailer for ‘Forts of the Forgotten’ ahead of time, teeing up the action that’s set to unfold over the course of this two-week in-game event.

During the events of ‘Shrouded Islands’, the defeat of the Soulflame Captains weakened the barrier between the living world and the Sea of the Damned, allowing Flameheart to summon Sea Forts – initially insubstantial, now very real – into the Sea of Thieves. Meanwhile, despite the sinister fog around the islands starting to recede, Golden Sands Outpost still lies in ruin. Luckily, Belle has a lead on the location of its inhabitants, but it’ll take some brave crews to set them free…

If you want a full breakdown of the state of play before jumping into ‘Forts of the Forgotten’, don’t forget that we have a dedicated story primer on the Sea of Thieves website – ideal for those who may have missed out on taking part in ‘Shrouded Islands’! Each Adventure will be preceded by one of these primers, so you’ll always have a way to brush up on the story so far before heading out on your mission.



Ready for action? Raise your anchor and assail the ‘Forts of the Forgotten’ today! Expect more exciting Adventures throughout 2022, and keep your eye on the horizon for Legend of the Veil – the story-focused, Pirate Legend-exclusive Voyage arriving later in Season Six!

For more information on the latest Sea of Thieves update, including full release notes, visit the Sea of Thieves website. This update is available for free to all Sea of Thieves players who have bought the game on Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, Windows 10 PC or via Steam, or players who have access to it with Xbox Game Pass. Simply download and install the latest Sea of Thieves update to get access.



New to Sea of Thieves? Find out about the latest free content updates on our What’s New page and pick up some tips from our Pirate Academy, which provides invaluable information on topics ranging from sailing to swordplay as you prepare for your maiden voyage. Learn more about Sea of Thieves at https://www.xbox.com/seaofthieves, or join the ongoing adventure at https://www.seaofthieves.com/ where you can embark on an epic journey with one of gaming’s most welcoming communities!

The latest Season is upon us, with brand new content set to drop throughout! Season Six solidifies six new Sea Forts for on-demand combat encounters, offers another time-limited Adventure to embark upon and sets expectations for an upcoming Voyage exclusive to Pirate Legends. Get a first look at it all in action in the official Season Six trailer!


Ready for more detail on Season Six’s launch features, along with the closure of The Arena and the latest quality of life tweaks, accessibility additions and fixed issues? Good. Because here we go...

The second of Sea of Thieves’ time-limited Adventures kicks off on March 24th. Prepare to chart a course for Phantom-filled Sea Forts and free the captives kept inside – formerly the residents of Golden Sands Outpost!

• During the events of ‘Shrouded Islands’, pirates became the unwitting catalyst in a scheme to further weaken the barrier between the Sea of Thieves and the Sea of the Damned.
  
• Larinna awaits pirates at the Outpost, beckoning them over for an urgent task – the missing Golden Sands inhabitants have been located! Speak to Larinna to begin the ‘Forts of the Forgotten’ Adventure, then set sail to learn more.
  
• Pirates who complete the daring rescue mission to Flameheart’s strongholds during this time-limited Adventure will earn an exclusive Title and cosmetic reward to serve as a Memento of their quest.

The ghostly memories of Spanish naval Sea Forts sighted in the wake of ‘Shrouded Islands’ have now fully manifested within the Sea of Thieves. Pirates and their crews are welcome to approach, enter and – if they can – clear a path to the loot inside!

• Six explorable Sea Forts can now be found across the seas, with those of each region having a unique visual style. These Sea Forts provide a short on-demand encounter for players, with difficulty scaling dynamically based on the crew size approaching.
  
• When a Sea Fort is located, the raised flag and ghostly lights signify that it is active and defended. On approach, players will hear a warning bell toll as Phantoms take aim with the Fort’s cannons.
  
• Players will face off against waves of Phantoms as they enter and explore. Before a Sea Fort is cleared, a Captain will appear reinforced by Phantoms in one last attempt to force intruders back to the sea. Players who defeat this Captain and his army will be awarded the Treasury Key to access the Fort Treasury and retrieve the spoils.
  
• Players who take the time to search through crates, cupboards and drawers may discover secret stashes of treasure left behind by the Phantoms, and may even find a hidden key to the locked storage room.

• When a Sea Fort is cleared, you can treat it as your own for as long as the successful crew resides at the Fort. Crews can use these new structures as a homestead, complete with beds and cooking amenities and even an interactive map of the Sea of Thieves for planning their next adventure!
  
• Crews looking to protect their newly claimed domain can opt to hold the Fort and defend it from incoming threats using the mounted cannons and a healthy stash of resources within the Sea Fort’s barrels.

• Within the Bilge Rats Reputation tab, new Commendations have been added for players seeking to explore these new Sea Fort structures pulled through from the Sea of the Damned.
  
• New Xbox and Steam achievements can be unlocked by progressing through the new in-game Commendations. A total of 65 gamerscore is available to earn from this update, and these achievements will remain in the game indefinitely.
  
• What’s Yours Is Mine [15G]
  
• Master Burglar [20G]
  
• From Whence They Came [30G]

In addition to the emergence of Sea Forts, Season Six launches with another 100 levels of Renown-based progression and stacks of rewards to earn as you go. Emissary Ledger rewards aren’t forgotten either, and the new Plunder Pass is not just packed but neatly themed!

• Season Six offers a refreshed progression path with Trials and Deeds for new and experienced pirates alike. Weekly, monthly and Seasonal goals all reward players for exploring the Sea of Thieves.
  
• Players can capitalise on the introduction of Sea Forts this Season to earn Renown. Visiting Sea Forts, defeating Phantom threats and opening Sea Fort Treasuries all award Renown!
  
• Making progress through the 100 levels of this Season will reward pirates with the Naval Commander clothing set, new to Season Six along with time-limited Dark Relics cosmetics.
  
• Legendary pirates or those who become a Pirate Legend during Season Six can also earn Belle’s Hat and the Stranger’s Cutlass.
  
• Completing tiers of Seasonal progression will also award unique Dark Relics Titles, allowing players to display their success for all to see.

• Purchase Season Six’s Plunder Pass to gain access to a plethora of unlockable, never-before-seen rewards, all available to earn by climbing the levels of Seasonal progression.
  
• Plunder Pass purchasers this season can earn the full Spring Blossom Ship Collection, including Collector’s variants.
  For those looking to truly transform themselves, the Forest’s Blessing Costume can also be earned, evolving as players progress through the Season. Those looking for a more subtle customisation can unlock the Forest’s Blessing Tattoo.
  Unable to fully upgrade the costume before the Season ends? Upgrades will still be available through in-game activities in a later Season.
  
• The Season Six Plunder Pass is available to purchase in-game through the Pirate Log or Pirate Emporium, from the Microsoft Store or Steam Item Store.

• Representing the Gold Hoarders in their Emissary Ledger can now earn players the Tribute Peak Blunderbuss and Eye of Reach.
  
• Players seeking out the secrets of the Order of Souls can earn the Relic of Darkness Blunderbuss and Eye of Reach through their Ledger performance.
  
• The Merchant Alliance honour their high-performing Ledger representatives with the Merchant Ambassador Blunderbuss and Eye of Reach.
  
• Flying the flag of The Reaper’s Bones and earning a high rank in their Ledger can earn players the Masked Renegade Blunderbuss and Eye of Reach.
  
• Legendary pirates representing Athena’s Fortune in their Ledger can earn the Magpie’s Glory Cannons, Sails and Flag to show their allegiance to the Pirate Lord.

Also taking place at the start of Season Six is the closure of The Arena. From March 10th 2022, this mode will no longer be available in Sea of Thieves. Find out more below, and get the full story behind this decision in our Saying Goodbye to The Arena news post.

• The Sea Dogs Reputation pane in the Pirate’s Log will now only be visible for players who have earned a Sea Dogs Commendation, celebrating players’ accomplishments while hiding Commendations that can no longer be obtained.
  
• For players who can access this Reputation pane, the previous Company progress summary has now been repurposed into a Battle Record, representing accomplishments within The Arena. Within the Battle Record, players will now only see Commendations that have been completed. Any Commendations not yet started or completed will no longer be visible.
  
• Within the Athena’s Fortune Reputation pane, the Legendary Sea Dog Commendation will be visible for players who have earned it while remaining hidden for players who have not met those criteria.

• Although The Arena has been closed, players will retain all unlocked Titles tied to level progress within the Sea Dogs Trading Company, along with any unlocked cosmetics.
  
• Players who reached Sea Dogs rank 5 prior to the announcement of the closure will find themselves gifted the Azure Scout, Flaming Jackal, Golden Chaser, Lucky Rover and Regal Hound ship cosmetics for general use. Sea Dog veterans who reached rank 50 will also be able to equip the Good Boy ship cosmetics from the Shipwright’s Chest.
  
• Players who achieved the necessary criteria to purchase Sea Dogs Titles and cosmetics have not yet missed their chance to collect them. The Outpost stores now hold all the Sea Dogs Company rewards, and players will find them collectable if they met the necessary unlock requirements before the announcement of The Arena’s closure.
  Players with multiple promotions and rewards to purchase may need to exit and re-enter the shop after purchasing a promotion before the next rank’s items become visible.

• Xbox and Steam achievements for the Sea Dogs Trading Company are no longer earnable. Players on Xbox will see these achievements now marked as Legacy, while players on Steam will no longer find these achievements visible.
  
• The Master of the Arena and Glorious Sea Dog achievements are still unlockable by players who obtained the necessary ranks prior to The Arena’s closure. After logging in, eligible players can collect the required promotions and items and unlock these two achievements.

In contrast to the peaceful Plunder Pass it’s rowdy in the Emporium this month, with the Islehopper Outlaw theme encompassing a ship set, costume, weapons and even a banjo. New emotes arrive to suit your posturing needs too, and there’s one for free as always!

• Watch other ships turn tail and flee when you rock the new Islehopper Outlaw ship cosmetics! In addition to the main Islehopper Outlaw Ship Bundle, a flaming spectral Collector’s Figurehead and Collector’s Sails can be purchased separately.
  
• An Islehopper Outlaw Essential Ship Bundle is also on offer, including just the core ship cosmetics at a discount.

• Nothing says “Hello, we’re here to rob you!” quite like glow-in-the-dark goggles, bandana and fishbone mohawk.

• Add some rockstar chic to your next fracas with these four new glow-in-the-dark weapons!

• Unleash musical mayhem with this brutal banjo.

• Strike a selection of supremely confident poses with these four extra-cool emotes.

• A Cannon Flare is now available for a fan-favourite Pirate Emporium ship set – check out the cloud of bubbles and fishy confetti fired with the new Ruby Splashtail Cannon Flare!
  
• Players who already own all items in the Ruby Splashtail Ship Bundle will soon find the Cannon Flare added to their inventory as a little gift from the Emporium owners.

• Perform this spirited dance to seek entrance to your crew’s alleged clubhouse.
  Boisterous Brigands Bundle (Store Only)
  
• Available only from the Steam Stores, this bundle contains the Islehopper Outlaw Costume, Weapon Bundle and Banjo, 550 Ancient Coins and a free 25,000 gold bonus for use in the Outpost shops! Head to the Steam Item Store to find out more.

• Continue to unlock even more cosmetics throughout Season Six with Twitch Drops! Stay tuned to Sea of Thieves social channels to find out when Twitch Drops will be active for Partnered streamers, allowing players to earn more items from the Twilight Hunter set. Find out how to link your accounts and more on our dedicated Twitch Drops page.

• Players can now quickly cycle through maps or Mysterious Notes within the Quest Radial. When holding a map or note in hand, use the ‘A’ or ‘D’ keys or Left/Right on the controller D-pad to cycle through all those available.
  
• These keybinds share the same controls as turning Tall Tale Quest Book pages, and can be re-bound within the game settings.

• Players who are defeated by another crew three times in quick succession will now be shown a reminder of the option to scuttle the ship and move to a safer location. Pressing the Menu button then leads directly to the Crew Management menu to begin the vote to scuttle.

• Throwing water at Gold Skeletons to rust them now makes them vulnerable for longer. While rusted, these skeletons will also take additional damage from all ranged weapons and explosives!
  
• Shadow Skeletons exposed to light are now made vulnerable for longer, allowing crews to capitalise on their weakness.
  
• Siren Leaders and Siren grunts below the waves should now use ranged attacks more frequently than their melee scratch attack.

• With the arrival of new Sea Forts in each region, Skeleton Ship World Events have now been consolidated and these World Event battles will now only appear in a single location near the centre of the world.

• The Outpost clothing shops now stock the Sandy Corsair Sea Dog clothing set, available to purchase for gold.

• Larinna now offers two previously Season-locked emotes for purchase with Doubloons. Players willing to part with a large number of Doubloons can purchase the Barrel Disguise and Rolling Dice emotes!

• When players are fishing, the names of any fish rising to the surface to take a nibble of bait are now displayed for easy identification. While this feature is enabled by default to improve accessibility for all players, it can be disabled by adjusting ‘Show Nameplates Above Fish’ in the Settings menu.

• When ‘Let Games Read to Me’ is enabled, navigating through shops will now also narrate the player’s wallet balance to improve ease of purchasing.

• When progressing through Tall Tales or Siren Shrines, players approaching mechanisms previously used by other players will now see them in the correct location and position.
  
• When players sit in a Rowboat, interaction prompts for nearby seats and objects are no longer shown as they cannot be interacted with until the player stands.
  
• When players holding a Cargo Crate attempt to hand it in to the incorrect character, the tooltip now emphasises the correct hand-in location.
  
• Players who have been vomited on twice are no longer immune to fire damage.
  
• The achievements entitled A Rare Delicacy and Night Bite should now unlock when completing the required criteria.
  
• New pirates equipping a shovel for the first time will now be shown the Burying Items tutorial.
  
• Players can now redeem purchased commodities with the Merchant Alliance representative at Morrow’s Peak Outpost.
  
• Within the Settings menu, the ‘Swim Up’ controller binding should no longer display within the keyboard binding area.

• Players disconnecting and rejoining the game with treasure stored in a Sunken Merfolk Statue will now once again be able to retrieve it from the surface.
  
• Players searching for the Breath of the Sea will no longer find that it disappears if they take an extended amount of time to complete the Voyage.
  
• Retrieving treasure from a Sunken Merfolk Statue within the Treasury of Sunken Shores should no longer place items where players cannot retrieve them.
  
• Players should no longer find areas within the Treasury of the Lost Ancients where they can clip into the geometry and fall under the world.
  
• Players can no longer step through a small gap in the environment within the Treasury of the Lost Ancients to access the Vault early.

• The lantern hanging above the Sloop’s map table should no longer be accidentally used when players are attempting to interact with the map table.
  
• Players can now freely explore the ruined tavern at Golden Sands Outpost without becoming stuck on debris.
  
• Pirate Emporium audio effects can no longer be heard at Golden Sands Outpost.
  
• Graymarrow should no longer become stuck in a tree while navigating the Fort of the Damned.
  
• Skeletons should no longer become stuck in the geometry on Shark Fin Camp.
  
• Ashen Lords using lunge attacks should no longer be prone to getting stuck inside rocks.
  
• Players moving around the Sea Dog Tavern should no longer find themselves jittering on certain areas of flooring and stairs.
  
• Pets should now be able to move freely around the Pirate Legend Hideout without becoming blocked.
  
• Players should no longer be safe-teleported on Mermaid’s Hideaway when jumping into the environment.
  
• Improvements have been made to skeleton navigation on Keel Haul Fort to prevent skeletons becoming stuck within the environment.
  
• Grass should no longer be seen mysteriously poking through the floor and walls of various Outpost taverns.
  
• Players should no longer become stuck inside ruined trees on Morrow's Peak Outpost or Ashen Reaches.
  
• Players opening Glitterbeard’s Hideout should no longer be snagged by the environment when moving inside.
  
• Swimming at various locations around Golden Sands Outpost should no longer cause players to intersect with geometry and be flung into the air.
  
• ‘A Pirate’s Life’ – Players should no longer be able to bypass the sidequest to reach the locked ship and rewards inside.
  
• ‘Captains of the Damned’ – Players following Captain Jack Sparrow through the village should no longer find themselves jittering when standing near him during his speech.
  
• ‘Captains of the Damned’ – Players should no longer find locations around the Spanish Fort in Chapter Two where they can become stuck.
  
• ‘Captains of the Damned’ – Players can no longer become trapped between the roots of a tree in the Bayou.
  
• ‘Dark Brethren’ – Players can no longer avoid the battle with the Ocean Crawlers by navigating over the coral structures in Chapter 4.

• Players equipping the Ashen Curse should now find that their eyes correctly display the effects of this fiery curse.
  
• When players perform actions that can earn Seasonal Renown repeatedly, the UI notifications should no longer become stuck within the notification window.
  
• Pets no longer stop dancing if one musician in a band stops playing.
  
• Players will no longer experience rubberbanding when attempting to move diagonally with a keyboard while afflicted by a limp.
  
• When the Skeleton Fort at Shark Fin Camp is active, crews descending to the Shrine of Hungering should no longer hear overlapping music within the Shrine.
  
• The shop and vanity chest icons for the Eyepatch of the Silent Barnacle now better match the item’s colour scheme.
  
• Players of all body sizes holding a reversed speaking trumpet should now appear visually correct when observed by other players.
  
• After climbing inside the Notorious Reaper Cannons, other players should now see the player nestled snugly in the cannon.
  
• Siren Leaders in Siren Treasuries now play their death animation effects when defeated.
  
• ‘The Sunken Pearl’ – The stone face waterfalls no longer have water visual effects pouring out of the side of the statues.

• When using ‘Let Games Read to Me’, the start screen should now be fully narrated.

• Server stability has been improved, reducing scenarios where crews are removed from a game session.

• In areas of intense action, players may find themselves firing shots or landing strikes that do not cause damage to their targets. While small improvements continue to be delivered during our regular updates, we are continuing to investigate and identify further improvements to the player combat experience.

To learn more about known issues in Sea of Thieves currently being tracked and their status, head over to our Known Issues support site article.

Download size:
Steam: 9.2 GB

The open ocean has always been a dangerous place to navigate thanks to the ever-present threat of sea monsters and skeleton ships, but things have gotten even more treacherous in recent days. This is thanks largely to the sudden arrival of six new Sea Forts – imposing bastions packed with Phantoms eager to take pot-shots at passing pirates.

The arrival of these ghostly garrisons was foreshadowed in the events of ‘Shrouded Islands’, Sea of Thieves’ first story-driven Adventure. Before we explore what these Sea Forts might mean for Flameheart’s future, it’s worth recalling how they came to be…

The sudden onset of an ominous fog across the Sea of Thieves was bound to draw comment sooner rather than later – particularly from visitors to Golden Sands Outpost, who learned that the once-tranquil trading point had been laid waste and its residents were nowhere to be seen.

This supernatural smog also drew the attention of a long-awaited arrival on the seas: Belle, known to many as a Legend of the Deep, arrived on the scene soon after. As someone with unfathomable knowledge of the Sea of the Damned, Belle is determined to prevent the likes of Captain Flameheart from using that ethereal realm for their own ends.


Pirates dispatched by Belle to investigate these shrouded islands found themselves at Shipwreck Bay, a landmark that’s gloomy enough at the best of times. Lanterns furnished with the Flame of Souls revealed moments from the past – more specifically, an occult ritual by masked Phantoms loyal to The Reaper’s Bones.

Leading these renegades was none other than the Servant of the Flame, confessing a familial tie to Flameheart (and putting an end to some long-standing arguments in the process). While they’ve always stood firmly against the established Trading Companies, the Reapers have now begun moving to more actively assist Flameheart in his plans for conquest. Like father, like son, it would seem.

The purpose of the Reapers’ rituals became clear when crews ignited an oversized brazier at Shipwreck Bay, summoning forth a Soulflame Captain – a figure thought by most to be nothing more than a myth. Pirates were all too eager to take up arms against this new threat, which unfortunately proved to be rather foolhardy…

The Soulflame Captain was intended to be a sacrifice rather than a soldier; its destruction released energies that briefly bridged the divide between two worlds. Flameheart took full advantage of this event to bring forth his Sea Forts, created from the memories of those who dwell within the Sea of the Damned, and manifest them permanently in the land of the living.



With the Sea Forts in place and their soldiers pledging allegiance to Flameheart, the fog cloaking those afflicted islands has mostly vanished, although Golden Sands remains as stubbornly shrouded as ever. Unwilling to leave the Outpost’s denizens to an unknown fate, Belle has continued her search and has an idea of their location at last.

Pirates will soon have reasons other than riches to face the Phantom hordes, for it’s in the newly manifested Sea Forts that the hapless captives have been imprisoned. If they’re not saved from the intimidating Phantom Jailor and those he serves, Wonda and her neighbours are sure to face a sticky end before too long.

Pirate crews looking to enact a daring rescue (not to mention earn an exclusive Memento from this Adventure) should sharpen their swords and prepare themselves to lay siege in ‘Forts of the Forgotten’, running from March 24th to April 7th. After all, who knows what useful information Flameheart’s prisoners might have gathered during their time in captivity…?

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Previously
Adventures Ahead: ‘Shrouded Islands’

Season Six is here, and we hope you’re all enjoying taking on Sea Forts and uncovering the secrets stashed within! As is now the tradition around the launch of a new Seasonal release, we’re entering the diving bell and heading beneath the waves for a deeper dive into its headline features – and Sea Forts are the main attraction this time with their unique soundscapes, Phantom guards and exciting architecture for pirates to marvel at, when they aren’t busy stealing anything that isn’t nailed down.

Acting as your guides for this latest video sortie are an intrepid crew covering the disciplines of design, music and art, all eager to add detail to what you can expect when firing up this Season. Give it a watch!


With the aim of Sea Forts being to add a new, on-demand experience that helps those seeking snappier Sea of Thieves activities, the goal was to fill these derelict fortifications with as much stuff as possible in order to make each visit compelling. Some bonus background insights? Let’s do it. Senior Designer George Orton puts it best:

“Pulled through from the Sea of the Damned, our new Sea Forts offered us a chance to freshen up the sandbox a bit. We were particularly excited to build these encounters with a shorter experience in mind. Creating a ‘snackable’ combat encounter that still rewards players with a healthy amount of loot makes these Sea Forts a natural first objective at the start of a longer session, or a truly tempting proposition when you’re sailing past on your way to another adventure.”

But how do you make these spaces interesting? Tons of interactables! From opening creaky cupboards to find loot or using the Fort’s lifts to transport treasure, there’s plenty to mess around with once you exorcise the Phantom inhabitants:

“Creating environments filled with interactivity was always at the heart of the design. We’re excited to see players truly embrace the raiding of these Forts by rummaging through cupboards, crates and chests as they search for the inhabitants’ well-hidden treasures! We made sure that each Fort has a wide spread of hidden stash locations, as well as making each Fort’s placement unique, so that every raid feels fresh and every storage space is filled with potential.”



Sea Forts also provide a new sonic space for pirates, with each Fort having its own soundscape for players to get lost in. With bugs buzzing, doors creaking and the ethereal sound of each Fort’s bell, they’re great playgrounds for experimenting with new sounds, as Senior Sound Designer Katie Tarrant attests:

“Season Six has been great fun to work on – I always love adding new areas to explore in Sea of Thieves and taking those from a silent space to an environment that’s brimming with new sounds to listen to. The Forts have a very different vibe to them when they’re riddled with Phantoms compared to when the Phantoms have been vanquished, and I’ve loved adding in plenty of little details so that every time you visit one of these Forts, you’ll notice something a bit different.

“I’m hoping that players will enjoy the Forts both as a replayable combat experience and as a new social space where they can spend time together with their crew. I’d love players to have a listen to the different ambiences and ear snacks throughout the Forts, and take a guess at the audio source we used for each one!”

And who could forget the new music? With these Sea Forts having their origins in the Spanish Navy, it was only natural that the soundtrack should have a distinctly Spanish flavour, with flamenco guitars and that bright trumpet sound. Talking to Robin Beanland, Music Director and composer of the Season Six music, we found out that it wasn’t actually a trumpet that was used…

“I really, really enjoyed writing the music for this update. Not just because it uses one of the best sounds in the world (a snare drum with the snare off) but I also got to have a bit of a rinse on my Flumpet… yes, you read that correctly, it’s actually a Flumpet – a hybrid of a flugelhorn and a trumpet. But seriously, it was really nice to be able to introduce some different flavour and instrumentation to the Sea of Thieves soundtrack, while keeping it bedded in the Sea of Thieves universe.”



With Phantoms staffing the six Sea Forts, there also needed to be some keen consideration to making these highly mobile enemies fun to fight in enclosed spaces. As George explains, it took some jiggerypokery to get the combat experience to a sweet spot that’s challenging but not overwhelming:

“Balancing our Phantom enemies was an interesting challenge for this new encounter. We always aimed for these to be ‘new player friendly’, which meant making some changes to their spectral behaviour and slightly reducing their health. This has had a wicked effect on the feel of combat as players are now able to crunch through individual Phantoms like popcorn, making each victory extremely satisfying.

“We also had to be very careful with introducing Phantom encounters in such a tight and claustrophobic environment. This required careful tweaks to their teleport behaviour to ensure the right balance between being an understandable and readable enemy, and the player not feeling overwhelmed by too many rapidly approaching angry ghosts.

“We learned a lot from making these changes, and will be looking to expand them to the Phantoms out there in the wider world in some form in the future!”

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Thanks to everyone for those additional insights! Season Six is out now, with an in-depth set of release notes and a heaping helping of new items in the Pirate Emporium – including a brand new Plunder Pass. If you want to know what other exciting additions are coming this Season, make sure you watch the Sea of Thieves social channels: that’s Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, Twitch, TikTok and the official Forums and Discord server. See you out on the seas, pirates!