Deep below the surface of the Sea of Thieves, the coral-crusted Sunken Kingdom has always been a place of mystery and wonder – not to mention great dangers. September’s time-limited Adventure, ‘The Sirens’ Prize’, will challenge players to navigate its undersea labyrinths and treacherous shipwreck spires in search of stolen treasures.

The object of your quest: three Ancient artefacts required for a mysterious ritual that will empower the Pirate Lord’s allies to stand their ground in the face of an upcoming resurrection. These relics were claimed by the Sirens as trophies long ago, and will be jealously guarded against any intruders from the surface world. Fortunately, this is not a journey you’ll need to undertake alone...




Whispers of strange sightings at Plunder Valley stretch far beyond mere rumours. Representatives of the Ancients, who inhabited the Sea of Thieves countless generations ago and whose influence can still be felt today thanks to their many ruins, traps and curses, have recently begun to take an interest in the affairs of their former homestead. For the first time in untold years, they are making their presence known.

Pirate Legends who’ve conquered the Legend of the Veil Voyage will already know that the Ancients can be formidable fighters. In ‘The Sirens’ Prize’, crews with enquiring minds (and a talent for holding their breath) will get the chance to spend more time in the Ancients’ company, learning much about their motives and the eventual fate of a truly enigmatic society.


Once your foray into aquatic archaeology has been completed, the stage will be set for a ritual high atop a stormy cliffside, reuniting the treasures at last. This supernatural spectacular will light up the horizon and is bound to attract attention from Flameheart’s followers, along with anyone else who’d rather see the Pirate Lord remain an underdog in the battles to come.

If you’re new to this continuing conflict between the allies of Athena’s Fortune and those who serve The Reaper’s Bones, fear not – the latest in our series of Adventures Ahead articles will bring you up to speed on a story that most recently detoured into the Sea of the Damned. Once you’re in the know, you’ll be more than ready to plunge into ‘The Sirens’ Prize’ by speaking to Larinna at any point between now and September 29. The Sirens are waiting for you...




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 Steam. 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, get familiar with Who’s Who or pick up some gameplay 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 here, or join the ongoing adventure at http://www.seaofthieves.com/ where you can embark on an epic journey with one of gaming’s most welcoming communities!

As Season Seven continues, the team have been working on the next time-limited Adventure along with additional fixes based on feedback from the community. We’re introducing more of this content to the game in today’s release, update 2.6.1.1.

For more information on all the new content that arrived in Season Seven, check out the launch release notes!


Merrick may be free from the Dark Brethren, but other threats persist across the Sea of Thieves – and Belle has now made a deeply unsettling discovery. Time to venture beneath the waves in search of Ancient Treasures in this seventh time-limited Adventure!

‘The Sirens’ Prize’ (September 15th – September 29th)

• Belle has been on the trail of a particularly disturbing rumour, and has unearthed information about an approaching “Time of Resurrection”.
  
• Fearing the worst, she decides new alliances must be made and sets a plan in motion – a plan that will once again require the most fearless pirates to join her cause.
  
• Speak to Larinna to begin this new Adventure, before heading to meet Belle at Plunder Valley. Then prepare for an undersea journey through well-defended Siren Shrines, seeking invaluable artefacts from an age long gone...
  
• Pirates who fully complete this Adventure will earn an exclusive Title and a cosmetic reward to serve as a Memento of their quest.

Captains of Adventure Milestones

• Players reaching Class 50 in any Pirate Alignment will now unlock the achievement entitled A Professional Pirate. Players who had already reached Class 50 in an Alignment prior to this update will just need to raise the Class again to trigger the achievement.
  
• Players reaching Class 50 in any Ship Alignment will now unlock the achievement entitled A Seasoned Ship. Players who had already reached Class 50 in an Alignment prior to this update will just need to raise the Class again to trigger the achievement.

Pirate Emporium

• When browsing the Pirate Emporium, the Mandrake Costume now shows the correct artwork.

Legend of the Veil Shipwreck Graveyards Temporarily Disabled

• Following reports of server instability and potential economy impact, crews taking on a Legend of the Veil Voyage will temporarily no longer find themselves directed to a Shipwreck Graveyard as part of their Voyage. The team are working on a resolution and intend to return this experience in a future update.

Saved Ship Customisations Not Persisting

• Captains may find that saved customisations such as ship liveries and decorations do not always persist between sessions.

Reduced Server Performance

• Players may experience scenarios where they encounter ping spikes at random while playing, resulting in rubberbanding or client stutters. While improvements were most recently released in update 2.5.3, the team continue to work on further improvements for future updates.

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: 4.05 GB

The cannons have silenced, the portals have closed and the Veil of the Ancients has once again been hidden away. Thanks to the valiant efforts of pirate crews willing to venture into the Sea of the Damned and save Merrick, the Dark Brethren have been routed and their plans left in disarray.

Belle insists that Merrick knows more than even he realises, and while it’s still not clear what information the Brethren hoped to gain from their pugnacious prisoner, his interrogation appears to have been interrupted just in time. But where does all this leave our luckless Hunter – and who else might have taken advantage of recent events to further their own schemes?


Merrick’s more familiar than most with the many perils of the pirate’s life, having lost several limbs in a mighty battle against a terrifying Megalodon aboard his ship, the Killer Whale. (His eye, conversely, was claimed by a particularly aggressive parrot, but that’s not a story he tells as often.)

This reckless streak caused no end of domestic strain between Merrick, his spouse Serik and their extended family, but reconciliation proved possible when Merrick settled down at a Seapost to represent The Hunter’s Call and live out the rest of his days as an unassuming trader. At least until Belle came calling…

Time spent sailing alongside the old salt during the events of ‘The Shrouded Deep’ has convinced Belle that Merrick either knows, or gleaned from their conversations, more than he should. It was certainly knowledge worth killing for, as the Dark Brethren tasked Amaranta with ending Merrick’s life and casting him to the Sea of the Damned, where her cohorts were waiting to ensnare him.




Unwilling to let Merrick’s secrets fall into the wrong ears, the Pirate Lord was convinced to make use of the Veil of the Ancients – a powerful relic that Merrick himself had helped to recover. With it, he opened passage into the Sea of the Damned, allowing courageous crews to set sail and lay siege to the Dark Brethren’s new hideout: a warped and twisted manifestation of the Sea Dog Tavern laced with devious mechanisms. It’s never been harder to order a grog.

By taking control of nearby beacons and using them to light a path, Merrick’s benefactors made it to the summit and forced a frustrated Warsmith to withdraw empty-handed. Yet with her parting shot, she swore that the Brethren would torment Merrick and his loved ones for as long as he lived. So for his family’s sake, Merrick decided not to board the Ferry of the Damned and regain his flesh-and-blood form, choosing to shun the mortal coil and leave his family behind.

Taking pity, the Pirate Lord has since arranged accommodation for the spectral Merrick that keeps him well out of harm’s way – although, so far as the larger Sea of Thieves is concerned, the forsaken fisherman never did make it home. One question remains, however: where, in the midst of this daring rescue and its bittersweet aftermath, was Belle herself?




Some insight into that lingering conundrum is offered by ‘The Sirens’ Prize’ cinematic trailer, which suggests Belle’s attention has been occupied by a different danger altogether. The Dark Brethren are not the only group plotting to shape the seas to their own liking, and while the Pirate Lord’s allies have been locking horns with the Warsmith, foes like Captain Flameheart have been able to advance their plans without hindrance.

Caution and suspicion led Belle to place Merrick’s safety in pirate hands, and guided her to a tome which alluded to an approaching ‘Time of Resurrection’. Even the threat of such an event taking place was more than enough to send Belle plunging below the waves in search of aid – though who exactly she intends on seeking help from, and what the cost might be, remains to be seen.

With a portentous prophecy now looming over the Sea of Thieves, and whispers of Heralds and rituals beginning to circulate, it can only be a matter of time before pirates find themselves embroiled in more intrigue ahead of a brewing confrontation… one that fate itself seems to have declared inevitable.

You’ll be able to dive into the next chapter of our ongoing story when ‘The Sirens’ Prize’ launches on September 15th, with your window of opportunity lasting until September 29th. Mystery and history await, but be on your guard – on the Sea of Thieves, it can be difficult to forge alliances without also making enemies…

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Adventures Ahead: ‘A Hunter’s Cry’
Adventures Ahead: ‘The Forsaken Hunter’
Adventures Ahead: ‘Lost Sands’
Adventures Ahead: ‘The Shrouded Deep’
Adventures Ahead: ‘Forts of the Forgotten’
Adventures Ahead: ‘Shrouded Islands’

Another Season! Sunny number Seven took its time in arriving, but when it did it was a big one, delivering on the Captaincy fantasy that many players have been holding out for since launch. Whether you've been finding your favourite Trinkets or pursuing other achievements in our humble pirate game, we hope you've been doing it with commitment, charisma and only the classiest of ship names announcing your approach.

The Season Seven update made landfall on August 4th, making possible all the perks of Captaincy including Ship's Crests and interior customisation, Captain's Voyages, Logbooks, Milestones, the services of the newly arrived Sovereigns and plenty more. The release notes in all their scrolltastic detail can fill you in on the whole deal, along with new features outside the Captaincy feature set (like the portable stools which arguably deserved to headline a Season of their own).

But lore waits for no pirate, and the sixth time-limited Adventure 'A Hunter's Cry' soon swooped in to span the second half of the month, sending pirates on a smash-and-grab mission into the Sea of the Damned to disrespect the Dark Brethren and bring back Merrick. Which sort of worked out for him in the end, especially after some mid-Adventure tweaks to smooth the way for his would-be rescuers.

At the same time, developments in the Mystery of DeMarco's death were gathering speed, with clues from a wrecked ship seeming to point the finger at a shocking suspect, before a series of visions retrieved from skulls brought about another twist in the tale – so how much of the story that pirates have been told is really true? Find out soon as the final revelations unfold...


News stories naturally followed a similar pattern throughout August: the Season Seven launch article and Xbox Wire post at the start of the month, then the Adventures Ahead article setting the scene for 'A Hunter's Cry' and a Wire post of its own on launch day. A thoughtful feedback-driven rebalancing of Milestones also earned its own article in the week after launch.

But the real world also began to rudely interrupt in August as in-person gaming events picked up pace again, with a Sea of Thieves contingent setting sail (they may have actually flown but that's less on-brand) to Germany for Gamescom 2022. There was a formal schedule and everything, and many photos were taken for your entertainment. We even had bespoke T-shirt designs made for the crew and for anyone else to order if they fancied one for themselves.

To accentuate enjoyment of the game in other ways, the second Sea of Thieves novel Heart of Fire settled onto slightly scorched shelves at last, more music from the game was released in the form of 'Captains of Adventure: Sunrise', and Fangamer also magicked up some new piratey finery. Plus there was a trio of new Spotlight articles inviting you to meet more of your fellow seafarers: artsy meme queen Nomezilla, story-loving Spanish streamer NateaCuiki and long-time community legend Sir Lotus.




A busy month for the Video team, from the Season Seven trailer on the 1st all the way through to the latest episode of Sea of Thieves News on the 31st – a feast for lovers of foxes, folios (well, novels) and Adventure announcements. Between those two dates we took the traditional Deep Dive into the features boasted by a brand new Season, delivered brooding cinematic and rousing launch trailers for August's own Adventure, and stoked the arcane apparatus of Twitch Drops to offer free cosmetics to stream viewers not once but twice.

Video releases were our main export from Gamescom too, with plans to record an 'on location' edition of the official podcast brought about in the merciful shade of a Cologne bridge, hot on the heels of a live show floor panel appearance the day before. Dip in to either of those to find out how the team felt to be back at a live event for the first time since 2019, hear them try to succinctly sum up what's happened in the last three years and get some insights into the future of our story-driven Adventures…


Sea of Thieves' social channels are a bounteous blend of things in the opening weeks of a new Season: callouts of new features and how they work (like Milestones, Alignments and Logbooks), behind-the-scenes material (including concept art) and bonus bits of lore (like Mollie's thoughts on the Sovereigns), and serious to semi-serious tools for maximising enjoyment of everything that's new (like stream overlays and a ship name generator).

But that doesn't mean the usual antics have to be taken out of play, as our Community Hub recognised two new batches of special Hat recipients in August, while #SoTShot contests gave us worthy sets of winners on the Going Underground theme before teeing up a new contest on the theme of Captaincy. The regular #TriviaTuesday, #SundayVibes and #SoTGear tags also revelled in all the new content… and yes, of course we mined Captaincy's features for a colourful array of occasion-based memes. Hitting half a million Twitter followers also let us mark a tidy little milestone of our own.




And you're up to date! Now stay true to your Captaincy journey under the changeable skies of autumn, and this time next month we'll take a look back at what came sweeping in during September, including the next phase of Adventures and Belle's ongoing love of rituals. Or you can get updates more regularly than once a month by following Sea of Thieves on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, YouTube or Twitch, or by mingling in the Forums or Discord. Go on, mingle like nobody's watching. You're a Captain now, who's going to stop you?

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Previously in 2022:

Sea of Thieves Round-Up: July 2022
Sea of Thieves Round-Up: June 2022
Sea of Thieves Round-Up: May 2022
Sea of Thieves Round-Up: April 2022
Sea of Thieves Round-Up: March 2022
Sea of Thieves Round-Up: February 2022
Sea of Thieves Round-Up: January 2022

It’s time to suit up and get ready for the first Style of Thieves Seasonal competition with our handy rundown of everything you need to know. Read on to find out when you can enter, what the first set of themes will be and how to cast your vote. Plus we have some top tips on taking the best screenshot that might just help you win some fancy new gloves!


The contest will run in three phases:

Theme AnnouncementEach Season, we'll unveil four themes to inspire your outfit choices. We recommend getting started as soon as the categories are announced, since you won't have long to send us your screenshots! To pick an outfit you can contemplate your current clothing collection, raid the equipment shop or work through Renown levels ahead of each submission date so you're ready to snap and send when the time comes.

Get Your Photos In!

Each theme will have its own set submission day to enter, giving you 24 hours to ensure you share your screenshot using @SeaOfThieves and #StyleOfThieves on Twitter, Instagram or Facebook, or through the pirate-fashion channel in the official Sea of Thieves Discord. Be sure to include the name of the theme you’re entering in your post.

Some rules and tips for composing the perfect shot:

• No all-in-one Costumes on the catwalk – we want to see your creativity and individuality.
  
• Unless a theme calls for it, all shots should be solo snaps, not crews. Additionally, only the pirate in the picture will be eligible for the prize.
  
• Find a simple or plain background to pose against, let your outfit pop!
  
• Toggle off your HUD for that clean finish.
  
• Keep your screenshots true to the game – there should be no editing or filters used.

Cast Your Vote

Our crew will shortlist their favourite entries in each category, then share them in a Twitter thread on the voting day allocated to that theme. Then it’s time for you to cast your votes, hitting like on your favourite shot, with the three most liked entries taking the top spots.

We’ll announce the winners both on our social platforms and right here in an update to this article. Up for grabs are the Fashionista's Finery Gloves, a must-have accoutrement for any model marauder! We will award three winners per theme, for a total of 12 pairs of gloves handed out per contest.




So now that we’ve mapped out the process, it’s time to unveil the inaugural themes and dates for your diaries! The entry period for each theme will start at 10am UTC and run for 24 hours.

CaptaincyEntry date: September 20th, 2022
Voting date: September 27th, 2022

Gold
Entry date: September 21st, 2022
Voting date: September 28th, 2022

Spooky Season
Entry date: September 22nd, 2022
Voting date: September 29th, 2022

Cosplay
Entry date: September 23rd, 2022
Voting date: September 30th, 2022

Remember: a single day to submit your shot for each theme, then in the following week, a single day to vote for your favourites from each theme’s shortlist. Keep an eye on our social channels in early October when we’ll reveal all the winners!

There you have it: everything you need to know about the new Style of Thieves social contest. If you’d like to be sporting a new and shiny pair of gloves yourself, start raiding your wardrobe and grabbing some screenshots so you’re ready for kickoff!

Buckle up, pirates! The next Sea of Thieves Community Day has been marked in the schedule, and it’s set to be an absolutely storming celebration of piratical antics and community creativity. It’s coming up quickly on the horizon, too – kicking off at 10am UTC on Saturday, September 17th and lasting a full 24 hours. And it’s nestled into the heart of wider Talk Like A Pirate Day celebrations taking place across a long weekend, meaning that there’s even more than usual up for grabs!

As always with our Community Days (just check out Season Six and Five’s efforts), we strive to go bigger and better every time – and this one’s especially glittering, with the promise of some significant shinies to capitalise on throughout the course of the day’s events. So, now you know when it is, let’s get into what’s involved…

Alright folks, you know the drill. But if you don’t, we’re here to recap it for you anyway. As we have done for the last couple of Community Days, we’re putting in-game rewards in your hands: all you need to do to make yourself herd is use #SeaofThievesCommunityDay on Twitter from 10am UTC on the day, and you’ll contribute to raising the overall Community Emissary Grade.

As with our in-game Emissary system, there are five Emissary Grades for keen corsairs to climb – with the final Grade unlocking a sweet multiplier that gives everyone two-and-a-half times the amount of gold and reputation for their loot! As the usual Gold Rush periods are switched off for the day’s celebrations, once that final Emissary grade is unlocked, you can hand in for maximum value whenever you like – no need to hoard it.

Season Seven’s Community Day will also have a generous fixed boost on Renown for players wanting to power through Season Seven’s 100 levels of progression and unlock all those rewards, so there’s lots to play for!


It's not just gold, reputation and Renown ready for the taking on this special day, either. Once you fine folks hit that fifth and final Community Emissary Grade, you’ll also inspire a surge of Ancient Skeleton spawns. Yes, that’s right: for the first time ever, we’ll be standing ready to actively increase the number of Ancient Skeletons clinking around the Sea of Thieves!

Pirates on our seas will see a notable increase in these Ancient Coin-dropping creatures scurrying around island shores as soon as that final cumulative Grade is hit – so when it’s live, make sure you keep an eye on our Community Day hub page to monitor the community’s progress towards that goal.

If you manage to score some Ancient Coins on the day, the good news is that you can make them go even further with a Talk Like A Pirate Day sale in the Pirate Emporium. From September 15th-20th, a collection of fetching premium goods will have their prices slashed for your perusal and purchasing. A whole hoard of emotes will be on sale, and for those starry-eyed pirates out there, the beautiful Lodestar Ship Bundle will also be heavily discounted – so you can get all the twinkle for a lot less of the price. Perfect.

While we’re on the subject of cut-price bargains, it’d be remiss of us to not mention that the Rare merchandise store will be getting in on the festivities too. All Sea of Thieves-themed items will be eligible for a nifty 30% discount for the duration of Community Day, to all thrifty pirates who remember to use the COMMUNITYDAY discount code at the checkout.

Included in this sale will be some very special swag, as Season Seven’s one-day-only Community Day T-shirt and physical Community Day flag hit the store for an extremely limited time. With this promotion only active for one day, you’ll need to be speedy to secure your shopping list, so we suggest sliding on over to the store to see if there’s anything else that takes your fancy ahead of time. Don’t be shy, you deserve it – treat yo’self!




As Community Day takes place during our Talk Like A Pirate Day celebrations, there are plenty of opportunities to increase the contents of your various Sea of Thieves inventories. If you log in between September 15th and September 20th, you’ll find that the Arrrgh! Emote drops straight into your Vanity Chest – and if you swing by the Pirate Emporium at the same time, the Ranting Rogue Emote will be yours to pick up for free too.

If these aren’t enough to express your Talking Like a Pirate skills, we also recommend you swing by your nearest Merchant Alliance representative during that time. They can endow you with a superb box of celebratory fireworks to send up into the night sky. This box of sky-friendly sparkles will be available from September 15th to September 20th, so don’t forget to pick up your collection of shimmering signals when you play.

Of course, Community Day has its very own login bonus: the Season Seven Community Day Flag. Hoist this autumnal-flavoured flag high on the day to show fellow seafarers you’re in the know about the celebratory shenanigans. You’ll need to ensure you log in between September 17th (10am UTC) and September 18th (10am UTC) to secure the item as a permanent fixture in your Flag Box.

For those of you who love to watch Sea of Thieves streams: you’re in luck too, because tuning in to any participating Sea of Thieves creator on Twitch during Community Day could see you sailing away with the Gilded Phoenix Hull. Just link your accounts, watch a participating streamer playing for an hour to unlock your reward, and don’t forget to claim it within 24 hours! If you’re not already signed up to our Twitch Drops programme, or you need a quick recap of how it all works, make sure you swing by our dedicated Twitch Drops page.

If you can’t decide which creator to watch, Sea of Thieves TV itself will be broadcasting a special show that puts you, our viewers, in charge of the action. We’ll challenge the chat to steer our guests’ ship as they tackle everything a Sea of Thieves session has to throw at them – so we hope you can be trusted to make the right decisions! And if they’re not the right decisions, we hope they’re at least entertaining ones.




If you think either you or one of your crewmates deserves fame and a particularly fetching hat, look no further as #BeMorePirate returns in a supercharged fashion for Community Day. This is a day to celebrate our amazing artists, players, creators and community MVPs – so as is customary, we’ll be scouring our channels and the #BeMorePirate hashtag for amazing Sea of Thieves stories, from now until the end of the big day. Worthy winners will be awarded the Hat of Unfeasibly Glorious Fame, so get your submissions in soon to see if your antics warrant your pirate’s bonce being crowned with such a special bonnet.

Hat’s not all, folks – you may remember that last Community Day we revealed a new competition for Sea of Thieves’ fashionistas: Style of Thieves. The first Style of Thieves competition will kick off later this month, with details of how to enter arriving next week, so stay tuned to find out how you could bag yourself the flamboyant finery on offer to well-dressed corsairs every Season. To reacquaint yourselves with our Style of Thieves plan, head to this handy recap on our website – and in the meantime, make sure your pirates’ wardrobes are ready for the contest about to ensue.

If you’re already a part of our amazing community of pirates, we can’t wait to welcome you in for a day of celebrating what makes our seas so special: you. But if you’re new to Sea of Thieves or thinking about diving in for the very first time, Community Day – with its gifts and combined goals and players sharing some amazing efforts – is the perfect opportunity to take a chance on the sea. So set sail for adventure on September 17th, see what’s going on out there on the waves and maybe come back with a whole new crew of friends.

We're heading into the second month of Season Seven with foxes in the Emporium and fixes far and wide. Yes, new pets form part of our fresh Pirate Emporium offerings, while elements of Captaincy and beyond get serviced with improvements and adjustments. If you missed last month’s Seasonal debut, let the full trailer fill you in!


There's still time to brush up on last month’s momentous release notes too, but if you’re already acquainted, let’s push ahead with what’s new right now...

Those foxes you spotted in the Season Seven artwork have arrived! And as these new pets proliferate across the seas, the Emporium also offers a Mandrake collection comprising a ship set, costume, weapon bundle and speaking trumpet, plus emotes for Admirals and axe enthusiasts...

Season Seven Plunder Pass

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

What Does the Fox Say?

• Head to the Pirate Emporium to pick up a wily new fox sidekick! These clever critters provide a perfect pirate partnership. Players can pick from five varieties of fox: Auburn, Snowdrift, Veiled, Slate or Shoreline.

Mandrake Ship Collection

• This ship set will appeal to anyone with a green thumb and love of the eerie side of nature. In addition to the main bundle, a very snappy Collector’s Figurehead and Collector’s Sails can be purchased separately.
  
• A Mandrake Essential Ship Bundle is also on offer, including just the core ship cosmetics at a discount.

Mandrake Costume

• Half human, half plant, all deadly – form a bond with the mysterious Mandrake plant by wrapping up in this leafy outfit.
  
• While wearing the Mandrake Costume, players can perform the Personal Growth Emote.

Mandrake Speaking Trumpet

• Pirates swear that this bristly speaking trumpet is whispering for someone to feed it.

Mandrake Weapons

• Every rose has its thorn, and these spiky weapons also have blades and barrels.

Admiral Weapon Pose Emotes

• Posture like a regal Admiral by employing these efficient emotes.

Axe Me Anything Emote Bundle

• Live out your lumberjack fantasy with a set of tricks relying heavily on axe-handling agility.

Torch Twister Emote

• Show off your circus background and fearlessness around fire with this sizzling emote.

Freebie Reluctant Wave Emote

• A coy little hand wave that might be covering a deep reluctance to get trapped in a conversation with someone.

Beautiful but Deadly Bundle (Store Only)

• Available only from the Steam Store, this bundle contains the Mandrake Costume, Speaking Trumpet and Weapon Bundle, 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.

Baleful Bloom Costume Emote Change

• With the Baleful Bloom Costume equipped, Season Seven Plunder Pass owners can now perform the Petal Storm Emote as designed. The previously included Torch Twister Emote was not intended to be part of this costume.
  
• However, owners of this costume who enjoyed the Torch Twister Emote will still be given the use of this emote at any time via their Vanity Chest (please allow a few days for this to appear). All other players will be able to purchase it separately from the Pirate Emporium.

Captain’s Stash Voyages

• A set of new Captain’s Voyages has landed in the shipwright’s shop: Captain’s Stash Voyages. These give Captains and their crew the chance to find a range of items and crates that will prove useful to any professional pirates out there on the Sea of Thieves.
  
• Players have a chance to find Resource Crates, Firebomb Crates, Ammo Crates, Gunpowder Barrels, Tridents, Ashen Winds Skulls and even emergent Voyages.

Previously Disabled Milestones

• Captains and their Crew can now earn progress towards a number of previously unavailable Player and Ship Milestones:
  
• Completing Quest Board Maps now progresses the Quest Board Maps Completed Ship and Pirate Milestones.
  
• Discovering Captained Ships now progresses the Captained Ships Spotted Ship and Pirate Milestones.
  
• Selling items to The Hunter’s Call now progresses the Provisions Sold to The Hunter’s Call Ship and Pirate Milestones.
  
• Ransacking Sea Forts now progresses the Sea Forts Conquered Ship and Pirate Milestones.
  
• Performing essential ship maintenance now progresses the Repairs Made Pirate Milestone.

Skeletons Vanquished Milestones

• An issue was identified causing the Skeletons Vanquished Pirate Milestone and Skeletons Vanquished by Crew Ship Milestone to progress faster than intended with larger crews. While this issue has now been resolved, with update 2.6.1 the individual tallies have been reset to ensure the totals are correct for all players moving forward.

Twitch Drops

• Continue to unlock even more cosmetics throughout Season Seven 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 Eastern Winds Sapphire items. Find out how to link your accounts and more on our dedicated Twitch Drops page.

Hit Registration Networking Improvements

• Networking improvements have been made to the location and timing of player shots, providing a small improvement to hit registration for ranged weapons when firing at players on islands.

Sunken Merfolk Statues

• Crews storing treasure in Sunken Merfolk Statues while beneath the waves will find upon surfacing that the friendly merfolk now appear closer to the ship for easier treasure retrieval.

Feed the Pigs!

• Captured pigs will now take a little longer before becoming hungry, and the time before these hungry pigs subsequently perish has also been increased.

Gameplay

• The Breath of the Sea can now be found on the plinth in the Shrine of the Coral Tomb after completing the intended actions.
  
• While fishing, nameplates now appear on any caught novelty items and if narration is enabled will also be narrated.

Captains of Adventure

• Players will no longer be able to delete items that are placed inside Collector’s Chests while holding another Captain’s Logbook.
  
• Captain’s Voyages can now be discarded from the Captain’s Bookshelf and will no longer return when starting another Captained session.
  
• As Captains set sail in a new gameplay session, they will now find that the ship’s history in the Captain’s Logbook shows the correct value for Days at Sea.
  
• Players will now experience a cooldown time when buying supplies from the shipwright at Dagger Tooth Outpost.
  
• Captains sailing on Steam should no longer receive a notification that the Captain has left the crew when the Captain is still present.
  
• The ship’s name will now appear correctly when proposing a Voyage on the Captain’s Table.
  
• Players who join a Captained session in progress will now be able to see other Ship Banners when viewing other ships.
  
• When multiple crew members equip different Ship Banners, now only the last selected will be displayed.
  
• The Ship Banner that players receive when they equip a new banner will no longer play while they are still in the Customisation Chest.
  
• The correct sails applied to the ship will now be displayed within the Ship’s Log menu.
  
• The correct audio effects can now be heard when saving items within the Ship Customisation Chest.
  
• Scrolls on the Captain’s Bookshelf will no longer disappear from view after migrating across servers.
  
• If a Captain leaves the game, one of the crew members will no longer show as the Captain in the Logbook.
  
• Mermaids should no longer appear near the Sovereign marquee at Plunder and Sanctuary Outposts when players approach the edge of the Island.
  
• After an Uncaptained ship sinks and is recovered, the Ship Customisation Chest and Flag Box will no longer show saved icons from the previous Captained session.
  
• The Voyage Complete banners will now only appear when a Cargo Run Voyage has actually been completed and not when the player is picking up the cargo required.
  
• Players should no longer experience a delay when interacting with the Captain’s Logbook while travelling through the Tunnels of the Damned for the first time.
  
• Players disabling ‘Auto-vote on Voyage Proposal’ will now find that proposing a Captain’s Voyage will no longer auto-vote on the Voyage.
  
• Completing the Captain's Voyage entitled A Commission of the Ancient Veil now counts towards the True Legend Commendation.
  
• Lunging with a sword at the Captain’s Table and then trying to interact with the Captain’s Logbook will no longer cause players’ vision to become blocked.
  
• Ship names using special characters now display the correct capitalisation on ship announcement banners.
  
• The Trinket spot on the wall of a Galleon’s lower deck no longer overlaps with a hull damage point.
  
• Captains selecting the ‘Sea of Thieves: A Pirate's Life’ option from the front end will now arrive near the Castaway.
  
• Athena’s Fortune treasure can now be consistently recovered from a Commission of Ashen Fortune Voyage.
  
• Sovereign Barnaby’s dialogue has been updated to use the intended text.
  
• Players’ ship names will no longer appear on another crew’s Voyage proposal.
  
• Ship names should now be more easily read when bright ship cosmetics are applied.
  
• The Voyage entitled A Prized Merchant Alliance Commission now displays the correct icon.
  
• The chains that appear over locked content now show up as intended.
  
• Players experiencing an unsuccessful ship purchase will no longer be returned to the Ship Type selection screen.
  
• Captains with a customised Logbook will continue to find their Logbook displaying correctly after migrating across servers.
  
• Players should no longer become locked in place when exiting the Ship Customisation Chest via the ‘view’ option on a controller.
  
• Sound effects can now be heard when players place, remove, nudge or straighten Trinkets in ships and taverns.

Captains of Adventure – Milestones

• Some Milestones no longer progress more than intended when multiple crew members are in the session.
  
• Completing Skeleton Forts will no longer incorrectly update the Fort of the Damned Completed Milestones.
  
• Repeatedly burying and digging up one piece of loot will no longer help players to achieve Quest Board Maps Milestones faster than intended.
  
• Completing ‘The Legendary Storyteller’ Tall Tale will now update the correct Milestones.
  
• The Krakens Defeated Milestone can now be earned by fellow crew members.
  
• The Treasures Sold Milestones will now update correctly and consistently for both the Captain and crew.
  
• The Ships Captained Milestone will no longer update incorrectly when using a new Captained ship for the first time and then migrating servers.
  
• Completing an Ashen Captain’s Voyage will now increase the Devil’s Roar Quest Completed Milestones as intended.
  
• The Days at Sea Ship Milestone Class notification now shows the correct text.
  
• The Skeleton Forts Conquered Milestone now updates consistently when a crew unlocks the door to the Vault.
  
• Completing a Cargo Run Voyage for Athena’s Fortune will no longer incorrectly update the Athena’s Fortune Quests Completed Milestones.
  
• Handing treasure to the Sovereigns will no longer only update the Handed In to the Sovereigns Milestone but will also update corresponding Trading Companies’ hand-in Milestones.
  
• Completing An Ashen Mercenary Order for Captained Ships or A Commission of Ashen Fortune now updates the correct Milestones.
  
• Burning meat or fish will now correctly update the Provisions Cooked Milestone.
  
• When the Days at Sea Milestone is pinned, it will now display the correct icon within the Captain’s Logbook.
  
• The notification banner for earning a Class in the Trips to the Ferry of the Damned Milestone now contains the correct text.

Environment

• Players will no longer be able to walk up some of the walls of the Ghost Garrison during the Legend of the Veil Voyage.
  
• Players who get stuck under the pier near the shipwright at New Golden Sands Outpost will no longer appear underneath the map.
  
• Players can no longer become stuck between two rocks at Sunken Grove.
  
• Players can no longer pass through a wooden railing in the Tavern of the Damned.
  
• Players can no longer go under the stone textures of the southern cliffside at Lookout Point.
  
• Players can no longer intersect with part of a wooden fence near The Reaper’s Hideout entrance.
  
• Players can no longer intersect with the fence on the stairs leading to the top deck of a Sloop.
  
• Players will no longer be able to get through the doors to the Coral Fortress while using a Rowboat with a harpoon.
  
• Small items placed or dropped on Rum Runner Island will now be more visible to players instead of appearing beneath the sand’s surface.
  
• Players can no longer become stuck between two palm trees at Ancient Spire Outpost.
  
• Players will no longer be buffered when exploring around trees at Old Brimstone Fortress.
  
• Players will no longer become stuck on palm trees near the Order of Souls tent at Morrow’s Peak Outpost.

Visual and Audio

• When Ashen Lords lunge at players, their movements are now smoother.
  
• The voting dagger should no longer be seen floating above the Captain’s Table.
  
• The leaves on the Forgotten Temple Ship’s Crest now move in a more natural way when players are sailing.
  
• Completely repairing the Party Boat Wheel will no longer make the repairs appear on the opposite side.
  
• During ‘The Sunken Pearl’ Tall Tale, stones within the Siren Shrine will no longer change shape and level of detail when seen at a distance.
  
• After migrating across servers, players should no longer be briefly displayed with an incorrect gamertag.

Accessibility

• The screen narration feature now correctly narrates the Name Your Ship and Rename Your Ship menus.

User Interface

• Players with an Arena battle record will no longer find that swapping between Sea Dogs and The Hunter’s Call Commendations causes the incorrect Commendation summary to be shown.

Text and Localisation

• When speaking to Catherine at Three Paces East Seapost, her dialogue now displays correctly.
  
• The word ‘Prompt’ is now spelled correctly within the Gameplay Settings.
  
• A once notoriously quick Skeleton Captain can no longer be found appearing on islands across the Sea of Thieves, thanks to his moniker unintentionally contravening the new naming filter introduced with Captaincy...

Performance and Stability

• Improved client performance when moving around Captained ships that are heavily decorated with Trinkets.
  
• Improved server stability to reduce scenarios where crews are removed from a game session.
  
• Improved client memory usage by only loading fishing animations when needed.

Legend of the Veil Shipwreck Graveyards Temporarily Disabled

• Following reports of server instability and potential economy impact, crews taking on a Legend of the Veil Voyage will temporarily no longer find themselves directed to a Shipwreck Graveyard as part of their Voyage. The team are working on a resolution and intend to return this experience in a future update.

Saved Ship Customisations Not Persisting

• Captains may find that saved customisations such as ship liveries and decorations do not always persist between sessions.

Reduced Server Performance

• Players may experience scenarios where they encounter ping spikes at random while playing, resulting in rubberbanding or client stutters. While improvements were most recently released in update 2.5.3, the team continue to work on further improvements for future updates.

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.

Download size:

• Steam: 8.4 GB

July’s time-limited Adventure, ‘The Forsaken Hunter’, tasked pirates with sleuthing their way across the Sea of Thieves in pursuit of the missing Merrick, and the true culprits have now been revealed. The Dark Brethren – a collection of renegades who once tried to seize control of the Sea of the Damned – have returned to plague the waves. Now Merrick is locked away in their latest base of operations, glimpsed in all its foreboding glory during our recent cinematic trailer.

That means it’s time to swap clues for cannonballs, travel through the nearest archway (with a little help from the Pirate Lord) and take the fight to the Dark Brethren in the Sea of the Damned. But pirates will be on the back foot in such strange territory, and Merrick’s captors certainly won’t surrender him without a fight…

Currently, the forlorn fisherman is being held atop a twisted recreation of the Glorious Sea Dog Tavern, a reflection of one of the most mountainous landmarks on the Sea of Thieves. Reaching him will be no easy task. Pirates will need to fend off attacks from a spectral fleet while working to seize control of three lighthouses around the tavern’s perimeter, illuminating a path to the top where the Dark Brethren and their prisoner await!

If all this talk of supernatural seas and transformed taverns has left you staring at your ship's map and wondering where to start, help is at hand. Our latest Adventures Ahead article is ready to educate pirates old and new about the outcasts that make up the Dark Brethren, and how recent events have seen Merrick fall from triumphant community leader to defiant captive.




Knowing that the doors to the Sea of the Damned must not remain open indefinitely, the Pirate Lord encourages crews to join forces during this battle, facing the Brethren together and making the task of scaling the tavern that much simpler. While a single crew with enough courage and skill might prevail, those willing to rally support through their speaking trumpets will stand the best chance of reaching Merrick in time. With no treasure to tussle over, co-operation could prove the key to success.

Supplies will likewise improve the odds, so be sure to stock up around the Outpost before heading into the fray. When you decide the time is right, speak to Larinna outside the tavern to get started and then seek the Pirate Lord, who’ll be waiting down at the docks to set Merrick’s rescue parties on the right path. Bring the Hunter home, and earn an exclusive Memento of your Adventure, when you take part in ‘A Hunter’s Cry’ between now and September 1. Just remember to watch your step...




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 Steam. 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, get familiar with Who’s Who or pick up some gameplay 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 here, or join the ongoing adventure at http://www.seaofthieves.com/ where you can embark on an epic journey with one of gaming’s most welcoming communities!

As Season Seven continues, the team have been working on the next time-limited Adventure along with additional fixes based on feedback from the community. We’re introducing more of this content to the game in today’s release, update 2.6.0.1.

For more information on all the new content that arrived in Season Seven, check out the launch release notes!



Rally your allies: it's time to take the fight to the Dark Brethren and help bring home a celebrated Hunter in Sea of Thieves’ sixth time-limited Adventure! Venturing into the Sea of the Damned is a risky undertaking even without a band of renegades lying in wait…

‘A Hunter’s Cry’ (August 18th – September 1st)

• Keeping Merrick captive in the Sea of the Damned, the Dark Brethren will stop at nothing to retrieve the vital information he holds.
  
• Speak to Larinna to begin this new Adventure, then approach the Pirate Lord who will use the Veil of the Ancients to open a path to the Sea of the Damned, allowing your rescue attempt to begin.
  
• To stand the best chance of success, crews should unite and rely on each other to breach the Brethren’s defences. Revealing the path to the top of the Twisted Sea Dog Tavern and overcoming the Phantom resistance will require a combination of sea and land combat, strength and agility, puzzle-solving and teamwork!
  
• The Pirate Lord can’t keep the gateway open indefinitely as threats from the Sea of the Damned will break through to the Sea of Thieves, so crews must strive to rescue Merrick quickly and efficiently.
  
• Pirates who fully complete the Adventure will earn an exclusive Title and a cosmetic reward to serve as a Memento of their quest.

Ship and Pirate Milestone Balancing

• Following player feedback and internal review, the requirements to progress the Classes of certain Ship and Pirate Milestones have been adjusted. Read more about the changes here.

Captains of Adventure

• As Captains set sail in a new gameplay session, they will now find that the ship’s history in the Captain’s Logbook shows correct values for Gold Earned, Islands Visited and Nautical Miles Sailed.
  
• Players who experience an unsuccessful ship purchase will no longer be returned to the Ship Type selection screen.
  
• Captains can now consistently discard Voyages from the Captain’s Bookshelf.
  
• Sybil the shipwright at the Glorious Sea Dog Tavern now asks Captains to wait after purchasing supplies before additional items are offered.

Insider Rewards

• Insiders who are eligible for the Sapphire Blade Sails will now find them in the Ship Customisation Chest.

Saved Ship Customisations Not Persisting

• Captains may find that saved customisations such as ship liveries and decorations do not always persist between sessions.

Ship and Pirate Milestones Temporarily Disabled
The following Milestones have been temporarily disabled and will not progress when the relevant actions are completed:

• Quest Board Maps Completed – Ship and Pirate Milestones
  
• Captained Ships Spotted – Ship and Pirate Milestones
  
• Provisions Sold to The Hunter's Call – Ship and Pirate Milestones
  
• Sea Forts Conquered – Ship and Pirate Milestones
  
• Repairs Made – Pirate Milestone Only

Captain’s Stash Voyages Temporarily Unavailable

• Captain’s Stash Voyages offered by the shipwrights are temporarily unavailable.

Reduced Server Performance

• Players may experience scenarios where they encounter ping spikes at random while playing, resulting in rubberbanding or client stutters. While improvements were most recently released in update 2.5.3, the team continue to work on further improvements for future updates.

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: 4.66 GB

Murderous conspiracies, covert rituals, unwisely buried instructions… Having been absent from Sea of Thieves’ ongoing story for a while, the Dark Brethren’s return to the waves brought about plenty of fresh revelations and set pirates’ tongues wagging in the wake of our (and Merrick’s) previous Adventure, ‘The Forsaken Hunter’.

If you’re unfamiliar, the Dark Brethren court was first convened during the events of Sea of Thieves: A Pirate’s Life. An assortment of villains and renegades were summoned for a singular purpose: to breach the Sea of the Damned, rouse an army of Phantoms and challenge the Ferryman’s supremacy. Had the Brethren succeeded in this ambitious act, they alone would have decided which loyal pirates were allowed to return to the land of the living, and who would be left to languish beyond the veil.

Luckily for those of us who are prone to being surprised by keg-carrying skellies, the Dark Brethren were thwarted in their efforts to seize control of our resurrections. Once the battle was over, most pirates assumed that the Brethren’s ringleaders were now scattered across the Sea of the Damned in the wake of their failure, and their threat would soon be forgotten.

As it turned out, most pirates were wrong.


Though the Dark Brethren have relatively few members in the upper echelons, their names and faces will be familiar to anyone who’s spent time on the Sea of Thieves. The most influential among their number is Wanda, though she prefers to go by her Warsmith moniker nowadays. This former shopkeeper is particularly infamous thanks to her reinvention of Cursed Cannonballs, overseeing construction of The Reaper’s Hideout… oh, and that time she attempted to annihilate the Outposts with a fleet of Skeleton Ships. Happy days.

He may be the most surprising inclusion in the Dark Brethren’s ranks of rogues, but having been unwittingly manipulated by various parties during his time with the Bilge Rats, Duke had become something of an outcast. His desire to get back into the thick of things ultimately led to an encounter with the Sirens, which might have ended very badly for Duke had Wanda not recognised his usefulness and intervened to bring him into the fold. It remains to be seen just how far Duke will follow his allies down their dark path, but for now he seems content to be the bad guy.

Amaranta, by contrast, needed no encouragement to become the Brethren’s newest member and, ultimately, flee to their side in the wake of DeMarco’s death – though a bad habit of taunting her rivals is already causing trouble. Serving this unlikely trio are Phantoms who’ve pledged their loyalty for a chance at freedom rather than spend eternity in the Sea of the Damned, and their presence significantly increases the Brethren’s ability to wreak havoc.



When seeking to access the Sea of the Damned and summon forth Sea Forts for their own ends, Flameheart’s followers unwittingly made it possible for the Dark Brethren to flit back and forth between the two worlds, at least for a while. Once those rifts had healed, however, a panicky Amaranta found herself stranded in the living world and was forced to collect and assemble a number of strange artefacts according to Warsmith’s instructions.

Powered by the energy of a Siren trident and leveraging the skull of the once-formidable Gold Hoarder, the completed staff has further empowered the Dark Brethren, allowing them to travel to and fro as they see fit while establishing a base of operations well away from prying pirate eyes.

Their current hideout resembles a warped reflection of the Glorious Sea Dog Tavern, doubtlessly manifested from Amaranta’s memories – she spent many long hours there daydreaming of her rise to power, after all. And now that he’s been sent to the Sea of the Damned by way of Amaranta’s blade, Merrick also finds himself held in this Brethren bastion.



Belle is certain Merrick knows something that can further the Brethren’s ambitions, and the race will soon begin to rescue him before Warsmith and her cohorts can coerce the helpless Hunter into spilling the beans – having already orchestrated Merrick’s demise once, there’s no telling what else she might be capable of doing.

Though a few grudge-bearing Reapers might consider all this to be Merrick’s just desserts in the wake of the ‘Lost Sands’ Adventure, all pirates will get their chance to set sail for the Sea of the Damned, assail the twisted Sea Dog Tavern and work alongside other crews to save him before it’s too late.

Those who know Merrick of old have almost completed their preparations. The mission to sail into hostile waters in an epic finale to this trilogy of Adventures is about to begin. Will pirate courage and tenacity see Merrick freed from the clutches of the Dark Brethren and ferried safely back to his Seapost? Find out for yourselves when ‘A Hunter’s Cry’ launches on August 18th, with your window of heroic opportunity lasting until September 1st. Just don’t forget the cannonballs…

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Adventures Ahead: ‘The Forsaken Hunter’Adventures Ahead: ‘Lost Sands’
Adventures Ahead: ‘The Shrouded Deep’
Adventures Ahead: ‘Forts of the Forgotten’
Adventures Ahead: ‘Shrouded Islands’