Any crews who visited Plunder Valley during the recent events of ‘The Sirens’ Prize’ would have found themselves making some new and unexpected acquaintances. Their trip to the Sunken Kingdom, and subsequent retrieval of three long-lost treasures on Belle’s behalf, was courageous enough to convince an Ancient Priest and his acolytes that pirates are worthy comrades. At the Adventure’s conclusion, they pledged themselves to the cause of defending the Sea of Thieves.

It’s always good to have allies, especially in a world where the likes of Phantoms, Ocean Crawlers and Ashen Lords delight in picking fights with any pirates they encounter. But who are these Ancients, and what precisely had Belle so concerned that she was willing to risk life and limb to secure their help? To answer all that, it’s best to start before the beginning…

While the Pirate Lord is often considered responsible for ‘creating’ the Sea of Thieves as it currently exists, he was far from the first to set foot upon its shores. Others had previously pierced the Devil’s Shroud – but none, perhaps, left so significant a legacy as the enigmatic civilisation now known as the Ancients.

Not only were the Ancients capable fighters and seafarers, they displayed remarkable mastery of the Sea of Thieves’ special qualities. Over lifetimes, they formed their own pact with the merfolk and constructed great storehouses for their vast treasures, leaving behind plenty of powerful artefacts – and quite a few cursed relics – when they suddenly departed.

Why the Ancients chose to leave their home, and where they sailed to, was a profound mystery for many years, though Belle’s recent intervention has provided an answer. The Ancients undertook a mass exodus into what they called their ‘Sea of Tribute’, an ethereal realm that pirates know better as the Sea of the Damned.

Not all the Ancients were able to make the trip. The spirit of their legendary Great Warrior remained unaccounted for, trapped in skull fragments long since stolen by the Sirens. By retrieving these fragments and reforming the skull, Belle was able to release the soul of the Great Warrior to be with his kin once more. In return, the Ancient Priest has sworn that when the time is right, he will answer her call.




Years spent exploring the Sea of the Damned may have given Belle extensive knowledge of the Ancients and how to secure their loyalty, but it was a card she played reluctantly, having stumbled upon one of their most troubling prophecies. It details a looming Time of Resurrection, when a powerful enemy is destined to return and wreak havoc upon the Sea of Thieves.

Belle believes that this can only be referring to Captain Flameheart, who has haunted the seas in a spectral state since his release in ‘The Seabound Soul’. Given the chaos he caused when manifesting as little more than an ill-tempered cloud, the damage inflicted when he reclaims a physical form could be catastrophic – and his return would serve as a rallying cry for The Reaper’s Bones.

The Servant of the Flame, meanwhile, is aware of this omen and will be striving to ensure his father’s rebirth comes to pass. After all, Belle only discovered the prophecy’s existence while exploring the lair of a man who was instrumental in the creation of The Reaper’s Bones, and whom she now suspects will assume a fated role as the Herald of the Flame. A man named Stitcher Jim…


Before the Sea of Thieves had so much as been given its name, Stitcher Jim was working to undermine it. Sneaking into Ramsey’s pirate paradise and beginning his days as a devoted servant of the Gold Hoarder, Jim eventually found himself switching sides after being saved from a fiery fate in The Devil’s Roar.

His rescuer was none other than Wanda, the Warsmith, at the time fiercely loyal to Flameheart. Jim immediately pledged his own allegiance to the Flame, all too eager to throw his lot in with the Reapers if it meant being in the good books of both his ‘beloved’ and the world’s most dangerous pirate – classic Stitcher Jim, in other words. He masqueraded as a Bilge Rat to acquire valuable resources, helped construct The Reaper’s Hideout and ultimately fooled Arthur Pendragon into freeing Flameheart’s spirit.

And yet, Jim’s loyalty was repaid with unexpected betrayal during the ‘Heart of Fire’ Tall Tale, when he became an unwitting sacrifice in Flameheart’s plan to summon the Ashen Lords. Jim fled the scene in a blind panic, and nobody has laid eyes on him since that fateful day. This leaves Belle unsure of what part, if any, Stitcher Jim is destined to play in the battle ahead.

It’s a question that may not be left unanswered for long, as the normally tumultuous Devil’s Roar has fallen eerily silent. Believing that the Time of Resurrection is almost at hand, Belle prepares to summon her pirate allies once more, hoping that they will uncover the truth behind the prophecy – and the whereabouts of the Herald of the Flame.

Events that have been unfolding since ‘Heart of Fire’ will reach a crescendo when ‘The Herald of the Flame’ launches on October 13th. You’ll have two weeks to scout for Stitcher Jim before the Adventure reaches its end on October 27th, so get ready to return to his hideout at Liar’s Backbone and finish what was started all those months ago. Oh, and be sure to keep an eye out for an old friend along the way…

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Adventures Ahead: ‘The Sirens’ Prize’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’

September? The neediest month. Or at least this one was, demanding we lavish two content updates upon it as well as a full Adventure and a Community Day. So that's what we did, and if we spend any more time here introducing everything that happened we won't have time to fulfil all our plans for October, so headlong into the round-up we go! Sit down! Take this cup of lukewarm tea! Don't ask questions!

September's first update came strutting in at the very start of the month, restocking the Pirate Emporium with those all-important fox pals alongside the snappy Mandrake Costume and ship set. Four weeks later... it was still September, such is the sheer nerve of the month, but we went ahead and dropped another update anyway – this time bringing a batch of sinister Bleakheart Banshee gear to the Emporium along with all the latest gameplay tweaks, rebalances and fixes.

Nestled between those two was a mid-month update allowing us to unleash 'The Sirens' Prize', Sea of Thieves' seventh time-limited Adventure. Covering the second half of September and kicking off a new arc of Adventures dominated by a prophecy of Pretty Bad Stuff, this one saw Belle directing pirates down to the sea bed to liberate Ancient artefacts from the clutches of surly Sirens.

Meanwhile, some of the world's other inhabitants were granted a little closure as our first Mystery reached its conclusion, with DeMarco's killer unmasked and a cloud of lingering suspicion lifted from the Pirate Lord. Of course, this being the Sea of Thieves where it's always possible a soul is still out there somewhere, it's unlikely the Singh family will leave it at that...


Our News section was big on Community Day in September, kicking things off with an announcement article detailing the antics ahead, then following up with a full-hearted look back at the marvels we saw our pirates create and undertake on this once-a-Season celebratory day. There were also stats, because anyone who says they don't like stats about bananas and grog on a tasteful gold background is lying.

We published an Adventures Ahead article to set up the undersea shenanigans of 'The Sirens' Prize', and a story on the arrival of our Style of Thieves social contest, first announced during the last Community Day. And as if we'd let a month go by without a couple of new Spotlights: this time it was the turn of the architecturally inclined Crewgles and artistically accomplished Zookie, while alternate weeks saw our Community Hub refreshed with additional player creations. No musical ventures in the Hub this month, but to make up for it the latest addition to the streamable Sea of Thieves soundtrack was 'The Shrouded Ghost', and if that one doesn't get you frothing with maritime urgency we don't know what will.




All sorts in September. All sorts. Most strikingly, of course, the portentous cinematic trailer and stirring launch trailer for 'The Siren's Prize', but that wasn't everything by any means: the team also delivered a Community Day video at the start of the month, a hearty John-fest of a Mystery catch-up video as players began to slot together the final pieces of that puzzle, and a flawlessly performed Jon/John clash in September's edition of Sea of Thieves News, giving way to a good look at all that creepy Banshee gear and a wee tease of the next Adventure.

On the streaming side, Community Day gave us interactive exploits helmed by guest host LazyBuzzard but beholden to the whims of the chat, followed a couple of weeks later by Sea of Thieves TV's second big September event – the 24-hour Galley of Grub charity stream, combining in-game food task fulfilment with a satisfying chunk of cash raised for No Kid Hungry. Plus! Twitch Drops everywhere: during the streams, on Community Day and one more time with a bundle of blue-accented armaments at the end of the month.




Did we happen to mention Season Seven Community Day in passing? We did? Well, gird your loins for a full-blooded infodump. September 17th was the big day, close enough to Talk Like a Pirate Day to merge the two into one big party, and in the week leading up to it we set out expectations for the (deep breath) gold and rep multiplier, free Flag and emotes, sales and discounts, Hats and Drops, streams and Partner hangouts; we also handed out a checklist, bingo card and a bunch of handy assets for sprucing up whatever it was you were up to. Then as the day progressed we celebrated reaching Community Emissary Grade Five and the resultant rush of Ancient Skeleton spawns, and the following day we compiled a full list of folks who'd earned themselves (or been successfully nominated for) a Hat of Unfeasibly Glorious Fame. So a whole stack of stuff going on, and if you missed it you should definitely jump in next time. And the servers didn't crash! Bonus!

In the ongoing spirit of community, we made use of Season Seven's Captaincy tools to hail fellow studios with ships decorated to match their games: witness the Broodmother to mark Grounded's full launch, and the Manatee because... well, just because Halo. Also drawing our appreciative eye were September's #SoTShot contest winners on the consecutive themes of Captaincy and Colourful Captures – while Striking Skeletons is the current theme, should you want to sprint out and snap some bony bad 'uns while there's still time.

#StyleOfThieves also debuted in September with its first set of categories (Captaincy, Gold, Spooky Season and Cosplay), while #TriviaTuesday talked Merrick's fate and the Twisted Tavern, #SundayVibes visited The Crooked Masts and Kraken's Fall and #SoTGear showcased various Trinkets. And that might just be the most links we've ever crammed into three paragraphs.


That's it, we're done! But before you leave, we heard you like links and haven't had enough links yet so here are some links: we cordially invite you to follow Sea of Thieves on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, Twitch or the official Forums or Discord. Now go! Enjoy October! See how long you can go before someone ruins it by saying 'spoopy'! Oh, sorry.

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

As one Adventure ends and another starts to take shape over the horizon, today’s update ushers in a fresh bunch of fixes and adjustments to improve your experiences on the Sea of Thieves, alongside a fearsome refresh of Pirate Emporium stock. But first, for Captaincy context, remind yourself of Season Seven’s key features with this trailer...


With everyone on the same page, let’s proceed with a breakdown of what’s being delivered in this latest update. Banshee gear, balancing adjustments, Captaincy settings and cosmetic corrections await!

Dread is the watchword for this new Emporium update, as the tale of the broken-hearted Bleakheart Banshee takes life in an eerie new ship set, costume, tankard and weapon bundle. Alongside that, the Season Seven Plunder Pass is still on offer to boost rewards as you build Renown...

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.

Bleakheart Banshee Ship Collection

• Browse the entire Bleakheart Banshee Ship Collection. Premium items such as the Collector’s Figurehead and Sails are separate purchases outside the main Ship Bundle.
  
• Players can also pick up just the core components of this set at a discount in the form of an Essential Ship Bundle.

Bleakheart Banshee Costume

• Dress as a grim spectre from Sea of Thieves legend, whose devotion to a love lost at sea led to an afterlife spent seeking retribution.
  
• Players can also perform the Banshee Cry Emote while wearing this costume.

Bleakheart Banshee Tankard

• This tankard was supposedly used in the ritual that transformed a heartbroken bride-to-be into a vengeful spectre. Don’t worry, it’s been rinsed out since then.

Bleakheart Banshee Weapons

• In this bundle are four carefully restored weapons, salvaged from the ash and ruin of a gothic ghost story.

Freebie Skull Crusher Emote

• Show those skellies exactly what they’ve got coming to them with this freebie emote.

Banshee’s Bait Bundle (Store Only)

• Available from Steam Store, this bundle contains the Bleakheart Banshee Costume, Weapon Bundle and Tankard, along with 550 Ancient Coins to spend in the Pirate Emporium and a free 25,000 gold bonus for use in the Outpost shops! Head to the Steam Item Store to find out more.

Furtive Fox Bundle (Store Only)

• Available from the Steam Store, this bundle contains 550 Ancient Coins, an Auburn Fox, the Hide and Peek Emote Bundle, Hunter clothing for your pirate (Hat, Jacket, Trousers, Belt and Boots) and a free 10,000 gold bonus for use in the Outpost shops! Head to the Steam Item Store to find out more.

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.

Rebalanced Ferry Time Across Crew Sizes

• Following reductions to the Ferry of the Damned wait time in previous updates, these times have undergone further adjustment to provide a more balanced experience across all sizes of crew.
  
• Solo crews will now be held for 15 seconds, two-pirate crews for 19 seconds, three-pirate crews for 23 seconds and four-pirate crews for 25 seconds.

Replace Gamertags and Replace Ship Names

• Players can now choose to replace gamertags or ship names independently, allowing creators who wish to protect themselves and others they meet on the seas to see Captained ship names if they choose.

Replace Captain’s Gamertag on Ship’s Banners

• Captains now have access to a new setting, providing creators with more control over their Ship’s Banners. Captains enabling ‘Replace Gamertag on Ship’s Banners’ will now find the Captain’s name on the banner is replaced when their ship is viewed by any other player.

Gameplay

• Vanquishing emergent Skeleton Captains will now progress the Hunter of Cursed Captains Commendation.
  
• Players who are away from their ship when migrating servers will now drop any held items before migrating.
  
• Players passing through the Tunnels of the Damned should no longer find their Emote Radial is reset.
  
• Cargo Runs should now appear on emergent maps found inside barrels.

Legend of the Veil

• Pirate Legends will once again encounter Shipwreck Graveyards during the Legend of the Veil Voyage.
  
• During a Legend of the Veil Voyage, crews should now be consistently directed to the next quest after completing the initial quest from Belle.
  
• Starting and cancelling Legend of the Veil Voyages should now ensure that treasure from Shipwreck Graveyards is removed from the world.

Captains of Adventure

• The first Captained ship to join a server should now consistently retain previously saved ship decorations.
  
• Saving a customisation to a Captained ship should now consistently ensure that the item is equipped in the next session.
  
• In the shipwright stock shop, Voyages will now appear locked and unavailable for purchase if a ship does not have enough space to store the Voyages.
  
• After migrating servers, players should now consistently see all purchased Captain’s Voyages on their Captain’s Bookshelf.
  
• Captain’s Logbook customisations should no longer reset after migrating servers.
  
• Crews will no longer be offered the option to restore a ship if the ship is already in pristine condition.
  
• Crews defeating specific skeletons such as Gold Skeletons and Plant Skeletons will now progress the expected Milestones.
  
• Trinkets now have a small chance to be nudged if they are submerged in water.
  
• Players who skip the Captaincy tutorial 10 times will no longer be shown the tutorial in their next session.
  
• Milestones related to Tall Tale completion will now progress as intended for larger crew sizes.
  
• Within the Captain’s Logbook, Quests Completed in the current Voyage will now progress as intended for larger crew sizes.
  
• When purchasing a Trinket tier, players no longer have to close and reopen the shipwright’s shop to buy the next tier.
  
• Retrieved Captain’s Logbooks will now advise players to take them to The Reaper’s Hideout to be cashed in.
  
• Realigning a Trinket will now cause controller vibration.
  
• The Scorched Forsaken Ashes and Silent Barnacle tables, chairs, curtains and chandeliers now use the correct colours and match the rest of the items in their sets.
  
• The text within the Captain’s Logbook regarding pets has now been corrected.

Environment

• More seats have been added to the tavern at New Golden Sands Outpost to offer players more choice.
  
• Players should no longer become stuck in place when walking around the palm trees near the Order of Souls tent at Ancient Spire Outpost.
  
• The incense burners at Ancient Spire Outpost will no longer intersect with the rock around them.
  
• Players can no longer get stuck on trees at Old Brinestone Fortress.
  
• Players should no longer see overlapping textures at Wanderers Refuge.
  
• Players at the Treasury of the Lost Ancients who become stuck in the environment will now appear at the entrance to the Treasury.
  
• Players can no longer walk through the ropes attached to the Sovereigns’ lifts at the Outposts.

Visual and Audio

• Players sprinting or switching weapons shortly after eating will now hear the audio effect stop short, clearly indicating the action was cancelled.
  
• Wood burned in campfires will now disappear when fully depleted.
  
• The steam effects on the Ah, Coffee! Emote can now be seen properly when performed with all body sizes.
  
• Crews venturing into the Shrine of Hungering while the Fort at Shark Fin Camp is active will now hear the appropriate Shrine music.
  
• There is no longer a visible texture seam on the finger of the Jack O’ Looter Costume.

Text and Localisation

• Notifications received when earning Trading Company reputation will now display the correct text.
  
• When switching to a language other than English, the prompts to show and hide Tall Tales should now change to the selected language.

Performance and Stability

• Improved server stability to reduce scenarios where crews are removed from a game session.

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: 6.55 GB

As pirates aplenty work to unearth Ancient Treasures for Belle in our latest Adventure ‘The Sirens’ Prize’, and yet others discover the surprising truth behind a mysterious murder, September 17th stood on its own as a day for players to put the stresses and strains weighing down on the Sea of Thieves to one side and set sail with one simple thing in mind: community.

Well… community, gold, reputation and Ancient Skeletons if we’re being honest, so four things were on their minds. Okay, and talking like a pirate due to some very serendipitous timing with real-world calendar events, so five, five things were on our pirates’ minds and we’ll stop there before a specific group of inquisitors turn up unexpectedly.

But before we get into the day itself, let’s start our Voyage of Community Day highlights with a quick glance at recap rock for the uninitiated. Over there, it’s off the port side. As you can see, Sea of Thieves Community Days happen once during a Season, and during these days we offer our pirates the opportunity to boost their in-game rewards by sharing some of that passion we all have for sailing the Sea of Thieves. They do that by using the #SeaOfThievesCommunityDay hashtag on Twitter, spreading the love and pushing up through five ranks of our Community Emissary Grade as they collectively make more and more noise.




There was an extra-special treat on offer at Grade Five this time around, as reaching that top Grade would see a surge of Ancient Skeletons spawning across the seas for the rest of the day! With the prospect of Ancient Coins at your hook-tips, along with ample boosts to gold and reputation, the maximum Grade was hit in a record-breaking four hours and 44 minutes! Fine work indeed…

Not that this was the only thing worth setting sail for. Our official merch outpost offered exclusive goods and a 30% discount, as it’s done every Community Day thus far. The Gilded Phoenix Hull was given away via Twitch Drops. Setting sail during the day earned you a lovely chestnut-coloured flag with which to broadcast your amiable aims, no matter how many Gunpowder Barrels you had secretly stashed. We served up not one, but two appropriately elocution-based emotes over an extended period to mark Talk Like a Pirate Day, the Arrrgh! and Ranting Rogue Emotes. There were even special fireworks!

But that’s enough about what you got, our tour is entering the statistic surf so let’s talk about what you did. A day for the record books seemed to be on everyone’s minds, with scoundrels of all styles smashing the totals achieved on our last Community Day. Party pirates guzzled 880,868 grogs to the tune of 2,075,861 instruments, presumably while toasting the 1,318,615 fireworks launched (we’re sure your throats have recovered from all your appreciative articulations by now).




Elsewhere the sounds of combat rang out, often sounding a lot like cannons. 15,178,386 booms belonged to cannonballs, 557,802 could be claimed by chainshots flung with a varying degree of precision and 1,914,985 were caused by projectile pirates, who we shouldn’t automatically assume were seeking a scrap but it does help the number sit nicely in this paragraph.

All this carnage saw a grand total of 23,205,607 foes meet their end, of which 165,740 were those aforementioned Ancient Skeletons with their sought-after coins! A hearty congratulation to all the crews who profited from this never-before-seen surge – we hope you found some beguiling goods to purchase in the Pirate Emporium.

Finally, a nod to the foodies among you who devoured 11,722,511 food items over the course of the day, of which the number of bananas (3,570,943) stacked one by one in a big gravity-defying tower would be the equivalent of 76.9 Mount Everests! We suppose all those enemy encounters and the 2,349,029 emotes used would make for somewhat hungry work, let alone the staggering 203,175,357,480 gold made during the event!

You weren’t just busy on the waves though, which you can see if you inspect the community coral reef that we’ll be passing over shortly. The range of creativity brought to our attention on a Community Day is always one of our favourite things to see, and it also lets us deliver Hats of Unfeasibly Glorious Fame to a range of deserving pirates who we haven’t yet found time to honour in our Community Hub.

To that end, stunning cosplays and craft work from _JVL_, Fitzir_, grzywa_art, TheBreadGod9829 and ItSJustEnDerR, the artwork of Crimsaara, Burby_92, FortuneFinn, erroloxbow and MissCaptainOwl and accessibility advocate Shaysters all found a symbol of their persisting piratical pride awaiting them in their Equipment Chests to mark the day. For an even bigger list of celebrated corsairs, turn your attention to this Twitter Moment and we’ll wait here for you to get back.




Nice to see you back, just in time for us to say how much we also enjoyed seeing the activities our pirates were partaking in on the day. From EliEelEye’s crew tackling the entirety of the bingo card we created and TheEmeraldYosh1’s loot art of our chummy Community Day logo, through to Shrimpok’s flashy dance party with their extended crew, it’s the huge range of fun and stories you always share that truly make Community Day meaningful for us.

In fact, as we spot a shoal of social Splashtails streaming through the reef, we can see all the fun you got involved in to entertain us and the wider community. We asked if you liked pirates, to sum up Sea of Thieves in a GIF, to show us what your pirate was wearing – and in every instance you obliged and warmed our hearts.

We even asked you to direct a Voyage in SoT TV’s Interactive Expedition, with viewers in the Twitch chat using polls to direct our helmsman LazyBuzzard in his search for gold! And in the process you managed to get a Gunpowder Barrel on board and see him detonate it on deck. We’d say that’s a success. If you want to watch this back without the decision-making pressure, you can enjoy all the harmonica solos and questionable choices here.




And that concludes our look back, and brings us gliding comfortably into port once more. If you were one of the pirates who joined us at any point during our Season Seven Community Day, either in-game or via social media, we extend our most heartfelt thanks. We appreciate your showcases of skill, fun, creativity and silliness that make the Sea of Thieves community such a joy to behold, and we can only thank you for joining us to broadcast that to the world. As always, the #SeaOfThievesCommunityDay tag is there for all to scroll through as a monument to the passion we share as both creators and players of Sea of Thieves.

You’ll undoubtedly be riveted to know that we’ll be holding another Community Day in Season Eight, so keep your eyes on the horizon and, more helpfully, our social media channels (and Twitter in particular) to find out when that’ll be. But until then, happy sailing!

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.