As we sail full speed into April, the fifth instalment of the Spotlight Showcase is here! We last checked in with you all the way back in November, so there’s a whole new cast of Sea of Thieves Spotlight occupants to walk you through, with scientists, artists, streamers and even a carpenter here to share their thoughts. Without any further ado, let’s dive in…



Leafing all the way back through the 2022 holiday season, we find plant prospector Solarlunar34 in the Community Spotlight! Discussing his experiences with Ancient Isles University, the ‘Plant King’ explained how he got into pirate plant classification and what goes into naming the fantastical flora of the Sea of Thieves. Did you know the Latin word for banana? Now you do!



Taking us from botany to geography, our next Community Spotlight jumped to Jerem, the creative mind behind the daily puzzler SoT Guessr. Jerem discussed how he and his crew worked together to capture hundreds of screenshots from across the seas to challenge eagle-eyed fellow players, and explained how his ship is named after an ongoing hunt for the elusive Shrouded Ghost.



As we rolled into the cold month of December, our thoughts turned to warm summer memories of SoTFest as CalamityKez walked us through her history with Rare and how it all ultimately led her to becoming a pillar of the SoTUK community. Like Jerem, she also discussed the rarest of the Megalodons, though this time with a successful hunt to look back on and celebrate.



For our first Spotlight of 2023, we got creative with one of the most widely shared artists in the community, Shabby! He spoke about where he finds inspiration for the mystical monsters he creates and how a Twitter meme ended up leading to him obtaining the legendary Hat of Unfeasibly Glorious Fame. Clearly one shouldn’t underestimate the power of the phrase ‘It’s Reapin’ Time’.



The first Creator Spotlight on this list went to the streaming inspiration behind the Legacy Beard cosmetic, Beardageddon. He talked about his transition from YouTuber to Twitch streamer, and the journey that led to him becoming a major component of the Sea of Thieves streaming community (even if he did confess to thinking the game looked a bit silly in the beginning)...



February put us in a crafty mood, and who better to celebrate with than a woodworking wizard? In his Community Spotlight, MiniMeMarcLee spoke about nearly 40 years of history with games and how his training as a joiner enabled him to become a master at making Sea of Thieves props. He even teased a new project he’s working on, though the details were very hush-hush…



And for a February finisher we turned to some of the most recent content creator corsairs inducted into the Sea of Thieves Partner Programme, beginning with LazyBuzzard. While it’s no surprise that his interests include unhurried birds of prey, we also learned that this streamer keeps his sights set on fun times for his viewers with a harmonica in hand for extra entertainment options.

All of which brings us to March and a sensible cutoff point for this substantial Spotlight Showcase! As always, you can find many exciting insights into the lives of these creators and community stars through their interviews, so be sure to check out the full versions. You can also filter our News section to show all the previous Community, Creator and Legend Spotlights so that you can catch up on any you might have missed, and of course our previous Spotlight Showcase offers another set of handy recaps.

The Spotlights don’t end here, of course, so keep an eye out for the next one on the horizon! We’ll have more for you next month and beyond, so stick with us, keep calm and sail on…

Hello! Unless you’ve been living under a rock for the past few weeks, you’ll have noticed we’ve gone hard on Sea of Thieves’ fifth anniversary celebrations. From feature-length films to in-game events and beautiful login bonuses, we’ve ensured that our big day has been commemorated with the biggest bang possible. A mega-keg of shenanigans, if you will.

One of the most exciting events still to come in this anniversary month is our Community Weekend, taking place from March 25th-27th. It’s going to be a jam-packed weekend of gifts, on-sea action and an outrageous number of opportunities for loot – so to make sure you don’t miss any of the key information, we’re serving it up hot right here. We’ll get into the details in a moment, but not before we give you something else to entertain your eyeballs ahead of the event…

On March 20th, the very day of Sea of Thieves’ anniversary, we released a feature-length documentary tracing our journey as a studio since starting work on everyone’s favourite shared world pirate adventure. From inception to where we are now, the documentary features candid interviews with the development team, never-before-seen prototype footage and the most in-depth peek behind the curtain we’ve ever offered.

Voyage of a Lifetime is available to stream now for all curious corsairs wanting to know how Sea of Thieves came to life, and because we’re nice, we’ve included a link to it right here:


For those of you who have recently flicked through your favourite streaming services and thought “ugh, there’s nothing to watch!” – keep this brilliant documentary in mind next time you go searching for a show. We’re incredibly proud of it and the story it tells.

RIGHT. Back to Community Weekend. Who wants to know what’s going on? You do? Perfect, you’re in the right place. Let’s get into it!

You might be thinking “hang on a second, aren’t these usually Community Days?” – and you’d be right, these types of events usually last for 24 hours and no longer. However, for this celebration we’re doubling down on the fun and offering players the opportunity to get involved across 48 hours.

Starting at 10am UTC on Saturday, March 25th and finishing at the same time on Monday, March 27th, our Community Weekend will once again challenge you all to raise the Community Emissary Grade together – this time on Twitter, Facebook, Reddit, YouTube and Instagram. All you’ll need to do is use the shiny new event hashtag, #SoTAnniversaryPromo, instead of #SeaOfThievesCommunityDay, to notch up the progress bars. Raising the Grade will increase the multipliers active on gold, reputation, Renown and Allegiance, with the top Grade dishing out two-and-a-half times the regular amount of rewards usually available.

We’re incredibly excited to be bringing more players into this community celebration by including more social channels, and we can’t wait to see what sort of amazing content you all create across the web this time, not just on Twitter. Good times!

Pirates setting sail for Community Weekend are in luck, as playing over this period will score you not just two, but three nifty login bonuses! The Community Day Flag returns in the form of the distinguished Gilded Flag of Fellowship for the duration of the event, and the Baker’s Barrel Disguise Emote will be awarded to active players over the weekend too.



The third and final login bonus will be a free Pirate Legend Voyage to all who play over the period. A Legendary Search for the Skull of Destiny Voyage will appear in the inventories of players logging in from March 25th–27th (10am UTC). This new Voyage, which arrived with Season Nine, allows players to find a Skull of Destiny – a handy new loot item that contains all colours of the Flames of Fate and acts as a Ritual Skull for those pirates wanting to tackle the Fort of the Damned.

Usually exclusive to Pirate Legends, this special free Voyage can be taken on by any pirate as a taster of what’s to come upon reaching that vaunted rank! Deploy your Voyage strategically this weekend to maximise your profit (if you’re not robbed, that is)...

It's not just gold, reputation, Renown and Allegiance ready for the taking on this special celebration. Should you fine folks hit that fifth and final Community Emissary Grade, you’ll also inspire a surge of Ancient Skeleton spawns across the Sea of Thieves. Yes, that’s right: we’ll be standing ready to actively increase the number of Ancient Skeletons clinking around the islands of our world as soon as that fifth Grade is hit!

Pirates will see a notable increase in these Ancient Coin-dropping creatures scurrying around our shores as soon as that final cumulative Grade is hit – so while the Community Weekend event is live, keep an eye on our dedicated page to monitor the community’s progress towards that goal.



You’ll need to be quick about jumping into the game to find these shimmering skellies, too: the Ancient Skeletons will be generous, but there will be a cap of 50 million Ancient Coins in their event purses. As soon as this number of Ancient Coins have been scored by lucky sailors, our Ancient Skeletons will return to their previous, rarer spawn rate.

Players lucky enough to find and smash an Ancient Skeleton will immediately receive a random number of Ancient Coins in their in-game wallet, which they can then take to the Pirate Emporium and spend on whatever premium wares take their fancy. All players need to do to participate is play Sea of Thieves while this part of the event is active – and it’ll be available to all who play, on all available platforms and in all regions that Sea of Thieves is available.

If the login freebies and super-boosted rewards aren’t enough for you, don’t worry: there’s more! Players swinging by the Pirate Emporium to spend their Ancient Coins will find they can get more for their money thanks to a huge Anniversary Sale running until March 28th. This sale includes some classic ship sets, costumes, weapons and Sea of Thieves: A Pirate’s Life items – and visitors to the Emporium can also pick up a Down the Hatch Emote for free while the sale is live!

Not to be outdone, the Rare merchandise store is also getting in on the action with a shimmering selection of special foil Reaper’s Mark tees. A time-limited Community Weekend T-shirt and Flag will also be making an appearance – and you can make your real-life coin travel a little further over the weekend by using discount code SOTANNIVERSARYPROMO. That’ll knock 30% off the cost of your Sea of Thieves-themed swag, with only the newest items excluded from this super-sized saving.


Our #BeMorePirate rampage returns for this Community Weekend, so make sure you’re sharing the love with your favourite friends and crewmates in celebration of our fifth anniversary! The weekend’s bumper event presents the perfect opportunity to shout out amazing artists, players, creators and other community MVPs. We’ll be scouring our channels and the #BeMorePirate hashtag for standout Sea of Thieves stories from now until the end of Community Weekend – so go ahead and start tagging your favourites from around the community!

A selection of worthy winners will be awarded the Hat of Unfeasibly Glorious Fame, so get your submissions in soon to see if your antics warrant your (or your nominee’s) pirate’s head being graced with one of the sea’s most coveted caps.

Finally, before we finish this lengthy article of news and goodies, we wanted to say thank you for five amazing years on the Sea of Thieves. This Community Weekend is one of the last events in a month-long line-up of celebratory shenanigans scheduled to spotlight our fifth anniversary, and we hope you enjoy the fitting finale to the festivities.

We’re so grateful for you, our wonderful community of kind, creative and caring pirates who’ve set sail with us over the last five years, and the future continues to look incredibly bright with all of you as our crewmates. Cheers!

Season Nine of Sea of Thieves has arrived, packed to bursting with fresh features, prized plunder and many quality of life improvements to make the pirate life more approachable and enjoyable for all.
As players have come to expect, a new Season also brings 100 levels of progression to be climbed by living the pirate life and raising Renown, picking up a steady stream of rewards while rising through the ranks – while Season Nine’s optional Plunder Pass adds exclusive extra content to that treasure pile. Find out more about how Seasons work in our Seasons Explained and Plunder Pass Explained articles!

Valuable Chests of Fortune have begun to surface across the Sea of Thieves, and will require strategy and skill to acquire, as a single Chest can only found within a conquered Fort of Fortune. Acquiring them can be quite the accomplishment, especially when other crews arrive to ‘help’ you empty the Vault’s contents...

But the effort is well worth it, as players who hand in Chests of Fortune will gradually earn the right to possess cosmetics from the prestigious Fates of Fortune set. This new range is ready to expand in future updates, and showing it off will let everyone know the kind of truly tenacious treasure hunter you really are.

Never ones to be outdone, The Reaper’s Bones have acquired their own Fates of Fortune pieces and are reserving these for pirates who bring them large numbers of Reaper’s Chests and Reaper’s Bounties. Since these blighted boxes now cast a shining beacon into the sky at all times, not just until they’re handled, this may prove easier said than done.


Pirate Legends, meanwhile, can embark on several useful new Voyages guaranteed to uncover helpful, hard-to-find treasures. One of these is the new Skull of Destiny, a Ritual Skull filled with the flames necessary to instigate a Fort of the Damned Event – with no trips to the afterlife required.

Elsewhere, crews aboard Captained ships will find that their Captain’s Logbooks now contain a blow-by-blow account of their most recent exploits, detailing everything from islands visited and ships sighted to frenzied battles against aggravated sea monsters. If you have spoils from those encounters, the Sovereigns have struck up an agreement with The Hunter’s Call and will deliver fish and cooked meat on your behalf – although the Seaposts’ residents now offer more gold for a fresh, direct delivery.

It’s not just Captains and fearless Fort enthusiasts who’ll benefit from Season Nine, of course, thanks to a raft of improvements and enhancements across the game. Check out the release notes for more information on everything that’s been given a spit and polish.


All these additions and changes keep the game evolving and improving as Sea of Thieves approaches its fifth anniversary, and we’ve got an extravagant birthday bash all planned out. Naturally, you’re all invited, so be sure to check out the rundown of what’s in the diary and how you can join in the celebratory shenanigans. We look forward to seeing you on the seas!

If you’ve yet to dive into Sea of Thieves’ inviting waters but you’re keen to be part of the anniversary revelry, the newly released Deluxe Edition gives you another option to get involved. Containing all the permanent content added to the game since launch, it also includes a wide-ranging assortment of bonus content – cosmetics, emotes and Ancient Coins to spend in the Pirate Emporium – that ensures you’ll sail in style from the very start. If you’re a Steam gamer, there’s more good news as Sea of Thieves is now Steam Deck Verified too!


The tireless traders of the Pirate Emporium have prepared a wealth of new stock ready for the launch of Season Nine. Inspiration for their wares this month has been taken from the many creatures that can be found lurking below the waves. Purchase a Plunder Pass, build your Seasonal Renown, and you’ll be able to inspire some jellyfish jealousy with the Sting Tide ship set and evolving costume, the latter of which comes with three fluorescent flavours to unlock and a Blowing Bubbles Emote.

Alternatively, you may find the ferocity of the Emporium’s Sea Serpent ship and weapon sets suits your pirate to a tee, or you might prefer to preserve your sense of mystery entirely and make use of the Enigmatic Emote Bundle. Additionally, owners of Captained ships can spruce up their Ship’s Crest with the Lodestar variant, ensuring there’s always a star to sail by. And why sail alone when you could bring a Gold Curse Barbary along for the ride? Just remember not to try and sell it.


For more information on the Sea of Thieves Season Nine update, including full release notes, visit the Sea of Thieves website. The update is available for free to all Sea of Thieves players 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!

Time to seek your fortune all over again as Season Nine offers up a wealth of additions, improvements and refinements of classic features. New chests, new Voyages and new rewards, a shot in the arm for World Events and countless tweaks to make the pirate life more gratifying than ever – get an overview in the official Season Nine Content Update video below, and if you've already seen it, tag along for the Deep Dive instead!


There's a lot to break down into bullet point format, so get the kettle on and come back when you're all set to skim-read like a champ. All of the above plus 100 levels of spring-fresh Seasonal rewards lie ahead!

Infiltrate Forts of Fortune, find Chests of Fortune, earn Fates of Fortune. Simple! Except the new Fates of Fortune cosmetics are behind Commendations also tied to Reaper's Chests, and neither those nor the precious new Chests of Fortune are easy to hold on to for long enough to sell...

Chest of Fortune

• A new high-value chest has arrived on the seas, offering a fortune in gold and the promise of exclusive rewards if safely cashed in. Expect the Chest of Fortune to be highly sought after by crews across the waves!
  
• In Season Nine, Chests of Fortune have been locked away in Fort of Fortune Vaults, ready for the taking. Cunning crews who claim them will progress the Fortune’s Favour Commendation to unlock the first ship items from the new Fates of Fortune cosmetic set.
  
• In future Seasons, expect Chests of Fortune to move around and bring the fight to new locations, while enabling new Commendation Grades and expanding the Fates of Fortune set.

Reaper’s Chests

• The beacon visible from across the seas that highlights a Reaper’s Chest or Reaper’s Bounty will now stay visible even when the chest is collected by players – no more hiding! Pirates can now use the beacon along with the Ship’s Map table icon to track this valuable cargo being transported by rival crews.
  
• With these chests now much more visible when being transported, there is an additional reward for crews who successfully hand them in. Crews will now progress the Reaper’s Riches Commendation and start unlocking access to the Fates of Fortune weapon set!

Chests of Fortune Achievements

• New Xbox and Steam achievements can be unlocked by progressing through the game’s variety of new features. A total of 150 gamerscore is available to earn from this update, and these achievements will remain in the game indefinitely.
  • Getting a Head [10G]
    
  • Hot-Headed [15G]
    
  • Fortune-ate Outcome [25G]
    
  • A Favour for the Flame [50G]
    
  • Favour the Bold [50G]

When you set sail into a world carefully rebalanced by Season Nine, the new level of life and variety out there will soon come into focus. Forts have been lavished with attention across the board, marauding Ghost Fleets are back and encounters now scale satisfyingly to all crew sizes!

Fort of Fortune

• The gruelling Fort of Fortune has been reimagined for Season Nine as a more approachable and enjoyable experience for all crew sizes. This encounter will also appear more frequently than before, and crews successfully raiding the vault will be rewarded with the exclusive new Chest of Fortune.
  
• While the Fort encounter itself has been rebalanced to dynamically scale in difficulty to the number of pirates in the fight, each wave of skeletons is now a roll of the dice with different skeleton forms appearing to challenge the crews’ skills in combat.

Fort of the Damned

• Crews taking on this wicked encounter will find the Shadows of Fate and Ghost of Graymarrow now dynamically scale in difficulty to the number of pirates storming the Fort.
  
• The Shadows of Fate summoned to battle will now always appear as a single colour within a wave, requiring less switching the Flames of Fate during the encounter.
  
• Resources have been replenished around the Fort of the Damned, so crews can find more food barrels stacked with a range of fruit, along with additional Ammo Chests and an Armoury.

Skeleton Forts

• The original Skeleton Fort encounter has been improved and rebalanced to dynamically scale in difficulty with the number of pirates storming the vault.
  
• Skeleton Forts across the sea are now stocked with more plentiful resources and include both Ammo Chests and Armouries, allowing players to switch their loadout during the battle!

Ashen Lords

• Crews willing to go toe to toe with a menacing Ashen Lord will now find that this heated encounter dynamically scales in difficulty based on the number of pirates in the fight.

Skeleton Fleet

• Crews heading towards the ominous Ship Cloud signifying a Skeleton Fleet battle will now find that the encounter dynamically scales to the number of players in the area.
  
• Along with scaling difficulty, the skeleton crews onboard the Galleons are now more easily dispatched by boarders, and crews will find repairers less frequently return to defend the ship.
  
• After defeating a Skeleton Ship, crews now have more time to resupply before the next wave arrives and will find sunken Galleons now drop Storage Crates of supplies for even easier restocking.

Ghost Fleet Encounter Returns

• Once again, crews can encounter Ghost Ships summoned through the rift before facing off against Flameheart’s flagship, the Burning Blade.
  
• Following Flameheart’s resurrection, he no longer watches over this encounter. However, crews should look for a swirling tornado in the sky to indicate the encounter has begun.

Megalodon Encounters

• Emergent Megalodon encounters can now occur in a wider variety of locations across the seas, including those previously restricted due to the distance between islands.

Shipwreck Locations

• Sunken wrecks will now appear more frequently between islands rather than on the outer areas of the map, making them more easily discovered by crews during their journeys.

Fog Locations

• Visibility-reducing fog banks can now appear in even more locations across the seas.

Season Seven's headline feature continues to expand and evolve! New Voyages for Captains and Legends are the main draw in Season Nine, not least those that lead to a Skull of Destiny, but Logbook upgrades and new deals with the Sovereigns are notable additions too.

Search for the Skull of Destiny

• This new Voyage exclusive to Pirate Legends can now be acquired from the shipwrights or the Pirate Lord. Legends will be provided with the Wayfinder of Legends Compass to help direct their crew towards the mysterious Skull of Destiny.
  
• Crews retrieving the Skull of Destiny will find it imbued with the glowing Flames of Fate and able to cycle through the six coloured flames. Use it to light all the statues at the Fort of the Damned, then place the Skull itself into the ritual cage to begin the Fort of the Damned event.

The Legendary Search for Cursed Treasure

• This new Voyage exclusive to Pirate Legends aims to test crews’ sailing skills against the hazards that hoarding accursed treasure may bring. Along with a range of cursed treasures to uncover along the way, players may encounter the new Chest of Boundless Sorrow which awards more gold but never stops weeping – a true test of an organised crew!
  
• Crews navigating this perilous Voyage will be richly rewarded from the cursed loot they return – and should keep a keen eye out for the chance to uncover a Chest of Legends among the treasure!

Black Powder Stashes

• Pirate Legends can now acquire this explosive new Voyage. It will direct crews to a nearby Skeleton Fort where a range of armaments have been stashed, possibly including the explosive Keg of Ancient Black Powder. Restock quickly and prepare for battle!

Expanded Company Voyages

• The shipwrights have expanded their stock of Trading Company Voyages, giving Captains access to more experiences directly from the Captain’s Bookcase. Crews can now venture into The Devil’s Roar on Ashen Voyages, raid Vaults for the Gold Hoarders, track Lost Shipments for the Merchants and hunt down Ghost Ships for the Order of Souls. Grab a bundle from the nearest shipwright before setting sail.

Captain’s Logbook

• Captains will find their trusty Logbook now chronicles the ship’s endeavors each day, populating the pages with events encountered while sailing. At the end of each day the Captain will bookmark the day’s efforts with a hand-drafted image of a memorable moment from the day.
  
• Along with this new addition, the Captain’s Logbook now requires players to press and hold to interact with it, preventing accidental use.
  
• Logbooks acquired from sunken ships can now be stored in Collector’s Chests and Merfolk Statues for safekeeping.

Sovereign Expansion

• Captains and their crew will now be able to conveniently hand in their catches to the Sovereigns at the Outposts, who will accept them on behalf of The Hunter’s Call. For the greatest payout, however, The Hunter’s Call representatives themselves now pay extra for direct delivery to the Seaposts!

Captain’s Supply and Voyage Shop Improvements

• Captains browsing the exclusive services available from the shipwrights will now find that a new categorised menu allows faster access to the Voyages or supplies required.

Milestone Notifications

• Players now have the option to disable both Pirate and Ship Milestone notifications from the Settings Menu.

Read on for a real grab bag of refined and rebalanced features with something to please pirates of all persuasions. Check out new resource types and radials, streamlined sailing and selling, tricky treasures brought within reach and The Hunter's Call brought back up to capacity...

Treasure in the Devil’s Shroud

• Treasure left behind in the Devil’s Shroud will no longer remain out of reach and will be transported to a safer location for retrieval.

Seagulls Above Sunken Treasure

• As well as gathering above shipwrecks and floating barrels, seagulls can now be spotted circling over any treasure left behind at sea.

Six Ships on the Horizon

• Following performance improvements delivered in recent updates, all servers have now returned to supporting six crews. When starting a session or migrating, servers will now actively matchmake six crews of different sizes in order to meet both six-crew and 17-player limits.
  
• The team will continue to monitor server performance following launch and adjust the player limit outside the update process to optimise the experience.

Stashing Quests

• Unwanted Quests can now be stashed away, allowing players to tidy up their Quest Radial and only show those they are interested in. Stashed Quests can be unhidden at any time.

Improved Collector’s Chest Selling

• Pirates can now sell all treasure items inside a Collector’s Chest without having to remove them one by one. Trading Company representatives can now cash in all items they accept from within the chest.
  
• Captains looking to speed up the experience even further can sell everything inside the Collector’s Chest to the Sovereigns, leaving the crew with the chest itself for future use.

Musical Hit Audio Effects

• Within the Audio Settings, players now have direct control of musical effects heard when attacking ships and striking enemies. A new ‘Musical Hit Notification Volume’ slider offers this control while allowing other game music to be adjusted independently.
  
• Players will also hear a distinctive new audio effect when striking a rival ship with a cannonball, clearly indicating a successful hit. This new effect can also be controlled with the ‘Musical Hit Notification Volume’ slider.

Harpoon Improvements

• When using a ship’s harpoon, players will now find that treasure will instantly detach from their harpoon onto the deck, removing the need to stop and remove it manually.
  
• Rowboats equipped with a harpoon will also place any harpooned treasure in the middle of the Rowboat, and the Sovereigns’ hut harpoon will place treasure on the lift platform even if the platform is down, making it even easier to cash in there.

Bait Crates

• A new type of resource crate is now on offer from the Merchant Alliance and The Hunter’s Call: the Bait Crate. These crates are filled with enough grubs, worms and leeches to keep any fishing enthusiast happy for days!
  
• Bait Crates will set players back 5000 gold and can also be sold back to the Merchant Alliance, The Hunter’s Call, The Reaper’s Bones and the Sovereigns.

Fishing Bait Radial

• When wielding a fishing rod, players can now access a Bait Radial using the Left Trigger on controller or right mouse button when using keyboard and mouse to select the preferred bait before casting.

Food Radial

• When holding an item of food, players can now access a Food Radial using the B button on controller or R on keyboard to quickly select a specific food from their inventory.

Ship Scuttle Improvements

• Crews wishing to scuttle their ship will now be presented with two options. Crews can ‘Scuttle the Ship and Change Seas’ which will move them to a fresh server, providing a predictable way of leaving a server behind for a fresh encounter on likely calmer waters. Crews are still free to choose the original ‘Scuttle Ship’ option, which destroys their vessel while keeping them on the same server.

Trading Company Voyages

• When purchasing Trading Company Voyages, the Company representatives will no longer only refresh their choice of Voyages after a day but will now offer fresh Voyages as soon as one has been purchased.
  
• When browsing the range of Voyages available for your rank, every type of Voyage is now offered on the selection page for purchase.
  
• Pirates can now also purchase and hold up to 12 Voyages in their inventory. Bilge Rat Voyages (excluding the Athena’s Run) will not be counted towards this limit.
  
• Players visiting the Pirate Lord are also now presented with two full pages of Voyages to choose from.

The Reaper’s Bones Outpost Representative

• The Reaper’s Bones skeleton hanging out at the Outpost will now accept Emissary Flags ‘recovered’ by cutthroat pirate crews, in return for gold and reputation. Crews aligned with the Servants of the Flame will also earn Allegiance when cashing in these Flags.

Selling Tridents of Dark Tides

• Crews can now cash in a Trident of Dark Tides at their local Merchant Alliance, Sovereign or Hunter’s Call representative in return for gold and Seasonal Renown.

Cursed Mermaid Statue Rewards

• Cursed Mermaid Statues have now been rebalanced, allowing all sizes of crew the ability to destroy them for the precious gems inside. Sapphire, Emerald and Ruby statues no longer require multiple crewmates to defeat.
  
• All Cursed Mermaid Statues now offer better rewards when destroyed, with a chance of multiple Gems for lucky crews.
  
• With Mermaid Gems becoming more readily available from statues, pirates will no longer find them washed up on islands, and only Sapphire Gems can now be discovered within shipwrecks.

New Hunter’s Call Representative

• Stephen’s Spoils has felt empty since Merrick was lured away to his fate by the Dark Brethren. To help fill the void in pirates’ hearts, a new member of The Hunter’s Call has arrived to call Stephen’s Spoils home: Adelrick is now stationed at Merrick’s old post, continuing to trade on behalf of the family business.

Flags

• Tired of climbing up all the way to the crow’s nest? Pirates can now equip flags from the Ship Customisation Chest near the shipwright in the same way as equipping other ship customisations.

Resource Container Limits

• All resource containers, including barrels, Merchant crates and Rowboat seats, now clearly show the total number of items in each category that are being stored. As pirates fill these containers, they can easily see how close a category is to reaching its limit.

Brightness and Contrast Settings

• Within the Video Settings menu, players can now use sliders to increase and decrease the brightness and contrast of the game to further customise their

[/i]Sea of Thieves[/i] experience.[/list]Disable Trinket and Sitting Points

• Players can now choose to reduce the interaction points found around a ship. Interaction points for sitting locations and areas for placing Trinkets can be disabled independently via the Input Settings menu.

Starting Outpost Location

• Crews arriving on the seas at the start of a session will now begin at a wider variety of Outpost locations, and no longer emerge so frequently in The Wilds.

Barrels of Plenty Balancing

• The number of floating barrels that appear in a group has now been reduced. However, the likelihood of finding rare items in these barrels has been increased.

Chest of Sorrow Balancing

• Crews recovering a Chest of Sorrow during their journey will now find that the weeping fills the ship at a much slower rate.

Skeleton Form Balancing

• When protected by their metal casing, Gold Skeletons will now take reduced damage from blunderbuss and flintlock shots. Weaken them with water before attacking!

Another Season means 100 new levels to climb by raising your Renown, with racks full of rewards to snag along the way – and an optional Plunder Pass adding even more. Emissaries aren't forgotten either, with the latest Company-themed cosmetics for qualifying Ledger performances!

Season Nine Progression and Rewards

• Season Nine offers a refreshed progression path with Trials, Deeds and Renown actions for new and experienced pirates alike. Weekly, monthly and Seasonal goals all reward players for exploring the Sea of Thieves.
  
• Players can capitalise on the new treasure items introduced to the seas and will earn Renown when cashing them in!
  
• Progressing through the 100 levels of this Season will reward pirates with the Prosperous Privateer cosmetics, new to Season Nine along with time-limited Gilded Age rewards.
  
• Legendary pirates or those who become a Pirate Legend during Season Nine can also earn the Legendary Bone Hunter Jacket and Spyglass.
  
• Completing tiers of Seasonal progression will also award unique Titles with a Gilded Age theme, allowing players to display their success for all to see.

Season Nine Plunder Pass

• Purchase Season Nine’s Plunder Pass to gain access to a plethora of unlockable, never-before-seen rewards along with an additional 750 Ancient Coins, all available to earn by climbing the levels of Seasonal progression.
  
• Plunder Pass purchasers this Season can earn the full Sting Tide ship set, including Collector’s Figurehead and Sails.
  
• For those looking to truly transform themselves, the Sting Tide Costume can also be earned, evolving as players progress through the Season.
  
• The Season Nine Plunder Pass is available to purchase in-game through the Pirate Log or Pirate Emporium, or from the Steam Item Store.

Season Nine Emissary Ledger Rewards

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

This Season lands squarely in the middle of Sea of Thieves' fifth anniversary month, so allow us to list some of the things still on the celebratory schedule. Meanwhile, Twitch Drops will keep on bringing incentives to those who support Sea of Thieves streamers throughout Season Nine!

Sea of Thieves’ Fifth Anniversary

• The Marauder's Medley Event ends with the arrival of Season Nine, but there's plenty more to enjoy: all players who set sail in Sea of Thieves before March 22nd (10am UTC) can acquire the Lustrous Legend Figurehead as a free anniversary gift.
  
• A bombastic Pirate Emporium sale runs from March 17th-28th, with deep discounts on ship sets, costumes, weapons, pets and emotes from some of the most popular ranges, Rare heritage sets,

[/i]Sea of Thieves: A Pirate's Life[/i] and more!

Starting from Sea of Thieves' special day on March 20th, you can make a stop at New Golden Sands Outpost to find a special wall set up for fifth anniversary pirate selfies. Get some pictures for posterity as it's a temporary fixture only...

Also on March 20th, head to the Sea of Thieves YouTube channel to watch Sea of Thieves: Voyage of a Lifetime, a feature-length exploration of the game from its birth all the way through to today.

From March 25th-27th, all pirates are welcome to join in the festivities throughout our Community Weekend, with more freebies to snap up and in-game boosts to unlock by using the #SoTAnniversaryPromo hashtag on social media to raise the Community Emissary Grade!

Find out more about the month-long celebrations in our dedicated fifth anniversary news article.

[/list]Twitch Drops

• Continue to unlock cosmetics throughout Season Nine with Twitch Drops! Stay tuned to Sea of Thieves social channels to find out when Twitch Drops will be active, some for Partnered streamers and some for all streamers, allowing players to earn a selection of new and classic items from the Omen and Eastern Winds Sapphire sets.
  
• Find out how to link your accounts and more on our dedicated Twitch Drops page.

You may never have seen a Sea Serpent, but some hunters have and they've got the trophies to show for it. This month's new ship set, costume and weapons let you live that life, but if it's not for you, try acting all inscrutable with Enigmatic Emotes or pick up a polished pet instead.

Sea Serpent Ship Collection

• Adorn your ship with trophies of your most exciting hunts with the Sea Serpent Ship Bundle. Collector’s Sails and Figurehead are available to purchase separately.
  
• Players can also pick up just the core components of this set at a discount in the form of an Essential Ship Bundle.

Sea Serpent Costume

• This outfit borrows not only the protective scales of a fearsome beast of the seas, but its waterproof nature too.
  
• Players wearing this costume can also use the Hunter’s Harpoon Emote. Prepare for future battles and familiarise yourself with your harpoon using this kata.

Sea Serpent Weapon Bundle

• Pick up the weapons of a true hunter, crafted from the scales of the very beasts you seek to destroy.

Sea Serpent Lantern

• Light your way with a flame stolen from the maw of an ancient beast.

Lodestar Ship’s Crest

• Set your ship's name among the stars with a crest that embraces the night sky.

Gold Curse Barbary

• Even the most intelligent monkeys aren't immune to the irresistible lure of cursed gold.

Enigmatic Emote Bundle

• A range of gestures suited to pirates of a more retiring, mysterious nature.

Freebie Hearing Things Emote

• Give the appearance of listening out for threats, or simply encourage the ripostes of your enemies.

Striking Serpent Bundle (Store Only)

• Available only from the Xbox, Microsoft and Steam Stores, the Striking Serpent Bundle contains the Sea Serpent Costume, Weapon Bundle and Lantern, along with 550 Ancient Coins to spend in the Pirate Emporium and a free bonus of 25,000 gold. Head to the Steam Item Store to find out more.

Gold Hoarders Cosmetics

• Loyal followers of the Gold Hoarders can now find a range of clothing, weapons and equipment in stock at the Outpost shops to help them complete the Gold Hoarders set.

Season One Legacy Cosmetics

• Cosmetics previously available during Season One have now arrived in the Outpost shops for a sizeable Doubloon cost, allowing all players to add them to their collection – for a price! Pirates can now purchase the Frostbite clothing set, the Legendary Hair and Beard and items from the Accomplished set. The time-limited Shroudbreaker items, however, remain exclusive to players who participated in Season One.

Sailing Audio Accessibility Improvements

• Within the Audio Settings, players now have access to a new setting to enhance the audio effects heard while sailing to aid in navigation. This setting is Off by default, but when enabled it improves the audio cues around navigational threats such as sea rocks, allowing players to hear approaching dangers and react appropriately.

Gameplay

• Players can no longer place items on the ship’s capstan, and any item placed here will now drop onto the deck.
  
• Players engaging in melee combat and blocking with a sword will now find the block consistently prevents the player from taking damage.
  
• Phantoms’ charging attack now has a reduced range, preventing players from taking damage when successfully dodging.
  
• Supply barrels jettisoned from a ship will now be more spread out, ensuring they do not intersect with each other when surfacing.
  
• Crews who remove all items from a washed-up Storage Crate and then leave the area will no longer gain additional resources when returning later to the same crate.
  
• Players rapidly removing resources from Storage Crates should now consistently remove the correct number of items.

Battle for the Sea of Thieves

• Crews diving beneath the waves will no longer bring the lit state of lanterns at the Fort of the Damned to their destination server. However, crews migrating naturally will continue to bring this state with them.
  
• Emissary Flags now grant Allegiance when sold to the Mysterious Stranger.
  
• Ships that dive below the waves looking for opponents should now be automatically repaired even when damaged prior to diving.
  
• Becoming a Servant Champion no longer unlocks the Become Pirate Legend achievement.
  
• Players who sneak on board another Faction ship and attempt to use a ship interactable as it dives beneath the waves will retain control when returning to their ship.

Environment

• Players will no longer be able to walk through the textures of a Sea Fort basement.
  
• Players can no longer walk through textures at the Shrine of Tribute.
  
• Within the Pirate Legend Hideout, players should no longer be able to push through the environment and appear in the sea.
  
• The player’s camera will no longer intersect with environment set dressings in two seating spots within the Pirate Legend Hideout and Glorious Sea Dog Tavern.

Visual and Audio

• Performing the Armour Mock Emote now displays an explosive visual effect.
  
• When a cutlass three-hit combo is performed, the defending pirate will now only visually react to three strikes, whether they’re blocked or successful.
  
• To prevent overlapping graphical issues, pets are no longer able to sleep on the ship’s bed.
  
• When performing the Oar-Inspiring Balance Emote, players zooming in with the camera will now keep their pirate in view.
  
• The ‘Disable Blur’ option now continues to work after travelling through the Tunnels of the Damned.
  
• Performing a weapon pose with the Infinite Depths Cutlass now shows the pirate’s hands in the correct location.
  
• Players rebinding their Secondary Interact and Primary Interact before sitting down can now continue to use the third-person camera.
  
• ‘Lords of the Sea’ – Captain Jack Sparrow can no longer be seen floating above the ground during the cutscene for this Tall Tale.

Text and Localisation

• The prompt for the skeleton in the Store Room at Royal Crest Fortress has been made more descriptive for screen readers.
  
• The ‘Place Trinket’, ‘Restore My Ship’ and ‘Browse Captain’s Voyages’ prompts are now translated in all non-English languages.
  
• The ‘Show/Hide Tall Tale’ prompt on the ship’s map has now been translated into multiple languages.
  
• Corrected a spelling mistake after players finished ‘The Cursed Rogue’ Tall Tale.

Performance and Stability

• Reduced instances of server instability that cause players to be disconnected from their session.
  
• Players are no longer mistakenly issued with a placeholder belt when launching the game, and those who received it will now find it has been removed from their inventory. Fear not – this golden belt will return in a later Season.

Pirate’s Log Season UI

• Players on lower-spec hardware may experience issues when browsing the Pirate Log, finding they are unable to navigate to the active Season to check progress, Trials and Deeds. However, players continue to earn Seasonal Renown for their actions, and progress through the Season can be checked on the Sea of Thieves website.

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 2.7.3, 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: 7.49 GB

There’s a lot going on around Sea of Thieves’ fifth anniversary, but one thing you may not have noticed in the barrage of freebies, announcements and events is the arrival of a couple of new editions of Sea of Thieves itself. Both include all the permanent content released for the game up to now, and both are available from today! Here’s a quick breakdown of what makes each one different…

2023 Edition
The new standard version of Sea of Thieves. Anyone buying the game and joining us on the seas starting from today will get the 2023 Edition, which comes with a nice cache of extras to help you look sharp from your very first Voyage: the Hunter Cutlass, Pistol, Compass, Hat, Jacket and Sails, plus 10,000 gold for a shopping spree around the nearest Outpost.

Don’t you worry, existing players – you’ll be granted those gifts of gold and cosmetics too, so expect to see them pop up when you set sail over the next few days.

Deluxe Edition
For players who want to treat themselves to an even more lavish array of goodies when they first set sail. In addition to the 2023 Edition of the game including Hunter items and 10,000 gold, this Deluxe Edition comes with a Deluxe Bundle of extra cosmetics and currency: the Black Phoenix Figurehead and Sails, the Crab Dab and Deck Hide Emotes, plus 550 Ancient Coins to spend recklessly in the Pirate Emporium. Steam buyers also get access to the Sea of Thieves Original Soundtrack – 5th Anniversary Edition, Athena's Fortune audiobook and a set of 4K wallpapers.

We know there’ll be players who already own the game and want to add these treasures without buying an entire new edition, so we’ve made that possible too: while it comes as standard with the Deluxe Edition, the Deluxe Bundle Upgrade can also be snapped up separately.



If you’re looking for a new route onto the seas as we hurtle past this five-year milestone, we’re pleased to say that Sea of Thieves is now officially Steam Deck Verified too! The game team really put the work in to optimise the Sea of Thieves experience for this platform, so anyone setting sail with a Steam Deck can expect all the good stuff: full controller inputs, native resolution, steady 30-60fps gameplay, voice communication and a pop-out keyboard for in-game text chat.

Should you have a Steam Deck and already own Sea of Thieves on Steam, the game will be ready and waiting to install on your device, so you can rally your crew and go tracking down treasure or smashing up skeletons without missing a beat. There’s also an official FAQ to field any queries about the Steam Deck itself.

If it’s Sea of Thieves you have more questions about, well, as it happens we’ve been buffing up a brand new trailer to showcase what the game has to offer in 2023. Welcome to our playground…


So there you go, a pirate sandbox shaped by five years of evolution and free content updates, now offering more options than ever for getting involved. And it’s an absolutely action-packed time to do so: as mentioned, we’re in the midst of our fifth anniversary celebrations, with another big content drop imminent as Season Nine ships out this week. There’s much more to come throughout the rest of 2023 and beyond, including some very exciting things we’ve yet to mention…


https://store.steampowered.com/sub/830712/

The shortest of months has passed us by in record time, but that hasn’t stopped us from packing those 28 days with exciting content to get stuck into. There’s so much to cover that we’re just going to skip the preamble and dive right in, okay? Okay. Let’s go.

After the stargazing Adventure that took up the second half of January, we decided that in February we’d keep our attentions a little closer to home with the latest Community Day! On February 11th, pirates from across the seas came together to celebrate, and many of you took to Twitter to share your adventures and bump the collective Emissary Grade to the max. The more adventurous souls also tackled a Community Day-themed bingo card – were you able to cross off any squares?

Later in the month, the Trading Companies and Factions came together and agreed that it was time for a deeply uncharacteristic show of generosity. So was born Double Rewards Week! They took turns in offering variations on doubled gold, reputation, Renown and Allegiance bonuses to all pirates for one day only, before a traditional Gold & Glory Weekend capped things off neatly.

The Pirate Emporium took on an otherworldly look halfway through the month, when February’s update brought not just PvP matchmaking improvements and miscellaneous tweaks and balances, but saw the Infinite Depths collection phasing into view. A comprehensive collection it is too, with a ship set, costume, weapons and emote. The same theme extended to February’s freebie, the not-so-protective Armour Mock Emote, while sweet-toothed pirates were in for a treat of their own with the Pancake Puzzler Emote as a free login bonus for the week around Shrove Tuesday. Where does it go though?


We kicked off the month with our very own article bracing everyone for Season Eight Community Day, then quickly followed it up with preparations for the prestigious Style of Thieves competition, by way of articles explaining the rules of engagement and Season Eight’s themes. The latest tournament has now finished, but it’s still good to read up on if you want to get your planning in early for the next bout…

February saw two new player Spotlights for you to enjoy. First up was MiniMeMarcLee’s Community Spotlight, discussing his woodworking creations and how he sailed as one of the Pioneers of Sea of Thieves. Then our Creator Spotlight zeroed in on harmonica harmoniser LazyBuzzard, the conversation ranging from how he started streaming during the first Covid lockdown to his work in raising awareness of mental health, with a sprinkling of advice for anyone looking to follow in his footsteps.

The Community Hub was also updated with fresh batches of fantastic player creations. In February we were snuggling up warm with treats like a Company-inspired blanket and celebrating some of the phenomenal highlights from Community Day. Of course, there’s another day worthy of note in February too…


With Season Nine taking shape on the horizon, episode 10 of our official podcast started off the month by looking back on everything that happened during Season Eight and what’s coming in the near future. And even if you’d rather avoid possible spoilers, you can still enjoy the team’s discussion about their… favourite days of the week?

Once we’d gotten over Mike Chapman’s baffling answer of “Monday”, it was time for Season Eight Community Day! We weren’t about to let the festivities pass without getting involved ourselves, so a keen team of Rare team members headed over to the in-house Tavern to put on a sneaky stream of our own.

By the time we hit the middle of the month, Sea of Thieves News was back, giving us a hint of what would be coming up over the next few weeks and beyond. Lead Designer Chris Davies even stopped by to fill us in on the future of Adventures…

Closing out the month, we teamed up with SpecialEffect for GameBlast 2023! Heading back to the Tavern for another stream, we set crews against one another in an explosive battle over Gunpowder Barrels. Together, the community managed to raise more than £11,000 to help make gaming more accessible to people with disabilities – thank you so much to everyone who joined us!


Amongst the excitement around Community Day, February also found time to host one of the most important social media events of the Season – the Style of Thieves competition. Players were tasked with dressing up their pirate in ways that reflected the four categories: Historical Dress Up, Athena Ambassadors, Party Gear and Repping Reapers. Winners walked away with their very own Fashionista’s Finery Gloves, and the knowledge that they really do have a Clothing Chest to die for.

Style of Thieves wasn’t the only competition to get involved with, of course. There were two #SoTShot draws this month, starting with a quick trip to Hollywood for the cinematic Movie Moments category. From there we wanted to carry on the camaraderie of Community Day, and thus came the Friendship theme to help us all feel warm and fuzzy. Skills lie elsewhere? Who’s up for an island identification challenge? Maybe even two?

In less competitive news, Twitter got creative with sharing their approaches to piracy, alternative names for the Chest of Sorrow and what this goodest of boys should be called (dogs being a particularly big deal on some channels). It wasn’t all peaceful though: elsewhere, we had arguments over kegs, took a stand on spelling and got salty over a contentious Outpost. But the good news for a month centered on Community Day is that the sea ahead is clear and nothing bad’s about to happen. Small mercies.



So that was February! For the shortest month, we managed to cram a lot in there and it doesn’t look like we’re slowing down even a little bit for March, so stick with us! If you want to follow along with everything that’s happening as it happens, hitch your Rowboat to our social ship on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, YouTube or Twitch, or join the official Forums or Discord. For now though, farewell! We’re off to chill out to some undersea vibes in an attempt to retain our composure before Sea of Thieves’ fifth anniversary hits. See you then!

---

Sea of Thieves Round-Up: January 2023

The fifth anniversary of Sea of Thieves is almost upon us! If you were able to tune in to the preview livestream on Twitch or YouTube, you’ll already know that the celebrations are already well underway – but if not, have no fear! We’re here to sum up everything that’s happening in the next few weeks and fill you in on how you can get involved, unlocking a pile of rewards for yourself in the process.

The party kicked off on March 6th, with the Marauder’s Medley Event. Spanning 10 days, this Event revisits some of Sea of Thieves’ greatest updates by offering a themed collection of Challenges to undertake. Keep checking in and ticking off at least one Goal per Challenge to unlock classic cosmetic rewards from anniversaries past, as well as the stylish new Fabulous Five Eyepatch. For a full breakdown of the Challenges, check out our dedicated Marauder’s Medley page!



Those aren’t the only cosmetics you can snag this anniversary: log in between March 17th and March 22nd (10am UTC) and you’ll find the Lustrous Legend Figurehead waiting for you in your Ship Customisation Chest. Alternatively, if you’re in the market for a specific cosmetic, you might be interested in our Anniversary Sale! From March 17th–28th, a sprawling selection of items from sets including those themed around classic Rare games and Sea of Thieves: A Pirate’s Life – our 2021 collaboration with Disney’s Pirates of the Caribbean – will be on sale in the Pirate Emporium.

Even if you’re low on Ancient Coins, you can always swing by the Emporium during the sale to grab the free Down the Hatch Emote and share a few celebratory grogs with friends. Thanks to all the freebies and rewards being dished out this month, you’ll have no shortage of material when posing for pirate selfies at the fifth anniversary picture wall – a temporary addition to New Golden Sands Outpost from March 20th!



For those of you in search of something to watch rather than play, we’ve got plenty to keep you entertained. Twitch Drops will be available for all participating streamers (not just Sea of Thieves Partners) to offer between March 16th and 20th, so tune in then to your Sea of Thieves creator of choice to earn the latest batch of rewards.

Then, from the world of Twitch streams to the big screen, we’re going cinematic with our next announcement: the feature-length documentary Sea of Thieves: Voyage of a Lifetime will be premiering on the day of the fifth anniversary, March 20th! Featuring new interviews and never-before-seen footage, the film looks back on the highs and lows of developing Sea of Thieves and lifts the curtain on all the work that’s gone into making the game what it is today.


Of course, there’s no way to celebrate our anniversary without also celebrating the tremendous community that has been with us throughout the last five years. That’s why we’re going to be holding not just a Community Day, but an extra-special Community Weekend from March 25th–27th! Anyone who logs in during this event will be treated to multiple freebies: the latest event flag (this time in tasteful gold and black), the delicious Baker’s Barrel Disguise Emote and a free Pirate Legend Voyage to explore at leisure.

Like previous Community Days, players can bump up the shared Community Emissary Grade via social media, with increasing rewards and boosts available at each Grade passed. As a special Anniversary treat, hitting Grade Five will not only grant all players boosted gold, reputation, Seasonal Renown and Faction Allegiance, it’ll also cause more Ancient Skeletons to start appearing across the seas. Together they’ll have 50 million Ancient Coins for the taking, so if you’ve been eyeing anything in the Pirate Emporium you can’t quite afford, now’s the time to get involved!

And finally, as if all these Anniversary celebrations weren’t enough to get excited about, Sea of Thieves Season Nine is right around the corner. Due to land on March 16th, the new Season introduces more loot opportunities and prestigious rewards, a host of new and upgraded features requested by the community, 100 levels of Seasonal progression to climb by raising Renown, and of course an Emporium restock including a brand new Plunder Pass. We’ll have a dedicated article on launch day, but for now keep an eye on our social channels for more, and dive into the newly released Content Update video for a glimpse at what’s coming up!

The time has come once again to take a peek behind the curtain of one of our latest in-game cosmetic collections. After shedding light on the Snowbound Ship Lantern and unpicking the punk biker aesthetic of the Islehopper Outlaw set in previous instalments, we thought that this time we’d head in a slightly more… sinister direction. Enter the assassin-inspired Ravenwood collection, available through the Season Eight Plunder Pass!

As well as a corvid-themed ship design, the Ravenwood collection features our latest evolving costume with three stages to be unlocked through the Season, reflecting your progress. But how did the whole set come into being? Let’s find out…

Pirates and dagger-wielding assassins might have no real historical relationship to one another, but it’s fair to say they scratch a similar cultural itch for the ‘high adventure with swords’ genre of fiction. With that in mind, it was inevitable that we’d bring the two together sooner or later.

Unsurprisingly, both the Ravenwood ship set and costume are filled with raven motifs, favouring the blacks, blues and purples of a pirate who prefers to keep to the shadows. It was the costume that came first this time, as Senior Concept Artist Ine T'Sjoen elaborates:

“The Ravenwood set started out as part of a concept jam. This is when the Concept team have a few days to come up with as many ideas as we can for future cosmetics. The idea of a raven was tossed around until one of our talented artists created the costume, combining it with an assassin theme to evoke a raven in a way that was less like a literal bird. The costume then inspired the rest of the ship set and other items. As we worked on these, we thought of how we could make the ship feel like the lair of an assassin who uses ravens as a calling card.”



The assassin theme really comes into its own with the evolving Ravenwood Costume. With three stages to unlock, the outfit consists of a maskless version, one with a white mask and a final variant in which the mask turns black. Designing these evolving costumes isn’t as simple as it might first appear, however. According to Ine, creating three unique but equally appealing designs can be a tricky balance:

“Costumes are designed as part of a set that, from the Art team’s point of view, may at some point appear in the Pirate Emporium. So when we design the additional two versions for the Plunder Pass, we always try to find the balance between making a new version that feels like a step in an evolution, but has as much value as the other two costumes. It is at times tricky and some sets lean into the evolving part, whereas in the Ravenwood set, we put more emphasis on making sure players had three different roleplay options.

“We had the idea to add a bird mask to the costume early on. From a role-playing aspect, it made sense to give a mysterious character something to hide their face behind. But we also wanted to give players the chance to remove the mask and equip their own hairstyle, beard and hat. So even though not much else changes between the three costumes in this case, it gives more freedom to players to choose how they want to use their cosmetics.”


Once the corvid aesthetic had been nailed down, the team got to work bringing the collection to life in-game. First up, Principal Environment Artist Andy Betts describes how the team developed the ever-shifting colour palette of a raven’s feathers:

“Once again, the challenges involved in the 3D creation of the Ravenwood set were similar to those we face when making any set, in that we first need a new shader from Tech Art to convey a special element or feature found on the items. This can be anything such as a new type of glow or transparency, or in this case the oily reflections seen on the materials to replicate that sheen found on raven feathers. We already had the tech available to achieve a similar look on the ship’s sails.

“Senior Environment Artist Sophie Ingledew and I handled the creation of this set both internally and externally. When we had the cannon, wheel etc. viewable in our in-game lighting and almost finished, it gave us a good opportunity to work alongside the Character and Tech teams to tweak the shaders some more, adjusting the colours used to get the right look.”



Fortunately, the team didn’t have to start from scratch when it came to perfecting the signature raven feather shimmer. Emmett Green from the Technical Art team explains how pre-existing work was able to offer a helping hand:

“We had an iridescent material used for Kraken ink already, so we decided to use that as a baseline and adjust the look from there, using an alpha mask for intensity. The iridescent look uses the normal map on the feathers and cloth.

“We often separate materials for props and characters, which makes it important to pay extra attention to how characters look next to the rest of a set. Our props and character materials were slightly different this time – one material had the ability to use custom roughness and metallic values while the other didn’t, so I needed to add those options to balance everything and give our artists more control. We ended up using a greyscale metallic map for visual interest, as full metallic gave us darker values with too much contrast, whereas no metallic felt too washed out.”



While one part of the team focused on making sure they could replicate the unique colours needed, others set to work creating the 3D model. With so many customisation options for pirates’ appearance available in the game, Principal Character Artist Lorenzo Melizza explains how they account for players’ different styles:

“Starting from a great-looking concept, the translation to 3D always poses a threat. We have to be faithful to the original idea but make sure the model will still work within our system and look good with all the different pirates’ shapes. Keeping a good silhouette and maintaining good colour was vital here to keep the original mean look of this concept.

“The feathers on this costume are key to its design, so we had to be very careful while working on them. Our Tech Art team always comes through and helps us achieve the best look possible with every material we use, and this is another good example of our teams’ collaboration.

“The mask was a task of its own, as is often the case with these more complex costumes. We went through several iterations, initially allowing the mask’s shapes to follow every possible pirate face shape, but that proved impossible in the end. This just shows how much variety we have in terms of pirates’ face shapes, as accommodating all of them with the mask gave us some real ‘monsters’!”

Over on the animation side of things, we couldn’t have a costume set this cool without giving it an equally exciting emote, could we? To that end, the team put together the suitably threatening In for the Kill Emote. You might not have anticipated its humble origins, however, as Lead Animator Andrew Burt lets us into a secret:

“The emote was actually based on me twiddling dinner knives in my misspent youth. Our outsource team then made it look better!”


With the collection taking shape, it was time for a little bit of wordsmithing from the writing team to bring everything together and flesh out the lore with item descriptions. Editorial Lead Leigh Loveday goes into a little more detail:

“When a new Plunder Pass launches, that means a whole new Season is launching too and there’ll be a lot of cosmetics to cover in the combined text tracker doc, from Emporium additions and Outpost shop stock to Seasonal progression rewards and Emissary Ledger exclusives. So it was a bonus in a busy month when the Ravenwood set fell into our laps pretty much fully formed.

“Usually the name is placeholder and we start by brainstorming new ones, but in this case Ravenwood felt perfectly fitting (others on the table were along similar lines like Raven Wing, Ravenbone and Raven’s Trail). And the ‘raven assassin with a ship as a lair’ theme offered plenty to work with – we used the descriptions to formalise the Ravenwood order as an actual mysterious institution, one that regarded the costume’s birdlike masks as a system of rank and prestige. As for the ship set, the figurehead descriptions were probably the most entertaining to write as you can’t really go wrong with something that manages to cram in birds, skulls, coffins and daggers.”


When all the pieces came together, the end result was the wonderfully gothic, intimidating Ravenwood set we see today. Andy Betts sums it up:

“I think everyone was really pleased with how this set turned out, and it’s another good example of how pushing that unique element or feature can make a set that little bit more special.”

With the models polished, copy locked in, assets prepared and everything ready to go, all that was left was to set it loose. As a Plunder Pass exclusive, the set was revealed with the announcement of Season Eight, and arrived in-game as we kicked off the Battle for the Sea of Thieves in November.

The response to the Season release as a whole was hugely positive, but happily the Ravenwood set didn’t get lost in the noise. Olivia Arnell from the Production team was pleased with the reaction:

“Players really seemed to enjoy this set, with the bonus of it being an interesting break from the colour schemes of sets we've released in previous Plunder Passes. Many of them loved the built-in mask and the option to wear the costume without it, we saw some great screenshots shared of crews wearing the costume and getting into some roleplay!”



Social Media Lead James Bowden agrees: “We saw lots of players, including Kit on our official Discord, noting the dark colours as a cause for their affection – while others, like Surprise (also of Discord), took the time to let us know that they’re outfitting their ship with its pleasingly angular cannons.

“The option to wear the costume without the mask so players could leave their pirate’s scowling mug in full view was a hit (one example being SaltRageJoe who expressed a simple declaration of love for the feathered outfit on Twitter, while others like Fiensonix were happy to keep the mask on and brood in the shadows), and it’s always fun for us to see so many players across social channels having fun with the built-in emote!”

While the collection included a full ship livery and evolving costume, any well-equipped pirate will know that leaves certain things conspicuously missing, begging the question: are we going to be seeing Ravenwood weapon or equipment sets any time soon? We pressed Olivia for info:

“For fans of the Ravenwood cosmetics, we definitely have something exciting coming to the Pirate Emporium in the future. We have indeed created weapons and an equipment item to go with this set, you’ll just have to wait a little longer to get your hands on them!”



And that’s the story of the Ravenwood set! Thank you as always to all the different teams for walking us through the work that goes into developing these cosmetics. If you’re interested in acquiring the Ravenwood collection for yourself, be sure to drop into your local branch of the Pirate Emporium and pick up a Season Eight Plunder Pass before the Season ends a little later in March! After that, the masked assassins and their ships will sail back into the shadows – and while it’s likely they’ll re-emerge in the Emporium in future, there’s no telling when…

For more behind-the-scenes insights, you can find the previous entries in this series in our News section, as well as a range of other content covering everything going on with Sea of Thieves. To hear new announcements as they come, you’ll want to be following our social channels on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, Twitch, TikTok or getting involved in our official Forums or Discord server. Feel free to let us know which recent cosmetic sets you’d like to see covered in this series too!

As we storm into the twilight of Season Eight, get set to salivate over this month’s heavy-hitting Emporium update along with more improvements to ship combat matchmaking following changes made in the last update. Need a quick refresher on the Battle for the Sea of Thieves? Hit play on that trailer...


Ready to see exactly what’s new? Future fashion, Faction action and, er, a frying pan await you in the full release notes for this update below!

The future comes calling on the shopkeepers of the Pirate Emporium this month with a supply drop containing the Halo-inspired Infinite Depths collection. Costume, ship set, weapons and heroic poses – it's a treasure trove of Sea of Thieves-styled cosmetics fit for a chief.

Season Eight Plunder Pass

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

Infinite Depths Ship Collection

• Follow in the footsteps of fellow outlaws beneath distant stars with this rebellious ship set. The Collector’s Sails and Figurehead are available to purchase separately.
  
• Pirates looking for just the core components of this ship set can purchase them in an Essential Bundle at a reduced cost.

Infinite Depths Costume

• Blending traditional armour and piratical style, this costume makes a masterful addition to any pirate’s Clothing Chest.
  
• Players wearing this costume can also use the Constant Companion Emote. Even in the toughest of battles, the figure inside this music box brings you comfort.

Infinite Depths Weapons

• With their unearthly sheen, these alien designs aren't quite like anything else you can find on the Sea of Thieves.

Infinite Depths Weapon Pose Emote

• Face anything the future can throw at you with this supply of weapon-specific emotes.

Freebie Armour Mock Emote

• While it's a reach to say this borrowed move will protect you from anything, it does at least make you feel a bit safer.

Matchmaking Improvements

• Further improvements in this area have now increased the size of the matchmaking pools, allowing players to find more crews who have joined the fight. These improvements work towards reducing matchmaking times and improving the suitability of skill-based matches.

Athena’s Fortune Emissary Flags

• In the Battle for the Sea of Thieves, Athena’s Fortune Emissary Flags won from same Faction battles can now be handed to the Mysterious Stranger in return for gold and reputation. This ensures that players can profit from same Faction battles as well as rival Faction battles.

Ghost Ship Damage Balancing

• Player ships colliding with a Ghost Ship during an encounter will now result in reduced hull damage.

Hiding Ship Names

• Captains now have access to a new setting, providing creators with more control over their Ship’s Crest, Banner and Logbook. Captains enabling ‘Hide My Ship Name From Others’ will now find the ship’s name is replaced when their ship is viewed by any other player.
  
• The existing settings for replacing gamertags, ship names and Captains’ gamertags have all been renamed to improve consistency.

Mauve Majestic Sovereign Clothing

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

New Vanity Items

• A selection of additional items have arrived at the Outpost clothing shops, giving pirates more options to customise their look. The Cascade Hair, Twin Tails Beard and Ancient Ward Tattoo can now be purchased with gold.

Free Pancake Puzzler Emote

• Countless pancakes are tossed, caught and eaten in the lands beyond the Devil's Shroud at this time of year, and pirates have decided they want in on the action.
  
• Set sail on the Sea of Thieves between February 17th and February 24th (10am UTC) to have the free Pancake Puzzler Emote delivered to your Vanity Chest, allowing you to join in with the pancake-flipping festivities! The catching, not so much...

Twitch Drops

• Continue to unlock even more cosmetics throughout Season Eight 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.

Gameplay

• Ammo Crates being held by another pirate can now be harpooned.
  
• Players attempting to stand on a barrel attached to a ship’s harpoon will now find they slip off into the water.
  
• Players using the ship’s harpoon while migrating across servers will now find the harpoon remains usable on arrival.
  
• Pirates travelling through the Tunnels of the Damned with a barrel attached to their harpoon will now find they can release the item and continue to use the harpoon when reaching their destination.
  
• Gunpowder Barrels aboard a ship will now be detonated by attacks from Ghost Ships, Megalodons and Krakens.
  
• Taking resources or fireworks from a crate and then using a Sunken Merfolk Statue to return to the ship will no longer refill the crate with items.
  
• The contents of storage containers will no longer revert to default values after migrating to a new server.
  
• Exclusive Athena’s Fortune items from the Legend of the Veil Voyage will now progress the Hider of Legendary Secrets Commendation.
  
• Pondies will no longer appear in the lower level of Sea Forts.

The Battle for the Sea of Thieves

• Dropping treasure off the side of the ship while sailing below the waves no longer causes the item to float away above the ship.
  
• Players can no longer beach their ship on an island during a battle to be moved outside the battle area.
  
• Dying when diving below the waves to hunt another crew will no longer cause the battle to fail for both crews.
  
• The Commendations entitled His Favourite Crew and Risk It All now have updated descriptions, clarifying that any Faction ship destroyed will progress this Commendation.
  
• The Commendations entitled Quite the Collection and Souvenir! now display all requirements in their descriptions.

Captains of Adventure

• Captains saving a livery, decoration or Trinket should now consistently find their saved customisations persist between sessions.
  
• Crews will no longer find their ship fails to release a Captain’s Logbook when sinking, even when the server already contains many Ruined Logbooks.
  
• When browsing the Shipwright’s shop, backing out of a shop type will now return to the previous page instead of closing the menu.
  
• After migrating to a different server, the ‘Placed by’ information for a Trinket will now show the correct gamertag.
  
• Players can no longer equip the same Trinket in multiple locations over the maximum limit.
  
• The Treasured Memento Mori will now appear in the Trinket Box after purchasing.
  
• Skeleton Orders found while doing a Fort of Fortune and then completed will now update the Pirate Milestone for Discovered Quests Completed.
  
• Pirates’ hands will no longer intersect with the Captain’s Logbook the first time players interact with it.

Legend of the Veil

• Starting and cancelling Legend of the Veil Voyages should now ensure that treasure from Shipwreck Graveyards is removed from the world.

Pirate Emporium

• The icon for the Labyrinth Looter Cannons has now been improved.
  
• The icon for the Mandrake Cannon Flare has been updated to its finalised form.

Environment

• Harpoons located at the Sovereigns will once again be able to fire down at all angles to retrieve treasure from the ships below without hitting an invisible surface.
  
• An active Skeleton Fort at Old Brinestone Fortress once again fires its cannons at ships on approach.
  
• Chests can no longer fall under a wooden platform outside the tavern at Sanctuary Outpost.

User Interface

• Cycling through throwables using an assigned hotkey will no longer cause the cannonball section on a player’s radial to disappear.

Accessibility

• The ‘Disable Blur’ option now continues to function after travelling through the Tunnels of the Damned.

Visual and Audio

• ‘A Pirate’s Life’ - The Cursed Captain’s skull will no longer appear to float if a player buries then digs him back up.
  
• ‘The Shroudbreaker’ - The opening dialogue with the Mysterious Stranger is now present when starting the Tall Tale at New Golden Sands Outpost.
  
• Players whispering using the Speaking Trumpet while using non-verbal chat will now find their message is only sent a short distance, matching the distance of a whispered voice.
  
• When observing a pirate fishing, players should no longer see their arms move unnaturally across a range of body types.
  
• A floating book can no longer be seen at Smugglers’ Bay.
  
• Pirates’ mouths no longer intersect with the Craggy Beard when worn.
  
• Pressure plate audio effects should no longer be triggered when moving around a specific location in the Pirate Legend Hideout.
  
• A spherical visual effect is no longer present when viewing patches of verdant growth at Marauder’s Arch.

Text and Localisation

• ‘Dark Brethren’ - Text within the Quest Book now appears correctly across a range of languages.

Performance and Stability

• Further server optimisations made to reduce the frequency of server performance spikes, which can result in players experiencing lag spikes, rubberbanding and server correction during gameplay.
  
• Players on lower-performing hardware may notice a small improvement to the speed at which textures load in when approaching an island.
  
• Improved server stability to help prevent instances where using the harpoon could cause players to be disconnected from their session.

Localisation Issues

• The text for some newly added Emporium and Outpost cosmetics is not currently available in all languages, and will temporarily appear in English until this is resolved.

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 2.7.3, 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: 6.75 GB

Welcome to 2023! Would you believe it’s already been over a month since the start of the new year? Well, turns out it has because we’re back with another round-up of all the goings-on and happenings of January, all together in one convenient place. If you’d thought we’d have a quiet few weeks after the holiday break excitement then you couldn’t be more wrong. Let’s get into it…

The big event in January was, of course, our latest time-limited Adventure. ‘The Secret Wilds’ had players following in the footsteps of Captain Briggsy as her memories took form throughout The Wilds and beyond. Using her old mask, now imbued with mystical powers by Madame Olivia, pirates were able to find shapes in the stars and uncover the legend of a cure to the curse that afflicts Tasha. Whether or not those efforts will succeed remains to be seen…

The new year also meant new fashions, and the Pirate Emporium was ready to oblige. The latest collection to charge onto the scene was the Labyrinth Looter set, taking its cue from a monstrous creature of myth. Meanwhile, the Pocket Pebble Emote granted players a singularly sturdy new pet and the Oar-Inspiring Emote Bundle showed off the multifunctionality of your favourite Rowboat accessory. Throw in the usual free monthly emote silently beckoning you over and it was a good month to pad out your emote radial.

That wasn’t all for January, with the Battle for the Sea of Thieves introduced at the start of Season Eight also getting a brace of updates and improvements. See the release notes for the full story!


You’re likely familiar with the drill by now: with a new Adventure to explore, there was, of course, an Adventures Ahead article to catch you up to speed on the story so far. This time we were delving into the hidden power of Briggsy’s mask and the history behind the Skeleton Curse.

In community news, we wasted no time in getting back to our ongoing series of Spotlights. First in line was a Community Spotlight on illustrious illustrator Shabby to talk about how Sea of Thieves has helped to inspire his artwork; then, towards the end of the month, a new Creator Spotlight centered on the famously hirsute Beardageddon, discussing how he came to the Sea of Thieves and relaying some of his favourite memories from the game.

January also saw a host of new entries into the Community Hub, including a suitably wintry festive ship design and a mind-boggling trick of perspective. Meanwhile, the Rare Store celebrated Lunar New Year with a selection of Year of the Rabbit goodies, while snack lovers were offered another way to pick up some striking new ship parts!



After the excitement of Grogmanay finished off the Festival of Giving for another year, we started looking ahead at what’s coming with 2023’s first instalment of Sea of Thieves News – hosted by a new face too, in keeping with this season of new beginnings.

Anyone looking to fill out their Eastern Winds Sapphire collection will have enjoyed January’s Twitch Drops, with the entire ship set – and a bonus tankard – available to anyone who tuned in to Partnered Sea of Thieves streamers. On the other hand, if you’re more into listening to things than watching them, don’t forget to check out the newly released ‘Factions of Fate’ soundtrack addition for all your battle music needs.

Closing out the month, we took the opportunity to welcome new and returning players to the sea with 10 Things You Need To Know about Sea of Thieves in 2023 before setting sail. You wouldn’t think you could cram all that information into seven minutes or less, but pirates can be sneaky like that.


We came into the new year fighting fit and looking for a battle cry to match. With the Battle for the Sea of Thieves raging on, starting a fight is easier than ever, so it’s good to have a few lined up whenever you weigh anchor!

In less combative news, players remembered the revelries of Grogmanay with the first #SoTShot competition of the year. Under the Pirate Party theme, players across the sea got creative with fireworks and festivities, leading to a submissions folder overflowing with colourful scenes and joyous celebrations before the focus moved on to recreating Movie Moments.

The Festival of Giving didn’t slow down construction of our new port town – pirate builders being surprisingly work-conscious – so we took a look back on how far Golden Sands has come and even revealed a few new secrets you might not have found. Out on the water, we paused in taking advantage of reduced price crates to have a brief crisis about the deck layout of our Sloop. Fortunately we just had to look at some frogs to calm ourselves down, and from there we moved on to intriguing history lessons delivered by #TriviaTuesday and exploration by way of #SundayVibes.



All of which brings us now to February! January was obviously just the start of what we’ve got planned for 2023, so keep your ears open to get all the news as it comes. To make sure you don’t miss anything, be sure to follow us on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, YouTube or Twitch, or join the official Forums or Discord. See you there! Or here! Or everywhere!

---

Sea of Thieves Round-Up: December 2022