Pirates! If there’s one thing you know we take seriously, it’s celebrating how brilliant you, our players, all are. So it should come as no surprise to you that we’re very serious – and also very excited – about Season Ten’s upcoming Community Weekend, which has officially been scheduled to start on Saturday, December 2nd at 11am UTC. Lasting 48 hours, this latest Event promises to celebrate our wonderful players and spoil sailors with a plethora of goodies and Pop-Up Plunder offerings.

You can see the announcement in our very latest episode of Sea of Thieves News below. We know what you’re thinking – and yes, it does sound wonderful, and of course we’ll tell you more! So let’s get into it…


To raise the Community Emissary Grade, players will once again be tasked with tuning in to Twitch to level up the generosity of our active multiplier, with the total watch time powering Grade progress. It’s that simple: all you need to do to help raise the Emissary Grade is tune in to any of your favourite content creators within the Sea of Thieves category between 11am UTC on Saturday, December 2nd and 11am UTC on Monday, December 4th.

Every time the Community Emissary Grade levels up, so does the boost to gold, reputation, Seasonal Renown, Allegiance and Guild Reputation – with the top Grade offering two-and-a-half times the rewards for your work! With the introduction of Guilds in Season Ten, we’ve of course made sure that the boosts apply there too, giving all Guild Members a golden opportunity to fast-forward their progress with chosen bands of buccaneers.


Watching your favourite Sea of Thieves creators is fun, and so is helping level up the multiplier – but that’s not all you’ll get for tuning in to Community Weekend escapades! As you might’ve hoped, we have a whole new suite of Twitch Drops to share with you over the Weekend: the Eastern Winds Ruby Pristine Jacket, Gilded Phoenix Pistol, Eastern Winds Ruby Wrap Dress and Gilded Phoenix Blunderbuss will all be on offer throughout the 48 hours.

Just like last time, we’ve also got a cheeky extra Drop up for grabs should the community collectively rise to the challenge: if you all manage to get Sea of Thieves into the top 10 game categories (by highest number of viewers) on Twitch at any point during the Weekend, the Obsidian Captain’s Drapes will be released as an additional Drop until the end of the Event!

These Obsidian Captain’s Cabin customisations are only available through engaging with our Community Weekends, meaning that chances to score these swish items are few and far between – so we recommend doing your best to get this one banked early.

After the last Community Weekend, we were delighted to hear that you loved Pop-Up Plunder. So, of course, we’re bringing it back! Everyone’s favourite game of dig spot roulette returns for Season Ten Community Weekend with a refreshed loot pool and a whole new set of social media clues. We’ve also heard your feedback, and will ensure these new maps will come in high contrast so everyone can participate more easily.

The new loot pool still has high-value chests and items available – as well as a greater variety of goodies to surprise you when you crack those Collector’s Chests open – but we’re also bringing in a slightly different flavour to Pop-Up proceedings this time around. In the name of The Hunter’s Call (and all the eating that happens over the holiday season), we’ll be burying crates full of the fish found throughout the Sea of Thieves!


These fish will range from rare to common, so again, it’s a game of chance on whether or not you discover a crate full of Stormfish or Splashtails. We’re also taking the opportunity to bring back everyone’s absolute favourite dig spot discovery – a collection of sweet, sweet Ashen Tomes – so good news for those of you working your way through those Commendations! And if you’ve already done them, please enjoy your 10 Doubloons per hand-in. You’re welcome.

An important thing to note is that we won’t be tying Pop-Up Plunder to the Community Emissary Grade this time, instead scheduling it periodically throughout the weekend to give everyone the best chance of swiping some time-limited treasure. Get your shovels at the ready and stay tuned to our social channels once Community Weekend gets started to see how these roll out!

To celebrate the release of Skull of Siren Song Voyages in November’s Sea of Thieves update, we’re spotlighting this brand new competitive World Event with a little something special: a time-limited player Title. The Victor of Siren Song Title will only be awarded during this Community Weekend, and it’ll be awarded to those pirates who best the rest and successfully deliver a Skull of Siren Song within the 48-hour period. There’s no participation award for this one: you have to win it. So best of luck, sailors, and we hope to see some hotly contested Siren Song shenanigans unfolding over the Weekend!


If you’re looking for in-game items you don’t need to fight for, you’re in luck – we also have login bonuses, and all you have to do for these is turn up. The glorious pink, white and blue Season Ten Community Weekend Flag will go straight to the Flag Boxes of everyone who plays during this Event, and the Snapping Shark Emote will sneak into the Vanity Chests of all participating Community Weekend pirates too.

Over in the Pirate Emporium, we’ve persuaded the powers that be to extend the Black Friday Sale to the end of this Event, so there’s a suite of awesome cosmetics available at cut-price costs all the way through to December 4th. If you head over to browse the items on offer, don’t forget to pick up the Down the Hatch Emote for free while you’re there.

There’ll also be a sale running on our merchandise store, which will include the time-limited Season Ten Community Weekend T-shirt and flag we’re making available to buy so that folks can represent in this special set of colours all year round. Keep an eye on our social channels for more details on these merch discounts as we get closer to Community Weekend!


It wouldn’t be a Community Weekend if we didn’t shine a light on some of our presently unsung Sea of Thieves heroes and creators, so as usual we’ll be going big on #BeMorePirate and singing those sailors’ praises.

Whether you’ve performed an astonishing feat on the seas and would like us to tip the hat in your direction, or you want to shout out a crewmate or friend who embodies the Be More Pirate mantra, we’ll be taking nominations for this hat-based frenzy from now all the way up to when the Event finishes. We love seeing your stories, clips and creations – and we also love giving out fancy hats. It’s win-win!

With all these delightful in-game goodies available to score throughout the Weekend, we thought we’d give you the perfect place to showcase your new clothes and wares with another Picture Wall. This fan-favourite installation will be returning, redecorated to match Season Ten Community Weekend’s theme, and we want to see all your snapshot shenanigans – so please swing by your nearest Outpost, pose with pride and take some stunning shots for social media.

Finally, we want you to know that whoever you are and however you identify – yes, even if you identify as a Pyjama Reaper – there will always be a place for you on our seas and in our crew. Come fair winds or rough waters, we’ll always stand by our Pirate Code. As an extension of that, we’ll always stand by every player regardless of age, gender, race, sexuality, nationality or creed.

We know the Sea of Thieves is a home and a haven for many of you, and on this Community Weekend it’s important to us that we acknowledge this and celebrate the marvellous mixture of marauders who choose to frequent our shores. As always, pirates, this one’s for you – all of you.

Legendary Search for the Skull of Destiny Voyage

• The Legendary Search for the Skull of Destiny Voyages are once again available for purchase and have been returned to their original prices. Players can purchase a single Voyage from the Pirate Lord or shipwrights for 100 Doubloons, or the Voyage Bundle from shipwrights for 500 Doubloons.

Performance and Stability

• Improvements made to server performance, resolving an issue that caused scenarios of high ping spikes, desync and rubberbanding, impacting the core experience.
  
• Resolved a vulnerability that allowed some players to affect the stability of a server and cause others to be disconnected from their session.

Gameplay

• Voting on the Legendary Search for the Skull of Destiny Voyage should no longer cause it to automatically complete.
  
• Players attempting to fire themselves out of a cannon while their ship is travelling at high speed should no longer find themselves dropped into the sea.
  
• Players who had made progress towards the Reaper’s Riches and Fortune’s Favour Commendations prior to Season Ten will now find their Commendations correctly reflect their progress. Players who now appear to have 59/60 will need to hand in a further item to complete the Grade.
  
• ‘A Pirate’s Life’ – Players can once again dig up Poor Dougie at Sailor’s Grave.

Guilds

• Guilds reaching a Distinction will now be able to raise a Guild Emissary Flag straight away and not be required to wait until they reach Guild Reputation level 15 again.
  
• Guilds that reach the limit of 42 pledged ships can now continue to access the Guilds tab and browse their progress.
  
• Players attempting to join a Guild session after the player who created that session has left will no longer become disconnected from the session.
  
• Improved stability for players receiving Guild Invites, reducing instances where they disconnect from their session.

Text and Localisation

• Crews approaching an Ashen Lord encounter should no longer see placeholder text within the approach banners.

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.

These release notes cover a hotfix. For full details on recently added game features, see the release notes on our latest content update.

Download Size:

• Steam: 5.85 GB

Sea of Thieves’ very latest Season begins today! Season Ten promises to be one of the biggest yet, launching with a significant and socially focused new feature for our shared-world pirate sandbox. Expanding on Season Seven’s Captaincy update, Guilds gives players opportunities to strengthen the bonds they've already forged on the seas, while also building new and long-lasting connections.

Across different crews, time zones and even platforms, Guilds can unite a group of pirates under a shared identity and cause, and help them celebrate their accomplishments with shared rewards. The in-game Guild Chronicles even allow players to see what other Guild Members have been up to while they were away, furthering the sense of communal goals and adventures. Each Guild also allows for full freedom of expression, with the Guild Owner having full control over its name, motto and branding.

With a limit of 24 pirates per Guild, these groups still maintain a sense of intimacy and shared identity – and with pirates only able to join a maximum of three Guilds at any time, the focus is very much on playing with crewmates you know or will come to know well. We know that Sea of Thieves is a game best played with friends, and whether this be old colleagues or new comrades you make out there on the waves, Guilds will offer players a longevity of connection far beyond a single Sea of Thieves session.


A Guild isn’t just for easier sailing with an expanded set of shipmates – it’s also a new way to earn rewards! When you’re sailing on a ship pledged to a Guild, you’ll contribute to its shared Guild Reputation. You can unlock rewards including special clothing themed to different ship’s roles, and with every 100 levels of Guild Reputation collectively reached, you’ll earn a level of Distinction that will upgrade your Guild Plaque and Guild Reputation cards. Keep raising that Guild Reputation and you’ll open up new Commendations to complete, carrying prizes that include the unique Unbroken Bonds ship set.

Pirates looking to maximize their Reputation gain – and get a little competitive edge at the same time – can even set sail as a Guild Emissary! Once your Guild has a few levels of Reputation safely secured, any Guild Member looking for a challenge can raise a Guild Emissary Flag at the Sovereigns’ tent and go seeking that nail-biting risk/reward Emissary experience. There’ll be a new Guilds Ledger too, so you can compare your skills with other Guilds and the most prolific will score even more enviable rewards!


You can’t sail for a Guild without any ships available, so that’s where pledging comes in: any Captain with an owned ship can pledge it to the Guild, and choose whether fellow Guild Members can take it out even when its owner isn’t around. The ship in question will keep all its usual customisation and decorations, so your friends will be able to fully appreciate your daring interior design choices.

Even better, pledged ships will continue to progress their Ship Milestones when their Captain isn’t present. If you’ve got a vessel that you’ve been waiting to level up, now’s your chance to let some friends help you on your way.

We’re thrilled to be adding such a deep and connective feature as Guilds to Sea of Thieves, and we hope that players will love being able to explore and extend their bonds with other pirates. Social play is at the heart of Sea of Thieves, with its best moments being those you share with others. Guilds will give players the tools to turn these memorable moments into long-lasting magic.


With a new Season underway, there are as always 100 fresh levels of Renown to rack up and rewards to be unlocked! Alongside the allocations of gold, Doubloons, Ancient Coins and Seasonal cosmetics available for everyone to unlock, pirates who pick up the Season Ten Plunder Pass can work towards the electrifying Stormfish Chaser ship set and clothing to help them feel right at home in the heart of a hurricane.

The Pirate Emporium will also continue to enjoy monthly updates throughout Season Ten, starting with October’s shining Silver Sepulchre set. In a world as dangerous as the Sea of Thieves, you never know what kind of horrors you might find yourself facing. With this set designed for fearless slayers of the undead, you’ll have all the tools you need to make a stand against the darkness.


While Guilds are sitting firmly in the spotlight for Season Ten’s launch, they’re not the only thing to get excited about. There’s a range of meaningful quality-of-life improvements too, including work done on hit detection and sword combat, Rowboats in a range of new colors and the ability to repair them, and a persistent player inventory when you rejoin a session. For the full list of updates, be sure to check out our latest release notes.

And the fun doesn’t stop with the October update, as Season Ten is all set to deliver new feature updates throughout the rest of the year. Once you’ve all gotten settled into your Guilds, you’ll need to be ready for the next big thing in November: the Skull of Siren Song Voyages, which involve a server-wide race to score a significant new treasure. Swiftly following in December will be the Safer Seas update that gives players a way to find their sea legs without disruption, so if you need an overview on either of these forthcoming features, catch up with our Season Ten Preview video and stay tuned in the weeks ahead for full details.

For more information on the Sea of Thieves Season Ten 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 https://www.seaofthieves.com/ where you can embark on an epic journey with one of gaming’s most welcoming communities!

The first of Season Ten’s major features to arrive, Guilds builds on Sea of Thieves’ previous Captaincy update and allows players to expand their bonds with friends, enjoy asynchronous progression and work together under a shared banner to earn exclusive rewards. Available now!

Introducing Guilds

• A new feature that encourages groups of up to 24 like-minded players to band together under a Guild with its own name, motto and branding, and a shared approach to sailing the Sea of Thieves.
  
• Any player can create a Guild and invite other players to join, and all Guild Members can contribute to the collective Guild Reputation, unlocking fantastic new rewards. Those who choose to sail as Guild Emissaries can claim even more prizes from the Guild Ledger.
  
• Captains who pledge ships to the Guild can choose whether other Guild Members are able to sail those ships in their absence, progressing Ship Milestones on their behalf!
  
• To learn more about all that Guilds has to offer, head to our dedicated Season Ten page or check out the official Guilds Explained video.

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! Read on for more on all this plus details of the quality of life improvements landing with this Season’s launch...

Season Ten Rewards and Plunder Pass

• Progressing through Season Ten will reward pirates with the Intrepid Explorer clothing set and unique Season Ten specials alongside time-limited Gilded Sovereign collectibles.
  
• Purchase the Plunder Pass to gain access to a plethora of unlockable, never-before-seen rewards from the Stormfish Chaser set, all available to earn by climbing the levels of Seasonal progression. Purchase in-game through the Pirate Log or Pirate Emporium, or via the Pirate Emporium webpage or Steam Item Store.

Season Ten Emissary Ledger Rewards

• This Season, the Trading Companies each offer a themed Compass and Shovel to Emissaries who represent them well and perform proudly in the Ledgers. Log in and track your performance on the Emissary Ledgers page!

Chest of Fortune

• For the duration of Season Ten, the Chest of Fortune has been locked away in the Vault of the Fort of the Damned and can only be obtained by triumphing over this formidable encounter.
  
• Crews who retrieve the Chest of Fortune can now earn the next grade of the Fortune’s Favour Commendation, unlocking access to the Fates of Fortune clothing.

Reaper’s Chests

• In Season Ten, crews coveting the precious Reaper’s Chest or Reaper’s Bounty can now earn the next grade of the Reaper’s Riches Commendation and start unlocking access to the Fates of Fortune vanity items.

Hit Detection Improvements

• Season Ten brings together a suite of improvements to hit detection that provide accuracy improvements across a range of combat scenarios, including island and ship encounters.
  
• While this provides an overall improvement to the accuracy of hit detection, we are aware of scenarios where it can still underperform. A focused team continues to work on optimising this experience further in future updates.

Sword Combat Flow

• Improvements have been made to the flow of sword combat when two opponents are duelling, ensuring that the player to land the first strike retains the upper hand in the encounter.
  
• An attacker landing the first strike now consistently retains the upper hand and can land the second and third hits of their combo. The defending player is now interrupted from counterattacking and encouraged to switch to defence, using the block or moving to avoid strikes.

Sword Block

• To improve the reliability of blocking with a sword, improvements have been made to the angle and range of a defender’s block. Players should now find that blocking is a much more consistent experience and caters to a wide range of defensive scenarios.

Sword Hit Detection and Feedback

• Improvements to hit detection should now provide consistent visual and audio feedback that a strike has landed and damaged an opponent, when attacking players with a sword at the maximum strike range.
  
• Players attacking with a heavy strike will now only be penalised with a stun effect when missing an opponent. Players connecting with an opponent at any point during the heavy strike will no longer find themselves confusingly stunned.

Quick Switching Removal

• Players equipping two ranged weapons are no longer able to perform a technique to cancel the weapon wield animation and fire two shots in quick succession. While players may still find they can cancel the wield animation in some scenarios, there is no longer a competitive advantage to doing so and it may even extend the time between firing shots compared to a regular weapon switch.

Controller Aim Assist

• Controller players on console and PC will now have access to aiming assistance, improving balance between controller and mouse/keyboard inputs. Aim Assist is only active for ranged combat encounters against other players and enemy threats, and will not expose players hiding in the environment.
  
• Players using Aim Assist have access to a range of settings to refine the sensitivity of both Hip Fire and Aim Down Sights independently, and can also choose whether this applies to members of an Alliance to better configure the experience to their liking.

Colourful Rowboats

• Players will now find a range of different coloured Rowboats washed up on shores. Seek them out in the Azure Scout, Flaming Jackal, Golden Chaser, Lucky Rover, Regal Hound and rare Good Boy liveries.

Saving Rowboats

• Captains who discover and dock a Rowboat to their ship during a game session will now find their Rowboat is saved, ready for them to set sail next time. Losing the ship, however, will also mean losing that precious Rowboat…

Repairing Rowboats

• Players can now repair a damaged Rowboat! With a plank in hand, the sizeable crack in the floor of the boat can now be patched, rescuing it from a murky fate.
  
• Rowboats docked to a Captained ship can now be repaired by the shipwright for free. Leaving a game session with a damaged Rowboat docked will also repair it ready for the next session.

Retaining Supplies Following Disconnection

• Players who are offered the chance to rejoin a session after being disconnected from the game due to a sudden exit, game crash or network issue will now find that the supplies in their inventory are retained, allowing them to pick up exactly where they left off.

Mermaids During Hourglass of Fate Battles

• Players who find themselves in the sea during an Hourglass of Fate Battle will now find that the mermaids appear much sooner and closer, helping them return to their ship more quickly.

Collector’s Chest Improvements

• Players holding a Collector’s Chest can now scoop up small treasures directly from the ground, allowing them to store items more quickly.

Clear All Map Markers

• Players can now quickly clear all map markers placed by their crew. Simply hover over a placed marker and select ‘Clear All Map Markers’.

Cashing In Recovered Resource Crates

• Crews who ‘recover’ stolen Resource Crates are now able to sell them back to the Merchant Alliance or Sovereigns at any Outpost. Crews who purchase the crates are still prevented from selling them back directly!

Extra Cooking Stoves

• Each ship now offers two stoves for players to cook up a hearty meal for their crew.

Fruit Crate Contents

• Fruit Crates purchased from the Merchant Alliance will now contain a variety of fruits, instead of just bananas.

Bait Keybinding

• Keen anglers can now assign a keybind to their bait, allowing them to cycle through the different bait types and be ready to cast more quickly.

Reputation Menu Improvements

• The Reputation pane within the Pirate’s Log has now been redesigned, providing an improved overview of the various Trading Companies and player progression.

Show off your personal style with purchases from the Pirate Emporium! Pick up exclusive cosmetics such as ship liveries, costumes, weapons, pets and emotes using your Ancient Coins, purchasable with real money. Head to the Pirate Emporium page to browse and buy the latest additions!

New Items – Now in Stock!

• Silver Sepulchre Ship Collection
  
• Silver Sepulchre Weapon Bundle
  
• Silver Sepulchre Clothing Bundle
  
• Silver Sepulchre Lantern
  
• Crimson Crypt Ship’s Crest
  
• Friend or Fright Emote
  
• Graveyard Grim Pets (time-limited for Halloween, will return next year)
  
• Skeleton Pets Return (time-limited for Halloween, will return next year)
  
• Paradise Garden Blunderbuss (free!)
  
• Crypts and Creatures Bundle (Steam Store)

New Outpost Stock!

• The Outpost weaponsmiths and shipwrights have received a shipment of items from the brand new Gold Leaf set. Players are able to purchase the Gold Leaf ship set and weapons, all available for gold.

Season Three Legacy Cosmetics

• Cosmetics previously available during Season Three have now arrived in Outpost shops and can be yours in exchange for Doubloons!
  
• Pirates can purchase the Daring Deceiver clothing set, along with a range of unique one-off items that were available during this Season. Pirate Legends can also purchase Sudds’ Jacket and the Ferry of the Damned Figurehead.
  
• The time-limited Blue Horizon items, however, remain exclusive to players who participated in Season Three.

Gameplay

• The Legendary Search for the Skull of Destiny Voyage is once again available from the Pirate Lord and shipwrights!
  
• Players who complete all Commendations across the three Legend of Monkey Island Tall Tales will now obtain the Legend of Monkey Island Commendation and gain access to the Monkey Island Shanty.
  
• Crews who sneak aboard a rival ship and place a Gunpowder Barrel will no longer cause a ‘Treasure Donated’ notification to be shown to the rival crew. Consider a more thoughtful ‘donation’ next time!

‘The Quest for Guybrush’

• Pickpocketing Guybrush should now have an appropriate animation and show updated iconography.
  
• The rings of fire in the circus will continue to appear lit when viewed from above.
  
• Players can no longer see through the environment near the top of the waterfall next to the troll’s bridge.

‘The Lair of LeChuck’

• Crews returning to this Tall Tale from a checkpoint will now see characters in the correct locations and the correct notifications as they play through it.
  
• A range of visual, audio and animation improvements have been made across the Tale to improve the level of polish.
  
• If the Mad Monkey ship sinks during the fight, the Root Beer Cannonballs will no longer revert to regular cannonballs.
  
• Guybrush will now stay closer to players when moving through the catacombs.
  
• Guybrush and Elaine now fire Root Beer Cannonballs instead of regular cannonballs.
  
• Players can now use the three-hit sword combo when fighting LeChuck in the church.
  
• Passing through a lava waterfall during the ship chase will now cause players to take damage as intended.
  
• Admiral Coco can now be interacted with after the Golden Monkey Idol retrieved from the Mast Trap has been placed.
  
• Players are now able to push the cannon after greasing it with the Banana Grease.
  
• Players can still use the Primitive Art after placing all the Golden Monkey Idols.
  
• Players can no longer climb into the front-facing cannons aboard the Headless Monkey while other characters are using them.
  
• The notification when finding the Stockade Key now appears properly for all players.
  
• Text improvements have been made across the tale to improve localisation, ensure dialogue and subtitles are correct and any placeholder text has been removed.

Environment

• Environment improvements have been made to prevent players becoming stuck or launched into the air while navigating The Reaper’s Lair, Wanderers Refuge, Molten Sands Fortress, Shark Bait Cove, The North Star Seapost, Dagger Tooth Outpost and the path to the Pirate Legend Hideout.
  
• Sea Fort keys dropped by defeated Captains should no longer become stuck in the environment.
  
• During a Skeleton Fort at Skull Keep or Lost Gold Fort, the Skeleton Lord should no longer become stuck within rocks on the island shore.
  
• Players can no longer get under the environment when shooting themselves out of a cannon at certain points around The Reaper’s Hideout.
  
• Players who shoot themselves from cannons into stone archways at sea will no longer find themselves stuck in the rocks.
  
• There will no longer be a dark space visible when the passage is open at the Shrine of the Coral Tomb.
  
• Fire effects will no longer appear on parts of wooden and metal tavern structures at Morrow’s Peak Outpost.
  
• The wooden platform at the shipwright’s shop on Ancient Spire Outpost is now fully connected to the ceiling surface.
  
• Items placed on the edges of the lift to the Reaper’s Lair will no longer have a chance of slipping through the cracks and falling below.
  
• Players are no longer able to swim under the environment in the Shrine of Ancient Tears.
  
• Player can no longer walk on the ocean floor east of the Shrine of the Coral Tomb.
  
• There is no longer an invisible wall blocking the path when exploring Old Sailor Isle during the Maiden Voyage.
  
• Players visiting Thieves’ Haven will no longer find that rain is falling into caves and affecting combat with Skeleton forms.
  
• Players can no longer move through the scenery in multiple areas of the Pirate Legend Hideout.
  
• Players can no longer walk through the table in the Sovereigns’ tents.
  
• ‘A Pirate’s Life’ – Players can now consistently pick up the Cursed Captain’s skull after placing it at Poor Dougie’s grave.
  
• ‘A Pirate’s Life’ – Players should no longer be able to become stuck behind the shipwreck hull after opening the first gate.
  
• ‘Captains of the Damned’ – Players are no longer able to see through the wall of the Fort in the second chapter.
  
• ‘Captains of the Damned’ – The lanterns on the Wicked Wench now display correctly.
  
• ‘Dark Brethren’ – Players can no longer walk through the pipe organ in the Chamber of Sorrow.
  
• ‘Shores of Gold’ – Players will now be able to retrieve the Gold Hoarder’s skull if placed down by the Vault entrance.

Accessibility

• Within the front end, the ‘Select a Ship Type’ screen is now narrated for players who enable ‘Let Games Read to Me’.

Visual and Audio

• Crews completing a Sea Fort or Skeleton Fort should no longer hear the music for the encounter continue.
  
• The Merchant Alliance Pistol has been polished and now shows the correct texture on its metal parts.
  
• Pendragon’s Pocket Watch no longer runs three minutes slow.
  
• Paintings placed within a Brigantine’s interior should no longer show a nail protruding through the frame.
  
• The Burning Blade Sails no longer show a floating piece of material.
  
• Crews equipping the Fearless Servant Figurehead will now see the correct item on their ship.
  
• The impact hole from a fired cannonball will now appear consistently.
  
• Textures now appear correctly on the Flaming Jackal Eye of Reach.
  
• After swigging a tankard of grog, a pirate’s hands will no longer intersect with their bodies when wiping their mouth.
  
• The Mountain of Crockery Trinket is now seated correctly when placed on shelves.
  
• Performing the Evildoer Dance Emote now displays the correct animation.
  
• Performing the Touch Grass Emote will no longer rain down an endless shower of pebbles.
  
• Players equipping the Gold Curse alongside the Sovereign Jacket will now find the Curse displays correctly on the arms.
  
• The Ashen Dragon and Shackled Phantom Hulls now glow at a consistent brightness.

Performance and Stability

• Ongoing improvements made to server stability to reduce instances where players are disconnected from their session.

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

Download Size:

• Steam: 8.06 GB

There may be a lot to get excited for around the corner with Season Ten boasting three headline updates, the promise of game health fixes and fresh cosmetics in equal measure and the allure of colourful Rowboats, but for a brief 48 hours, from September 30th–October 2nd, we proved that there was still some life left in Season Nine yet.

Which ‘we’ are we talking about? Why, the ‘we’ that refers to all of us, of course! The ‘we’ that includes us, you, your friend and even said friend’s cat if they have a penchant for pirates and pilfering precious possessions. Yes, for as many hours as it would take to walk from Lincoln to London without stopping for as much as a cheese and pickle sandwich, we all enjoyed the good vibes and handsome bonuses of a Community Weekend on the waves.

Image credit: @Taaaaamas

And what a Community Weekend it was! While the foundation of the offering remained quite similar to the shindigs we’ve hosted before, with pirates invited to set sail and enjoy boosted rewards while also grabbing a free flag and emote – the Season Nine Community Weekend Flag and Touch Grass Emote, in this case – the cladding applied was notably different.

First, the Community Emissary Grade was no longer fuelled by hammering out hashtags as we instead asked pirates to enjoy the stories of their fellow filibusters by tuning in to anyone showcasing their skulduggery on Twitch, with the cumulative watch time being responsible for the increasing Grade. You could even watch our own Community crew’s incredibly professional broadcast as we got involved in the fun!

And it wasn’t just rewards that increased with each Community Emissary Grade increase, as another brand new feature debut was initially tied to these in the form of Pop-Up Plunder. This is a system that sees a shared dig spot appear for all crews playing Sea of Thieves, creating a race in every session of the game as crews dash for the cache within the hour that it remains available.


To add to the allure of the spontaneous stash, this edition of the feature saw every spot offering something of a loot roulette, from a collection of Siren Gems to a Chest of Fortune – well, every spot except one, hit upon reaching Community Emissary Grade Five, which boasted a Box of Wondrous Secrets.

To complement the buzz of camaraderie over Community Weekend, the clues for the 12 Pop-Up Plunder spots were shared via our social channels. Not only did this give us some extra flexibility in the challenges we could present – breaking the shackles of mere spot-marked maps to task players with additional decoding, skeleton glyph interpretation and even time-based trailer trawling – these posts also became beacons for pirates to share solutions, spoils and stories.

From Phuzzybond’s brawl over the stash on Smuggler’s Bay to Freyline’s persistence and flabbergasted response to unearthing Wondrous Secrets at Mermaid’s Hideaway, it’s been thrilling to see the community’s response to this first iteration of Pop-Up Plunder.

Also gorgeous to see were the piles of pirates rushing to stand in front of the Picture Walls present at every Outpost! Building on the success of the Anniversary Weekend’s attraction at Port Merrick, the painted planks of these grog-boasting monuments to freebooter friendship were a common, energising sight throughout the weekend.


The energy didn’t end with posing either, if the impressive stats have anything to say about it, with plenty of big numbers suggesting lots of action on the waves – especially for a Season entering its sixth month. Let’s start with the headlines: 32,313,348 cannonballs fired. 2,615,501 grogs guzzled. 166,587 instances of foliage fondling. 14,935,481 skellies smashed. 12,751 Alliances formed. 486,741 pirates sent to the ferry by Gunpowder Barrels. 1,384 burnt leeches also eaten, meaning the Anniversary Weekend’s record remains unbeaten for now…

Now for some more exciting, head-to-head stats! Play along at home if you fancy. Did pirates prefer bananas or coconuts? Despite what you may think, the classic cronch remains superior with 4,383,958 potassium boomerangs devoured versus 4,282,041 coir skulls. And which big beasties sent more pirates to the Ferry, Megalodons or Krakens? If you said the large squid posted the larger numbers, you’re wrong, sorry: while our favourite oversized cephalopod did dispatch 2,472 hapless sailors, members of the Meg family were responsible for 6,354 journeys to the Ferry.

Last one, who do you think won more Hourglass bouts, the Servants of the Flame or Guardians of Fortune? Seems those that fighting in Flameheart’s name have a bit more bite to their bark, given that they chalked up 125,710 victories compared to the 109,667 in Ramsey’s name. We’d say nobody was keeping count so don’t take it personally but, well, we were. Maybe next time, eh?


Less stat-based celebrations came in the form of the Hat of Unfeasibly Glorious Fame, bestowed on many pirates throughout this Event thanks to nominations from others. Pirates such as Gilbot81 for their endless help with the Sea of Thieves UK community group, El Gato Pub for bearing the burden of several thousand excitable pirates when we raided them at the end of our own stream, Unporkable for some outstanding, unique craftsmanship and OrigamiStefan for their impressive Sea of Thieves D&D project. As always, there were more outstanding nominations than we had time to squeeze in, but seeing the outpouring of passion and affection is endlessly heartwarming.

There was plenty of social fun to be had as well, between invitations to misremember quotes and show us your Community Weekend fits to full-on catwalk challenges with a special crew-based #StyleOfThieves contest, even if you weren’t sailing the seas you were bringing a smile to our faces in plenty of other ways.

Oh, and Sea of Thieves also managed that little feat of entering the top 10 games ranked by Twitch viewership, unlocking the Obsidian Captain’s Rugs as a bonus Twitch Drop (and the Obsidian Ship’s Crest, to be delivered later to pirates who redeemed the aforementioned Drop during Community Weekend). We knew this was an ambitious target when we set it, and it means everything to us that our players came together to help hit this goal. Pat yourselves on the back, you all deserve it. Just be careful if you have a hook, please.


Wrapping up now, as we do really need to go and glare at all that newness waiting just around the corner. But before we go, one last cheers to you – thank you for continuing to surprise us with the ways you find to have fun with Sea of Thieves, from playing the game to your many creative endeavours, and thank you for embracing these Events and their ideas with unwavering passion and affection for the seas we share. We aren’t blowing hot air when we say that these Events inspire and fuel us, and that’s all down to you.

We probably don’t need to remind you, but there will be another Community Weekend in Season Ten, so loiter around our social channels to find out when that’s happening. Just don’t loiter too much, else we’ll have to ask you what you’re doing and that might start to get awkward. To avoid this article itself getting uncomfortable, we’re going to end now by simply saying thank you for being the best community there is. Till next time, see you on the seas!

With two back-to-back events, a Tall Tale release, a Season Ten preview and a Community Weekend, September was a rich feast of Sea of Thieves action and we defy anyone to say otherwise. No, put your hand down, we’ve already defied it. Now let’s round it all up, no time to waste! Commence round-uppery!

September got things going in fine style with the return of Legends Week, offering boosted rewards and goodies to grab in a celebration of our Pirate Legends’ mad skills. Without missing a beat, sailors then segued into the second Event of the month as Wish You Were Here week posed a trove of travel-centric Challenges with more unique items to earn.

Then as we neared the end of the month, it was time for the third and final instalment of Sea of Thieves: The Legend of Monkey Island! Entitled ‘The Lair of LeChuck’, this rollicking outing concluded the trilogy of Tales with an expedition to Monkey Island and a showdown with the ghost pirate Captain himself. If you’ve yet to pit yourself against his nefarious schemes, all three of these Tall Tales are playable now and will be until further notice.

Finishing off the month, we decided that the best way to mark the final weeks of Season Nine was with another Community Weekend! One of the star features this time around was Pop-Up Plunder, triggering rare treasures in-game for all crews on a server to track down before they rudely vanished again. Maps were shared on our social channels, with some dig spots more deviously disguised than others…


Before Season Nine Community Weekend landed, we wanted to be sure all our intrepid players knew what to expect. Pop-Up Plunder was just one of the changes made since the last Community Weekend – changes that also included the shift in primary channel from Twitter to Twitch! Christina, our esteemed Head of Community and Comms, jumped in to break down the details.

Sticking with the community theme, September’s Spotlights took advantage of Legends Week to promote two pirates with historical Community Spotlights to Legendary status: IOnEI_Falcon, also known as dedicated Deckhand Amir, and Lizalaroo, a titan of community contests and crafting.

Even with the frenzy of activity in September, Talk Like a Pirate Day still got its dues with a special Pirate Emporium sale and time-limited Pretty Polly Sails – and as the Wish You Were Here Event was all about exploring the Sea of Thieves to experience all its beauty and danger, it was the perfect opportunity to reveal the Rough Guide to Sea of Thieves! If you’ve ever wondered what your favourite pirate haven might look like to a tourist, swipe this free download and feel that sense of discovery all over again.


Leading the charge for the Video team in September, the launch trailer for ‘The Lair of LeChuck’ saw out the final Tall Tale in the trilogy with suitable fanfare and a look at the last batch of themed cosmetics. But that wasn’t the only Legend of Monkey Island content laid out to tantalise fans of Guybrush and friends last month, as lashings of behind-the-scenes insights and secrets were unveiled not only in part 2 of our Deep Dive video series, but part 3 as well.

The latest Sea of Thieves News video was also out there dropping exclusives of its own, as attention started shifting to the future and what changes Season Ten may bring. To sate that curiosity and offer much more detail on what we’ve been working on, various members of the team dropped by to spill the beans in a special Season Ten Preview video. That’s right: Guilds, Skull of Siren Song Voyages and Safer Seas will all be coming your way soon. Spoilers!

Finally, Season Nine Community Weekend got its own introductory video just like the Wish You Were Here event before it. The new Twitch-based Emissary Grade system meant that the weekend itself encouraged plenty of streaming, watching or both, and more Rare team members helped launch it from the on-site Tavern with hours of chaotic fun and plunder hunting!


Community Weekend was, of course, a massive September social media event and we did all we could to make sure everyone could get involved – from preparing the appropriate freebies and sharing a selection of assets for streamer setups to simply ensuring outfits were on point. Good thing too, as a special bonus Style of Thieves contest was right around the corner! Expect a Community Weekend lookback article full of good vibes and stonks summaries in the near future.

September’s two #SoTShot rounds were filled with crackingly creative submissions: after delighting in pictures of perfect pets for the Animal Appreciation theme, we took a quick swim to explore a surplus of Sunken Riches. Plus of course there were a pair of Community Hub updates, celebrating some of the community’s creative talents outside the game.

Elsewhere, someone made the mistake of letting the team go rogue with 100 kegs – with predictable results – while for others, looking ahead to Season Ten caused a rather strange fixation on paint. Quietly leaving the TikTok team to get over whatever that was and with the legacy of Legends Week still lurking, pirates traded stories of their legendary deeds, only to get dragged into reminiscing on a few of their legendary fails too. That was no problem though – nobody becomes a true Pirate Legend without sailing headlong into an island or two, right? Right?


And done! All covered for September. We’ll be back in a month to round up October’s occurrences, which will give us a chance to catch our breath because it’s looking so much quieter and – oh right, yes, Season Ten. Not quieter at all. In that case, keep up with everything by following Sea of Thieves on channels of your choice including Twit-X, Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, YouTube or Twitch, or the official Forums or Discord. Enjoy the debut of the imminent ‘Super Season’, count yourselves lucky we didn’t call it a ‘Super Spoopy Season’ considering the timing and we’ll catch you back here for more rigorous rounding up next month!

---

Sea of Thieves Round-Up: August 2023
Sea of Thieves Round-Up: July 2023
Sea of Thieves Round-Up: June 2023
Sea of Thieves Round-Up: May 2023
Sea of Thieves Round-Up: April 2023
Sea of Thieves Round-Up: March 2023
Sea of Thieves Round-Up: February 2023
Sea of Thieves Round-Up: January 2023

After players worked tirelessly to free Guybrush Threepwood from the magical machinations of LeChuck in previous Tall Tale ‘The Quest for Guybrush’, the time has come to strike back against his captor. In this third and final instalment of Sea of Thieves: The Legend of Monkey Island, you’ll venture to the titular isle and finally confront the nefarious Captain responsible for Guybrush’s recent misfortunes.

As the third Tall Tale in the trilogy, ‘The Lair of LeChuck’ is the culmination of everything pirates have experienced in The Legend of Monkey Island so far. This delightful crossover kicked off back in July, as players reached the glittering Caribbean shores of Mêlée Island for the first time. However, not everything was as it seemed, and a series of challenges and riddles led them to uncover the shocking truth: this version of the island was a Sea of the Damned illusion, a trap designed to ensnare Guybrush.

That first Tale ended with Guybrush’s fate left in the hands of Corina as she searched for a way to free him. Once she found it, players were thrust right back into the action, concocting a potion to burn away the mysterious fog shrouding the island and revealing more iconic locations.

With expanded access to Mêlée Island and its eccentric inhabitants, players could then embark on the journey to obtain three symbols of True Pirate Courage. This required a demonstration of bravado and mastery of all the most important pirate skills, but the reward was the long-awaited cure for Guybrush’s beguilement. Once he was freed, that left only one thing to do: pursue and confront the scoundrel responsible!


Which brings us here, to ‘The Lair of LeChuck’. After taking a few weeks to recover his strength and plan his attack, Guybrush is finally ready to take on his nemesis – with your help. Set sail once again into the Sea of the Damned and follow LeChuck’s trail to the fabled Monkey Island, but beware! Finding the dreaded ghost pirate will be no easy feat…

You’ll need to plot a way past the iconic Giant Stone Monkey Head, unearth three golden idols and delve into a maze of catacombs while seeking LeChuck’s lava-filled lair. From there, it’s a race to catch up with him before he can claim a final victory over Guybrush and Elaine, and put an end to his latest ruthless scheme!

‘The Lair of LeChuck’ provides a thrilling conclusion to the story set up in the first two Tall Tales with the payoff of a highly anticipated excursion to Monkey Island itself, as faces both familiar and new show up to speed you on your way. Good luck!


Of course, dramatic showdowns with legendary villains require an appropriately stylish look. Fortunately, the Pirate Emporium has been welcoming in new crossover-themed cosmetics to help you along.

With the new Legend of Monkey Island Sails and Figurehead, you can head into this confrontation making an unmistakable show of your support for Guybrush. Alternatively, you might want to check out the new costumes inspired by Kate Capsize, Herman Toothrot and Stan, letting you live out a wealth of Tri-Island Area roleplay dreams. Even if those dreams involve becoming a Previously Owned Vessels salesman. It takes all sorts.

If it’s equipment you need, you’ll be happy to hear that the Rubber Chicken with a Pulley in the Middle has found a new lease of life. Given a few tweaks, this one-time transportation mechanism will helpfully transport fish from the sea onto your ship in the form of a snazzy new fishing rod! Not bad for some vulcanised poultry.

So what are you waiting for? Guybrush is banking on your support to stop LeChuck’s plans, and you wouldn’t want anyone else stealing all the glory. All three Tall Tales comprising Sea of Thieves: The Legend of Monkey Island are available free for all players, and are live right now! Just head on over to Capsize Charters at any Outpost to get started.

© 2023 MICROSOFT. © & ™ LUCASFILM LTD.

Voyage deep into the Caribbean with Sea of Thieves: The Legend of Monkey Island – an original story told across three Tall Tales and a hilarious, heartfelt love letter to the iconic Monkey Island game series. All three instalments are available now!

'The Lair of LeChuck’

• The time has come to journey with Guybrush to the scenic, secretive Monkey Island, where a final showdown with LeChuck awaits you in a pirate lair deep underground. But first, there’s the little matter of getting inside… Unravel the mysteries of Monkey Island with Guybrush at your side in the final chapter of this Tall Tale trilogy!
  
• New Commendations, achievements and rewards have been added with this update, marking your progress as you make your way through ‘The Lair of LeChuck’ Tall Tale.
  
• To find out much more, head to our dedicated page on The Legend of Monkey Island.

Show off your personal style with purchases from the Pirate Emporium! Pick up exclusive cosmetics such as ship liveries, costumes, weapons, pets and emotes using your Ancient Coins, purchasable with real money. Head to the Pirate Emporium page to find out more about the latest arrivals.

New Items – Now in Stock!

• Legend of Monkey Island Sails and Figurehead
  
• Stan Costume Set
  
• Kate Capsize Costume Set
  
• Herman Costume Set
  
• Rubber Chicken Fishing Rod
  
• Pocket Serpent Emote
  
• Lucky Deal Emote (free!)
  
• Fossil Frenzy Bundle (Steam Store)

New Outpost Stock

• The Outpost clothing stores now stock a range of new bandana colours – all available for gold!

Season Nine Community Weekend

• From September 30th to October 2nd (10am UTC), all pirates are welcome to set sail and join in our latest Community Weekend with free gifts to snap up, Twitch Drops to claim and the introduction of Pop-Up Plunder!
  
• As always, raising the Community Emissary Grade (this time by tuning in to streamers in the Sea of Thieves category on Twitch) will unlock gold, reputation, Renown and Allegiance boosts for all players.
  
• Find out everything you need to know in our Season Nine Community Weekend news article.

Gameplay

• The Reaper’s Bones Emissary Flags may no longer be sold to the Sovereigns.
  
• Migrating across servers with a damaged mast will no longer cause pirates to stutter when moving around the deck of the ship.
  
• If a pirate harpoons treasure onto the ship during a Lost Shipments Voyage but does not move it, the treasure will no longer disappear when the Voyage ends.
  
• Burying and recovering treasure that has already been on your ship will no longer show an additional “Treasure aboard ship” notification.

‘The Journey to Mêlée Island’

• Players returning to this Tall Tale from a checkpoint will now see the correct prompts and notifications as they play through it.

Visual and Audio

• Snakes that have been charmed will no longer appear to turn away from the player.
  
• Pirates should now appear correctly when observed drinking from a tankard.
  
• When voting at the Hourglass of Fate, the correct Faction daggers should now consistently be shown.
  
• The scope on the Flaming Jackal Eye of Reach is now correctly opaque.
  
• Pirates aiming the Paradise Garden Pistol will now find shots more consistently align with the tip of the barrel.
  
• The Mad Monkey Cannons will now remain static on the deck when a pirate is inside.
  
• Larger pirates with the Elaine Costume equipped will no longer see the necktie when jumping and running.
  
• The Mad Monkey Ship’s Crest will now display the correct background when equipped with the Lodestar Hull.
  
• Pirates’ hands no longer intersect with the Duke Wheel when equipped.
  
• The Flaming Jackal Compass is now the correct orientation when viewed in the Equipment Chest.
  
• Players wearing the Silken Gloves of the Ashen Dragon should no longer see stretching around the hands.
  
• The LeChuck Costume Set now fits all sizes of pirates appropriately.
  
• After equipping a fishing rod in the Tunnels of the Damned, the fishing float and line no longer disappear.
  
• Pirates drinking from the Mysterious Stranger Tankard will no longer be drinking invisible grog.

Environment

• Pirates should no longer become stuck in trees at Flintlock Peninsula.

Performance and Stability

• Ongoing improvements made to server stability to reduce instances where players are disconnected from their session.

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: 7.8 GB

The much-anticipated Season Ten is almost here! With only a month to go, we wanted to take a few moments to fill you in on what we’ve been working on for this Season with a snazzy breakdown of the upcoming content. To make sure we didn’t miss anything important, various members of the team sat down to explain some of the new features you can expect to arrive throughout Season Ten, and how they’ll change the way you play Sea of Thieves.


The updates coming your way in Season Ten will be released over the course of several months, ensuring that each one has ample time in the spotlight and the Season remains compelling from start to finish.

First in the line-up, launching with the Season on October 19th, we have Guilds! Offering a new way of playing together with your friends, player-created Guilds will allow up to 24 pirates to unify under a single banner. Guild members can sail on their friends’ pledged ships even when they’re offline, and work towards increasing the shared Guild Reputation to unlock a wealth of new rewards.

And of course, this brand new Guilds feature is just the start. As Season Ten progresses, we’ll go on to debut a new type of world event in the form of a competitive hunt for the Skull of Siren Song! This unique Voyage will be delivered to all crews on a server simultaneously, pitting them against one another in a race to find and deliver the titular ancient artefact.


Then, for players who aren’t looking to get into scraps with other crews, we’ll be opening the way to Safer Seas. An entirely new Sea of Thieves game mode, Safer Seas will let players sail either alone or with a chosen crew of friends within their own private game session! So if you’ve got Tall Tales to complete or fish to catch, or if you simply need to spend time finding your sea legs without interruption, Safer Seas has you covered.

Be aware that it has its limits, though: the reduced risk means reduced rewards, and you won’t be able to explore the full breadth of Sea of Thieves’ offerings while sailing Safer Seas. The more competitive features and advanced aims of the game will remain exclusive to the classic shared-world game mode that we’ll continue to update, which will then be known as High Seas.

Everything mentioned here is just a brief overview of what you can expect through the rest of the year. For the full details of everything we’ve announced so far, make sure you check out our complete Season Ten preview video above, and check back throughout Season Ten for more details on each feature as it’s released into the hands of players!


If a month feels like a long time to wait, don’t worry, there’s plenty going on in the meantime. The third and final instalment of Sea of Thieves: The Legend of Monkey Island arrives on September 28th, along with a host of other additions and revisions packaged in with our September update.

Immediately after that we’ll be diving into the latest Community Weekend for a full 48 hours of fun, freebies, multipliers and shared stories! We’ll even be stopping by the Tavern for a fun-filled developer stream, so keep an eye on our Twitch channel when Community Weekend kicks off on September 30th.

To make sure you don’t miss anything on the roster before Season Ten, enjoy our latest Sea of Thieves News video below, and we’ll see you soon!

Hello, you beautiful buccaneers – and Happy Talk Like A Pirate Day! Given this most special of occasions, we thought it’d be piratically pertinent to share with you the details of our next Community Weekend. Previously Community Days, these have now doubled in length to make them twice as nice for everyone participating, thanks to the popularity of the bumper event we ran to celebrate our fifth anniversary.

Now, let’s get into the delightful details of what awaits all keen corsairs from September 30th to October 2nd – it’s set to be a jam-packed event!


Item one on the agenda is how to increase the Community Emissary Grade, which takes on a brand new form for this Season’s Community Weekend. Whereas players could previously contribute to boosting the Grade by using the #SeaOfThievesCommunityDay tag on Twitter, this time the multiplier – and more – will be powered by how much time players spend watching the Sea of Thieves category on Twitch! That’s right: all you need to do to help raise the Grade is tune in to any of your favourite content creators within the Sea of Thieves category between 10am UTC on Saturday, September 30th and 10am UTC on Monday, October 2nd.

As the Community Emissary Grade rises, so will the multiplier on gold, reputation, Renown and Allegiance for all players, with the top Grade offering two-and-a-half times the reward for your work! For those of you still yet to hit level 100 Renown in Season Nine, this will be your chance to do it and make a pretty penny at the same time. And if you’re a few levels off scoring your first Hourglass-related Curse, the same applies – this weekend is the perfect opportunity to maximise your progress and earn some serious stonks.


Talking of streams, the Rare crew will be setting sail on the Saturday morning, live from the on-site tavern! Tankards will be raised, chaos will ensue, pirates will plunder and a gay old time will be had. Join the gang from 10am UTC on September 30th to kick off the event with a healthy dose of shenanigans. Every minute you spend watching will also work towards raising that Community Emissary Grade, and may even earn you some Twitch Drops at the same time. That’s very efficient viewing by any standard.

Yes, tuning in to your favourite Sea of Thieves content creators (and of course us, on the Saturday morning) will also count towards unlocking a sweet suite of Drops for your own use! The Eastern Winds Ruby Sturdy Boots, Gilded Phoenix Cutlass, Eastern Winds Ruby Bejewelled Gloves and Gilded Phoenix Eye of Reach will all become available to claim as the weekend progresses, and all you need to do once each prize is up for grabs is watch any Twitch streamer in the Sea of Thieves category (not just Partners on this occasion) for a minimum of one hour per item.

Find out more about how Twitch Drops work on our dedicated page – where you can also make sure your Sea of Thieves and Twitch accounts are linked ahead of time so that you’re eligible for Drops!


We’ve also set a sneaky extra goal, which will bag you a bonus Drop should you collectively rise to the challenge. If you all manage to get Sea of Thieves into the top 10 categories (by highest number of viewers) on Twitch at any point during the weekend, a special Twitch Drop will be unlocked: the Obsidian Captain’s Rugs, equippable to any Captained ship! The Obsidian Ship’s Crest will also be unlocked for participating players if we hit that stretch goal, but awarded at a later date. So do your utmost during the event to unlock these super-swish items, not forgetting to make sure your accounts are linked before you get started!

It’s not just the increased rewards and more Twitch Drops you stand to benefit from as you race through the different Community Emissary Grades. Every time the community collectively levels up, we’ll introduce a new piece of Pop-Up Plunder to every Sea of Thieves server. But what is Pop-Up Plunder, we hear you cry? Well, we can answer that right now: it’s a way for us to sneak terrific treasures into the world on the fly. And if you think that sounds cool, it’s because it is.

Every time Pop-Up Plunder becomes available, players will receive a notification in-game that fresh loot is live and that a clue regarding the whereabouts of the high-value haul has been released somewhere on Sea of Thieves’ official social media channels. There will only be one plunderous prize per server, and each will only be discoverable for an hour before it disappears – so you’ll have to be swift on social and on the seas to secure it.


Of course, there may be a certain amount of strife involved in retrieving these special stashes of loot. Once the Pop-Up Plunder has been dug up, a cheeky little map marker will appear for everyone else on the same server, just so they know the precious prize hasn’t been handed in yet and they can still steal it. If you’re thinking “well, that sounds dastardly” – you’re right. We designed it like that, because we are dastardly. You’re welcome.

But these spoils are worth fighting for: amongst the assortment of items that will be buried at random are packed Collector’s Chests, Chests of Legends, suites of Siren Gems and even Chests of Fortune, so this is a spicy game of loot roulette that stands to earn you scores of cold, hard gold.

Even after the community have hit Grade Five, we’ll continue to periodically drop Pop-Up Plunder into the world until the end of the event. The majority of this loot will be random, with the only guaranteed Pop-Up Plunder item being Grade Five’s first treasure, which you’ll all recognise as an item particularly rare and Wondrous. Of course, these ultra-rare treasures can only be handed in at certain spots, so you may have to run a daunting oceanic gauntlet to cash in your prize…


This Community Weekend won’t just be about precarious pillaging of Pop-Up Plunder – there’s plenty on offer for those who just want to enjoy the good vibes and score some free stuff. As is customary, the glorious Season Nine Community Weekend flag, this time in regal tones of purple and gold, will magic its way into the Flag Box of anyone logging in over the event period.

There’s also very good news if you’re a fan of fondling foliage, as the Touch Grass Emote will be free to anyone logging in too! While we don’t actually want you to touch any grass during the event – ideally, we want you playing and watching Sea of Thieves – we figured it’d come in handy for those moments of heightened emotion where you feel like it could be refreshing to remind yourself of your roots.

And where better to show off your new emote than in front of a stunning Community Weekend-themed picture wall? Following its popularity on our Fifth Anniversary Community Weekend, we’re bringing picture walls back to the Sea of Thieves – but this time at every Outpost, so you won’t need to trek to Port Merrick to snap your perfect selfie. They’ll also boast a flag that represents the Community Emissary Grade at any given time, so you’ll know how at a glance how Grade progression is going. We’ve even managed to squeeze in a functional grog barrel at the scene, so pirates won’t have to travel far for a celebratory beverage. Cheers to that!


If you want to literally fly the Season Nine Community Weekend flag at home, you’re in luck – a time-limited flag and T-shirt will be heading to the Rare merchandise store for the duration of Community Weekend. And if you’re looking for an excuse to pick up additional pirate goodies at a bargain price, the discount code SOTCOMMUNITYWEEKEND will knock 30% off the cost of most Sea of Thieves swag in that very same store, so it’s worth browsing the digital aisles now to see if there are any cute items you’d like to earmark for the occasion.

Even though Twitter will no longer power our Community Emissary Grade, we’ll still have a big focus on the #SeaOfThievesCommunityWeekend hashtag for fun stories and stunning screenshots, artwork and gameplay clips – so please do spend some time sharing good vibes on all your usual social media profiles. Our Community team will be captaining the channels all throughout the weekend, ready to share our favourite posts!

These events have always served as a super opportunity to spotlight some of our community MVPs, celebrating amazing players, artists, creators and general good eggs. So if you think either you or one of your crewmates deserves fame and a particularly fetching hat, look no further as our #BeMorePirate drive returns for Season Nine Community Weekend.

We’ll be scouring channels and the #BeMorePirate tag for amazing Sea of Thieves stories and creations, from now until the end of the event. 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.


Fashion-focused freebooters, you’re also in luck – it’s time to return to the catwalk for a bonus round of #StyleOfThieves! With just one category to dress for this time, we’re calling your whole crew into the spotlight for the theme of Crew Couture. Show off your cohesive looks or represent your roles on the ship with a screenshot, and you and up to three crewmates could each win a set of Fashionista’s Finery Gloves!

Submissions will open at 10am UTC on October 1st and run for just 24 hours, with the four winning crews being revealed by October 6th. To enter, just post your screenshot during the submission window using #StyleOfThieves and the theme title on X/Twitter, Instagram or our official Discord server via the Pirate Fashion channel, or reply to the #StyleOfThieves post on Facebook.

That’s all you need to know! But the most important thing to do in preparation for Season Nine Community Day is to contact your crew – or, if you’re a lone wolf, mark some time in your diary for a serious bit of solo Sloopin’. Check your Reputation tabs, your Commendations and our Outpost stock to see what sort of targets you can set your sights on, and plot a course for adventure alongside all our other wonderful pirates in this latest celebration of Sea of Thieves’ super community! We can’t wait to see you on the seas.