It had to be this particular weekend, of course, following on from Talk Like a Pirate Day on September 19th. So brace for impact because we’re about to come at you again with the latest celebratory get-together on the seas, running from 11am UTC on Saturday, September 21st to the same time on Monday, September 23rd!

As always, the Community Weekend vibe runs both ways and we encourage players to save something to share with us and their fellow pirates while it’s in progress, whether we’re talking adventures, creations, ideas or good old-fashioned sentiment – all while enjoying everything else that’s going on, from freebies and discounts to special Voyages and Plunder. But let’s kick off with that all-important Community Emissary Grade…

You know the drill: while Community Weekend is live, log in to Twitch and tune in to any streamer in the Sea of Thieves category, and your viewing hours will count towards a cumulative total. That total in turn drives up the Community Emissary Grade, increasing the multiplier on gold, reputation, Seasonal Renown, Allegiance and Guild Reputation for all players! Max it out at Grade Five and that’s two-and-a-half times the usual rewards for everyone until Community Weekend draws to a close.

Not sure who to watch? Don’t forget our Sea of Thieves Partner Directory will let you see who’s live, we have an archive of Creator Spotlights stretching back years and we’ll even be getting involved in our own trademark barely planned way with a Saturday stream on the Sea of Thieves channel. Keep tabs on our socials as we approach the weekend for more details of what time we’ll be live!


As anyone who’s taken part in a previous Community Weekend will know, the fun starts as soon as you turn up to find free gifts falling into your lap. This time you can expect to be awarded the exclusive Season 13 Community Weekend Flag, along with the hypnotic Shimmy Dance Emote. And you can’t tell us you don’t want that.

Further freebies can be claimed through Twitch Drops: a spyglass and shovel from the Stormy Sea Dog set, a concertina and bucket from the Stalwart Sea Dog set, and of course our latest stygian stretch goal: the Obsidian Captain’s Table. Once again, the community must come together to unlock this beauty, this time by collectively completing a total of 100,000 World Events. That’ll cause the Obsidian Captain’s Table to become earnable through Twitch Drops and go on to brighten up the cabin of any Captained ship! Well, maybe brighten isn’t the right word, but you know what we mean.

Still unfulfilled by all the freebies? Then you may expand your options once again by browsing the Talk Like a Pirate Day Sale in the Pirate Emporium, which not only offers visitors its own freebie (the Rage Unleashed Emote) but defies its own name by actually running for eight days from September 19th–27th. Lodestar bargains! Mandrake markdowns! Stone Islehopper Outlaw steals! Pretty Polly Sails back in stock for a limited time (possibly eight days)!


Cosmetics are all well and good, but we understand you also want treasure – ideally treasure worth an eye-twitching amount of gold if handed in when the Community Emissary Grade is riding high. To bring you more chances of finding such enviable items, Pop-Up Plunder is back in play for Season 13 Community Weekend!

You’ll get an in-game notification when a Pop-Up Plunder spot is activated, and clues on Sea of Thieves social channels such as Twitter/X, Instagram and Discord will steer you in the right direction. Each server only has one piece of plunder so it’s a race to unearth it before any other crew on the same server – and a race against the clock to do that within one hour, before the treasure evaporates in a puff of glitter and shattered dreams. But live up to the pressure and you’re sure to get something good out of it! Probably. It might even be one of the fancy loot-packed Community Crates introduced for the occasion…


The time-limited treats don’t end with Pop-Up Plunder: you’ll also find also some lucrative new Voyages lined up on the Quest Table during the weekend. Keen to take advantage of increased traffic on the seas, those skeleton-hating scamps in the Order of Souls will be placing Bounties on unsavoury Obsidian and Shadow Skeleton Captains found loitering at the Skeleton Camps introduced in Season 13.

While you can’t repeat these new Bounty Voyages indefinitely – after all, there’s an in-game economy probably best left intact – you will get multiple cracks of the whip, so enjoy! While this skelly-targeting treat lasts, you’ll find it under Special Voyages on the Quest Table.

As always, we encourage all pirates to join in the spirit of Community Weekend by sharing their own captivating clips, unhinged undertakings and consummate crafts inspired by Sea of Thieves. Tag whatever you’ve got on social media with the venerable #BeMorePirate hashtag, as we’ll be staying frosty for new favourites to reward with the Hat of Unfeasibly Glorious Fame! You’re also free to nominate other players who you think deserve this long-winded reward for their own accomplishments, or the simple good vibes they bring to the community – and you can do that starting right ruddy now.

There will of course be the traditional Picture Wall at the Outposts too, in sleek new Season 13 Community Weekend colours, so we hope you’ll share your finest and most raucous crew pics from any or all of those during your weekend adventures!


It’s got all the makings of another unforgettable weekend, so slip on your finest freebooting footwear and join us from September 21st–23rd, whether you have something you want to share or you’re simply there for the stonks. Both are valid.

One last thing we should mention to ensure you don’t miss out: in the unifying spirit of Community Weekend, you’ll need to be sailing in the open world of High Seas to take advantage of all the antics outlined above, from Community Emissary Grade gains to the perks of Pop-Up Plunder. So if you’re usually a Safer Seas sailor, now’s the time to brave those busier waters. We’ll see you there!

From now until September 15th (23:59 UTC), partake in a spot of hunter-gathering and enjoy a fine 1.5x boost on all gold and reputation for goods handed to The Hunter's Call this weekend!

The sunny delights of August are finally heading over the horizon, which means it’s once more time to have a quick sit down and reminisce over everything we managed to get done last month. Grog rations are always plentiful on the Sea of Thieves, so fill up your tankards, settle in and let’s get right to it…

Things were a bit warm at the beginning of the month, so naturally sailors might have been a bit hesitant to head into the middle of the arid, volcanic Devil’s Roar. Sail that way they did, though, when word got around that Ashen Message in a Bottle Voyages were washing up on shores throughout the region, promising high-value rewards. Fortuitously, volcanic activity was at a low ebb to help pirates get their hands on lucrative Ashen loot in peace – barring intervention from other crews, of course.

For the monthly content update in August, we kept things relatively low-key following the explosive Season 13 launch in July. Highlights included revisions to the workings of the Burning Blade and the Horn of Fair Winds, as well as a blunderbuss revamp and new cosmetic items in the Emporium and Outpost shops. There were also a slew of fixes, a handful more of which were added the subsequent week in a small hotfix.

August’s smaller update was a good thing too, as we scarcely had a quiet weekend all month. First up, a Daily Deeds reward boost granted players extra gold and Renown, then a Gold & Glory Weekend expanded the boosted rewards to pirates taking on tasks of all kinds. Captain Flameheart and his loyal Servant weren’t about to be outdone, and began offering increased gold and rep to anyone who delivered loot to the Reapers’ door. A decision that ended up cascading into an explosion of hostility when the Factions clashed with greater force than ever during the inaugural Fight Nights Event. Phew. Got all that?


In a month with so many Events taking place, it was hard to find a spare moment to put pen to paper. Nevertheless, we made sure to power up the old Community Spotlight and shine it on one of the most devoted Reapers the seas have ever known: Mutinous Mel! No prizes for guessing which side she chose during Fight Nights. Meanwhile, the latest Spotlight Showcase article on Steam recapped our Community and Creator Spotlights stretching back to the start of 2024, making it a comprehensive and stress-free way to catch up if you’ve arrived on our shores since then.

Further afield, our partners at Youtooz unveiled their latest Sea of Thieves merchandise featuring an elegantly modelled Kraken Mug and adorable Megalodon Plush, both substantially friendlier than their in-game counterparts. Well worth a look if you don’t currently have enough Sea of Thieves vibes in your life!

We also took a moment to celebrate some game news beyond ourselves with the re-release of the Mayhem ship set. Bright, colourful and evocative of a franchise just as chaotic as Sea of Thieves, who wouldn’t want to be the minion of this delightful figurehead?


A new month meant it was time for a new episode of Sea of Thieves News, and we even pulled in an old familiar face to do it! Jon took a seat in the Tavern to walk us through the cosmetics arriving with the August update, while Production Director Drew also jumped back in to explain some of the balancing changes coming to the game through the month and beyond.

The Sea of Thieves Explained series was also due a new instalment, but in fact two fresh episodes were dropped to help pad out the knowledge of any sailors new to the seas. First up we explored tools and World Events, before Episode 5 got everyone prepped for Fight Nights with a broad-ranging primer on everything combat.

Over in the music department, we set aside another moment to appreciate all the amazing work done by Sea of Thieves’ Audio team, this time by adding the contemplative ‘Align the Stars’ to all the usual music streaming platforms. Be sure to give it a listen – really, it’s a stellar track. Not sorry.


The key to having a good month on social is to start things off with some solid, inspirational advice and a period of reflection on all the victories that you’ve achieved so far. With that foundation in place, we were free to move onto more pressing concerns like naming Captained ships, identifying the impostor on a crew and finding out which pet makes the best cannonball. Scientific analysis complete, we broadened our gaze to examine approaches to piracy as a whole and concluded that the ram strat is still entirely valid, no matter what your figurehead might think.

August was also home to all our usual social competitions and, as always, the community creativity was wonderful to see. Eight lucky Community Hub winners had their pursuits rewarded with the always-popular fancy hat, while two rounds of #SoTShot tested pirates’ picture-capturing abilities. Initially we dived into a colourful – if exhausting – round of Summer Sports, before the ominous Burning Blade demanded our attention and we were swarmed with pictures reminding us why Flameheart’s flagship isn’t to be trifled with.

The prizes didn’t end there either, with a quick comic giveaway taking place at the end of the month. After that, there was only time for a fast fit check, one last jump scare and a wild skeleton rave. Very demure, we can all agree.


All of which brings us to the end of August and the end of another round-up. Even without a Season launch to contend with, we still managed to pack the month with new and exciting things to do, so thank you for coming along on the ride with us. We’ll be back next month with a summary of everything we’re currently getting up to in September, but until then, find us in all the expected social places: Twitter/X, Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, Twitch, or via the official Forums and Discord. Back in a bit!

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Sea of Thieves Round-Up: July 2024
Sea of Thieves Round-Up: June 2024
Sea of Thieves Round-Up: May 2024
Sea of Thieves Round-Up: April 2024
Sea of Thieves Round-Up: March 2024
Sea of Thieves Round-Up: February 2024
Sea of Thieves Round-Up: January 2024

Returning the Burning Blade in Battle

• Crews in command of the Burning Blade are now prevented from returning the ship to The Reaper’s Hideout while still in combat. Rival ships in close proximity to the Burning Blade will prevent it from being returned.
  
• A majority vote from the crew will now be required when pledging to become the crew of the Burning Blade, or when returning the ship to The Reaper’s Hideout.
  
• Any crew votes to return the Burning Blade to The Reaper’s Hideout will now be cleared if the ship is sailed away from the island, and the vote will need to be retaken upon returning to the vicinity.

Blunderbuss Rework

• The blunderbuss knockback effects have now been strengthened, with close-range shots now consistently propelling players forcefully backwards and applying more vertical height to repel boarders over ledges and obstacles.
  
• The spread pattern of the blunderbuss has been widened, both when firing from the hip and aiming down sights, maximising the knockback potential at close range.
  
• Players propelled backwards by a blunderbuss shot no longer have movement control while in the air, ensuring they are forced in the direction determined by the blast.
  
• New visual effects have been added to the blunderbuss, with white-hot debris, smoke and distortion effects identifying the effective range of its new knockback strength.
  
• The damage dealt by each pellet fired from the blunderbuss has been slightly reduced, reducing the total output of the weapon to 90 damage. As a result, the blunderbuss will no longer be able to perform a one-hit kill on a player with full health.
  
• Pellets fired from the blunderbuss now fizzle out at long range, reducing the overall range of the blunderbuss and cementing its role as a close-range tactical choice.

Horn of Fair Winds Availability

• The Horn of Fair Winds is now more easily discovered within the world. These items are guaranteed to be found within Siren Treasury Vaults, and now have an increased chance of being salvaged from shipwrecks. In addition to these specific locations, there is a small chance of finding a Horn of Fair Winds washed up on islands across the Sea of Thieves.
  
• To balance out this increased availability, the gold awarded when cashing in a Horn of Fair Winds has now been reduced. As a reminder, the gold amount earned is not linked to the power remaining within the Horn, so blast away!

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!

• Motley Mariner Ship Collection
  
• Motley Mariner Weapon Bundle
  
• Motley Mariner Costume Set
  
• Motley Mariner Ship’s Crest
  
• Motley Mariner Trinket
  
• Motley Mariner Drum
  
• Ashen Curse Owl
  
• King’s Ransom Weapon Bundle
  
• King’s Ransom Ship’s Crest
  
• Idle Conversationalist Emote Bundle
  
• Omen Ship Bundle
  
• Red Card Emote (free!)

Pirate Emporium Browsing Improvements

• The Pirate Emporium store experience has been improved with an expanded ‘Browse All’ section added to the top bar, allowing players to more easily scour the wealth of items available to purchase.
  
• Within this new menu, players can filter items by category such as weapons, ships and equipment, then dive deeper to find specific types such as cannons, pistols and banjos.
  
• Players can also sort these filtered items by name or by price to help them find exactly what they are looking for.

New Outpost Stock!

• The Outpost clothing shops have received a fresh shipment of items and now offer the Simian Courtly Jacket and several colourful new halter tops, all available for gold.
  
• The Outpost weaponsmiths now stock a selection of weapons from the new Stonebark Carpenter’s weapon set.

Gameplay

• When attacking players with throwing knives, a missed throw will no longer incorrectly cause them to take damage.
  
• Attacking Gunpowder Skeletons with throwing knives and directly hitting the keg should now consistently detonate it.
  
• Crews diving to the submerged wreck as part of a Lost Shipment Voyage should no longer find an empty Captain’s cabin on arrival.
  
• Players are now targeted correctly by enemy Bone Caller Skeletons after migrating across servers.
  
• Crews can once again discover Chests of Ancient Tributes in the following Sunken Kingdom locations: Shrine of Ocean’s Fortune, Shrine of Ancient Tears and Shrine of Tribute.
  
• Ship Milestones for Voyage Quests Completed now increment properly depending on the crew’s size.
  
• Attempting to deliver Athena’s Fortune treasure to an Outpost will now guide players to the correct location.
  
• The Logbook of a Captained ship will no longer continue to gain progress while the crew is pledged to the Burning Blade.

Blade of Souls

• Players can no longer bypass the stun when missing a heavy strike with the Blade of Souls by dropping the sword.
  
• The Blade of Souls is now correctly positioned in a player’s hands view while running or swimming.
  
• The Blade of Souls is now correctly stashed on a player’s back while climbing ladders.
  
• The correct icon will now show on the Map Table when a player is holding the Blade of Souls.

The Burning Blade

• Crews pledged to the Burning Blade should no longer be open to invasion by rival crews as part of an Hourglass battle.
  
• The Burning Blade will no longer be able to enter the Tunnels of the Damned as part of a Tall Tale.
  
• Crews burying items while pledged to the Burning Blade will now find that Map Bundles appear in the Captain’s cabin.
  
• Players will now see the Burning Blade announcement banners only once upon approaching and not repeatedly when engaging or returning from the Ferry of the Damned.
  
• The banner for pledging to take control of the Burning Blade now correctly displays the name of the crew that accomplished it.
  
• If a Burning Blade crew leaves the game, nearby crews will no longer see the ‘Defeated’ notification.
  
• The crew of the Burning Blade can no longer access the Ship Customisation Chest at Outposts.
  
• The Ashen Roar will no longer get stuck and become unusable if the Burning Blade moves servers while it is heating up.
  
• Storage merfolk will now recognise the Burning Blade when the pledged crew has stored treasure in the depths of the Sunken Kingdom.
  
• Treasure from the Burning Blade’s hold will now be released and rise to the surface consistently when the ship is sunk.
  
• The allied skeleton crew on the Burning Blade will no longer react when hit by the pledged crew.
  
• The Burning Blade’s middle mast repair location has been moved to avoid the location of the bell.
  
• Losing the Burning Blade within the Devil’s Shroud no longer repeats defeat notifications for the crew and rival players nearby.
  
• Joining a session in progress on the Burning Blade no longer starts battle music if the ship is not in combat.
  
• Battle music for the Burning Blade crew now consistently starts when a ship comes into battle range and ceases when the last ship leaves.
  
• The Burning Blade will no longer fire the Ashen Roar when it is considered downed or flipped.
  
• Players can no longer become stuck in the ship’s barrels and be ejected from the ship.
  
• A notification has been added to indicate that The Reaper’s Bones Emissary Flag can’t be lowered when in control of the Burning Blade.
  
• The Burning Blade is no longer able to migrate to a location where another Burning Blade is already present.
  
• Completing Rituals at a Skeleton Camp now requires the Burning Blade to be closer to the island.
  
• Captains defeating the Burning Blade should now consistently be rewarded with the Blade of Souls.
  
• Bone Caller Skeletons will now appear on the Burning Blade when summoned.
  
• Players using Controller Aim Assist will no longer find that allied skeletons on the Burning Blade trigger the assist effects.
  
• The Blade of Souls will only be shown next to Captain Flameheart while the Burning Blade is not roaming the seas.
  
• Improvements have been made to the visual quality of the carpet in the Captain’s cabin on the Burning Blade.
  
• While sailing the Burning Blade, the border of the Devil’s Shroud now appears in the correct locations around the world map.

Skeleton Camps

• Improvements have been made to the Skeleton Camp and Ancient Temple environments to enhance navigation and visual quality.
  
• Constellations will now be correctly highlighted on the pillars after a failed attempt.

Environment

• The feet of Barbary and Capuchin pets will now align properly when perched on the bar at taverns.
  
• Barrels at Blind Man’s Lagoon will now be solid and will not allow players to walk through them.
  
• Pet perch spots in the Pirate Legend Hideout have been updated, allowing players to place dogs in various locations.
  
• Pets in the Pirate Legend Hideout no longer partially float in the air when placed on a certain stool.
  
• The floating Wild Rose journal at the Lagoon of Whispers has been placed correctly so that it appears to sit on the surface below.
  
• Gold in the coffers at Picaroon Palms can now be collected by players.
  
• Players should no longer experience stuttering when going down the stairs at Sea Forts.
  
• ‘Captains of the Damned’ – Players can now sit on benches at Isla Tesoro without sitting on other players.

Visual and Audio

• Players of all body types using the Mayhem Capstan will now see their hands holding on to it correctly.
  
• Fireworks can now be heard while inside caves.
  
• The buttons on the Eclipse Jacket now display correctly if a player views it from further away.
  
• The Pirate Lord’s speech will no longer be cut off when players sail away at the end of the Captaincy tutorial.
  
• The audio effect for collecting a chicken in the Merchant Alliance Tutorial Voyage now matches other animal capture Voyages.
  
• Enemy skeleton music will no longer be heard when allied skeletons are nearby.
  
• Rolling Dice Emotes now also display a notification showing the dice roll result.
  
• Pocket Watches now consistently have visible glass faces after being equipped.
  
• Flameheart’s animations have been improved to be smoother when the Burning Blade is returned to The Reaper’s Hideout.
  
• The underside of a player’s foot is now visible when performing emotes or sitting on ledges.

Text and Localisation

• Approved Xbox terminology is now used across a range of menu items in non-English languages.
  
• ‘Revenge of the Morningstar’ – Incorrect translation in Tyler’s dialogue has been addressed, which previously blocked players using non-English languages.

Performance and Stability

• Improvements have been made to server stability to avoid 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: 1.76 GB

In all the excitement of Flameheart’s explosive resurrection and a whole new Season to keep us occupied, we scarcely noticed that the end of July was upon us and it was time to get another monthly round-up off to the printers. Never fear, though, we weren’t going to leave you hanging for long. We’re pirate writers of our word, after all.

While the main content update of the month was still sneaking over the horizon – as much as an enormous, flaming warship can sneak, anyway – we wanted to take a moment to celebrate the camaraderie that makes this community what it is. To that end, the Flags of Friendship Event set out to reward players forming Alliances with an exclusive tattoo and tankard, as well as increased profits from any loot your allies sold.

Captain Flameheart’s grand return couldn’t be put off for long, however. With all the subtlety you’d expect from an infamous pirate skeleton, the legend himself made his reappearance with the launch of Season 13, bringing with him a newly rebuilt warship to outmatch anything else sailing on the Sea of Thieves.

Not only that, his loyal followers had been hard at work unearthing Ancient Temples across the map to steal the secret knowledge trapped within, setting up Skeleton Camps to protect their efforts. If you want to read up on the decidedly less secret knowledge of everything that’s new, changed and improved in Season 13, be sure to stop by the release notes, as always.


Over on the News page, the main event was of course the launch day rundown of everything you could expect from the minty-fresh new Season. Before that, we’d kicked off the month in style – Style of Thieves, that is! Season 12’s themes were revealed on the very first day of July, so that pirates had as much time as possible to get their fiercest fashions ready. You can’t rush perfection.

In Spotlight news, we stopped by another fresh Stream Team member after Div_And_Inc’s prior instalment, this time in the form of another familiar face to many: Gosfather! If you’re looking for tips on how to create content yourself or help to lift up other content creators if you’re already in the business, his interview is a great place to start.

Then, fast forwarding to the end of the month, we closed things out with a topic near and dear to our hearts here at Rare: Disability Pride Month. Accessibility is a major part of everything we do in Sea of Thieves, so spare a few minutes for a glimpse behind the curtain at some of the work that goes into making the seas a welcoming place for all!


With the inevitability of all regularly scheduled programming, the first video we released in July was a fresh instalment of Sea of Thieves News. As you might expect, most of the episode was dedicated to highlights of the imminent Season 13, but it also discussed the importance of the Pirate Emporium, changes to certain in-game sounds and how Bone Caller Skeletons react to tucked players. Drew even revealed that pirates would be able to sprint while holding the Blade of Souls, proving once and for all that pirates aren’t caught up on basic classroom safety.

Before we got to Season 13, however, we realised that some pirates may not be all that familiar with Captain Flameheart, especially if they hadn’t been sailing long enough to remember his angry floating head days. To ensure everyone was up to speed before pledging themselves to fight in his name, our Video team helpfully provided a whistle-stop tour of his dastardly deeds to date.

And then it was finally time for the man himself to make his return! As always, a new Season meant a new launch trailer and an expanded content update video to explain everything you can do with the fearsome Burning Blade. There was even a 40-second summary for anyone who really couldn’t wait to get sailing and an epic soundtrack addition to get everyone in the fighting spirit.


July was a big month for the community, with not one but two community-organised meetups taking place! Here in the UK, SoTFest had pirates descending on Walsall for a weekend, while across the pond we saw sailors gather in Ohio for Fest of Legends. Here at Rare, we were handing out glorious hats for a new round of Community Hub submissions, while the aforementioned Style of Thieves competition saw the best-dressed pirates walking away with snazzy new gloves. There was even a Movie Moments round of #SoTShot for all the budding photographers out there…

All that wonderful player creativity inspired us to undertake some creation of our own, but we quickly realised that we were better off delegating the important decisions. Fortunately, it didn’t take long for us to get distracted by the most important sporting event of the year and some fishy festivities to go along with it.

By the time the Burning Blade AKA Big Ship made its debut, we were more than ready to celebrate all the new game additions and changes, no matter how small. Even if the celebrations got a little… weird. Frankly, we’ve found it’s best not to ask. The last leg of the month was spent revelling in watching everyone experiencing Season 13 while throwing around free gold, identifying S-Tier unlocks and shrugging off the odd minor mishap.


And that, dear readers, was July. It was a hectic month with many moving parts, but well worth it to see everyone ultimately enjoying Season 13. And while you continue to do that, we’ll call time on another round-up! Until the next one, find us in all the usual places on Twitter/X, Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, Twitch, or via the official Forums and Discord. Let the Flame burn! Unless, you know, you’d rather it didn’t. That’s valid too.

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Sea of Thieves Round-Up: June 2024
Sea of Thieves Round-Up: May 2024
Sea of Thieves Round-Up: April 2024
Sea of Thieves Round-Up: March 2024
Sea of Thieves Round-Up: February 2024
Sea of Thieves Round-Up: January 2024

Gameplay

• Captain Briggsy’s note will once again appear on the ship’s mast when the Skull of Siren Song Voyage is ready to begin.
  
• Players speaking to Umbra while wearing specific cosmetics intended to unlock Commendations will find that they can once again do so with the desired outcome.

Skeleton Camps

• Multiple crew members entering a Skeleton Camp and attempting to complete a single Ritual at the same time will no longer be awarded additional Rituals. (Released previously as part of an interim hotfix.)
  
• Players interfering with their network connection while completing Rituals will no longer gain additional Rituals. (Released previously as part of an interim hotfix.)

The Burning Blade

• Crews pledging allegiance to Flameheart will no longer be able to form an Alliance with other crews while in control of the Burning Blade.
  
• The treasure held within the Burning Blade will no longer be multiplied when the ship migrates across servers.
  
• Players using Bone Callers on the deck of the Burning Blade will now find that skeleton allies are summoned to their aid as intended.

The Flame Rises

• Crews pledged to the Burning Blade who hand in a stolen Orb of Secrets at The Reaper’s Hideout will now progress the Ritual Recovery Commendation.

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: 1.64 GB

The next bumper crop of Spotlight shenanigans is here! After our last instalment packed in a recap of 10 whole Spotlight articles, bringing us closer to catching up with the current day, we’re now back with the all the more recent entries we couldn’t quite cram in there. It’s going to be a whirlwind to get through them, so everyone take a deep breath. Got it? Let’s go!


First up on our list, we’re jumping back to freezing memories of January and our Community Spotlight with roving writer Dead-Eye Dray. A keen contributor to Golden Sands Blogpost, Ancient Isles University and Merfolk’s Lullaby, it’s amazing that Dray found a spare second to chat with us at all, let alone walk us through their long and storied history in the Sea of Thieves community.


For our first Creator Spotlight of 2024 and this Showcase alike, we dropped by the deck of renowned banana cruncher Jon Bardcore! From his origins as an oldest child being distracted by a NES all the way through to slamming bananas while dropping knowledge and becoming a familiar face in the YouTube guide community, he was full of insights into the world of content creation.


For our next instalment we caught up with another name in the Ancient Isles University roster, Captain McGuffin. A researcher through and through, it’s perhaps little wonder they came to Sea of Thieves as an Alpha tester. Since then, serving as Head of Forensics at the University and a prominent member of Sea of Thieves Portugal has made them a testament to the community.


In March, not long after our Partner Programme welcomed in a host of new faces, we used our next Creator Spotlight to catch up with one of them: Pufferson! Best known for her endeavours as a solo Sloop skirmisher, she walked us through subjects as wide-ranging as how she fell into content creation, normalising discussions of mental health and her real-life sailing experiences.


Halfway through the list now, and we move on to Cap’n Axe! This artwork aficionado shared some details of a background in graphic design and production design, and how it’s helped to shape their experiences producing phenomenal pieces of loot art. They even revealed that they’d worked on an Oscar-nominated film! And that they hate mint. Equally character-defining fun facts.


The Community Spotlights continued with our next instalment and a deep dive into KeepinitTwisted’s whirlwind adventures. Between her own deep dives into Sea of Thieves lore, fierce victories in PvP battles and a coveted #SoTShot win, she’s made a name for herself in almost every corner of the community. We’d expect nothing else from someone who races up 53 floors every year.


Next in line, we turned to a pirate perhaps best known for his striking fashion sense: the Barnacled Buccaneer Fishhook Cook! The conversation, of course, delved into his well-documented love of crustacean-cover clothing, but also took in his favourite in-game moments, achievements and real-life Sea of Thieves events, before closing out on the details of an actual pirate connection.


For the penultimate Spotlight of this Showcase, we concluded our Pride Month celebrations by sitting down with Boatswain and Diversity & Inclusion advocate, Div_And_Inc! Despite admitting to the crime of maining Oddjob in GoldenEye 007, they quickly redeemed themselves with a discussion of all their work to make the Sea of Thieves community a more welcoming place for all.


And, finally, we catch up to our most recent Spotlight victim– uh, participant: Gosfather! As a founding member of our Community Stream Team alongside fellow creators like Div_And_Inc, this spirited streamer had plenty to say about Sea of Thieves, content creation, being a mentor and the correct technique for eating a scone. Answers to all the important questions, really.

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All of which, at long last, brings us up to date! We have plenty more Spotlights in the works to highlight many of the wonderful people who make up this brilliant pirate community, so watch this space to catch more interviews as they happen.

Until then, don’t forget you can always check out previous Community, Creator and Legend Spotlights from the Sea of Thieves News page. Or, if you’d rather take a whistle-stop tour through them in this format, be sure to stop by our previous Showcase and those that came before!

Something is afoot in The Devil's Roar! From August 8th to August 15th (10am UTC), you'll be able to discover mysterious new Ashen Message in a Bottle Voyages throughout this fiery region, leading the way to valuable Ashen treasures.

As an added bonus, all Ashen loot handed in during the Event will earn you increased rewards and help raise your Emissary Grade, to make finding those Bottles even more enticing...

Meanwhile, the forecast for volcanic activity in the Roar suggests things will be surprisingly quiet during these Ashen Expeditions, allowing you to hunt down Ashen Message in a Bottle Voyages and their spoils in relative peace - and pursue the rumours of a unique unlockable reward for doing so. Good luck!

Get additional gold and Renown by completing Daily Deeds from August 2nd-4th. Check the Events tab in the Pirate Log for more information!

The time has come: the resurrected Captain Flameheart is making moves to seize control of the Sea of Thieves. He’s returned from his long banishment with a plan, and his sights are set on retrieving long-forgotten Ancient secrets. Two of the most powerful tools at his disposal as this mission begins are his monstrous flagship, the Burning Blade... and you!


Yes, not only can the Burning Blade be found roaming the seas with fire in its belly and Obsidian Skeletons swarming its decks, Season 13 allows you to board it and declare yourself its new crew once you’ve dulled its fury with a suitable show of strength.

This means pledging yourself to Flameheart’s service, but the rewards are tempting. With ten cannons, a skeletal support crew, Obsidian Ashen Winds Skulls in the hold and the Ashen Roar fireball launcher at the bow, it’s a vessel capable of transforming a rough-and-ready pirate band into a marauding boss battle.

Serving Flameheart, for as long as you wish to do so, involves sailing the Burning Blade to Skeleton Camps found on islands across the map. These are built over Ancient Temples, sites of the lost knowledge that Flameheart craves. Solve the constellation puzzle in any of these Temples to enter the Crypt where an Ancient lies entombed, then complete the Ritual to transfer Ancient secrets to the Burning Blade. The more Rituals performed, the greater the ship’s value when you finally return it to Flameheart at The Reaper’s Hideout for your reward!


But there is another option. Overcome the Burning Blade and you can choose not to take the wheel and sail in Flameheart’s name, but sink the ship and claim the spoils. The unique reward for doing so is the Blade of Souls, not just a coveted treasure item (with value measured by the Rituals performed before the Burning Blade was sunk), but a fully wieldable melee weapon with the power to set your enemies on fire!

There’s also a reason to visit the Ancient Temples beneath the Skeleton Camps even when you’re not pledged to Captain Flameheart. Battle your way through devout Obsidian Skeletons, solve the constellation puzzle and reach the Crypt – then instead of completing the Ritual within, sabotage it by escaping with the precious Orb of Secrets, ready to be sold to the nearest Trading Company representative who shows an interest...


In addition to a cache of Commendations and rewards earnable as you explore Season 13’s features in different ways, the new Season brings 100 fresh levels of Seasonal Renown to be climbed. Unique cosmetics along with gold, Doubloons and Ancient Coins are all up for grabs as you progress, and an optional Plunder Pass adds more prizes to the pool: for Season 13 this includes the eerie Eclipse ship set complete with Collector’s items, plus the Eclipse Hat, Jacket and Gloves for your pirate and 750 unlockable Ancient Coins to help you recoup the price of the Pass itself.

Over in the Pirate Emporium, the owl pets from Season 12 already have some competition in the form of five fabulous varieties of tropical toucan to share in your adventures. Also new in stock are the Radiant Comet cosmetic set with a stained glass motif, so far including a ship livery, a lantern and a clutch of well-crafted weapons, while the Runway Emote Bundle should satisfy pirates who adore both fashion and drama!


For more information on the Sea of Thieves Season 13 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. 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!