Genre: | Adventure | ||
Developer: | Rare | Official Site: | https://www.seaofthieves.com/ |
Publisher: | Microsoft | Classification: | TBC |
Release Date: | March 2018 |
Six Sea Forts will appear around the world, drawn through from the Sea of the Damned and protected by patrolling Phantoms. You’ll battle through these ghostly foes and collect keys to fully explore the Sea Fort, eventually taking down its toughest defenders and claiming the loot within the treasury.
Ghost Ships Rise to Seek Vengeance
We’re pleased to unleash a whole new type of encounter this month and look forward to seeing how well our players react and adapt. Captain Flameheart’s spirit, recently released from captivity, continues to grow in power and has now found a way to rally supernatural support from the Sea of the Damned! His Ghost Ships are the latest threat to reach these seas, and though their phantom forms may be easier to destroy than earthly ships, they’re fearsomely armed and sure to outnumber living pirates.
Crewed by lost souls, these swift fleets provide a twist on the usual challenges of ship combat as they attack with otherworldly weaponry and drop mines to catch the unwary. As danger lies in all directions and the ships themselves prove perilous to the touch, agility and crew communication will be just as important as combat skill!
Flameheart’s Flagship
The centerpiece of this update is an emergent event featuring Captain Flameheart’s own ship, the Burning Blade. With the arrival of Haunted Shores, Flameheart’s looming skull will now manifest over islands like the clouds that represent Skeleton Forts or Skeleton Ship battles. However, this particular sign means that the Burning Blade and an armada of Ghost Ships has appeared around an island, as if searching the Sea of Thieves for something…
These will prove to be tough encounters, with Flameheart’s floating skull not just acting as a beacon but giving orders to his ships and berating meddlesome pirates. The Phantom and Wraith Cannonballs fired by the Ghost Ships are as unnerving as they are powerful, but supplies can be claimed by players for their own use after defeating the Burning Blade. There are valuable Damned treasures to be looted too, plus unique sails to be unlocked by fearless pirates who send enough of these Ghost Ships back to the Sea of the Damned.
Expanding the Adventure
Ghost Ships won’t be fading away after this month’s big event – they’re a permanent addition to the game, providing a new way for pirates to gain gold and reputation with the Order of Souls alongside their usual Skeleton Bounties. Players can accept these Voyages right now from Order of Souls representatives or from Duke in the nearest tavern.
There’s even more to do this month thanks to a refresh of Daily Bounties and other events, all trackable via the Events Hub. Expect a new playlist of Bounties offering bonus gold and Doubloons for completing in-game tasks, plus special time-limited events such as The Hunter’s Call, that will boost rewards for deliveries of cooked meat from sharks and Megalodons, so if anyone falls overboard during a battle with the phantom fleets, they might consider pulling their weight in the shark-hunting stakes instead.
The shanty system also gets a boost in Haunted Shores as instrument-wielding pirates can now use the menus to jump straight to a favourite tune. Better yet, the range of shanties has grown with several new songs for you and your crew to belt out on deck, on shore or in the tavern, including fan favorites such as ‘Maiden Voyage’ and ‘We Shall Sail Together’!
Last but not least, the Pirate Emporium enjoys its usual monthly update, ushering in the appropriately undead-themed Blighted Ship Set for fans of State of Decay. You’ll also find some pets that have been transformed into living treasures by the Gold Curse, a range of new outfits for your furry or feathery sidekicks and even animal-themed pirate dance emotes for players who want to laugh in the face of Flameheart’s threats.
Enjoy exploring all these additions alongside this month’s hair-raising headline challenge – one that’s sure to create some surprises between players once they pick up some of those hard-hitting supernatural cannonballs!
We’re delighted to announce that our ever-evolving pirate adventure Sea of Thieves will be launching on Steam on June 3, 2020. For over two years the members of our community have been sailing freely into fantastical adventure with Xbox Game Pass and on Xbox One and Windows 10, but as we go full steam ahead we look forward to onboarding a whole new community of PC players. We can’t wait to welcome these eager new pirates into the fold and watch them discover Sea of Thieves’ wide open world for themselves.
With a player base of 10 million pirates and counting and a host of exciting plans for the future, the wind is now in Sea of Thieves’ sails. Since launching on Xbox One and Windows 10 in March 2018, the game has been on a hugely eventful journey. From the arrival of its first free new adventures in The Hungering Deep to the enormous Anniversary Update that introduced Tall Tales and The Arena, and then on to the introduction of more regular monthly content releases in 2019 – most recently with Ships of Fortune in April – it’s evolved into the definitive pirate adventure – growing stronger with each slew of additions and ways to play.
Tall Tales: ‘Heart of Fire’ – Stories of a returning enemy and a dark ritual have begun to spread across the Sea of Thieves, and this ritual threatens to consume the souls of a once proud and noble crew. Journey to Morrow’s Peak Outpost and speak with Tallulah in The Charred Parrot – a journal in her possession may be the key to learning more…
‘Heart of Fire’ Commendations – New Commendations have been added, charting players’ progress as they work to halt the ritual. By progressing through these Commendations, players can earn the Ashen Dragon Hull and the Ashen Dragon Curse.
Athena’s Run Voyage – Only Pirate Legends can purchase this new Voyage from Duke, then take their crews to visit Thieves’ Haven and surrounding islands on the hunt for new Athena’s Treasures. Those yet to reach Legendary status can join a Legend’s crew, or patrol Thieves’ Haven and try to steal from one! Anyone can return these new treasures to the Mysterious Stranger at any Outpost tavern to cash them in for gold and Athena’s Fortune reputation. Due to the raised stakes and rewards of this Voyage, Duke has placed a 50 Doubloon cost on it.
The Athena’s Run Voyage will be permanently available from Duke after the Heart of Fire update.
Athena’s Run Commendations – The Mercenary Voyages Reputation pane contains new Commendations for tackling Duke’s latest Voyage, rewarding crews with Doubloons and a new Legend of Thieves’ Haven Title.
Athena’s Run Rewards – Completing the Athena’s Run Voyage five times unlocks a special all-in-one costume: the Legendary Treasure Seeker. This marks the debut of a brand new cosmetic type to be expanded upon in future updates. The Athena’s Fortune reputation pane also contains new Commendations for cashing in the new Athena’s Treasures, unlocking new cosmetics from the Ghost Set: the Ghost Cannon, Capstan and Wheel.
Chainshot – A new cannonball type is now available in both Adventure and Arena! Chainshot will be available in ship barrels when players spawn, and can also be found in barrels throughout the world. When chainshot strikes a mast, wheel or capstan it does maximum damage, instantly destroying that ship part. When hitting the hull, however, it does very limited damage, so make sure to aim high. Chainshot has a shorter range than standard cannonballs, so get in close before unleashing it!
Blunderbomb – A new type of throwable weapon like the firebomb, the Blunderbomb is a glass sphere that explodes on impact, sending pellets in all directions. These pellets deal damage based on the distance from the explosion and cause knockback to any player on the receiving end of the blast, with a direct hit causing the most knockback damage. When fired from a cannon, these provide a larger player knockback and explosion radius. Watch out though, Blunderbombs may knock ships back but don’t damage them.
It’s mind-blowing to think of that many people setting sail on the Sea of Thieves, and it’s all been made possible by the support and passion of our fantastic community.
For everyone at Rare, the Sea of Thieves community represents the very best of what gaming can be. It’s home to players from more than eighty different countries, bringing together gamers on Xbox Game Pass, Xbox One and Windows 10 PC and creating countless stories and moments that people can treasure. Seeing these stories shared through social media or other community spaces is something that inspires the team every day. To every person who’s played Sea of Thieves, thank you.
If the launch version is looked at as a foundation for more - Sea of Thieves becomes an exciting proposition. And a game that one could come back to time and again. Which makes sense when viewed as part of the Game Pass subscription service. As a standalone title there is a feeling of “is that it” that permeates several corners of the experience. The big question is, can Rare keep players interest in the long term. And what exactly does the content roadmap look like for Sea of Thieves. How soon until more, meaningful content arrives?
This was not a decision that was taken lightly, and we know this may disappoint fans who were looking to play the update this week. That said, our priority is to deliver a stable, polished and bug-free experience and we feel that the extra week of development will enable us to do this.