Sea of Thieves

Sea of Thieves Season 14, launching on October 17th, is all about making mischief. From priming traps with fireworks to sneaking around as a treasure chest, learn all about the new tools, toys and techniques that await in this fresh Content Update video!

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The rains of autumn are rolling in over the green fields of Rare HQ, which means it’s once again time to set pen to paper and share with you all the latest news from the Sea of Thieves. September was a hectic month of updates, events and glimpses at the upcoming Season 14, so there’s no shortage of things to cover…

Content Update
We kept the September update pretty lean and mean ahead of the upcoming full Season release, but that doesn’t mean it wasn’t well-stocked with adjustments, improvements and ironclad cosmetics. As always, you can have a read of the release notes – and the briefer notes regarding the later hotfix – for all the details, but the main highlights were some careful weapon rebalancing and the ability to sprint while holding one-handed items. Absolute game changer right there.

There was also good news for fishing enthusiasts midway through the month, as The Hunter’s Call banded together to offer increased gold and rep for all meat and fish delivered, while a later weekend offered a free Sea Beasts Tattoo as a login bonus. The generosity of Merrick’s family set the tone as we headed into this year’s Talk Like a Pirate Day, where more celebrations awaited including a sale in the Pirate Emporium, a musical interlude as ‘Grogg Mayles Instrumental’ joined the official soundtrack and the highly anticipated delights of Season 13 Community Weekend! That was a highlight of the month for many, if not quite everyone.

News and Features
With so many recent and upcoming changes to Sea of Thieves, there were a couple of points in September where we wanted to check in with you all on some of the work going on behind the scenes. That meant releasing two separate State of Play posts, one focused on our commitment to player safety, the other discussing general game health.

Over on the community side of things, we had two more Spotlights to share. The first sat us down with famed burger clown OphieIRL to peer into the mind behind a pirate as unique as Donald McRonald, while the second squished two pirates beneath the all-seeing Spotlight in the form of Loki and Leator! Which definitely sets a record for occurrences of the word ‘underpants’.

And speaking of bold fashion choices, we ended the month by revealing all the details of Season 13’s Style of Thieves contest! The article laid out the four new themes awaiting the most finely dressed of pirates, with the promise of a pair of coveted Fashionista’s Finery Gloves for any who managed to stand out from the crowd. Equally coveted is the luxurious Sea of Thieves vinyl soundtrack, which came back into stock at iam8bit this month and was duly celebrated with a cheeky giveaway!

Videos and Streams
The Sea of Thieves update wheel never stops, and neither do our mighty Video team. Not only did they deliver a fresh September instalment of Sea of Thieves News for everyone to dig their teeth into, there were also two new Sea of Thieves Explained videos delving into the narrative-rich world of Tall Tales and the more mechanical side of piracy with an exploration of crews, Captains and Guilds.

Towards the end of the month, we briefly stepped away from the world of Sea of Thieves – daring, we know, but it was for a good cause. A host of Rare employees came together with developers from across the gaming industry to participate in One Big Game, 24 hours of football matches to raise money for SpecialEffect. Together, the teams raised more than £25,000 for charity and scored some amazing goals along the way. Not bad for a group of pirates (and friends), right?

After all that, we were rapidly running out of time before we reached October but there was time to sneak in one last little treat for the month: a highly anticipated first look at the Season 14 title screen…

Social Channels
The Festival of Giving may not be the next Festival on the calendar, but that didn’t stop us from giving away prizes all over social media in September. Four creative pirates earned some fancy hats in the Community Hub refresh, while nocturnal photographers took home the Golden Hour Sails from the Ships at Night round of #SoTShot.

Amidst the excitement of it all we took a quick break to remember some calming moments from our time on the seas and request some favourite figureheads, before getting right back into things with Community Weekend. From there it was a rush of Pop-Up Plunder maps, Twitch Drops, more Twitch Drops and all manner of nautical shenanigans. Needless to say, we were having a lovely time.

That left us with a race to the end of the month and a pile of little hints as to what players can expect from Season 14. Just what these strange notes we found could mean or what this unusual fruit might be, we couldn’t possibly say. We’ve got to watch our step, after all. You never know what dangers might be hiding around the corner…

And that’s September! With a new Season just a short time away, things are absolutely not slowing down, so we’ll have to leave you with that. But we’ll be right back next month for another round-up – in fact we’ll be there before you know it. In the meantime, you can always drop any feedback, comments or fun stories to us in all the usual social places – Twitter/X, Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, Twitch, or via the official Forums and Discord. See you there!

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Previously in 2024:
Sea of Thieves Round-Up: August 2024
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

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The Seasonal Renown Boost is now live through to October 6th (23:59 UTC)! Get 1.5x Renown as well as a pile of extra gold from Daily Deeds... Raise anchor and we'll see you out there, pirates!

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The Sea of Thieves community thrives on its creativity, but we also know you’re not immune to skulduggery and shenanigans when the opportunity arises – that’s part of being a pirate, after all. That’s why, with Season 14 just over the horizon, we’ve decided the time is right to celebrate the most audacious antics you have to offer with a dedicated set of awards. (We might even wear bowties, you’ll have to wait and see.)

Why now? Well, the theme of Season 14 is ‘Making Mischief’ – not to mention its subtitle, which is a choice we’ve made to cut to the heart of each Season so everyone can tell at a glance what its focus will be. We’ll be offering detailed looks at the upcoming tricks and traps over the next week, but there’s no reason not to start stretching those prank-playing muscles right away, especially if you’ve already got something to show that you’re particularly proud of.

In a nutshell, we’ll be scouring social channels for entries that fall into one of our award categories – more on those in a moment – showcasing the top-tier examples and awarding prizes to the very best offerings. You’ve got plenty of time (before and after Season 14 expands your capacity to cause chaos) to submit as many clips as you can create, so long as you deem them worthy of winning one of the following…

The Awards
Devious Disguise
Awarded to pirates who are most effectively able to conceal their true appearance, whether that involves dressing up to deceive others, making use of the Barrel Disguise Emote or spying on other players – the key is achieving something without being spotted!

Hilarious Hider
They may know you’re here, but finding you is another matter. Awarded to pirates who manage to sneak, dart, dash, tuck and successfully evade your pursuers – all until whatever dirty deed you’re undertaking is complete.

Scaring is Caring
It’s the Halloween season, so fright feels right. Whether you’re using voice chat while hiding to ‘haunt’ a ship, popping up unexpectedly while equipped with a horrifying Curse or lobbing a well-timed blunderbomb, your success will be measured in screams.

Snazziest Steal
They have treasure. You want it. Maybe that means scoring the perfect harpoon hit to swipe loot out of a pirate’s hands, lurking at a Skeleton Fort to grab the Stronghold Key or blowing a crew overboard with the Horn of Fair Winds before leisurely helping yourself to their stuff.

Trickiest Trap
Let them play right into your hands! This award goes to pirates who use a combination of deceit and tools to cause others to enact their own demise – that could be a blade trap, a buried Gunpowder Barrel or a room full of caged, angry snakes…

Perfect Prank
Sometimes, messing with someone’s mind can be just as effective as a blunderbuss. Convince another pirate you’re the Official Treasure Inspector, move all their loot into the crow’s nest, make them believe you’re part of the crew or fill their barrels with burned bananas – creativity is key!

Admirable Ambush
They never saw you coming. Perhaps it was the Rowboat you used to ferry your whole crew onto their ship, or that perfect cannon shot which got you exactly in place to drop their anchor and unleash Bone Caller chaos. Whatever works, works…

Guardian Angel
Stealth doesn’t have to be selfish! Provide treats instead of tricks by sneaking treasures aboard someone’s ship, leave breadcrumb trails of shiny objects to guide players through a riddle or Tall Tale, or tuck aboard and lend a helping hand with repairs. Just don’t give the game away!

Pranks Mean Prizes
If your submission gets spotlighted on our social channels, you're in with a chance to receive a unique in-game Title as acknowledgement of your efforts, while the winning contender in each award category will also obtain an exclusive in-game Trinket to display proudly aboard any Captained ship – as well as a physical trophy so they can do the same at home. On top of all that, our absolute favourite and ultimate winner will claim a haul of Ancient Coins and six Seasons’ worth of Plunder Passes as their grand prize, not to mention unending internet adulation (we’d imagine).

To get involved, capture a clip that demonstrates your deviousness for all to see, then share it on participating social channels – Twitter/X, Instagram, TikTok or YouTube – being sure to include the tag #SoTScallywags and state the particular award category that your entry feels like a great fit for. You have until the contest closes on October 31st to make as many submissions as you fancy, then you’re free to go back to warding off the undead, or whatever else your Halloween plans may involve.

The award winners themselves will be announced on November 22nd, with prizes being dispatched to the victors once the contest has concluded. Good luck with all your covert capers, and we’ll see you on the red carpet…

Need more info? Full terms and conditions for the Golden Scallywag Awards are available here.

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Marauders looking for some fresh new ink are in luck! From now until Sept 29th (23:59 UTC), pirates who set sail will be gifted the Sea Beasts Tattoo simply for logging in. Enjoy!

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Season 13 has sure been a hot one, and not just because it ran over actual real-world summer. In game, the Burning Blade and its huge fireballs burst onto the seas, offering a brand new type of World Event and spreading heat-tinged combat in its wake. Elsewhere, the heat continued with Production Director Drew delivering information often referred to as containing some level of spice, with a change to the blunderbuss being considered high on the Scoville charts.

It's time to bring the heat down a few notches, however, as we clear through the final notes of the Season’s to-do list. Nope, we’re not here to reveal the Season 14 date or accidentally post the next SoT News early, those are a few points below this. We’re in fact here to let you know that the next #StyleOfThieves contest will be taking place from September 30th–October 3rd, and we’ll even reveal the themes while we’re here. Surprise! For anyone reading this who somehow missed the headline…

Yes, #StyleOfThieves, working the same way it has for a fair few contests now; we’ll create a unique post on each of those days, Sept 30th–Oct 3rd, announcing that a theme is open to enter. You lovely lot then take to posting your screenshots of your pirates all dressed up to the thematically appropriate nines, including the name of the theme you’re entering and any other relevant information. Scroll down and read the How to Enter section for a rundown of the full rules, as well as some handy pointers.

As the final seconds of a theme’s 24-hour entry period tick into the history of humanity, our courageous crew will begin their crawl through the increasing suite of digital catwalks and pick out the pirates they feel donned the most appropriate attire. That list is then encrypted through at least three unique ciphers before being planted by dead drop inside the final clue of an undisclosed escape room somewhere in the Midlands.

A member of our Art team will then receive a surprise invitation to said location and, assuming they can effectively solve the room with zero assistance, they will get to have the final decision on the pirates who win this Season’s Style of Thieves prizes! Once they solve the ciphers, that is. If they don’t… well, we’ll cross that bridge should it present itself, but really you can’t be overly careful with these things.

There will be three winning entries per category, meaning 12 winners total, but as one category calls for two participants to be pictured, there are up to 15 pairs of Fashionista’s Finery Gloves up for grabs this time. Winning pirates will be announced via Sea of Thieves social channels on October 10th, a week after the final theme takes place. And as always, a necessary reminder that even if you don’t win Style of Thieves, as with all of our social media contests, it’s intended to be about the fun of taking part first and foremost. So go and explore your pirate’s customisation chests – you may find a new style you really like!

And now, without any more repeated preamble, here are Season 13’s #StyleOfThieves themes:

The Themes
Each theme will start at 10am UTC on the dates detailed below, with entries accepted via a variety of social media channels for a full 24 hours.

Gothic
Embrace darker tones and demonic dress as you style a scoundrel fit for performing rituals, reading morbid poetry and playing your favourite shanty in a minor key.
Entry date: September 30th

Couples Costumes
Combine forces with another pirate to concoct co-ordinated clothing replicating an iconic duo, pushing it all the way from superheroes and sidekicks to salt and pepper (the seasoning).
Entry date: October 1st

Academic
From teacher to student, find a fit for your marauder that suggests they’re in the mood to learn. Or at least to carry around a heavy stack of books, regardless of their ability to read.
Entry date: October 2nd

Cosy
With the weather in the real world getting colder, we want to see how your pirates would stay snug against the chill, in a world where they don’t just set their ship on fire.
Entry date: October 3rd

Image credit: CEOPESTAR0 on X/Twitter

How to Enter
Now into the part of the article that’s the same every time, including the sentence you just read. We’ve got eyes everywhere, in a nice ‘enter however you feel comfortable’ kind of way, so you’re free to submit on a variety of social channels. That said, each comes with its own quirks as follows:

• To enter on X/Twitter, make sure you include @SeaOfThieves and #StyleOfThieves in your post.
  
• For Instagram, you just need to post using #StyleOfThieves. Same goes for Bluesky and Threads (yup, we’re keeping an eye on those channels, too).
  
• Add your entry as a reply to that day’s theme post on Facebook.
  
• Post your entry with #StyleOfThieves in the #pirate-fashion channel of our official Discord server.

And regardless of where you’re sharing your entry, be sure to include the name of the theme you’re entering in your post, along with any extra info called for by the theme.

Rules of the Runway
We’ve put together some handy hints and rules to make sure you capture your pirate’s best side and don’t accidentally enter an ineligible picture:

• No Costumes on the catwalk – we want to see your creativity and individuality in how you mix and match items, so no all-in-one Costumes.
  
• Complete cosmetic sets are not permitted. Our artists designed those items to go together and, again, we want to see stylish creativity. Ideally, an outfit should contain no more than four items from the same named set, but as long as creativity from multiple styles is evident then your outfit will be accepted.
  
• Unless a theme calls for it, all shots should be solo pirates and not crews. Only the pirate(s) in the picture will be eligible for the prize.
  
• Find a simple or plain background to pose against to let your outfit pop. Backgrounds and locations will not be considered when judging the outfit.
  
• Lighting helps, so find a well-lit spot to fully peacock your picks. Coloured or tactical lighting won’t be considered part of the outfit, and could hurt your chances of consideration.
  
• Toggle off your HUD for a clean snap and avoid a name getting in the way! If you haven’t set it, the Toggle HUD command can be assigned to a button from the HUD category of the Keyboard and Mouse or Controller area of your Settings menu.
  
• Screenshots should be a reflection of the game – no external editing or filters should be applied.
  
• Please try to keep your submissions to a 16:9 or 1:1 ratio, making sure your entire outfit is in shot, including your shoes/toes! This will help us when framing winners, and ensures a degree of parity when comparing submissions.
  
• While you may use any emotes for your shot, any features added to the outfit via the emote (e.g. oars, weapons, sparklers) won’t be taken into consideration as part of an outfit during judging.
  
• One shortlist will be compiled per theme, using entries across all platforms, meaning it’s not necessary to post your submission to all channels. If you make sure you use the correct tags, we will see it!
  
• The unique prize means you can’t win more than once in Style of Thieves, but you’re more than welcome to continue entering for the fun of it!

Image credit: W0ty__ on X/Twitter

Right, another #StyleOfThieves announce article done and dusted, and a big hello to anyone reading this far (you’re a real one). Good luck coming up with your costumes, we’re looking forward to observing your efforts as they fill our social media channels from September 30th–October 3rd!

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Fixed Issues

Throwing Knives

• Knives thrown at a crewmate will now pass through them rather than becoming stuck to the player.
  
• Knives will no longer become stuck in a capstan or other ship interaction point when thrown.

The Burning Blade

• For crews pledged to the Burning Blade, there is now a short grace period after the Captain leaves the game before the ship begins to sink, to protect from temporary disconnections.
  
• When a crew in control of the Burning Blade purposefully leaves the game, the ship will now sink naturally and will not appear to others to have been handed in at The Reaper’s Hideout.
  
• Crews pledged to the Burning Blade who use a Mermaid or Statue to return to their ship will no longer find their Obsidian Skeleton crew missing.

Player Communication

• Text chat now protects players from anyone attempting to send repeated messages in quick succession.
  
• Text chat now contains improved profanity filtering, covering a range of new words and phrases.

User Interface

• Browsing Guilds from the front-end menu now shows the correct Guild level.
  
• The Tourist Emote Bundle now shows the correct name when browsing the Pirate Emporium.

Fishing Rod

• Players can no longer use the fishing rod lure to interact with others in the world. (Released previously as part of an interim hotfix.)
  
• Players will no longer find themselves moved around when casting a fishing rod into the surrounding environment. (Released previously as part of an interim hotfix.)

Performance and Stability

• Further improvements have been made to game stability to reduce scenarios where players unexpectedly exit the game or become disconnected from their session.

Known Issues
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.

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

Download and Installation
Download Size:

• Steam: 1.29 GB

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Season 13 Community Weekend is now live until September 23rd (11am UTC)! Log in to get your free flag and Shimmy Dance Emote, enjoy some Sea of Thieves on Twitch to boost the Community Emissary Grade multiplier and more! Read on to learn about what else is happening...

During Season 13 Community Weekend, pirates can head to the Quest Table and claim time-limited Voyages to dispatch Obsidian and Shadow Skeleton Captains loitering at Skeleton Camps for lucrative loot! Maybe even nip underground and discover a creepy Ritual while you're there.

Pop-Up Plunder returns to ignite races for potentially profitable loot! Throughout the weekend, puzzles pointing towards shared dig spots will appear on social channels. Crews then have one hour to locate this random stash before the other crews around them. Best of luck!

Crews flying Deckhand and Quartermaster Sails will once again have a limited stash of Celestial Steed ship items, Obsidian Capstans and Six Item Packs to gift to pirates throughout the Event. Be funny, be silly or maybe just have a natter and they may choose you.

For a more guaranteed reward, Twitch Drops for all are also live! Grab these four outstanding items just for watching any participating Sea of Thieves streamer for one hour per item, from now until Sept 23rd (11am UTC).

The stretch goal for a fancy fifth Twitch Drops item also returns! This time it's up to players to collectively complete a total of 100,000 World Events over the course of Community Weekend. Doing this will see the Obsidian Captain’s Table added to the available Drops.

Right, that should cover most of it. So set sail, create some stories, strike a pose at a Picture Wall and make it another one to remember. Have a good Community Weekend, pirates!

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Gameplay Improvements
Sprinting with One-Handed Items

• Players are now able to sprint while carrying one-handed treasure items and discovered weapons. During sprinting, the item will now be stowed on a player’s belt, fully visible to other players.
  
• The majority of held weapons discoverable around the world can now also be stowed while sprinting, such as the Trident of Dark Tides and Ashen Winds Skull. The Skull of Siren Song is the exception, and players will not be able to sprint while wielding it.

Blunderbuss Balancing

• With the new identity of the Blunderbuss now settling into live play, the team have been fine-tuning the weapon’s power. The focus here remains in defensive play styles, with these changes further swaying the knockback power in favour of the defending player.
  
• Blunderbuss knockback has now been tuned with a reduction to its overall knockback power. The knockback trigger range has been reduced, requiring the target to be much closer, and the horizontal distance players are blasted back has also been reduced.
  
• Alongside the closer trigger range, the knockback will now trigger when a player is hit with a single pellet, increasing the consistency of knocking back a player when caught in range.
  
• Players using a ship interaction point such as the ship’s wheel will now be braced from the knockback effects and will not be propelled the full knockback distance.

Throwing Knife Balancing

• The time taken to bring a knife into an aimed state has been reduced, and the thrown knife speed has been increased, allowing players to throw more quickly.
  
• The controller rumble when using throwing knives has been improved, giving it a softer feel.

Pirate Emporium
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 to browse and buy the latest additions!

New Items – Now in Stock!

• Iron Turtle Ship Collection – This collection will also include a Cannon Flare, delivered in a later update. Players purchasing the Iron Turtle Ship Bundle now will automatically be granted access to the Iron Turtle Cannon Flare once it releases in November.
  
• Iron Turtle Weapon Bundle
  
• Iron Turtle Clothing Bundle
  
• Sunken Sorrow Curse Mau and Whippet
  
• Tourist Emote Bundle
  
• Well-Travelled Trader Ship Collection (returning from Season 11 Plunder Pass)
  
• Well-Travelled Trader Clothing Bundle (returning from Season 11 Plunder Pass)
  
• Conductor Emote (free!)

Outpost Cosmetics
New Outpost Stock!

• The Piscine Courtly Jacket and a range of new Corset Shirts are all available from the Outpost clothing shops for those with enough gold to spare.
  
• Outpost shops also now stock the Flaming Jackal Blunderbuss, Pistol and Fishing Rod.

Updates
Player Reporting Improvements

• The in-game Report a Player tool now supports a range of additional reasons that can be used when reporting other players, including Hate Speech and Profanity. As with all reports, these are sent directly to the Sea of Thieves Support team for investigation and follow-up action.
  
• All reports sent through the in-game Report a Player tool will now show an acknowledgement of the report, clearly defining the players, the reported reason and a reference code.
  
• After an in-game report is filed and an action taken by the Sea of Thieves Support team, the player will now receive an update to their report when logging into the game. This update will confirm that an action has been taken or that further information is required.
  
• Supporting information can often aid with the player report, so if further information is requested, please gather evidence and raise a new support request, quoting the reference number of the in-game report (in the event of a missing reference number, don’t worry as our Support team can still locate your report). For further information on providing supporting evidence, please see this article on Required Supporting Evidence at the Sea of Thieves Support site.

Fixed Issues
Gameplay

• Players attempting to use a fishing rod after being fired from a cannon will no longer be able to modify their trajectory while in the air.
  
• Players attempting to utilise external tools to teleport to other ships will now be detected and issued with enforcement.
  
• Crews are no longer able to cause emergent Skeleton Captains to reappear on islands once defeated.
  
• Crews purchasing Supply Crates from the Merchant Alliance should now consistently be able to retrieve a crate after purchase.
  
• All pistols within the Armoury have been reviewed and their aiming improved to ensure shots now align with the tip of the barrel, or the iron sights for those that have them.
  
• Crews taking on a Treasure Vault Voyage for the Gold Hoarders should no longer be led to the open sea at K-11 by the Wayfinder Compass.
  
• If a crew begins a vote without reaching a majority decision, when crew members leave and the result becomes a majority decision the vote will now automatically pass without requiring the crew to vote again.
  
• Scoping a crewed Burning Blade from a distance will no longer display the Captain’s Ship Banner if the crew were sailing a Captained ship prior to the Burning Blade.
  
• Pets being held while travelling through the Tunnels of the Damned will no longer appear to be drowning.
  
• Due to various issues involving Megalodon encounters with a crewed Burning Blade, Megalodons will not appear for a Burning Blade crew in this update, and any encountered in the world will ignore the crew.
  
• Enemies within Skeleton Camps now continue to appear even when a crew has an active Bounty or Merchant Contract quest at the same island.
  
• The Fates of Fortune Gloves are now locked behind the appropriate grade of the Fortune’s Favour Commendation.
  
• Players purchasing the Premium Edition of Sea of Thieves will now correctly receive both variants of the Dark Warsmith Costume. Players who were missing this item will now find it in their cosmetic chests.

Visual and Audio

• Throwing knives no longer pop into the ground when they are thrown into vertical surfaces.
  
• While wearing the Obsidian Bones, the player’s teeth are no longer stuck together.
  
• Pirates of all body types will now consistently hold a sword neatly when blocking.
  
• In the Captaincy tutorial, the Pirate Lord no longer reacts to fire.
  
• The Omen Wheel should no longer intersect with the player’s hands.
  
• Clearing all map markers while on the Burning Blade now uses the correct audio effect.
  
• Visual effects on the Graveyard Grim Whippet are now consistent with other pets.
  
• The Mad Monkey Cannons should no longer twitch when a player is inside them.
  
• ‘Captains of the Damned’ – The Lockpick now appears at the correct size when held in the player’s hand.
  
• ‘Lords of the Sea’ – The Dead Man’s Chest Key now remains the same size when dropped on the ground.
  
• ‘Shores of Gold’ – The Gold Hoarder’s Coin now remains the same size when dropped on the ground.
  
• ‘The Journey to Mêlée Island’ – A missing voice line in Guybrush's dialogue during the Mansion animated cutscene has been added.

Environment

• Treasure items deposited near the Armoury on the Burning Blade will now continue to be interactable.
  
• The Burning Blade should no longer pass through the top of the arch at Marauder’s Arch.
  
• Players can no longer walk through parts of the environment within the Skeleton Camp at the Lagoon of Whispers.
  
• The skeletons at Barnacle Cay’s Skeleton Camp will now be able to climb the staircases within the Temple.
  
• Improvements have been made to terrain at the Fort of the Damned, Lost Gold Fort and Crow’s Nest Fortress to reduce scenarios where items and enemies could become stuck.
  
• The Shrine of the Coral Tomb no longer has a missing wall texture in one of the chambers.
  
• Obsidian Skeletons should no longer appear on islands near Skeleton Camps.
  
• ‘Shores of Gold’ – Players should no longer get stuck in trees on the Shores of Gold.

User Interface

• Opening bundles in the ‘Browse All’ tab no longer changes the starting page of other tabs when browsing.
  
• After purchasing an item from within the ‘Browse All’ tab, the Emporium refreshes and further items are shown with no delay.
  
• The Deadlock Jailer Figurehead preview icon now matches the in-game model.
  
• The Stormfish Chaser Collector’s Sails now have the correct preview image.
  
• The Soaring Oracle Flag preview icon no longer has a low-resolution texture.
  
• The Motley Mariner Figurehead preview icon no longer has a low-resolution texture.
  
• The Guardian Ghost Cannon and Flag icon and preview are now correct when viewed at the shipwright.

Text and Localisation

• Improved the accuracy of Polish translations for the Merchant Alliance delivery guidelines.
  
• Corrected inconsistencies in Motley Mariner items across a range of languages.
  
• Improved clarity between Bone Caller and Bone Caller Skeletons across a range of languages.
  
• Corrected inconsistencies in player Titles across a range of languages.

Performance and Stability

• Further improvements have been made to game stability to reduce scenarios where players unexpectedly exit the game or become disconnected from their session.

Known Issues
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 and Installation
Download Size:

• Steam: 5.21 GB

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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…

Practising Twitchcraft
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!

Stop, Drop and Roll Up
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)!

Pop-Up Plunder Persists
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…

Mountains of Bounty
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.

Sign Your Name Across My Hat
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!

Sea What We Did There
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!

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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!

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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…

Content Update
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?

News and Features
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?

Videos and Streams
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.

Social Channels
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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Previously in 2024:
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

Continue reading...

 

The Flame Rises
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.

Gameplay Improvements
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!

Pirate Emporium
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.

Outpost Cosmetics
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.

Fixed Issues
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.

Known Issues
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 and Installation
Download Size:

• Steam: 1.76 GB

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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.

Content Update
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.

News and Features
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!

Videos and Streams
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.

Social Channels
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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Previously in 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

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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!

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Fixed Issues
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.

Known Issues
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.

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

Download and Installation
Download Size:

• Steam: 1.64 GB

Continue reading...

 

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!

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

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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!

Turn Towards the Dark
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!

Stay Within the Light
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...

Capture Those Cosmetics
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!

Find Out More
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!

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The Flame Rises
Captain Flameheart has returned, but the real star of Season 13 is his fiery flagship, awaiting crews who have what it takes to claim it for themselves! For an overview of this new Season’s headline features, head to our dedicated Season 13 page.

The Burning Blade

• Ready your crew and take on the Burning Blade World Event! Easily spotted from afar with its telltale burning braziers and skyward beacon, this infernal ten-cannon warship will take a seasoned crew to take it on.
  
• Players who subdue the ship’s Obsidian Skeleton crew can choose to pledge service to the notorious Captain Flameheart and take control of the Burning Blade for themselves. Once in control, the crew will be assisted by Flameheart’s skeletal followers and have access to its weaponry, including Obsidian Ashen Winds Skulls to help repel boarders and the devastating Ashen Roar fired from the bow of the ship.
  
• Loyal Guardians can instead choose to completely sink the Burning Blade and claim its sizeable bounty from the wreckage. This includes the Blade of Souls, a fiery new melee weapon capable of setting foes ablaze!

Skeleton Camps

• Flameheart’s forces have constructed Skeleton Camps across the Sea of Thieves, built over the Ancient Temples hidden below the surface. Crews can discover these camps naturally on islands or dive straight to them from the Quest Table.
  
• Descending into an Ancient Temple, players must unravel the mysteries of the constellations by solving puzzles to unlock access to the Crypt Vault. There, those who oppose Flameheart can put a stop to the Ritual, snatch the Orb of Secrets and deliver it to the Trading Companies for a reward.
  
• Crews who have pledged service to Captain Flameheart and taken command of the Burning Blade, however, should complete the Rituals within the Ancient Temples to gather the lost knowledge that Flameheart seeks.
  
• As crews complete Rituals, Flameheart’s power grows, rewarding pledged pirates accordingly when they return the Burning Blade to him at The Reaper’s Hideout. Crews who instead destroy the Burning Blade and retrieve the Blade of Souls can sell it for a value depending on the Rituals performed before the ship was defeated!

Commendations and Rewards

• Crews choosing to side with the Pirate Lord and sink the Burning Blade will unlock access to items from the Obsidian Bone Crusher set, with ship parts, clothing items and weapons all available to earn.
  
• Those instead choosing to pledge to Flameheart and sail the devastating Burning Blade will unlock the Burning Blade Reborn ship set, and Servants of the Flame who have already drunk from Flameheart’s chalice can unlock new skeleton cosmetics and bone colours when crewing the Burning Blade as skeletons.
  
• Taking the Orbs from the Temples can unlock the Cracked Orb Lantern, and those seeking to steal the Orbs from unsuspecting crews can earn the Reaper’s Bones Shattered Mask.
  
• Descending deep into the Ancient Temples below the Skeleton Camps to unravel their mysteries will unlock access to new tattoos for your troubles.

Season 13
Another Season means 100 new levels to climb by raising your Renown, with racks full of rewards to snag along the way – and an optional Plunder Pass adding even more. Emissaries aren't forgotten either, with the latest Company-themed cosmetics for qualifying Ledger performances!

Season 13 Rewards and Plunder Pass

• Progressing through the 100 levels of Renown in Season 13 will reward players with Bloodstone Dragon cosmetics alongside other time-limited Seasonal specials. Head to the Seasons profile page to browse the new rewards and check your pirate’s progress!
  
• Pick up the latest Plunder Pass to gain access to a plethora of additional unlockable cosmetics from the Eclipse set, including a full ship set plus the Jacket, Hat and Gloves, all available to earn by raising your Renown. Purchase a Pass in-game through the Pirate Log or Pirate Emporium, via the Pirate Emporium webpage or the Steam Item Store.

Season 13 Emissary Ledger Rewards

• This Season, the Guild Emissary Ledgers offer the ‘Secrets of the Ancient Flame’ Painting, Dark Hand of Fate Ornament and Guild of Fiery Spirits Title to Guilds who represent them well and perform proudly in the Ledgers.
  
• The Trading Company Emissary Ledgers have been refreshed this month with the previously lost Pocket Watches. Players can therefore now earn the Tribute Peak, Relic of Darkness, Merchant Ambassador, Masked Renegade and Magpie’s Glory Pocket Watches when reaching the top tier of the Ledgers. Players who have previously unlocked all rewards within the Ledgers will find these new Pocket Watches already in their Equipment Chests!

Chest of Fortune

• The Chest of Fortune has now been locked away in the belly of the Burning Blade, challenging crews to sink this formidable ship to claim its prize.
  
• Crews who retrieve Chests of Fortune can now earn the next Grade of the Fortune’s Favour Commendation, unlocking access to the Fates of Fortune Fishing Rod, Shovel, Pocket Watch, Tankard and Speaking Trumpet.
  
• An additional reward has been retroactively added to Grade II of the Fortune’s Favour Commendation, which now contains the Fates of Fortune Gloves. Players who already earned Grade II prior to this update will be able to purchase the gloves from the Outpost clothing shops straight away.

Reaper’s Chests

• Crews chasing down the telltale beacon of the Reaper’s Chest or Reaper’s Bounty can earn the next Grade of the Reaper’s Riches Commendation, and start unlocking access to the Fates of Fortune Hurdy-Gurdy, Concertina and Scar.

Pirate Emporium
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 to browse and buy the latest additions!

New Items – Now in Stock!

• Radiant Comet Ship Collection
  
• Radiant Comet Weapon Bundle
  
• Radiant Comet Lantern
  
• Cloudburst, Treetop, Brightbill, Seaspray and Sugarspun Toucan pets
  
• Runway Emote Bundle
  
• Mayhem Ship Bundle
  
• Sting Tide Cutlass (free!)

Outpost Cosmetics
New Outpost Stock!

• Outpost clothing shops have received a shipment of brand new items and now offer the Proud Plume clothing set, available for gold.
  
• The Cephalopod Courtly Jacket, Whalebone Tattoo and Tentacled Terror Tattoo are all available from the Outpost clothing shops for those with enough gold to spare.
  
• Outpost weapon shops now carry a range of armaments from the hand-carved Carpenter’s weapon set.
  
• Outpost weapon shops also stock a selection of heavy swords and rapiers from the Kraken, Inky Kraken and Venomous Kraken sets, locked behind their associated Commendations.

New Throwing Knives

• The Outpost weaponsmiths now stock a choice of new throwing knives, all locked behind lofty accomplishments.
  
• The Cartographer Throwing Knives are unlocked upon completion of the Triple Threat Thrower Commendation, the Guardians of Fortune Throwing Knives unlock at Allegiance level 50 with the Guardians of Fortune, and the Servants of the Flame Throwing Knives unlock at Allegiance level 50 with the Servants of the Flame.

Season Six Legacy Cosmetics

• Cosmetics previously available during Season Six have arrived in Outpost shops and can now be yours in exchange for Doubloons!
  
• Players can now purchase the Naval Commander clothing set, along with a range of unique one-off items that were available during this Season. Pirate Legends can also pick up Belle’s Hat and Stranger’s Cutlass.
  
• The time-limited Dark Relics items, however, remain exclusive to players who participated in Season Six.

Gameplay Improvements
Post-Defeat Ship Sinking

• Once a ship is destroyed, the time taken for it to sink and release its cargo has been reduced, allowing the sunk crew to interact with the mermaid and head to their new location more quickly.
  
• While each ship previously had a unique sinking time, this update brings them to consistently shorter post-defeat sinking times.

Bone Caller Skeleton Improvements

• Summoned Bone Caller Skeletons will no longer uncover players using a hide emote to hide in plain sight.
  
• Players being chased by Bone Caller Skeletons will now be able to hide if they are able to lose line of sight and complete the hide emote before being found.
  
• Players can now lure Bone Caller Skeletons to a location by firing a weapon and hiding again, causing the skeletons to patrol the location of the sound.

Fixed Issues
Gameplay

• When boarding a ship from the sea, players can no longer silence the boarding audio effects by grabbing the ladder while repeatedly holding out items, ensuring nearby players will always hear the signs that someone is boarding from the water.
  
• Players can once again summon text chat after rebinding it to either the C key on the keyboard or R3 button on PlayStation®5.
  
• Crews diving for an Hourglass battle as a Grade 1 Emissary, and earning enough following a win to skip straight to Grade 3, will now correctly progress Commendations that required Grade 2 status to unlock.
  
• Crews are no longer able to vote down an Emissary Flag in the short window after the sinking death knell is heard and before the ship is destroyed.
  
• The Gold Hoarders Boots can now be found in the correct shop at Outposts.
  
• Players using a mermaid to leave a stormy area and return to their ship should no longer find themselves sometimes unfortunately struck by lightning when arriving back on their ship.
  
• Snakes caught inside crates will now attack players when held and stationary.

Performance and Stability

• Players should no longer experience scenarios where the sea becomes frozen or reduced to moving slowly, significantly affecting gameplay.
  
• Further improvements have been made to game stability to reduce scenarios where players unexpectedly exit the game or become disconnected from their session.

The War Chest

• The Twin Shot Target Commendation is now visible in the War Chest when progress has not yet been made.
  
• Bone Caller Skeletons roaming a ship now offer a short grace period before attacking players returning from the Ferry of the Damned.
  
• Throwing a knife at a blocking player will now display the correct visual effects.
  
• Players can now retrieve Deadlock Jailer Throwing Knives embedded in the environment without having throwing knives in their loadout.
  
• When a charged shot is fired from a Double Barrel Pistol, the animation no longer shows the hammer being primed before reloading, allowing the weapon to now reload more quickly.

Visual and Audio

• When a player boards a ship, the audio cue is now only heard around the vicinity of the ladder and not from further away.
  
• Battle music during Faction Battles will now continue to be heard after a player has died and returned from the Ferry of the Damned.
  
• Several wheels have been improved to prevent players’ hands from intersecting with the handles when turning.
  
• Pigs caught in a Pig Crate will now appear at the correct size.
  
• Transitioning from a Sleep or Sit Emote to any other emote now updates the camera zoom point correctly.
  
• When wielding a pocket watch, players will now flick the watch open.
  
• Improvements have been made to the blade textures of the Gold Leaf Cutlass.
  
• Performing the Scrappy Weapon Pose Emote no longer causes players' hands to intersect with throwing knives.
  
• When a player is observed using a spyglass, the item should no longer intersect with their head when looking towards the ground.
  
• The grog inside the Evening Tide Tankard now appears correctly.
  
• The Legendary Spirit Pistol should now fire in line with the pistol’s centre point when aiming.
  
• Larger pirates wearing the Paradise Garden Costume should now fit snugly without visible seams.
  
• The colour of the Frozen Horizon Frigid Hair tips is now maintained when a headband is equipped.
  
• Placing the Scrivener’s Writing Set on a ship now results in it sitting neatly in place.
  
• ‘The Lair of LeChuck’ – The skull that Guybrush finds in the catacombs now sits in his hands while animating.
  
• ‘The Quest for Guybrush’ – When unlocking the Summon the Beast shanty, the notification now shows the correct iconography.

Environment

• A visible hole in the Vault wall at Fetcher’s Rest has been filled.
  
• Improvements have been made to the shorelines at Plunder Valley and Sailors’ Bounty to ensure the waves crash smoothly onto the beaches.
  
• Treasure dropped near the Vault doors on Sailor’s Knot Stronghold will no longer fall beneath ground level.
  
• Pets will no longer be automatically removed from hangout spots within the Pirate Legend Hideout.
  
• Floating items in the Shrine of Ocean’s Fortune have been removed.
  
• Players can now smoothly pass through a gap under one of the platforms on the eastern side of Skull Keep without getting stuck.
  
• ‘The Legend of Monkey Island’ – The following portrait Trinkets now only fit on certain hanging spots around the ships to prevent them from intersecting with other items: Governor Guybrush Portrait, Governor of Mêlée Portrait and Governor Marley Portrait.

User Interface

• When attempting to invite players to a Guild, the invite menu should now consistently show all available friends.
  
• After navigating from the Discover tab on the Quest Table, returning to the Discover tab will retain focus on the previously selected option.
  
• Players diving to an encounter and receiving an extended wait in the Tunnels of the Damned will once again be shown notifications that the search is still in progress.

Accessibility

• Players on PC using the ‘Toggle Radial Menus’ accessibility setting will no longer find that pressing the Q and E keys together causes the Game Options menu to become stuck on screen.

Text and Localisation

• Players using French localisation will now find that the Seaposts have reverted to their English names as used previously.
  
• ‘The Fate of the Morningstar’ – Improvements have been made to the Tall Tale Quest Books to resolve a range of text issues when playing in Japanese.

Known Issues
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 and Installation
Download Size:

• Steam: 6.62 GB

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