Sea of Thieves News

[p]You’ve been smuggling contraband, you’ve taken part in a daring Heist, but it’s almost time for the biggest challenge you’ll face in Season 17: co-ordinating clothes! Don’t worry, spontaneous sweating is a natural reaction to such a high stress demand. Just breathe, take five minutes if needed and carry on reading when you’re ready.[/p][p]That’s right, a fresh opportunity to get your hands on the Fashionista’s Finery Gloves is almost upon us. Whether you desire the gloves to pair them with light-coloured gear, to help you sleep easier at night knowing you’ve secured another rare item for your equipment chest or just because they look like they’d be great to wear while scrubbing your crew’s dirty dishes, you’ll be able to enter the Season 17 #StyleOfThieves contest for a chance to win them from October 20th–23rd 2025.


The format of the contest will continue unchanged: posts relating to this Season’s themes will appear on Sea of Thieves social media channels around 10am UTC on the dates specified below, signalling that the entry period for that day’s contest is open. You then share your screenshots on your social media channel of choice, including the relevant information and showing your pirate from head to toe, for our team to find and consider. This contest aims to stretch your styling skills, so standing out is a key goal to keep in mind. Which hat would other entrants not be picking for a theme? Can the prompt be interpreted in a unique way? How many themes can you wear the Wreath of Wisdom Crown in?[/p][p]Each theme will be open to entries for 24 hours, after which time our Community team will create a shortlist of their top entries, concealing the links as morse code disguised as background elements in a portrait of Flameheart. Should the Art team work out this hidden message rather than simply sending copious notes on how to actually make art, alongside a cease and desist to ensure that the Community team never draws again, they’ll be able to choose their 16 overall winners for us to reveal on October 30th. [/p][p]Before we reveal the themes, we’d just like to reiterate that this contest remains very popular, so please see it as an excuse to enjoy a spot of pirate dress-up before anything else. Use it as a reason to flex your rarest cosmetics and see your scoundrel in a new, potentially even snazzier light than usual. Even if you don’t win in this Style of Thieves contest, we hope everyone who takes part simply has a good time exploring the fun of fashion within Sea of Thieves.

Image credit: MrMestriner on X/Twitter
[/p][p]And now, without any more re-re-re-re-tweaked preamble, here are Season 17’s #StyleOfThieves themes: [/p][p][/p][h3]The Themes [/h3][p]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.[/p][p]Detective 
From long jackets to tailored hats, find a fit authoritative enough to make a guilty pirate confess before you’ve even fired your first question (or third cannonball, we don’t know your style).
Entry date: October 20th [/p][p]Ridiculous 
Embrace your silly side and throw on an assortment that passes for an outfit on the one simple truth that you are, in fact, wearing it, even if doing so could mean you’ll never be taken seriously again.
Entry date: October 21st [/p][p]Cosplay 
Do your best to pay homage to your favourite characters from beyond the Sea of Thieves with only your closet of ramshackle rags and pirate apparel. Good luck!
Entry date: October 22nd [/p][p]Ghoulish 
Cast about for a style that would have even the Order of Souls clutching their skulls. They do contain precious secrets after all, it’s just sensible to keep them safe from potentially scorned wraiths.
Entry date: October 23rd

Image credit: ZenekSoT on X/Twitter
[/p][h3]How to Enter [/h3][p]There are of course rules to follow if you want to create a valid contest entry. For a refresher on these, and how to enter via any of the applicable channels, please refer to this previous Style of Thieves article – remembering of course that Season 17’s themes are the ones here in this article, the link’s just for the extra details! 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. [/p][p]As an additional stipulation to ensure a level playing field, entries may only use the retail version of Sea of Thieves and not the Insider build, following the lifting of the Insider Programme NDA. [/p][p]And done. You’re still here? Well, we appreciate that. And for sticking around, we’ll tell you the secret to winning, aren’t you lucky! The secret is to wear the Wreath of Wisdom Crown. The other secret is to not do what we expect. Would wearing that wreath be what we expect? It would, so it wouldn’t work. The moral of this story is there is no secret, do what you want. See you October 20th–23rd thanks bye! [/p]

[p]The nights have started growing longer – which means it’s the perfect time to undertake some sneaky smuggling! In September, pirates were unleashed upon a new Heist for The Smugglers’ League, while charity fundraisers and Community Spotlights capably filled the gaps. Let’s take a look at some things you may have missed…[/p][p][/p][h3]Content Update[/h3][p]September’s update brought in Act 2 of Season 17, and the introduction of the Smugglers’ Heist! Once some tweaks to the Heist’s frequency were made with a quick hotfix, this new time-limited Event had covert crews competing against each other to claim an extremely valuable painted prize. We even provided the perfect backing music for your planning montage in the form of latest Sea of Thieves soundtrack addition ‘The Fine Art of Theft’.[/p][p]With all this Heisting pulling in the gold, September felt like a perfect time to give back too. To that end, our trusty Community Stream Team pulled together to host a month-long fundraiser for Everyone Can! Together, their efforts completely smashed the set target, and they managed to raise more than £12,000 for the charity – legendary work by all involved.
[/p][h3][dynamiclink][/dynamiclink]
News and Features[/h3][p]For once, the first news article of September wasn’t This Month in Sea of Thieves – although that came very shortly after – but was instead the first of two Spotlights squeezed into September. Culinary connoisseur Shredz (author of Sea of Thieves: The Cookbook) was the first to stop by, then the second Spotlight of the month focused on pirate artist Soycha and the creative chaos he gets up to on the seas.[/p][p]Keeping our eye on community affairs, we saw plenty of competitive spirit going around in September. First, two new Community Hub updates saw eight deserving pirates receiving a glorious hat for their creative efforts, before a new #SoTShot contest theme had sailors showing us their best Smuggling Scenes. Most Smugglers prefer to conduct their business away from prying eyes, but we salute these brave souls for sharing their daring escapades far and wide.
[/p][h3]
Videos and Streams[/h3][p]No month is ever complete without at least one new instalment of Sea of Thieves News, and September was to be no different. Between Daryl outlining forthcoming game updates and, later, Drew pulling back the curtain in the latest Developer Update, it was a good month for any pirate interested in knowing what’s on the horizon.[/p][p]As with every monthly update, there was also a vibrant run of video promotion providing all the details. Our latest Content Update video gave us a chance to walk you through the story behind the Heist and how this time-limited competitive Voyage actually works, before the Launch Trailer provided a whistle-stop tour of all the major highlights. After that it was just a case of revealing the latest Twitch Drops running alongside the update, and then letting players get down to the business of Heisting.
[/p][p][dynamiclink][/dynamiclink]
And that was the gist of it for September! If all the pumpkins around the Outposts didn’t give it away, we’re officially into That Time of Year now, so there are sure to be many more terrifying treats to recap for you in a month’s time. Until then, don’t forget you can always join in the conversation on any of our usual channels, including Twitter/X, Bluesky, Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, Threads and Twitch, and via our Forums or Discord server. See you there![/p][p] [/p][h3]Previously in 2025:[/h3][p]Sea of Thieves Round-Up: August 2025[/p][p]Sea of Thieves Round-Up: July 2025[/p][p]Sea of Thieves Round-Up: June 2025[/p][p]Sea of Thieves Round-Up: May 2025[/p][p]Sea of Thieves Round-Up: April 2025[/p][p]Sea of Thieves Round-Up: March 2025[/p][p]Sea of Thieves Round-Up: February 2025[/p][p]Sea of Thieves Round-Up: January 2025[/p]

[p]Gourd grief, how is it October already? This month features a veritable feast of goodies for folks wanting to set sail – so grab your pumpkin-spiced beverages, get out your diaries and plan your next sessions with this handy guide comprised of what to expect over the coming weeks. Let’s go![/p][p][/p][p]Smugglers’ Heist Continues – until Thursday, October 16th[/p][p]For those of you yet to dip your toes into the waters of Season 17: Act 2, the Smugglers’ Heist Event is still active until the middle of the month. The Smugglers’ League have asked pirates to procure one of Flameheart’s prized paintings, worth a cool 175,000 gold to any crew making it to the hand-in point. However, it’s hardly a piece of cake to secure the target painting – and that’s not even accounting for other pirate players turning up to meddle…[/p][p][/p][p]Festival of the Damned Decorations Return – from Wednesday, October 1st[/p][p]Fans of pumpkins, gourds and squashes of the orange variety, unite! The shores of the Sea of Thieves will be appropriately decorated from October 1st, in honour of our very own spooky season.

[/p][p]‘Forts of the Flame’ Release – Wednesday, October 8th[/p][p]This month’s audio track release is ‘Forts of the Flame’, which gives players a sneaky aural peek at the music that will soundtrack the Reaper Fortresses experience coming as part of Act 3’s update. Stream this stunning song via Spotify or other streaming service of your choice from October 8th.[/p][p][/p][p]Sea of Thieves Season 17: Act 3 – Thursday, October 16th[/p][p]Captain Flameheart’s forces are once again under attack, and fortifying the Skeleton Forts to withstand renewed assaults on their Vaults. With the arrival of October’s game update, players can take the fight to these reinforced Reaper Fortresses, facing Ghost Ship battles, traps and a host of formidable fighting foes.[/p][p]These Fortresses and their advanced defences will be available throughout Act 3, and will enter the usual World Event rotation from Season 18. Their Vaults hold a whole treasure trove of goodies, including Reaper’s Bones loot – so set sail when Act 3 launches to sample this fresh new flavour of Fort goodness.[/p][p]October’s update will also refresh Outpost stock with the Orange Resolute Hull, Flag and Sails – or if green’s your autumnal colour of choice, you’ll be able to spend your gold on Lucky Rover weapons instead.[/p][p]Meanwhile, spooky season arrives in the Emporium with aplomb, with an expanded Jack O’ Looter collection that now includes a Collector’s Figurehead and Sails, Ship’s Crest, Trinket and long-awaited lantern! The Crimson Crypt items are also set for expansion by way of a new Cabin Bundle for Captained ships, while the brand new Alter Ego collection brings a conflicted costume, ship set, concertina and weapons to the Emporium aisles. True to October’s theme, a new Pocket Bat Emote will also make its debut – and a ton of the Emporium’s most terrifying cosmetics will be on offer in a Festival of the Damned Mega Bundle!

[/p][p]Twitch Drops – Friday, October 17th – Friday, October 24th[/p][p]With the launch of Act 3 also comes another windfall of wonderful Twitch Drops, available to earn just by watching any participating Sea of Thieves streamer on Twitch.[/p][p]Alongside our usual rewards of 75,000 gold, a Renown boost and a Voyage of Luck, this batch of Drops also allows viewers to score the Mystical Divination Emote, Eastern Winds Ruby Eye of Reach, Amethyst Mercenary Pegleg, Mandrake Pistol and an Order of Souls-themed Skeleton Fort Raid Voyage. What glorious gains![/p][p][/p][p]Pirate Emporium Halloween Sale – Tuesday, October 28th – Tuesday, November 4th[/p][p]Kicking off close to the end of the month is another opportunity to save Ancient Coins, this time on some of the eeriest sets the Emporium has to offer! Crimson Crypt, Graveyard Gladiator, Soulflame and Blighted sets are all being slashed in price, along with a whole heap of eldritch emotes.[/p][p][/p][p]Ghoul & Glory Weekend – Friday, October 31st – Monday, November 3rd [/p][p]This Festival of the Damned-flavoured twist on the trusty Gold & Glory Event makes a return for 2025! Boosted rewards await all who play during this period, with extra gold, reputation, Renown and Allegiance all up for grabs.[/p][p]And that takes us to the closing days of October. While November promises the launch of a whole new Season, there are still all the tantalising titbits above waiting for players to tackle this month – so make sure you plot a course for everything that appeals to you in this lovely list of stuff, and we’ll see you on the seas![/p]

[h3]Smugglers’ Tide: Act 2[/h3][p]New blood brings new opportunities as The Smugglers’ League settle into the shadows of the Sea of Thieves! To learn more about this Season’s headline features, head over to our dedicated Season 17 page.[/p][p][/p][p]The Smugglers’ Heist[/p]

• [p]For the duration of Act 2, a daring Heist at Royal Crest Fortress will regularly be available via a note pinned to the ship’s mast, allowing all crews to join The Smugglers’ League in their task.[/p]
• [p]Once the Heist has begun, crews will need to follow directions to retrieve a key from a Smuggler contact and then set sail to Royal Crest Fortress in search of a precious painting.[/p]
• [p]Players must stick to instructions sent by The Smugglers’ League to ensure the correct painting is retrieved. There are many decoy paintings which can also be found and sold, but only the target painting will allow you to become the victor of the Heist![/p]
• [p]Crews that hold the target painting should be ready to fend off Ocean Crawler ambushes while aboard their ship. Other crews can also join in the Heist at any stage, so be prepared to use any means necessary to get the painting safely back to the designated Smugglers’ Hideout.[/p]
• [p]Successful crews will earn a hoard of 175,000 gold for returning the correct painting, while Guilds will receive a significant bonus to their Guild Reputation![/p]

[p]Smugglers’ Tide: Act 2 Rewards[/p]

• [p]Crews taking on the Heist at Royal Crest Fortress can unlock the Royal Crest Fortress Plans and Royal Crest Fortress Blueprints Trinkets to commemorate their daring accomplishments.[/p]

[p]Smugglers’ Route Run Balancing[/p]

• [p]The frequency of Phantom encounters while taking part in a Smugglers’ Route Run Voyage has now been reduced.[/p][p][/p]

[p][dynamiclink][/dynamiclink][/p][h3]Gameplay Improvements[/h3][p]Improved Field of View[/p]

• [p]Players can now extend their field of view above the previous limit up to 110, providing a range of wider view options.[/p]
• [p]To give players more control over their field of view experience, the graphics settings now provide individual field of view override settings for areas where players dock to an object such as the ship’s wheel, Rowboat or ladders.[/p]

[p]Cinematic Banner Improvements[/p]

• [p]The cinematic banners shown on the HUD have been extended to provide support for a reduced banner option that retains visibility of the player’s health and ammunition during gameplay.[/p]
• [p]Players can navigate to the HUD Settings and switch between Full (default) or Reduced Lower Banner Style.[/p]

[p]Underwater Animation Improvements[/p]

• [p]Players swimming in water and making quick changes to their pitch and rotation will now find their pirate moves more smoothly when viewed by others.[/p]
• [p]These changes aim to reduce the impact of players making fast movements with their mouse or controller to avoid damage during gunplay while underwater.[/p]

[p]Ashen Skull of the Banished[/p]

• [p]The Ashen Search for Ancient Secrets Voyage in The Devil’s Roar now rewards players with the new Ashen Skull of the Banished, replacing the Skull of the Banished on this Voyage.[/p]

[p]Ashen Chest of Bones[/p]

• [p]The Ashen Followers of the Flame Voyage now rewards players with an Ashen Chest of Bones, offering higher value than the Chest of Bones.[/p]

• [p]The Ashen Chest of Bones retains the same number of charges as a Reaper’s Chest, but will not reinforce crews with Order of Bone and Blade Captains.[/p]

[p]Displaying Trophy Tiers[/p]

• [p]Captains who have earned multiple tiers of a Trophy are now able to decorate their ship with all previous tiers when interacting with a Trinket location.[/p]

[p]Skull of Siren Sorrow[/p]

• [p]Players are now able to sprint when holding the Skull of Siren Sorrow.[/p]

[p]Sunken Merfolk Statues[/p]

• [p]Merfolk Statues found within the Sunken Kingdom will now only store treasure that can be discovered while exploring the various Shrines and Treasuries, and Trading Company items recovered during Raid Voyages.[/p][p][/p]

[h3]Pirate Emporium[/h3][p]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![/p][p][/p][p]New Items – Now in Stock![/p]

• [p]Pirate Pugilist Ship Collection and Ship’s Crest[/p]
• [p]Pirate Pugilist Weapon Bundle[/p]
• [p]Pirate Pugilist Clothing Bundle[/p]
• [p]Pirate Pugilist Speaking Trumpet[/p]
• [p]One-Two Punch Emote (free!)[/p]
• [p]Inner Sanctum Weapon Bundle[/p]
• [p]Inner Sanctum Ship Collection (returning from Season 14 Plunder Pass)[/p]
• [p]Inner Sanctum Clothing Bundle (returning from Season 14 Plunder Pass)[/p]
• [p]Firestarter Variety Ship Bundle (mixed bundle of existing items)[/p]

[p]Pirate Emporium Special Items Tab[/p]

• [p]A Special Items tab has been added to the navigation menu within the Pirate Emporium, providing access to items such as the Pirate Deed, Renaming Deed and Pirate Appearance Potion.[/p][p][/p]

[h3]Outpost Cosmetics[/h3][p]New Outpost Stock![/p]

• [p]The shipwrights have restocked with the new Russet Resolute Hull, Sails and Flag.[/p]
• [p]The Outpost shops now offer Lucky Rover equipment and instruments.[/p]
• [p]The shipwrights have expanded to supply Ship’s Crests for purchase, and Pirate Legends can access the Sovereign Ship’s Crest previously available during Season Ten.[/p]
• [p]The weaponsmith in the Pirate Legend Hideout now stocks the Legendary Fortune Double Barrel Pistol, Grapple Gun, Blowpipe, Throwing Knives, Heavy Sword and Rapier. These weapons are all available for purchase upon reaching Pirate Legend status.[/p]
• [p]Players who previously purchased the Legendary Throwing Knives, Heavy Sword or Rapier from the Pirate Legend Hideout will find these items have been replaced in their Armoury with the corrected Legendary Fortune colour scheme.[/p][p][/p]

[h3]Updates[/h3][p]Performance Improvements[/p]

• [p]Optimisations made to the loading of environment assets should now provide a more stable framerate for players residing on the Ferry of the Damned while their ship is still moving through the world.[/p]

[p]Performance Counters[/p]

• [p]Players on console now have the ability to display their ping in the top corner of the screen. This can be enabled from within the Video Settings.[/p]
• [p]Players on PC can now choose to display ping only, without displaying their FPS at the same time.[/p]

[p]Text Chat in Game Options[/p]

• [p]Players can now summon the text chat window from the Game Options menu, providing easy access to chat and freeing up a keybind. Players on console or handheld devices will find the Virtual Keyboard is shown when the chat window opens.[/p][p][/p]

[h3]Fixed Issues[/h3][p]Gameplay[/p]

• [p]After being revived, players should find their health bar is now consistently displayed when not at full health.[/p]
• [p]Players wearing the Skeleton Curse are now able to equip disguises from the Vanity Chest.[/p]
• [p]During an Hourglass streak, crews who become matched again with the same rival within a session will now consistently earn a win towards their streak.[/p]
• [p]Crews choosing to leave treasure behind at sea when diving to a Faction Battle will now find that if their dive fails or is cancelled, the treasure they left behind is now floating nearby and no longer becomes stuck within the ship.[/p]
• [p]Rum Crates of all varieties are now properly damaged by Gunpowder Barrels.[/p]
• [p]When rowing towards a location where a Rowboat can be docked, the interaction now consistently displays at a range where the Rowboat can be attached.[/p]
• [p]Tapping to aim down sights with the Eye of Reach no longer causes the screen to blur before the weapon is scoped.[/p]
• [p]Bounty Voyages from a Message in a Bottle will now more appropriately scale their difficulty level based on the size of the crew.[/p]
• [p]Crews digging up a stolen treasure buried by another crew should now consistently gain the Commendation progress when selling the item. This addresses the following Commendations: Taker of Stolen Stock, Bony Bandit, Bountiful Giving, Charitable Giving, Ritual Recovery and Legendary Thief.[/p]
• [p]Players interacting twice with a ship’s cannon while holding an item will no longer find the item is held floating nearby.[/p]
• [p]Crews pledging to the Guardians of Fortune or Servants of the Flame and remaining on the sea should no longer be able to increase their ship’s Treasure Grade when recovering the same item onto their ship repeatedly.[/p]
• [p]Ancient Skeletons defeated by skeletons allied to the crew now consistently award Ancient Coins to the members of the crew.[/p]
• [p]Crews are no longer able to gain additional Gunpowder Barrels from Skeleton Camps.[/p]
• [p]Crews are no longer able to encounter multiple Skeleton Captains or Ashen Guardians at the same Skeleton Camp.[/p]
• [p]Players moving across a tightrope should now consistently appear in the correct position to other players.[/p]

• [p]‘Shores of Gold’ – Players dying within the Devil’s Shroud during this Tall Tale should now return from the Ferry of the Damned with their equipment and resources intact.[/p]

[p]Smugglers’ Tide[/p]

• [p]The following Commendations can now be progressed consistently when performing the required criteria: Revered Rum Runner, Fine Art Felon and Super Smuggler. Players with prior progress may remain temporarily blocked as the team works behind the scenes to sync their progress.[/p]
• [p]The Skull of Siren Sorrow now sinks after the correct amount of time when left floating on the sea.[/p]
• [p]The Deed to Sink a Smuggling Skeleton Ship with a Black Powder Barrel now progresses consistently.[/p]
• [p]Smuggler characters can no longer be interacted with from behind or while airborne.[/p]
• [p]Players wearing the Black Powder Barrel Disguise now show a tooltip to others to inspect The Smugglers’ League mark, to ensure a more effective disguise.[/p]
• [p]Players will no longer progress the Chest Buster Commendation when being forced out of the Black Powder Barrel Disguise.[/p]
• [p]A range of island improvements have been made to Smugglers’ Hideout locations, addressing visual issues and ensuring traps trigger consistently.[/p]
• [p]Skeletons can no longer walk through items or walls in Smugglers’ Hideouts.[/p]
• [p]Enemy Phantoms will no longer appear inside Smugglers’ Hideouts.[/p]
• [p]Smugglers’ Treasure found washed up will now direct players to the correct location of The Smugglers’ League.[/p]
• [p]The ship’s map should now consistently show the Smugglers’ Route Run path when switching between Safer Seas and High Seas sessions.[/p]
• [p]Crews should now be awarded progress towards the Storm Sale Commendation when handing in a Horn of Fair Winds to The Smugglers’ League.[/p]
• [p]Players should now consistently earn progress towards the Seeker of Smugglers’ Caches Commendation when locating Smugglers’ Caches on islands.[/p]
• [p]Smugglers’ Caches now remain buried when leaving and returning to islands.[/p]
• [p]Speaking with Lottie no longer causes her body to change shape.[/p]

[p]Reapers Rising[/p]

• [p]Crews taking on a Voyage for The Reaper’s Bones will now find that joining and leaving an Alliance will retain their raised Reaper’s Bones Emissary Flag and Reaper’s Mark Flag.[/p]
• [p]Players should now find it easier to interact with a moving Skeleton Mercenary in order to give them an item to hold.[/p]
• [p]Items dropped onto the Ancient Pillars or Sarcophagus found during the Search for Ancient Secrets or Followers of the Flame Voyages are now placed safely away from the location instead of becoming stuck within them.[/p]
• [p]Skeletons can no longer walk through the Ancient Pillars or Sarcophagus found during the Search for Ancient Secrets Voyage.[/p]
• [p]Notifications shown during the Search for Ancient Secrets Voyage will now appear consistently.[/p]
• [p]Treasured Fish are now held correctly by Skeleton Mercenaries.[/p]
• [p]Showing a map to an allied skeleton now consistently results in the skeleton aiding the player to find the location.[/p]
• [p]Improvements have been made to readability for the Quest Maps during the Search for Ancient Secrets Voyage.[/p]
• [p]Crews digging up multiple Pillars in quick succession should no longer prevent Ancients from appearing.[/p]
• [p]The Order of Bone and Blade should now have no trouble in digging up the Sarcophagus during the Search for Ancient Secrets Voyage.[/p]

[p]Visual and Audio[/p]

• [p]The Alabaster Wildcat now appears in the correct colour when summoned or viewed in the Pet Chest.[/p]
• [p]Various throwing knives have had their visual effects restored when performing melee attacks.[/p]
• [p]Emerging Phantoms and Ocean Crawlers are now accompanied by the intended music.[/p]
• [p]Voting daggers now sit correctly on the Quest Table when cancelling a Voyage.[/p]
• [p]Animals and skeletons will now move more smoothly when idling around islands.[/p]
• [p]Players opening and exiting a shop will no longer see their character become temporarily invisible.[/p]
• [p]Players equipping the Rare Regalia Hull will now find all areas of the ship are coloured consistently.[/p]

[p]Environment[/p]

• [p]Players are no longer able to venture underneath Port Merrick by using the Cannon of Rage to fire themselves into the environment.[/p]
• [p]Improvements have been made to the environment in ‘The Journey to Mêlée Island’, ‘The Quest for Guybrush’ and ‘A Pirate’s Life’ Tall Tales to prevent players from using a Grapple Gun to leave the designated areas.[/p]
• [p]Players can no longer fall out of the environment by using a Grapple Gun to navigate within Ancient Vaults.[/p]
• [p]Barrels in Sea Forts can no longer be accessed through the ceiling.[/p]
• [p]‘The Lair of LeChuck’ – The area behind the Headless Monkey no longer contains hidden water that allows players to swim in mid-air.[/p]

[p]User Interface[/p]

• [p]Emissary Ledgers should now consistently show the next unlockable reward when the Ledgers refresh each month.[/p]
• [p]Players are now prevented from purchasing Ship’s Crests and Banners within the Pirate Emporium if they do not yet own a Captained ship.[/p]
• [p]The Ghostly Curse Alsatian now requires Pirate Legend status to purchase within the Emporium.[/p]
• [p]The countdown shown in the Season overview now displays the time correctly.[/p]
• [p]The Last Played date now displays correctly for newly created pirates.[/p]
• [p]Pirate options can no longer be opened while a pirate is in the process of being deleted.[/p]
• [p]Pirate previews now display correctly after deleting a pirate.[/p]
• [p]Trading Company shops now require the correct promotion to be unlocked before a corresponding item can be purchased.[/p]
• [p]During the Tutorial Voyage for the Order of Souls, the destination island will no longer be obscured by notifications.[/p]

[p]Text and Localisation[/p]

• [p]Players starting the Tutorial Voyage for the Merchant Alliance at Ancient Spire Outpost will now find the notifications refer to the correct islands during the Voyage.[/p]
• [p]The Merchant Alliance Tutorial Voyage now consistently shows the intended text on the quest parchment during the Voyage.[/p]
• [p]Players unlocking the All-seeing Commendation will now see the appropriate description in the Pirate Log.[/p]
• [p]Terminology for the Chest of Fortune has been improved when playing in Japanese to better differentiate the item from a Treasure Chest.[/p]
• [p]Following player feedback, the terminology used for Fight Nights has been improved when playing in Polish.[/p]
• [p]Various terminology improvements have been made for The Smugglers’ League in Russian and Spanish (Mexico) languages.[/p]

[p]Performance and Stability[/p]

• [p]Crews on Safer Seas should no longer experience scenarios where their ship begins to lift into the air.[/p]
• [p]Wielding Treasure Maps no longer causes performance issues when the maps update.[/p]
• [p]Players on lower-spec hardware should no longer find the loading wheel stops animating for long periods of time.[/p]
• [p]Further improvements have been made to game stability to reduce scenarios where players unexpectedly exit the game or become disconnected from their session.[/p][p][/p]

[h3]Known Issues[/h3][p]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.[/p]

[p]A hectic summer of Events, updates and general pirate chaos is finally coming to an end and that can mean only one thing: time to round up everything you might have missed in August. So settle in while we give you a whirlwind tour of the last month, ahead of everything still inbound this autumn…[/p][p][/p][h3]Content Update[/h3][p]As we set sail into August, we were rapidly coming up on the end of Season 16. In a distinctly un-piratelike show of generosity, the Trading Companies thought they’d offer a helping hand to any pirates scrambling to max out their Renown before the Season closed, leading to a full Gold & Glory Weekend for everyone to enjoy. Who doesn’t love doubled rewards?[/p][p]From there, Season 17 burst to life in an explosion of proportions never before seen on the seas – that’s right, the arrival of The Smugglers’ League brought with it fearsome Black Powder Barrels and a host of new loot, Commendations and Voyages for pirates to dive into. At the same time, Rare’s 40th Anniversary had us celebrating with anything and everything ruby, and August concluded with the latest Community Weekend to mark this special milestone in fine style.[/p][h3][dynamiclink][/dynamiclink]
News and Features[/h3][p]As always, the first addition to the News pages in August was our This Month in Sea of Thieves article, swiftly followed by the latest Community Spotlight, focused on artist extraordinaire Middy! Alongside a Community Hub update and two full #SoTShot rounds – Pretentious Photography and Rare View – there were plenty of opportunities to find out what community folks had been up to.[/p][p]The introduction of a new Season always requires a little explanation to help players find their feet, so a Season launch article was delivered just in time for the update, followed by a Smugglers’ League guide introducing the new faces on the seas! After that, all that was left to do was tee up the delights of Season 17 Community Weekend with an in-depth article, and then wait for the screenshots to start rolling in.
[/p][p][/p][h3]Videos and Streams[/h3][p]We started our streaming news in August not with a stream of our own but with a Community Stream Team refresh! A whole new cast of streamers have signed on to represent Sea of Thieves, with some new goodies to give away to lucky viewers. They weren’t the only ones either – the Pirate Emporium team had new items with some real outlaw swagger ready to show off this month, and they weren’t about to miss that opportunity.[/p][p]Elsewhere in the world of video we rounded up the regular monthly Sea of Thieves News, a new Developer Update from Production Director Drew, and, of course, a Launch Trailer and Content Update video for the new Season! As if that wasn’t enough, a new Seasonal title screen meant that the Audio team were on call for their usual trick of producing an anthemic tune to add to Sea of Thieves’ streamable soundtrack.
[/p][p][/p][p]All of which brings us to the end of August and the first stirrings of a damp September wind across the waves! There’s sure to be more to report in on a month, but until then, please seek us out on your social media of choice: Twitter/X, Bluesky, Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, Threads and Twitch, or you can join in the conversations happening on our Forums or official Discord server. Hope to see you there![/p][p][/p][h3]Previously in 2025:[/h3][p]Sea of Thieves Round-Up: July 2025[/p][p]Sea of Thieves Round-Up: June 2025[/p][p]Sea of Thieves Round-Up: May 2025[/p][p]Sea of Thieves Round-Up: April 2025[/p][p]Sea of Thieves Round-Up: March 2025[/p][p]Sea of Thieves Round-Up: February 2025[/p][p]Sea of Thieves Round-Up: January 2025[/p]