Sea of Thieves News

Hello sailors! With a new Season comes a new Community Weekend – and February’s event is jam-packed, ready to entertain you with lots of in-game and stream-based antics across the world wide web. If that sounds good to you, then congratulations, you are correct: it’s excellent news, and we’re here to tell you exactly what to expect from the latest 48-hour shindig we’re throwing in honour of you, our wonderful community.

But before we get into everything involved with this Season’s community-oriented shenanigans, we need to share the most crucial bit: the date and times of proceedings! Season 11’s Community Weekend will start on Saturday, February 24th 2024 at 11am UTC and will finish at the same time on Monday, February 26th – giving you two full days to collect your Twitch Drops, maximise your gold, rep and Renown gains and swipe some shiny treasures via Pop-Up Plunder.

The event also conveniently falls across GameBlast 2024, so we’ll be focusing a lot of our efforts on amplifying and raising money for the wonderful folks over at SpecialEffect. The Sea of Thieves Twitch channel will be alive and ready to shine a light on so many of our amazing community and creator heroes, so make sure you’re following over there to join in the fun.


[h3]Watch Twitch, Get Rich[/h3]
Season 11’s Community Weekend is another promising piratical party providing a plethora of profitable prospects for players heading online during the period. Let’s get into what you can expect…

For those of you who are new here or haven’t participated in a Community Weekend before, let us quickly give you the lowdown on how these Events work. Simply put: this is where we put the power to affect in-game rewards into the hands of you, our players.

To raise the Community Emissary Grade (and the associated in-game reward multiplier), our community are tasked with tuning in to Twitch to level up the generosity, with the total watch time powering Grade progress. So all you need to do to help raise the Emissary Grade is watch any of your favourite content creators within the Sea of Thieves category while the Event is live. We can heartily recommend tuning in to our special GameBlast24 Community Stream Team or browsing our Partner Directory if you’re stuck for folks to watch!

Every time the Community Emissary Grade levels up, so does the boost to gold, reputation, Seasonal Renown, Allegiance and Guild Reputation – with the top Grade offering two-and-a-half times the rewards for your work. However, it’s crucial to note that these bumper-sized bonuses will only be available to pirates sailing on High Seas, not Safer Seas. Community Weekends are designed to be super-social affairs, so to enjoy all the benefits they bring, make sure you hop onto those shared servers – and remember to keep an eye on the horizon!


[h3]Yo Dawg, We Heard You Like Free Stuff[/h3]
So would you like some free items to go with your free boosts? Excellent. All players setting sail during this Event can score the latest Community Weekend Flag in beautiful white and red to adorn the top of their masts, while also finding the very silly, very sweet Paw Wave Emote popping into their Vanity Chests.

And that’s not all, as it wouldn’t be Community Weekend with shiny new Twitch Drops to snag – and there are some stunning pieces on offer over this Event! Watching Sea of Thieves streams during Community Weekend will help you unlock four special Drops: the Scarlet Sailor Hurdy-Gurdy, Eastern Winds Ruby Silken Gloves, Hurdy-Gurdy Show-Off Emote and Eastern Winds Ruby Short Jacket.

There’s a brand new bonus goal in town too, which is dive-focused in celebration of Season 11. If players can collectively dive to 100,000 Voyages from their Quest Tables over the course of the weekend, the Obsidian Captain’s Drapes will be unlocked as a bonus fifth Twitch Drop to earn! We’ll be keeping you all informed on how you’re tracking against this additional Community Spirit goal on social media channels, so stay tuned during the Event for updates. We’ll be cheering you on.


[h3]Pop-Up Plunder Returns Again[/h3]
Everyone’s favourite game of dig spot roulette returns for Season 11 Community Weekend with a whole host of loot on offer, plus a brand new set of social media clues. Every few hours we’ll drop a map on Sea of Thieves channels such as Twitter/X and Instagram to persuade you to seek out and swipe some time-limited treasure. As always, our maps will vary in difficulty – so if you’re having trouble solving them, you’re welcome to swing by our Discord server to discuss the clues.

Even when you’ve solved the relevant map-based conundrum, the fun doesn’t stop there – if someone else on your server has worked out where the treasure lies, you might have a scrap on your hands once the loot’s been located. We find it's best to have both shovel and sword at the ready, just in case. Or, perhaps, you can flip for it – one of the more ingenious uses of the Coin Toss Emote.

As with previous Events, there are no guarantees for what loot lies at the end of your journey! So if you want to find out what’s on offer, you’re going to have put in the work (or steal the stash once someone else has done it).

[h3]Death by a Thousand Hats (Sailor’s Version)[/h3]
Hopefully you all know by now that over a Community Weekend, we love to sing the praises of our unsung community heroes – and the way we do that is by handing out the very special Hat of Unfeasibly Glorious Fame at an accelerated rate to some of the wonderful pirates we see in and around our social spaces.

Whether you’ve performed an astonishing feat on the seas and would like us to tip the hat in your direction, or you’d like to shout out a crewmate or friend who embodies the Be More Pirate mantra, we’ll be taking nominations all the way up to and during the Event. This is something you can get involved in starting from now – so if there’s something or someone you’d like to draw our attention to, tell us about it on Sea of Thieves social channels (the more info the better) using the #BeMorePirate hashtag!


[h3]Come Together, Right Now, On the Sea[/h3]
As Sea of Thieves continues to evolve alongside you, our glorious community of corsairs, we want to take a moment to once again thank you for making our seas such a splendid place to be. February is set to be a big month for pirates, both on our own shores and slightly more distant ones. There’s never been a better time to be of the pirating persuasion, but there’s something special about those of you who specifically sail the Sea of Thieves. This Community Weekend, let’s show them all how it’s done; let’s not just Be More Pirate, but Be Most Pirate!

A new Season arrives on the shores of the Sea of Thieves! On January 23rd, Season 11 introduces
some exciting changes and improvements to how you sail the seas, enabling you to dive into adventure faster than ever before while vastly expanding the rewards and progression pathways on offer.

In this latest free update, multiple systems have been refreshed to streamline your experience as you sail or dive swiftly from one Voyage, Event or Tall Tale to the next. Onboarding has also been expanded with new in-game tutorials featuring the Pirate Lord, removing some of the hurdles for newer players seeking to get to grips with life on the seas!

[h3]Fundamental Improvements[/h3]
The primary feature of Season 11 is the revamp of the traditional Voyage loop, and that starts with the Quest Table. Rather than having to return to an Outpost to buy new Voyages from the Trading Companies, you’ll now be able to access all available Voyages and Tall Tales directly from your ship. Using the redesigned Discover Tab, you can see what activities are on offer and browse suggested Voyages suited to your personal stage of progression!

Once a choice is made, you now have the option to take the plunge and dive to your destination, throwing you straight into the action. As always, loot can’t be carried with you during a dive, but rewards are no longer fully tied to handing in your treasure; instead, a small amount of Company reputation will now be awarded immediately on completion of a Voyage. You’ll still need to cash in your loot if you want the full payout, but all is not lost if you can’t make it to an Outpost!

Of course, diving to your destination might speed up how much you’re able to get done, but setting sail across the Sea of Thieves in the traditional way is perfectly valid, and there are still plenty of reasons to do so. Rewards for completing discoverable events like a shipwreck or Message in a Bottle have been reworked and rebalanced across the board, guaranteeing there’s always something worth finding as you explore.

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[h3]Earn Your Reputation[/h3]
Trading Company representatives may no longer be the source of new Voyages, but you’ll still want to stop by from time to time. Promotions will only be accessible directly from the relevant representatives, for instance. They’re also where you’ll find a revamped cosmetics shop, allowing you to browse all Trading Company clothing and items in a single place.

At the same time, the Trading Companies have undergone a major expansion to allow even established players to continue progressing with their Company of choice, as reputation now increases up to level 100 for all Companies apart from The Hunter’s Call. Reach that momentous milestone and you’ll earn one of five new Distinctions, resetting your reputation with that Company while unlocking a prestigious Distinction Ring for your pirate to wear!

To help you in this pursuit, Raid Voyages have been added to the Quest Table and will become available as you climb the Trading Company ranks, offering a twist on familiar World Events. Rather than the randomised loot selection from these Events when encountered emergently, Raid Voyages come in Company-themed flavours. Choose to undertake these Events and you can work towards a high-value loot pool of items specific to your chosen Company, and the reputation boost that comes with it.

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[h3]New Year, New Styles [/h3]
With a new Season underway, a fresh 100 levels of Seasonal Renown are ready to be climbed by dedicated sailors. As always, that means a wealth of gold, Doubloons and Ancient Coins to be earned, as well as a range of clothing, ship and item cosmetics to be claimed as you advance. And, of course, Plunder Pass purchasers can enjoy extra goodies in the form of 750 more Ancient Coins and the complete Well-Travelled Trader collection including Collector’s items.

The Pirate Emporium and Outpost shops are expanding their wares too! The imposing Boarhunter collection has entered the Emporium, containing a ship set, weapon bundle and clothing bundle for pirates with an interest in porcine pursuits. Over in the Outpost stores, the Maestro clothing set might be of interest if you’re a melodic marauder, to ensure your outfit elicits a fanfare everywhere you go.

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[h3]Find Out More[/h3]
For more information on the Sea of Thieves Season 11 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 start playing.

New to Sea of Thieves? Find out about the latest free content updates on our What’s New page, get familiar with Who’s Who or pick up some gameplay tips from our Pirate Academy, which provides invaluable information on topics ranging from sailing to swordplay as you prepare for your maiden voyage. Learn more about the ongoing adventure at www.seaofthieves.com where you can embark on an epic journey with one of gaming’s most welcoming communities!

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[h3]Sea of Thieves on Demand[/h3]
Access all the adventure you crave more quickly than ever before with Season 11’s overhaul of Voyages and encounters! Explore a redesigned Quest system, major expansions to most Trading Companies and new rewards and Distinctions to earn as you progress.

On Demand

• With a Quest Table on board each ship now providing the ability to choose from all available outings and dive directly to the scene of a Voyage, Tall Tale or new Raid Voyage, players have unprecedented freedom to explore everything the seas can offer. The refreshed Discover Tab is also on hand with tailored suggestions!
  
• Raid Voyages are new Trading Company-themed versions of World Events with unique treasure types on offer, unlocked from the Quest Table as players climb the Company ranks.
  
• For the first time, some reputation is now earned at the point of Voyage completion, but treasure must still be handed in for maximum profit as anything on board is lost if a player chooses to dive again.
  
• The majority of Trading Companies have raised their level cap to 100. Reaching Company reputation level 100 now unlocks a Distinction, providing a reward and resetting a player’s level with that Company to allow progress towards the next Distinction.
  
• To improve the onboarding experience, new Tutorial Voyages led by the Pirate Lord are in place for new players, covering the Gold Hoarders, Merchant Alliance and Order of Souls. These can be revisited from the Quest Table.
  
• To learn more about this new Season’s headline features, head over to our dedicated Season 11 page.

[h3]Season 11[/h3]
Another Season means 100 new levels to climb by raising your Renown, with racks full of rewards to snag along the way – and an optional Plunder Pass adding even more! Read on for more on all this plus details of the quality of life improvements landing with this Season’s launch...

Season 11 Rewards and Plunder Pass

• Progressing through Season 11 will reward players with the Cunning Serpent clothing set and unique Season 11 specials alongside time-limited Swift-Winged Wayfarer collectibles. Head to the Seasons profile page to browse the new rewards and check your pirate’s progress!
  
• Purchase the Plunder Pass to gain access to a plethora of unlockable, never-before-seen rewards from the Well-Travelled Trader set, all available to earn by climbing the levels of Seasonal progression. Purchase in-game through the Pirate Log or Pirate Emporium, or via the Pirate Emporium webpage or Steam Item Store.

Season 11 Emissary Ledger Rewards

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

Chest of Fortune

• For the duration of Season 11, the Chest of Fortune will surface following the defeat of an emergent Fleet of Fortune. These special Skeleton Fleet encounters are signified by a glowing red cloud in the sky when active.
  
• 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 Cannon, Flag, Capstan and Wheel.

Reaper’s Chests

• In Season 11, crews coveting the precious 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 Blunderbuss and Eye of Reach.

[h3]Gameplay Improvements[/h3]
Improved Hit Markers

• Players now have further control over the hit markers shown when striking targets with a projectile weapon. The game settings now enable switching from the existing client-predicted markers to server-confirmed markers, which only display hits confirmed directly by the server for improved accuracy.

Bounty Voyage Improvements

• A new Order of Souls Bounty Voyage has been added which tasks crews with hunting a Skeleton Lord that drops Dark Relics.
  
• A new Ghost Ship Voyage within The Devil’s Roar is now available from the Order of Souls.
  
• Bounty contracts now provide the landmark location of the target along with the island to help guide players to the correct location.
  
• The difficulty of all Bounty Voyages has been rebalanced to make them more satisfying to play.

Emissary Voyage Improvements

• Emissary Voyages have been improved for each Trading Company with a focus on reduced sailing times and smaller quantities of higher-value treasure to transport, refreshing the gameplay and delivering improved rewards for participation.
  
• Upon reaching Emissary Grade V for a Trading Company, crews can now head to Morrow’s Peak Outpost and speak to their Company representative for an Emissary Voyage in The Devil’s Roar that will yield Ashen-themed rewards.
  
• Emissary Voyages are now lost if the ship sinks or the Emissary Flag is lowered at the Outpost.

Merchant Cargo Run Improvements

• Delivery notes on cargo now provide care instructions which help players to protect their valuable goods.
  
• Cargo Run Quests now remind players how many items need to be collected and where to collect them, ensuring they pack all necessary items before setting sail. Supporting information is also now shown on the delivery note.
  
• Cloth Crates being held while swimming on the surface will no longer become drenched.

Merchant Contract Improvements

• Contracts to recover specific animals now show players which island they need to head to in order to fulfil the contract.
  
• Crews now recover the required Animal Crates from the beaches on the contracted island.
  
• All requested animals are now guaranteed to be found on the contracted island, including the various rarities.
  
• Crews will no longer trigger emergent skeleton encounters on their contracted island, to reduce scenarios where animals are caught in the crossfire.
  
• Contracts now complete when the crew returns them to the Outpost, rather than upon catching the animals on the island.

Treasure Vault Improvements

• Treasure Vaults now scale the available raiding time to the size of the crew – the smaller the crew, the more time to collect the treasure.
  
• Treasure Vault Quests now send crews to the nearest possible Vault once the Totem is recovered.
  
• The braziers surrounding the Vault’s altar are now extinguished over time as an indicator of how long the crew has left before the door slams shut.

Skeleton Encounter Balancing

• Skeleton encounters across the emergent world and on Voyages have been rebalanced, providing a more fun encounter with these bony fiends.
  
• Ambush skeleton groups now dynamically scale based on the size of the crew – the bigger the crew, the more ambush skeletons to fight!

Emergent Phantom Encounters

• Players leaving the ship to explore islands will now only encounter Phantoms at night.

Message in a Bottle Rewards

• Quests from a Message in a Bottle are now significantly more rewarding and likely more valuable than the Voyage already underway – so be sure to go exploring, you’ll be handsomely rewarded for your time!
  
• These Quests also have been refreshed with a focus on reduced sailing times and smaller quantities of higher-value treasure to transport, improving the overall experience.

Skeleton Captain Rewards

• Defeating a Skeleton Captain now yields increased rewards and ammunition, with the potential to recover Reaper’s Chests and Reaper’s Bounty, Gunpowder Barrels and ammunition-stocked Resource Crates. These new rewards are also recoverable from the same island as the encounter!

Shipwreck Rewards

• The rewards found within a sunken shipwreck have now been improved.

Ashen Guardian Rewards

• Crews defeating an Ashen Guardian will now be rewarded with a map to an Ashen Chest on the same island along with a Key to unlock it, no longer requiring them to seek out a Key Master.

Captain’s Bookshelf

• Captains can now adorn the Bookshelf where their Voyages were once stored with Trinkets instead!

Tutorial Notifications

• Tutorial notifications have been added to a range of experiences to assist new players’ onboarding. Quest archetypes, Tall Tales, Cargo Crates and even encounters with different skeleton forms now provide contextual tutorials.

[h3]Pirate Emporium[/h3]
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!

• Boarhunter Ship Collection
  
• Boarhunter Weapon Bundle
  
• Boarhunter Clothing Bundle
  
• Boarhunter Trinket
  
• Collector’s Lunar Festival Dragon Sails and Figurehead
  
• Exercise Emote Bundle
  
• Paradise Garden Eye of Reach (free!)
  
• Boars and Bounty Bundle (Steam Store)

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

• The Outpost clothing shops have received a new shipment of items from the Maestro set. Players are now able to purchase the Maestro clothing after unlocking The Artistic Souls Commendation.

Season Four Legacy Cosmetics

• Cosmetics previously available during Season Four have arrived in Outpost shops and can now be yours in exchange for Doubloons!
  
• Players can purchase the Wicked Web clothing set, along with a range of unique one-off items that were available during this Season. Pirate Legends can also purchase the Cursed Adventurer Cutlass and Wanda’s Spyglass.
  
• The time-limited Siren’s Wrath items, however, remain exclusive to players who participated in Season Four.

[h3]Updates[/h3]
Skull of Siren Song Rewards

• Cosmetic rewards earned by completing the various Commendations associated with the Skull of Siren Song Voyage can now be found in the respective Outpost shops along with their unlock criteria.
  
• With this change, upon unlocking the relevant Commendation, players will now be required to purchase the reward from the Outpost shop rather than having it automatically awarded.

Maiden Voyage Visual Improvements

• The parting sequence and passage through the Devil’s Shroud during the Maiden Voyage have received a suite of improvements to visual fidelity, enhancing the visuals of the Shroud itself and clarity of direction for players.

Sea Rock Visuals

• Sea rocks have received a polish pass, with weathering and water marks now added to the bases of larger rocks to improve blending into the sea.

Emergent Voyage Changes

• Crews will no longer find emergent Voyage parchments in barrels across the Sea of Thieves and will now find that barrels only contain resources.
  
• Crews will now lose emergent Voyages such as a Message in a Bottle if they dive to a new experience. Emissary Voyages will continue to be retained through diving.

Retired Commendations and Adjusted Rewards

With the introduction of On Demand Voyages in Season 11, several legacy Commendations have been retired, and their associated rewards are now unlocked via different means.

• The Seeker of Lost Maps Title will now unlock via the Seeker of Pirate Plunder Commendation for the Bilge Rats.
  
• The Seeker of Lost Souls Title and ability to purchase the Order of Souls Cutlass, Pistol, Blunderbuss and Eye of Reach from a Company representative will now unlock via the Worthy Emissary of Souls Commendation for the Order of Souls.
  
• The Merchant Adventurer Title will now unlock via the Taker of Stolen Stock Commendation for the Merchant Alliance.
  
• The Seeker of Athena’s Fortune Title will now unlock via the Worthy Emissary of Athena Commendation for Athena’s Fortune.
  
• The Legend of Thieves’ Haven Title will now unlock via the Retreat to the Thrones’ Haven Commendation for the Bilge Rats.
  
• The ability to purchase the Legendary Treasure Seeker costume from the Pirate Legend Hideout will now unlock via the Legendary Treasure Hunter Commendation for Athena’s Fortune.

Additionally, several related achievements have had their completion criteria updated. Players who were working towards completing these achievements will start afresh on a new task, while those who have already unlocked the achievement will retain it.

• Seeker of Lost Maps: Dig up 250 chests whilst on Gold Hoarders X Marks the Spot Voyages.
  
• Merchant Adventurer: Fill 250 Animal Crates while on Merchant Alliance Cargo Run Voyages.
  
• Seeker of Lost Souls: Defeat 500 skeletons while on Order of Souls Bounty Voyages.
  
• A Veteran Voyager: Complete 30 Voyages while sailing aboard a Captained ship.

[h3]Fixed Issues[/h3]
Gameplay

• Players who attempt to rapidly switch weapons after migrating across servers should no longer find themselves unable to wield the weapon and hear a repeated audio effect when attempting it.
  
• Players should no longer experience scenarios where their equipped items are reset after returning from the Ferry of the Damned or recovering from being stuck.
  
• The Fortress Storage Key and expected quantity of gold pouches should now consistently appear at Sea Forts.
  
• After migrating across servers, players are now able to access the shops at Seaposts.
  
• Samuel will no longer purchase Ashen Keys within the Pirate Legend Hideout.
  
• ‘The Legendary Storyteller’ – All journals for this Tall Tale can now be read as intended.
  
• Unlocked Ship Milestone rewards such as Banners are now once again available for players to equip.

Skull of Siren Song Voyage

• Players placing the Skull of Siren Song in a Harpoon Rowboat dragged behind their ship will continue to be affected by its curse.
  
• Crews who harpoon the open chest with the Skull of Siren Song still inside will now bring the curse’s effects onto their ship along with the Chest and Skull.
  
• Players are no longer able to opt in to the Skull of Siren Song Voyage after the Skull has been revealed.

Guilds

• Crews in a Guild session without the Captain present will now see Ship Milestone progress within the Guild Chronicles.
  
• Earned Guild clothing can now be equipped in any session and is no longer locked to sailing for the Guild that unlocked access to it.
  
• Using a spyglass to observe a Guild ship at range should now consistently display the appropriate Guild name on the Banner.
  
• The correct Guild name should now show consistently on the Guild Emissary Table, Logbook, Guild Plaque and Guild Invite Emote.

‘The Journey to Mêlée Island’

• Players can now head up to the Mansion as soon as the guard leaves his post, and are no longer blocked by parts of the environment.
  
• When players have constructed a body for Murray, any players joining the session after the initial sequence will now be able to see Murray’s body.
  
• Players will no longer see a silhouette of Walt the violin-playing skeleton through the church window.
  
• Fog seen in the Mansion now behaves correctly throughout the location.

‘The Quest for Guybrush’

• Players should no longer see a patch of mist on the stairs near the Lookout Point after the fog has cleared from the mountaintop.

‘The Lair of LeChuck’

• A Quest Book is now present during the ship chase sequence, giving players the option of leaving the Tall Tale during this section.
  
• Herman’s Supply Crate will no longer appear to move around while the player is viewing it.
  
• The front-facing cannons on the Headless Monkey now have more restricted movement to prevent issues with aiming.
  
• The Head of the Navigator can now be taken from another player when offered.
  
• Liquids in the cooking pot now appear to drain correctly when collecting Banana Grease.
  
• The Banana Grease jar will now appear correctly after it has been used.
  
• The notification shown to players when the Chilled Banana Soup has been discovered or lost now references the correct item.
  
• Players will no longer become stuck on the palm tree within Herman's camp.

Environment

• Players should now find a new sea rock near K11, a common location for mysteriously wrecked ships.
  
• The Rowboat dock underneath the tavern on Port Merrick is now fully functional.
  
• Players can no longer become stuck on the palm tree near the Order of Souls tent at Morrow’s Peak Outpost.
  
• Players can no longer fall through certain areas of the environment around the Treasury of Sunken Shores.
  
• Chests placed near the doorway of the Vault at Kraken Watchtower will no longer disappear through the floor.
  
• Players’ legs will no longer appear to merge into the tower structure when using the sitting spots at Skeleton Forts.
  
• If a player safe teleports while inside the Treasury of Sunken Shores, they will now be placed in a suitable location.
  
• Placing treasure in various Sea Fort windows will no longer cause the item to fall into the environment.
  
• Rain no longer passes through tunnels located at Shark Bait Cove.
  
• Dagger Tooth Outpost’s pier no longer contains invisible obstacles.
  
• The barrel at the shipwright’s shop in Port Merrick no longer appears to merge into the hanging platform.
  
• ‘Shores of Gold’ – Players will no longer be able to walk through parts of the environment inside the various caves.

Visual and Audio

• The visual effects on the Down the Hatch Emote now play as intended.
  
• Players wearing the Soaring Oracle Costume should no longer see equipped jackets showing through the costume.
  
• Visual improvements have been made to the constellations on the Lodestar weapons.
  
• Visual improvements have been made to the Layered Shirt of the Ashen Dragon.
  
• Players with the Order of Souls Hook equipped will now find that they grip the ship’s wheel correctly.
  
• The Snapping Shark Emote and Shark Dance Emote now appear with different icons to avoid confusion.
  
• The Ashen Key now sits in the lock of the Ashen Chest correctly when used.
  
• The Sovereign Ship’s Crest will now attach correctly when equipped on a Brigantine.
  
• The light given off by the Magpie’s Glory Lantern now shines in the correct location.
  
• The Eastern Winds Ruby Bucket will no longer show water inside when empty.
  
• Fog will now appear as intended when entering the Vault at Molten Sands Fortress.
  
• The Sweet Treat Capstan will now display correctly in fog.
  
• ‘Captains of the Damned’ – Pirates in the bayou now hold the candles correctly.

Text and Localisation

• The Stand to Attention Emote no longer has a placeholder title and description in the Vanity Chest.
  
• When speaking to Zharick at Brian’s Bazaar, the dialogue will no longer refer to Golden Sands.
  
• ‘The Legendary Storyteller’ – The 'Fish Friends' puzzle in the Quest Book no longer refers to Golden Sands.
  
• ‘A Pirate’s Life’ – Captain Jack Sparrow’s name is now present within his subtitles when escaping from the Ferry of the Damned.
  
• ‘Fate of the Morningstar’ – The Ferryman's intended subtitles now appear while he is speaking.

Performance and Stability

• Ongoing improvements made to server stability to reduce instances where players are disconnected from their session.
  
• Improved game stability to reduce scenarios where players experience an unexpected exit from the game.

[h3]Known Issues[/h3]
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.

[h3]Download and Installation[/h3]
Download Size:

• Steam: 7.34 GB

Oh yes, that’s right, we’re not quite ready to be finished with 2023 just yet. Still one last round-up to squeeze in! Now, we might have been winding down for the end of the year in December, but that didn’t stop us from delivering a Community Weekend, two in-game Events and a monthly content update, did it? Of course not. So let’s take a look at everything you might have missed…

[h3]Content Update[/h3]
We wasted no time in kicking off the December excitements by hosting Season Ten Community Weekend right at the beginning of the month. With some distinctly fishy Pop-Up Plunder maps pointing players in the direction of highly desirable loot, a reward multiplier growing in line with Twitch viewership and an exclusive Title on offer for Skull of Siren Song victors, the Weekend was absolutely packed with adventures to get involved in.

From there, our third instalment of Season Ten was ready to go and so we opened the way to the long-awaited Safer Seas! Letting players explore the world of Sea of Thieves alone or with just their own crew of friends for the first time, this new mode offers a liberating alternative approach to the pirate life. Need more info on how it works, along with December’s other additions and fixes? The release notes await.

And of course, we couldn’t make it through the festive season without throwing in a couple of end-of-year Events. First up was a Gifts & Glory Event where players could pick up a festive flag and double rewards from all their expeditions, followed by the traditional Grogmanay celebration offering a new notch for your Annual Tankard as we toasted the new year together.

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[h3]News and Features[/h3]
While everyone was preparing to boost their bonuses and smash some grog, we were able to put the finishing touches on our big December release, and thus we finally arrived at Safer Seas! There were a fair few changes packaged in with this new game mode, so we helped out by posting a handy launch article to go with it.

December is also the month in which we traditionally invite you to check out some of your personal sea-soaked stats in Your Story So Far – still available to view until January 15th! And further contributing to ending the year with a bang was a fresh round of the ever-popular Style of Thieves competition. Before we could get there though, announcing the themes was essential so that pirates could spend the month preparing their perfect outfit.

With all that happening and Community Weekend too, there was only time for one Creator Spotlight in December, so we made sure it was a goodie: meme queen and pirate menace Toxie Sinclaire filled us in on her journey to becoming a Sea of Thieves content creator and highlights of her career. Just don’t ask us what’s going on in some of those Spotlight screenshots. We don’t know and at this point we’re scared to ask.


[h3]Videos and Streams[/h3]
In the run-up to the release of Safer Seas, we wanted to answer as many of your questions ahead of time as we could, culminating in our official Safer Seas Explained video! Once that had time to do the rounds, it was on to release day with a launch trailer and a look at all the new styles coming to the Pirate Emporium and Outpost shops. And surrounding this, in keeping with the spirit of the Festival of Giving, were no less than three sets of Twitch Drops to snag throughout the month.

With the end of 2023 in our spyglasses, we found ourselves reflecting on Sea of Thieves’ progress throughout the year and what everyone in the community can expect from the next one. With that in mind, some familiar team faces stopped by the Tavern one last time before the holidays to record 2023’s final podcast. Give it a watch or a listen to reminisce over highlights, consider lessons learned and admire how quickly John’s festive quiz gets derailed by seemingly innocuous buzzer sounds.

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[h3]Social Channels [/h3]
Adding to Twitch Drops, Emporium items and Event rewards in December was a separate bundle of cosmetics available to players with Xbox Game Pass Ultimate, who had (and still have) a chance to pick up the Nightshine Parrot Bundle via XGPU Perks. Meanwhile, a select few joined the Hat of Unfeasibly Glorious Fame crew when their creations were featured in the Community Hub, and in case that still didn’t prove enough to satisfy the demanding Festival of Giving spirits, Golden Hour Sails were awarded to our favourite #SoTShot entries on the theme of Festive Fun.

We didn’t want to leave everyone hanging for too long after teasing the latest Style of Thieves themes, so we shared the winners ahead of the holidays and rewarded them with the coveted Fashionista’s Finery Gloves. More presents! From there, everything got a bit nostalgic as we all looked back on the year together, inviting you to cast your mind back to when you were first setting out on the seas and what sort of personal legend you’ve built up since then.

By that point we really were coming up on the end of the year, so with a few extra well wishes and final bits of trivia we took our leave for a brief, hard-earned break. Of course, you’re never really far from the seas. Especially when John’s reminding you that you’ve got Tall Tales to complete.


And thus endeth the month, the year and our only-slightly-late December round-up! A lot happened in the past 12 months out on the seas, and we loved sharing every minute of it with you all. If you’re in the mood for more nostalgia, take a look back over the other 11 round-ups from 2023 and feel free to share your thoughts with us on all the usual channels: Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, Twitch the official Forums and Discord. Beyond that, a happy new year to all and we hope you look forward to the tempting troves of new features and exciting announcements coming in 2024!
[hr][/hr][h3]Previously in 2023:[/h3]
Sea of Thieves Round-Up: November 2023 Sea of Thieves Round-Up: October 2023 Sea of Thieves Round-Up: September 2023 Sea of Thieves Round-Up: August 2023 Sea of Thieves Round-Up: July 2023 Sea of Thieves Round-Up: June 2023 Sea of Thieves Round-Up: May 2023 Sea of Thieves Round-Up: April 2023 Sea of Thieves Round-Up: March 2023 Sea of Thieves Round-Up: February 2023 Sea of Thieves Round-Up: January 2023

[h3]Fixed Issues[/h3]
Gameplay

• Lost Shipments and Prized Merchant Alliance Commission Voyages are once again available for purchase.
  
• Crews taking on a Lost Shipments Voyage should now encounter the correct number of Merchant Crates when unlocking the Captain’s Cabin.

Guilds

• Players who are part of a Guild that has unlocked Guild clothing rewards are once again free to wear the rewards when sailing as part of any other Guild, or outside a Guild session.

Performance and Stability

• Improved server stability to avoid instances of players being disconnected from their session.

[h3]Known Issues[/h3]
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.

[h3]Full Release Notes[/h3]
These release notes cover a hotfix. For full details on recently added game features, see the release notes on our latest content update.

[h3]Download and Installation[/h3]
Download Size:

• Steam: 5.35 GB