Sea of Thieves News

Hi everyone, Joe “Three Sheets” Neate here. As we announced during our Sea of Thieves 2022 Preview Event, we’ve made the difficult decision to close down The Arena mode within Sea of Thieves. We wanted to take some time here to talk everyone through this and how we will be going about it. We understand that some people will feel frustrated, so we wanted to give you some more of the reasoning behind it and explain what it means going forward.

[h2]Making This Decision
[/h2]

Firstly, this was an extremely tough decision, but we firmly believe it’s the right one to allow us to focus on our plans for the central free-roaming Adventure mode. Despite the efforts of a hugely talented team, The Arena unfortunately never met the goals we originally had for it – either in creating a genuine alternative way to play Sea of Thieves with a competitive spin, or a short session experience if you didn’t have the time to commit to an open-ended Adventure session.

As we’ve shared before, only 2% of our players’ time is spent in The Arena on a consistent basis, and this has never really changed. We recognise that some criticism we might receive here is that we didn’t invest enough in The Arena to give it the best chance of success alongside the continued growth of Adventure. The reality is that as a new platform, The Arena regretfully never became popular enough to justify focusing our creative efforts there, beyond our initial efforts to refine the experience to appeal to a broader audience.

While we’re incredibly proud of where the game is now and the decisions we’ve made since launch back in 2018, we look back at The Arena with pride mixed with regret that we didn’t manage to reach the wider audience that would have allowed us to keep building upon its foundations.

We learned a lot from the launch and development of The Arena, but one thing that really stands out is that launching a competitive mode is a far bigger investment and requires a far bigger creative focus than we realised going in. Despite sharing a lot of the same mechanics as Adventure, it is an entirely different experience, and one that would have required a huge amount of mindshare and development effort to stand alongside it – and given the disparity in audience sizes, it just became impossible to justify.

One other factor is particularly important. In December 2020, we announced that we had stopped active development on The Arena. Despite this, over the last couple of years, the work we’ve been doing to expand the overall Sea of Thieves experience with new mechanics, areas, quests and more has had an ongoing knock-on effect on The Arena, due to just how much is shared between the two modes. As a result, The Arena has required considerable development work just to keep it functioning in its base state, and would continue to represent a significant ongoing workload for us – which is ultimately what leads us to the decision we’ve shared with you today.



[h2]The Arena Community
[/h2]

We understand that this will be a huge disappointment to our small but dedicated community of Arena-focused players. We want to say thank you to everyone who has played and supported The Arena, from those who have just dabbled to those who have run competitive events and built up communities, such as the Notorious Arena League and Sea of Champions. It has been genuinely incredible to see the skill level of some of the players who sprang up around The Arena, and how this played out in the spirit we love to see: with fairness and respect for each other always at the forefront. You are wonderful and creative communities, and we’d love to work with you on moving forward in a world without The Arena.

We are committed to making sure that the efforts of our Arena-playing community are recognised and rewarded even after The Arena has gone, as detailed below.

[h2]Closing The Arena
[/h2]

What follows is an overview of how we plan to close The Arena, with details of rewards for people who have previously played, and answers to key questions we expect to arise from this decision.

The Arena will be closed at the start of Season Six, slated for March 10th, 2022.

To celebrate The Arena’s run and reward those who played, we will be making the most of the as yet unreleased ship cosmetics from this game mode.

Everyone who has already reached or passed Sea Dogs rank 5 will be rewarded with the following Arena ship cosmetics to use in Adventure mode:

• The Azure Scout
  
• The Flaming Jackal
  
• The Golden Chaser
  
• The Lucky Rover
  
• The Regal Hound
  

Those super-dedicated Arena players who have already reached Sea Dogs rank 50 will receive The Good Boy ship cosmetics as a rare bonus in addition to the sets listed above.

All six of these cosmetic sets consist of four items: hull, figurehead, sails and flag.

The cutoff point for being eligible for these rewards was January 27th at 6pm UK time. Rewards will be distributed after the closure of The Arena on March 10th.



[h2]Key Questions
[/h2]

Can I still play The Arena and earn Sea Dog cosmetics/Titles before March 10th?

• Yes, you can still play The Arena, move up through the ranks and unlock the ability to purchase cosmetics and Titles until we close this game mode on March 10th.
  

Can I earn retroactively any of the ship cosmetics listed above as part of The Arena’s closure?

• We have made the decision to give out these ship cosmetics as a reward for participation in The Arena up to the date of this announcement, January 27th, so you will no longer be able to head into The Arena and earn them. They are to show our gratitude to everyone who has supported and enjoyed The Arena up to this point.
  

What will happen to any Sea Dogs cosmetics I’ve already purchased when The Arena closes?

• Any items already purchased from the Sea Dogs will remain in your inventory and still be equippable.
  

What happens if I have unlocked Sea Dogs cosmetics or Titles in the shop but haven't purchased them before The Arena closes?

• You can still purchase the Titles and cosmetics you have unlocked from the appropriate Outpost shop.
  
• This also includes the Pirate Legend weapon set and Victorious Sea Dog Blunderbuss in the Pirate Legend Hideout.
  
• Any Sea Dogs items that you have not yet unlocked will no longer be visible to you in the shops.
  

What does this mean for the Pirate Legend weapons and Victorious Sea Dog Blunderbuss when The Arena closes?

• If you have unlocked these weapons for purchase, they will remain purchasable. If you have not unlocked these items, they will no longer be visible to you in the shops.
  
• To allow players to complete the Pirate Legend set, a new Pirate Legend weapon set is in production and will be made available for players to earn during Season Six. More information on how to earn the Legendary Fortune Flintlock, Eye of Reach, Blunderbuss and Cutlass will come later, so stay tuned for an update. These weapons will be available for all players to earn, so those who’ve already unlocked the original weapons will be able to earn the new variants too.
  

If I reach or have reached rank 50 with the Sea Dogs, will this still count towards Pirate Legend?

• Yes, reaching rank 50 with the Sea Dogs will still count on your journey towards Pirate Legend.
  

What happens to any Xbox achievements that could only be earned in The Arena?

• After thorough investigation, we were unable to find a fair and elegant way to repurpose the Arena-centric Achievements for use in Sea of Thieves’ sandbox Adventure mode. We were unwilling to compromise in a way that would disrespect the efforts of players who fully met the original criteria, so alongside retiring The Arena as a game mode, we will also be retiring the accompanying achievements. These will be marked as Legacy Achievements on Xbox, and will no longer be visible or earnable on the Steam platform after March 10th.
  

• The following two achievements will remain technically unlockable for Xbox players beyond The Arena’s retirement:

Master of the Arena

• Awarded to pirates who purchase the Arena Master Sea Dogs Promotion, available only to those who have hit level 50 in the Sea Dogs Trading Company.
  

Glorious Sea Dog

• Awarded to pirates who purchase the Glorious Sea Dogs Hat, Jacket, Hook and Gloves – items only available to those who’ve unlocked the Professional Sea Dog Grade V Commendation.
  

Both of these achievements are awarded based on the purchasing of Sea Dogs items, so those who qualify to purchase them can still do so after The Arena has been removed from the game. To be eligible, you must meet the stated criteria before March 10th to guarantee the availability of the items and associated achievements. However, please note that as mentioned above, this will not be the case for Steam players due to The Arena’s achievements being removed from that platform on March 10th.


[h2]Thank You
[/h2]

I’d like to close by saying thank you for reading this far, and for your understanding as you take this news on board. We know that not everyone is going to agree with this decision, but we truly believe it’s the best one for the overall future of Sea of Thieves. We are genuinely excited about the plans for Adventure mode that we’ve talked about today, as well as some of the other amazing things we’re yet to reveal. We look forward to 2022 being another huge year for the game and we’re filled with excitement for the adventures we’re yet to have with you all!

Thanks again for your ongoing support for Sea of Thieves and the hugely passionate development team here who continue to give it everything they’ve got.

We’ll see you on the seas!

Season Five enters its final few weeks as we bring you February’s update, setting the scene for the Adventures unveiled in our recent 2022 Preview Event while making more improvements to the game experience and bringing fresh fire and lightning to the Pirate Emporium. If you missed out on Season Five's initial feature set, just watch this to get up to speed...

[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]
The original release notes here also offer an in-depth breakdown of Season Five’s December launch content. Now read on to see what's happening in this final phase of the Season!

[h2]World Changes
[/h2]

With the next era of storytelling within Sea of Thieves commencing this month, big changes are already afoot both at sea and on land. Find out more about what’s shifted within the world already and how this could affect your adventures!

[h3]A Sinister Fog...
[/h3]

• As spectral activity increases across the Sea of Thieves, an eerie fog has rolled in, leaving islands enshrouded in its wake. One island touched by this fog is Golden Sands Outpost, which now lies in ruin with its inhabitants nowhere to be found.
  
• Golden Sands Outpost is no longer a starting point for new crews entering the world, and crews will no longer be given Voyages to deliver to this afflicted Outpost.
  

[h3]Ghost Fleet World Event
[/h3]

• As the fog takes hold, Captain Flameheart has mysteriously retreated from the skies over the Sea of Thieves and taken his Ghost Fleet with him.
  
• With this World Event no longer in rotation, crews taking on the highest-ranking Order of Souls
• Ghost Fleet Voyages may now encounter the Burning Blade during the final wave.

[h2]Pirate Emporium
[/h2]
Last chance to pick up this Plunder Pass before Season Five ends! Also available now are the Ashen Curse Alsatian, more Thunderous Fury and Cutthroat items, new emote bundles and popular previous Plunder Pass rewards including Season Four’s Jack O’Looter range.

[h3]Season Five Plunder Pass – Last Chance!
[/h3]

• Anyone wishing to take full advantage of Season Five rewards can still buy the Plunder Pass. Any rewards unlocked will become available upon purchase, so players who have raised their Renown throughout Season Five can instantly see their hard work rewarded before the Season ends.
  
• This Season’s Plunder Pass offers early access to an especially generous 14 items of upcoming Emporium stock, and can be purchased at any time through the Pirate Log, Pirate Emporium or Steam Item Store.

[h3]Season Four Plunder Pass Items Now in the Emporium
[/h3]

• With Season Four now a distant memory, the Jack O’ Looter ship set, weapons and costume from the previous Plunder Pass are now available for individual purchase from the Pirate Emporium.
  
• You can also attempt to get a grip on your nervous nature with the Vulnerable Weapon Pose emotes!

[h3]Jack O’ Looter Ship Collection
[/h3]

• Following its first appearance in Season Four’s Plunder Pass, this collection can now be completed with all ship items available for purchase.
  
• A Jack O’ Looter Essential Ship Bundle is also on offer, including just the core ship cosmetics at a discount.

[h3]Thunderous Fury Collector’s Ship Items
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• After thundering into Season Three’s Plunder Pass, this ship set now has an electrifying new Collector’s Figurehead and Collector’s Sails up for purchase.

[h3]Cutthroat Weapon Bundle
[/h3]

• Hone your killer instinct with this set of four vicious-looking weapons.

[h3]Ashen Curse Alsatian
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• The Ashen Curse pet family gets a scorching new addition! Hopefully not too hot for you to handle...

[h3]Soulflame Cannon Flare
[/h3]

• A Cannon Flare is now available for a fan-favourite Pirate Emporium ship set – check out the noxious green smoke emanating from the new Soulflame Cannon Flare!
  
• Players who already own all items in the Soulflame Ship Bundle will find the Cannon Flare added to their inventory as a little gift from the Emporium owners.

[h3]Props Master Emotes
[/h3]

• Become a master of disguise with this prop-centric emote collection.
  Mystical Macaque Emotes
  
• Spread the enigmatic teachings of three sagely simians with this set of expressive emotes.

[h3]Freebie Throw a Strop Emote
[/h3]

• When life just isn’t fair, feel free to throw a strop at your clueless captain.

[h3]Time-Limited Reaper’s Heart Pet Bundle
[/h3]

• Only made available at this romantic time of year: a brooding menagerie of pets brought to life by darkly passionate magic.

[h3]Cutthroats and Canines Bundle (Store Only)
[/h3]

• Available only from the Steam Store, this bundle contains the Cutthroat Weapon Bundle, Ashen Curse Alsatian, 1000 Ancient Coins and a free 25,000 gold bonus for use in the Outpost shops! Head to the Steam Item Store to find out more.

[h2]Events
[/h2]

[h3]Twitch Drops
[/h3]

• Continue to unlock even more cosmetics throughout Season Five with Twitch Drops! Stay tuned to Sea of Thieves social channels to find out when Twitch Drops will be active for Partnered streamers, allowing players to earn more items from the Twilight Hunter set. Find out how to link your accounts and more on our dedicated Twitch Drops page.

[h2]Gameplay Improvements
[/h2]

[h3]Improved Shanty Selection
[/h3]

• When equipping an instrument, holding the secondary interact button will now open the Shanty Radial directly, allowing players to easily switch between shanties.

[h3]Shop Filters
[/h3]

• New filters are now provided when browsing shop stock, allowing players to cycle through all items, owned items and unowned items for easier access.

[h3]Storm Effects
[/h3]

• When sailing the open sea in a storm, the strong current requires players to fight the wheel to maintain a course. However, when approaching an island or shipwreck, crews will now find that the current is less forceful and no longer causes the wheel to spin erratically.

[h3]Emote Radial Improvements
[/h3]

• Within a Vanity Chest, players now have access to 10 pages where emotes can be equipped.
  
• Bringing up the Emote Radial and cycling through the pages will now only display pages which have emotes equipped.

[h3]Sunken Kingdom Treasury Balancing
[/h3]

• When raiding the vault of a Siren Treasury, crews will now find two gold piles with consistent gold rewards.

[h2]Outpost Cosmetics
[/h2]
[h3]Stygian Admiral Set
[/h3]

• The Outpost clothing shops now stock the Stygian Admiral clothing set, available to purchase for gold.

[h2]Accessibility
[/h2]
[h3]Ship’s Wheel Audio Support
[/h3]

• Players can now access additional audio support when using the ship’s wheel. Within the Game Audio Settings, use ‘Enable Additional Wheel Turning Sounds’ (AKA the ‘Squeaky Wheel’ setting) to play a distinctive sound every quarter-turn of the wheel. The volume of this effect can be tweaked by using the accompanying volume slider.

[h2]Fixed Issues
[/h2]
[h3]Gameplay
[/h3]

• While aiming down sights with a ranged weapon, being hit with a sword attack from another player or lightning attack from an Eel-ectric should no longer cancel the player’s aim.
  
• Resetting the input settings to default will now also reset the input for Swim Up.
  
• The Full Billow achievement can now be unlocked when completing the required criteria.
  
• Defeating skeletons or Phantoms while under the effects of a Cursed Cannonball will now progress the Master of Cursed Iron Commendation.
  
• Skeleton Ships and skeletons using island cannons should now fire at targets more consistently without long pauses between shots.
  
• When sitting in a Rowboat, interaction prompts for nearby seats and objects are no longer shown as they cannot be interacted with until the player stands.
  
• Mouse users on PC can now enable the ‘Recentre Mouse in Menus’ setting to ensure the mouse cursor returns to the centre of the screen when opening full-screen menus.

[h3]Pirate Emporium
[/h3]

• Performing the Stargazing Emote while wearing the Lodestar Costume now ensures the emote camera zooms into the correct location on the pirate.

[h3]Environment
[/h3]

• Players should no longer find areas within the Pirate Legend Hideout where they can trigger a safe teleport.

[h3]Visual and Audio
[/h3]

• An audible wood splintering sound can once again be heard when ships take damage from a range of external sources.
  
• Players should no longer encounter a multicoloured chequerboard effect on ship materials when loading into a session.
  
• Shooting while moving forwards, then sprinting and abruptly stopping, should no longer cause the weapon reload animation to be cut short.
  
• The Dark Adventurers Beard no longer clips into the player’s mouth when using a range of emotes.
  
• During an Ashen Lord encounter, when an Ashen Lord lunges at a player, they will now animate correctly during the leap.
  
• During an Ashen Lord encounter, the geysers resulting from a World’s End attack will now fade back into the sand.
  
• The visual effects when firing cannons are now triggered immediately, removing a perceived delay in launching cannonballs.
  
• Loading screens on PC will now display correctly sized images when using a 4K screen resolution.
  
• Capuchin and Barbary monkeys wearing the Cronch Outfits now fit correctly into cannon barrels when loaded.
  
• Players standing on the Sloop bed will no longer generate muffled sounds for others in proximity.
  
• Standing behind the Ferryman on the Ferry of the Damned should no longer cause their head to snap to the player.
  
• When wearing the Bell Brigade Gloves, the player’s hands should no longer clip into held items.
  
• ‘Dark Brethren’ – The water effects in the flume section now flow smoothly through the tunnel.
  
• When playing in windowed mode and resizing the screen during gameplay, using an Eye of Reach or spyglass zoom will no longer cause the screen to be off-centre.

[h3]Text and Localisation
[/h3]

• Steam players using Turkish language settings within Steam game properties will now find Sea of Thieves launches in Turkish.
  
• The Night-Time Spectacular achievement now correctly states the unlocking requirement of a display of five or more fireworks at night.

[h3]Accessibility
[/h3]

• When ‘Let Games Read to Me’ is enabled, the narration now clearly informs players when the game is loading.
  
• Enabling Circular Navigation now allows players to equip emotes from Vanity Chests when using a controller.

[h3]Performance and Stability
[/h3]

• Enhanced reporting has been added, helping identify scenarios where server performance can result in a reduction in hit detection accuracy.
  
• After being disconnected during a failed server migration, players should now be able to rejoin their session when prompted and return to their ship.
  
• Players on PC are now able to set the resolution scaling below 75% and have that setting persist across sessions.
  
• Server migration success rate has been improved, reducing the frequency of experiencing Hazelnutbeard while migrating between servers.
  
• Server stability has been improved, reducing scenarios where crews are removed from a game session.

[h2]Known Issues
[/h2]
[h3]Incorrectly Positioned Levers, Pulleys and Traps
[/h3]

• When progressing through Tall Tales or Siren Shrines, players approaching mechanisms previously used by other players may initially perceive them in the incorrect location or position until they are used. For example, a moveable walkway controlled by a lever may be shown in an upright position despite actually being lowered, causing players to fall through unexpectedly.

[h3]Ranged and Melee Weapon Hit Detection
[/h3]

• In areas of intense action, players may find themselves firing shots or landing strikes that do not cause damage to their targets. While small improvements continue to be delivered during our regular updates, we are continuing to investigate and identify further improvements to the player combat experience.

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.


[h2]Download and Installation
[/h2][h3]Download size:[/h3]Steam: 8.22 GB

Yes, only one month into 2022 and we’ve already given you a tantalising peek at what’s coming in Season Six, revealed our new narrative-focused Adventures and held our first ever Community Day – all while swearing off grog and meat. New year, new us and all that. So hold on to your tricorns and buckle up your boots as we barrel head-first into a look back at January’s antics in Sea of Thieves!

[h3]Content Update
[/h3]
After we’d scattered the sawdust and cleaned up the party poppers from the end of the Grogmanay celebrations, it was time to welcome in our usual monthly update to add another bunch of ongoing quality of life fixes, squish the odd bug that had crept in during the festive period, drop a few more hints about the Community Day at the end of January (more on that later!) and of course restock the Pirate Emporium shelves.

This first batch of 2022 Emporium goodies saw us looking to the stars with the astral Lodestar cosmetics, along with celebrating pirates tying the knot with the Wedding Party Emote Bundle and bringing back the Lunar Festival Pet Outfits for another fleeting New Year appearance! To marvel at every teeny-tiny change we made in this update, please cast your eyes over the release notes.

Of course, just a few days after this update we dropped a cheeky tease of the big 2022 Preview Event that was to follow before the end of the month, unveiling much, much more of the Sea of Thieves roadmap for this year…

[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]
[h3]News and Features
[/h3]
Down on the news deck, the ticker was working double-time on a cascade of January stories to leave you agog. After a short Christmas break, our Community and Creator stages burst back into life with a Community Spotlight for accessibility consultant SightlessKombat and a Creator Spotlight for botanist buccaneer CocoMayy. The workers at the Hat of Unfeasibly Glorious Fame factory also got back to work quickly, with eight new entrants making their way onto the Community Hub, along with a flurry of hats being given out over the course of Sea of Thieves’ inaugural Community Day!

If you were in the mood for a bargain this month, Sea of Thieves shed some pounds as part of the Lunar New Year Sales on both Xbox and Steam – hopefully some of you leapt on it like a tiger. Or should you have missed it and need a contemplative tune to listen to while you wistfully take to the grog, look no further than our latest Sea of Thieves soundtrack release, ‘A Star to Sail By’.

Capping off the month and serving as a celebration of all you courageous corsairs, our first Sea of Thieves Community Day welcomed a host of escapades across the seas – and while there were supporting activities like free login bonuses and a merch sale, the true highlight was the community spirit involved and adventures shared to help to raise the Community Day Emissary Grade, in turn triggering magnificent in-game gold and rep multipliers. Despite the meddling of a certain fruit-bearded buccaneer keeping players off the seas, you lot absolutely smashed our expectations, pushing the number of tagged tweets so high that Grade 5 was reached in a flash!

Speaking of a sudden flash, someone forgot to swap out the dodgy bulb on the segue alarm, it keeps blinking angrily at us – talk among yourselves while we fix it.



[h3]Videos and Streams
[/h3]
And we’re back. Enough talking, you up in the corner. Our big video reveal of this month was, of course, the 2022 Preview Event. Hosted by a rogue’s gallery of Rare faces, this grand video odyssey ran through our plans for Sea of Thieves in 2022, revealing Adventures and Mysteries, showing off the Sea Forts coming in Season Six, calling time on The Arena and debuting the cinematic trailer for the first Adventure, ‘Shrouded Islands’, coming on February 17th. Seeing you lorehounds immediately get to work crafting theories, we’re impressed but also slightly scared.

For the Twitch devotees, January continued the rollout of Twilight Hunter togs via Twitch Drops (along with the Gilded Phoenix Tankard for those who tuned in to any participating Sea of Thieves streamer on Community Day). We even chucked in the Flirt Emote – for when you’re looking all dark and mysterious in your full Twilight Hunter gear and want to catch the attention of that dashing Athena’s Fortune Emissary from across the tavern.

[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]
[h3]Social Channels
[/h3]
Between all the fun of announcing the next 12 months of fun for Sea of Thieves, complete with its own roadmap, there was still the usual blend of exclusive goodies and cheeky nonsense to be found on our social channels. For those looking to fully embrace the Community Day spirit we released a list of suggested challenges, a special set of wallpapers and other visual phantasmagoria, while at other times we asked everyone to reveal their resolutions for the New Year, spied a certain white Megalodon for the briefest of moments, encouraged judicious scrolling and had everyone guessing words, as seems to be the Internet’s current obsession.

Like the troopers they are, our regular hashtags continued their unending content collation quests: #TriviaTuesday had us learning more about Dark Relics and chief fog fearer Wonda among other things, while #SoTGear had us oohing and aahing at yet more flashy cosmetics ranging from the Merchant Pathfinder Sails to the Ashen Lord Tattoos.

With our New Year, New You #SoTShot theme being full of people reinventing themselves for 2022, we went a little less introspective and asked people to take a load off with our Sitting Pretty theme for mid-January. Following some fantastic photos of sedentary sailors, we’re hoping February’s theme of Sightseeing will now get you back up off your backsides and out exploring the seas. If you’re looking for ideas for scenic locales, #SundayVibes is always good for inspiration – with January’s tour taking in the views at spots like Sea Dog’s Rest, the Lagoon of Whispers and Lonely Isle, in a cruise perfect for introverts.

Oh, and Happy New Year! We know it’s February now, but still.



One month down, 11 more to go! If you’ve managed to keep to your New Year’s resolutions so far, well done – we hope one of them was to follow all our social channels. It wasn’t? Shocking. If you need a reminder, they’re Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, Twitch, TikTok and the official Forums and Discord server for discussing such important topics like the Pirate Lord’s favourite crisp flavour. For our money, it’s prawn cocktail but we could be convinced of cheese and onion. Answers on a crisp-stained postcard please.

[hr][/hr]
[h3]Previously:
[/h3]Sea of Thieves Round-Up: December 2021 Sea of Thieves Round-Up: November 2021
Sea of Thieves Round-Up: October 2021

Rather than keeping everything under our tricorn hat for 2022, we decided to pull back the curtain in today’s Sea of Thieves 2022 Preview Event and give you all a look at our plans for the months ahead. Granted, we’ve still got some surprises stashed away deep within our trunk of wonders, but we’d thought you’d like a broad heads-up as to where our ship is sailing next.

So if you haven’t already seen it and dissected it frame by frame, settle in now and find out what’s over the horizon with our Creative Director Mike Chapman and a host of other Sea of Thieves team faces!

[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]
As you’ve just heard, the first big change coming to Sea of Thieves in 2022 is the arrival of new narrative-driven content in the form of Adventures and Mysteries to complement our regular Seasonal releases. A new Adventure is planned to begin roughly once a month, providing a new story for you and your crew to head out and participate in.

These are time-limited experiences like our previous Events, and each one will last for at least two weeks, giving you ample time to get involved in moving the story along. Each Adventure comes with an introductory cinematic trailer (see below for Adventure 1’s, revealed in our Preview Event) to set up the events of the story.

We also plan to have a finale Adventure in each Season, which will last three weeks and impact not just the lore but the world of Sea of Thieves, depending on the combined efforts and choices of the community. You don’t have to wait long for the first Adventure either – ‘Shrouded Islands’ begins on February 17th and we can’t wait for you to dive in!

[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]
Next up are Mysteries, which will see sailors with a knack for sleuthing out there solving riddles and uncovering secrets both in and out of Sea of Thieves, piecing together parts of a larger narrative. Mysteries will remain in the game for longer than Adventures, with the pace at which they unfold determined by how fast our diligent community detectives solve its many conundrums. We hope you’re ready to get to work, as the first Mystery will have you uncovering the plot behind a murder most foul.

Now, what about Seasons? These will continue at their usual pace and continue to add regular content updates and features, along with 100 levels of Seasonal progression to climb and rewards to earn. Season Six will commence in March and see the arrival of Sea Forts, new raiding experiences full of Phantoms to vanquish and treasure to pilfer.

Fittingly for Season Six, there will be six Sea Forts appearing around the Sea of Thieves, each with a Sea Fort Captain and their ghostly crew defending the loot inside. As for what brings these phantasmal fortifications from the Sea of the Damned into the land of the living – well, you’ll just have to play through our first batch of Adventures to find out.



Also during Season Six, we’re planning to add a long-requested feature to Sea of Thieves with new Pirate Legend content. Battle-hardened buccaneers will be able to take on a new Voyage at the behest of the Pirate Lord, readying themselves for new challenges and encounters. This Voyage also fleshes out the story that begins within our first set of Adventures – what new truths will be revealed by the Pirate Legends of the Sea of Thieves?

Sadly, among this flurry of new features, we do have to say goodbye to an old stalwart. As we go full steam ahead with Adventure mode, the pirate sandbox that’s always been at the heart of Sea of Thieves, we’re making the extremely difficult decision to close down The Arena.

We launched The Arena with high hopes back in 2019 as part of the Anniversary Update, but as just 2% of our player base have regularly engaged with this dedicated competitive mode, it’s finally become untenable to keep providing technical updates and QA for both The Arena and Adventure modes. To build a future for Sea of Thieves, we have to dedicate our resources to the areas of the game in which most of our players are invested.

We offer our heartfelt thanks to all you hardcore Arena players for supporting Arena during its life – and its doors will be open for a little while longer, until March 10th, if you want to gather a crew of the fiercest fighters around for a last hurrah. For full details of how we’re handling The Arena’s closure and handing out its classic ship cosmetics as a token of our gratitude to past players, see our dedicated article, Saying Goodbye to The Arena.



And that’s our show – everything announced in the Sea of Thieves 2022 Preview Event. We hope you enjoyed this look into our crystal ball (or should we say Orb?) and are as excited as we are about what’s ahead. As always, you’ll want to keep your eyes firmly glued to all our social channels for every morsel of information as soon as it arrives: that’s Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, Twitch, TikTok and the official Forums and Discord server. We can’t wait to see you all on the seas throughout 2022, and don’t forget to cast off on February 17th for the first of our brand new Adventures, ‘Shrouded Islands’. Happy sailing!

Season Five carries us into 2022 with starry new Pirate Emporium offerings, the allure of the first online Sea of Thieves Community Day and another trove of fixes and improvements! Remind yourself of Season Five’s headline features with the content update trailer...

[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]
This Season’s original release notes here also offer an in-depth breakdown of all that December launch content. Now read on to find out what’s being delivered in this next phase!

[h2]Game Events
[/h2]
For those seeking something a little more focused than the wide-ranging Trials and Deeds, Season Five has so far delivered a number of time-limited Events offering their own rewards. Find out what you can take part in this month!

Season Five Community Day (January 30th)

• All players jumping into the game on our first ever Community Day will be gifted the exclusive Season Five Community Day Flag and new Power Chord Emote. Be sure to fly that flag when you set sail!
  
• For the first time ever, gold, reputation and Renown multipliers will be in your hands! Tweet using the hashtag #SeaOfThievesCommunityDay to play your part in boosting the Community Emissary Grade and multiplying rewards earned by all players across the seas.
  
• Tune in to participating streamers on Community Day and earn the Gilded Phoenix Tankard. Head to our Twitch Drops page now to link your accounts!
  
• Finally, visit the Sea of Thieves merchandise store for a celebratory sale where SoT products will be discounted by 30% using the code COMMUNITYDAY at checkout. For the icing on the cake, look out for the exclusive new Community Day T-shirt – only available for purchase on January 30th!
  
• Find out more about Season Five Community Day here.
  

Twitch Drops

• Continue to unlock even more cosmetics throughout Season Five with Twitch Drops! Stay tuned to Sea of Thieves social channels to find out when Twitch Drops will be active for Partnered streamers, allowing players to earn more items from the Twilight Hunter set. Find out how to link your accounts and more on our dedicated Twitch Drops page.
  

[h2]Pirate Emporium
[/h2]
January’s Emporium restock boasts some real star power: the expansive Lodestar collection includes not just a new ship set but a matching costume, weapons and even pets. There are new emotes too, and Season Five’s Plunder Pass is available until the Season ends!

Season Five Plunder Pass

• Anyone wishing to take full advantage of Season Five rewards can still buy the Plunder Pass. Any rewards unlocked will become available upon purchase, so players who have raised their Renown throughout Season Five can instantly see their hard work rewarded before the Season ends.
  
• This Season’s Plunder Pass offers early access to an especially generous 14 items of upcoming Emporium stock, and can be purchased at any time through the Pirate Log, Pirate Emporium, Microsoft Store or Steam Item Store.
  

Lodestar Ship Collection

• Sail on a sea of stars with the Lodestar Ship Collection! In addition to the main Lodestar Ship Bundle, a stellar Collector’s Figurehead and Collector’s Sails can be purchased separately.
  
• A Lodestar Essential Ship Bundle is also on offer, including just the core ship cosmetics at a discount.
  

Lodestar Weapon Bundle

• Light up your foes with these four new astral armaments!
  

Lodestar Spyglass

• Look up at the heavens in quieter moments on the seas with this star-decorated spyglass.
  Lodestar Costume Set
  
• Embrace your inner starchild with this cosmic costume. Players will receive two variants, one with a starry hairstyle and one without!
  
• This costume also comes with a Stargazing Emote which can be performed whenever the costume is worn.
  

Lodestar Pet Collection

• Invite two celestial companions into your collection: the Lodestar Parrot and Lodestar Cat!
  Wedding Party Emotes
  
• Celebrate a pirate’s special day with these matrimonial emotes.
  Lunar Festival Costume Emote
  
• When equipped, the Lunar Festival Costume now includes a unique Lunar Scroll Emote!
  

Time-Limited Lunar Festival Pet Outfits

• Ensure good fortune in the new year with these Lunar Festival Pet Outfits, back on Emporium shelves for a limited time.
  

Freebie Something Stinks Emote

• What’s that smell? Show your distaste for foul odours with this free emote.
  

Celestial Companions Bundle (Store Only) 

• Available from the Steam Store, this bundle contains the Lodestar Costume Set, Lodestar Cat, 550 Ancient Coins and a free 25,000 gold bonus for use in the Outpost shops! Head to the Steam Item Store to find out more.
  

[h2]Outpost Cosmetics
[/h2]
Seafoam Castaway Bilge Rat Set

• The Outpost clothing shops now stock the Seafoam Castaway Bilge Rat clothing set, available to purchase for gold.
  

Figurehead of the Silent Barnacle

• Long thought lost, the Figurehead of the Silent Barnacle has finally reached the Outpost shipwrights, locked behind the Hoarder of Barnacled Gold Commendation.
  

[h2]Gameplay Improvements
[/h2]
Island Enemy Encounters

• While exploring islands, crews who encounter and vanquish individual Ocean Crawlers, Phantoms or skeletons from a group of enemies should find that they call in reinforcements less frequently before the group is defeated.
  
• After vanquishing a group of Ocean Crawlers, Phantoms or skeletons, crews should now enjoy a much longer respite period before encountering them again on the same island.
  

Hit Registration on Distant Targets

• Improvements have been made to how hit detection calculates bullets affected by gravity, providing a small improvement to hit registration for ranged weapons when firing at medium- to long-distance targets.
  

Selling Firework Crates

• Firework Crates can now be sold back to the Merchant Alliance and Reaper’s Bones even when no longer full – but expect a reduced payout!
  

New Player Onboarding Improvements

• When new players arrive on the Sea of Thieves, after listening to the Mysterious Stranger in the tavern, they will now be directed to the signposts which will help guide them around the Outpost.
  
• New players will now receive a notification after selling items to the Gold Hoarders, Order of Souls or Merchant Alliance for the first time, informing them that they can purchase Voyages from these Trading Companies that will lead to additional loot.
  
• Players collecting fish or meat for the first time will also receive a notification, directing them to The Hunter's Call where they can sell their catch. The notification will also inform players of how to use their ship’s map to locate a nearby Seapost.
  
• New players purchasing their first cosmetic items will be informed how to use the various cosmetic chests to access these, including clothing, weapons, equipment and ship parts.
  

[h2]Accessibility
[/h2]
Rolling Dice Emotes

• When one of the Rolling Dice Emotes is performed, the result is now shown in the notification window as well as the player’s hand. Players using ‘Let Games Read to Me’ will also have the result narrated.
  

[h2]Updates
[/h2]
Spatial Audio Support

• Players on supported PCs can now enable Spatial Audio and experience full immersive surround and elevation audio for both headphones, and Atmos-capable Home Theatre systems.
  
• To enable Spatial Audio on supported PCs, first head to the Windows Sound Control Panel and within the Properties for the preferred Playback Device, enable Spatial Sound. Then navigate to the in-game audio settings and enable Spatial Sound there.
  

Optimising Server Performance Using Player Limits

• Sea of Thieves servers are now able to optimise performance by enforcing limits on the number of players on a server. This approach allows servers to maintain an ideal number of ships to ensure encounter rates between crews remains high without negatively affecting performance.
  
• With January’s update, all servers return to supporting six crews, but now also enforce a limit of 16 players.
  When starting a session or migrating, servers will now actively matchmake six crews of different sizes in order to meet both the six-crew and 16-player limits..
  
• The team will continue to monitor server performance following launch and adjust the player limit outside the update process to optimise the experience.
  

Loot Haul Memory Controls

• When notable hauls of different loot items are gathered in a single place, the game will reach a threshold where it will optimise performance by changing the appearance of some items. Players on PC will now have the ability to configure how much system memory can be allocated to these loot hauls, ensuring higher-spec rigs can show a wider range of treasure.
  

[h2]Fixed Issues
[/h2]
Gameplay

• Achievements have now been re-enabled, allowing all previously earned achievements to be granted when players next log in to the game.
  
• Shots fired from the Royal Revenge Pistol now more accurately land in line with the barrel of the gun.
  
• Players attempting to glitch through a ship’s hull from the water will now be safe-teleported away from the ship.
  
• Jumping while attempting to reload a ranged weapon from an Ammo Crate will no longer cause the weapon to subsequently fail to reload, and will also no longer prevent players from eating food.
  
• After equipping the Party Boat Cannons on a Brigantine, players fired from the cannons should now travel in the intended direction.
  
• Using a heavy sword strike while standing on a ship’s harpoon should no longer cause the player to gain extra range on their jump.
  
• When browsing a barrel or crate with mouse and keyboard, moving the mouse quickly between the crate and inventory should no longer cause the crate to lose mouse focus and become unresponsive.
  
• When a Rowboat’s storage chest is emptied, the tooltip now updates to show ‘Empty’ without needing to open it.
  
• The Legend of Buried Treasures Commendation should now unlock upon completing all other associated Commendations.
  
• Crews will no longer be awarded the Gunpowder, Treason and Plot Commendation after setting their ship on fire, and instead will need to complete the required criteria.
  

Megalodon Encounters

• When a Megalodon attacks a player’s ship, it should no longer intersect with the ship and cause it to be thrown into the air.
  
• Defeating a Megalodon when it is close to a ship should no longer cause the ship to be thrown into the air.
  
• Upon encountering a Megalodon, it should no longer become stuck when following close behind a player’s ship and should change direction before attacking.
  
• Pursuing Megalodons should now navigate more smoothly around the rocky arches found out at sea.
  

Buried Treasure

• Burying a Broken Emissary Flag and digging it up will no longer cause it to lose its gold value when cashed in with The Reaper’s Bones.
  
• Digging up and quickly burying booby-trapped treasure should no longer cause any enemies to retreat back into the sand.
  
• Taking items from a Collector's Chest while holding a Map Bundle should no longer cause the item to disappear.
  
• Crews should no longer receive additional Renown for bringing treasure on board when retrieving, burying and digging up treasure multiple times.
  
• When attempting to bury something in the same spot as an already buried item, the tooltip shown while wielding a shovel will now inform players clearly that the item cannot be buried.
  
• Crews are no longer able to retrieve a buried treasure map from Quest Boards while in an Arena contest.
  
• Tall Tale items should now have appropriate pop-up notifications when buried or dug up.
  
• Buried treasure maps of The Sunken Grove should now be accurate and no longer show some areas of land as water.
  
• Players burying items within the Pirate Legend Hideout will no longer receive a treasure map.
  

Fireworks

• Fireworks should no longer work while in the Tunnels of the Damned, and any activated prior to entering will automatically be cancelled.
  
• A player’s first launched firework can now consistently be heard flying through the air.
  

Sitting and Sleeping

• Players sitting or sleeping can no longer avoid idle timers and should now be removed from the game after a period of inactivity.
  
• Players who are sleeping will now consistently take damage from ranged weapon fire.
  
• Some pirate body types should no longer find excessive clipping occurring when sitting in various locations.
  
• Ancient Spire and Plunder Outpost taverns should no longer have a sitting spot located in the floor.
  
• Rocks around a firepit on Cannon Cove should now have a sitting interaction.
  
• The first-person camera should no longer face the incorrect way when attaching to interactable objects after standing from a seated position.
  
• When sitting on the Captain’s chair on board a ship, switching to the third-person camera will now always move to an appropriate camera position even while the ship is moving.
  
• Sitting spots in the Tavern of the Damned no longer overlap with the ghosts of pirates in the tavern.
  
• Sitting spots at Hidden Spring Keep Fort now place the pirate correctly on the floor when viewed by others.
  
• Sitting in various locations like the end of the Brigantine bed and some benches found on Outposts should no longer cause the camera to move into an incorrect position.
  

Rats on Ships

• Rats should still be present on a ship with water in it even if the player leaves the ship and returns.
  
• When a Galleon’s lower and middle decks fill with water, rats will now be seen using the stairs to evacuate to the top deck more clearly.
  

Tunnels of the Damned

• Players should no longer be able to interact with a docked Cannon Rowboat while travelling through the Tunnels of the Damned.
  
• Players can now freely move emote and sitting cameras without being affected by invisible walls while travelling through the Tunnels of the Damned.
  
• After passing through the Tunnels of the Damned, players performing their first emote will continue to see themselves clearly when adjusting the view.
  

Sunken Kingdom

• Players should still be able to open the Captain's quarters from a Lost Shipments Voyage shipwreck after storing the key in a Sunken Merfolk Statue.
  
• In Siren Treasuries, the Vault Master should no longer reappear after it is defeated should the player subsequently be killed and return from the Ferry of the Damned.
  
• After completing a Siren Treasury and returning to restart the encounter, crews will no longer find the Vault Master appears prior to the final wave.
  
• Shrine of Ancient Tears – Areas within the Shrine should now load correctly, no longer causing sections to quickly flash.
  
• Shrine of Ancient Tears – Cursed Voyage items can no longer be dropped onto coral, making them inaccessible.
  
• Shrine of Ocean’s Fortune – Treasure retrieved from the Sunken Merfolk Statue near the top of the Shrine should no longer cause items to float off the edge of the platform.
  

Tall Tales

• Rowboats can no longer be pushed into the Castaway’s hut.
  
• Ammo pouches on a harpoon should no longer be carried through the Tunnel of the Damned.
  
• ‘Shores of Gold’ – Killing the Gold Hoarder without entering the final room should no longer cause another to appear on the throne.
  
• ‘The Sunken Pearl’ – Visual effects should no longer be missing from the smaller air-giving plants.
  
• ‘The Sunken Pearl’ – Players should now get a notification in the correct language informing them when they have failed the Silver Blade battle.
  
• ‘Captains of the Damned’ – Braziers can now more clearly be seen from the watchtower at all graphics quality settings.
  
• ‘Captains of the Damned’ – The rock formation in the bayou should now have the correct collision and players should no longer be able to walk in the air.
  
• ‘Captains of the Damned’ – Cancelling the Tale after the exit portal to the Tunnels of the Damned has been summoned will now move players through the portal and back to the Sea of Thieves.
  
• ‘Captains of the Damned’ – Players should no longer respawn back in the Pirate Legend Hideout during the Tale if they started the Tale while inside the Hideout.
  

Player Input Handling

• Further improvements to the responsiveness of radial menus on lower-spec hardware.
  
• Rebinding sprint controls to the right analogue stick no longer requires players to hold the stick down instead of just clicking.
  

Environment

• Improved player collision with the geometry around the tables at the top of the Sea Dog Tavern in Adventure.
  
• Upon reaching the Ferry of the Damned after drowning, the Well of Fates correctly shows that no Flame of Fate can be acquired.
  
• The Well of Fates on the Ferry of the Damned now has appropriate tooltips telling players that they need to raise their lantern to collect a Flame of Fate.
  
• Players are once again able to read Grace’s Journal when discovered on Ashen Reaches.
  
• The ship’s map of Thieves’ Haven now shows the location of the newly added platforms.
  
• Players should no longer be safe-teleported when firing themselves out of the cannon on the northern shore of Devil's Ridge.
  
• On Shark Bait Cove, players should no longer be launched into the air when passing between two rocks on south-eastern side of the Island.
  

Visual and Audio

• When performing the Sand Angel Emote on a moving ship, the sand visual effects will no longer trail behind the player.
  
• When players attack various surfaces with a sword, other players will now see and hear the intended visual and audio effects.
  
• Throwing water at another player on a moving ship should now show the water effects behaving correctly.
  
• When players stop rowing and set down the oars, the audio effect will no longer play for longer than intended.
  
• The Tattoo of Ancient Gold now appears correctly on a range of large pirate body shapes.
  
• Players standing next to a fire on board their ship will no longer see an extended distance through a fog bank.
  
• The Old Boar Firework now has appropriate audio effects when fired.
  
• The Curse of Sunken Sorrow is now displayed correctly when players are wearing a range of Admiral shirts.
  
• When performing the Coin Toss Emote with a hook equipped, the coin now correctly rests on the hook.
  
• Some pirate body types should no longer be shown with disconnected limbs when viewed from a distance while wearing items from the Bell Brigade, Midnight Blades or Party Boat clothing sets.
  
• Players should now be able to see the visual effects when another player hits the wood placed in a campfire.
  
• When returning to a ship from the Ferry of the Damned, the ropes holding a docked Rowboat should now be shown correctly.
  
• Players will now hear appropriate audio effects when digging up artefacts and Ashen Winds Skulls.
  
• Aiming down sights with the Victorious Sea Dog Blunderbuss should no longer clip through the camera.
  

Accessibility

• When using ‘Let Games Read to Me’ alongside ‘Narrate Changes Only’, adjusting sliders within the Settings menu will now narrate the full value when stopping.
  
• Improvements to font sizing and line spacing within the Custom Server Create Session screens to improve readability.
  
• When using ‘Let Games Read to Me’, navigating the Settings menu using both mouse and controller should no longer incorrectly identify controller movements as a mouse hover.
  

Text and Localisation

• Long item names should now appear correctly formatted when using pirate phrases.
  

Performance and Stability

• The systems which load and manage audio across the game have now been optimised, providing a sizeable improvement to memory usage on PC.
  
• Following audio memory optimisations, older consoles and lower-spec hardware should no longer experience scenarios where sounds may fail to play on cue due to low audio memory.
  
• Client stability has been improved, reducing scenarios where the game hangs during active gameplay.
  
• Optimisations made to how emergent island threats move and attack, improving responsiveness and server performance.
  
• Improved handling of music within Siren Treasuries to improve server performance.
  
• Improved server stability when players are transferring items from storage crates while exiting the game.
  
• Improved server stability when multiple players are interacting with Quest Boards at Outposts.
  

[h2]Known Issues
[/h2]
Ranged and Melee Weapon Hit Detection

• In areas of intense action, players may find themselves firing shots or landing strikes that do not cause damage to their targets. While small improvements continue to be delivered during our regular updates, we are continuing to investigate and identify further improvements to the player combat experience.

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.

[h2]Download and Installation
[/h2]
Download size:

Steam: 6.77 GB