Sea of Thieves News

Happy anniversary, everyone! It’s been four eventful years since we first set sail on the ocean in search of gold and adventure, and the excitement continues apace. We’ve fought against terrors from the deep, sailed through volcanic waters, worked together to save the very pirate way of life and now in our fourth year, we’re embarking on bold new Adventures to broaden the narrative horizons of this sea we call our home.

But that’s enough schmaltz, it’s time to party! As is customary for a Sea of Thieves anniversary, we’ve lined up some special goodies with which to mark this temporal milestone, ranging from free goodies to exclusive discounts. So grab yourselves a grog cocktail, put on a party hat and let’s see what activities we’ve got lined up!



First up, anyone who logs into Sea of Thieves between Friday March 18th (10am UTC) and Monday March 21st (10am UTC) can grab the lustrous Golden Sailor Wheel as a free anniversary gift! Larinna and the Merchant Alliance have also been able to wrangle some limited edition stock, with the Golden Sailor Cannon Flare and commemorative Anniversary Firework Crate on sale in-game throughout this celebratory weekend.

As an extra anniversary treat, we’ll be holding a Gold & Glory Weekend over the same dates and times, ideal for those looking to double their gold and reputation and get a Renown boost while rattling through Season Six’s 100 levels of progression.



Meanwhile, the Pirate Emporium is also hosting a sea of discounts between March 18th and 21st. The focus of this sale is squarely on ranges celebrating our Sea of Thieves: A Pirate’s Life crossover with Disney’s Pirates of the Caribbean, so enjoy saving Ancient Coins on everything from the Captain Jack Sparrow and Captain Barbossa Costumes to themed ship sets, emotes and pets!

If you’re in the market for some physical swag to mark this anniversary, the Rare Store is offering a 20% discount on certain Sea of Thieves items over the weekend, as well as releasing a line of limited edition Sea of Thieves shoes! We have it on good authority that they make great dancing shoes for when you’re tackling a merry jig.

Those are all our exciting plans for the weekend ahead – take a look at some of them in action in the very latest episode of Sea of Thieves News, and we hope you’ll join in the anniversary celebrations out on the seas. Here’s to many more!

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As the birds begin chirping and the buds start blooming, a new Season springs into life for Sea of Thieves! Along with an offering of brand new Seasonal rewards, Season Six is all about expanding Sea of Thieves’ narrative through time-limited Adventures, while still giving you opportunities to forge your own epic tales of derring-do – with Sea Forts and the new Pirate Legend-exclusive Voyage, Legend of the Veil. If you can’t wait to write the next chapter in your pirate’s memoir of high-seas adventure, Season Six is now available as a free update for all players on Steam.

Like our past Seasons, Season Six and its 100 levels of rewards are free to all Sea of Thieves players, with cosmetics and other goodies earnable as you build Renown by going about your pirate business. If you want to spice up your Seasonal climb to Level 100 with more premium items not yet available anywhere else, you can purchase the optional Season Six Plunder Pass! Find out more in our Seasons Explained and Plunder Pass Explained articles.

[h3]Smash and Grab
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Brought forth from the Sea of the Damned by the machinations of Captain Flameheart, six Phantom-filled Sea Forts have now appeared around the Sea of Thieves for brave pirates to plunder. With a focus on combat and loot to be liberated, Sea Forts provide a satisfying on-demand experience for battle-hungry sailors or those who may not have time for a longer Voyage. Enter a Fort, cut down its spectral defenders, scour every nook and cranny for hidden riches, and defeat the Sea Fort Captain to gain the key to the Treasury.



Once a Sea Fort is cleared, you can make the most of its home comforts – including the well-stocked Homestead room with chairs and a blazing fire to put your feet up and share a well-earned grog with your crew. Just be prepared to defend your little sanctuary from other crews who might want it for themselves!

[h3]Piercing the Veil
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Narrative-driven Adventures will continue throughout Season Six and beyond, keeping the Sea of Thieves world and lore in constant motion. Adventure 2, ‘Forts of the Forgotten’, will soon pick up the thread from the recently concluded ‘Shrouded Islands’. But another story-centric feature is also set to make its mark later in Season Six. Legend of the Veil, a new Voyage exclusive to Pirate Legends, will send you out hunting for lost Veil Stones across dramatic new locations and facing an ever-changing series of challenges. From haunted islands and shipwreck graveyards to a climactic naval battle against a Ghost Garrison, this is a Voyage you don’t want to miss!



To complement this Legendary content, the maximum rank achievable with the Athena’s Fortune Trading Company will be raised from 20 to 30. With a host of new cosmetics, Commendations and achievements on offer, get ready to continue your climb to the top in Season Six!

[h3]Pirate Emporium Plunder
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For pirates keen to boost their Seasonal reward pool, the Season Six Plunder Pass is headlined by the complete set of items making up the brand new Spring Blossom ship set, alongside the evolving Forest’s Blessing costume which transforms as you climb the Season’s 100 levels. As always, Plunder Pass items are temporary exclusives before heading to the Pirate Emporium sometime in the future.

Other standout selections new to the Pirate Emporium in March are the loud and proud Islehopper Outlaw ship set with matching costume, weapons and even a banjo – perfect for the wild-hearted hellraisers, rabble-rousers and ruffians of the seas. Or if you can’t help striking a pose at a moment’s notice, style it out with the Bunch of Posers Emote Bundle. While you’re browsing the Emporium’s new wares, remember to pick up this month’s free emote too!



[h3]Find Out More
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For more information on the Sea of Thieves Season Six update, including full release notes, visit the Sea of Thieves website. The update is available for free to all Sea of Thieves players who have bought the game on Steam. Simply download and install the latest Sea of Thieves update to get access.

New to Sea of Thieves? Find out about the latest free content updates on our What’s New page and pick up some 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 Sea of Thieves at www.xbox.com/seaofthieves, or join the ongoing adventure at www.seaofthieves.com where you can embark on an epic journey with one of gaming’s most welcoming communities!

Is it March already? Time flies when you’re having fun, they say, and we did our best to whip up plenty of that for the Sea of Thieves faithful in February. Amongst other things we paved the way for all our pirates to explore ‘Shrouded Islands’, held a 24-hour charity stream as part of GameBlast ’22 and tackled some hard topics in the latest episode of the SoT Podcast. Yes, we did talk about hit reg – cue the gasps. So if you’re sitting comfortably, we shall begin with our rip-roaring retrospective of February’s fun!

[h3]Content Update
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Obviously, the month’s main content update was designed to turn on the ethereal fog machine, put Flameheart back in his box, ring Belle’s bell and open up our first Adventure – ‘Shrouded Islands’. We’ve had a debrief with the Phantoms after the Adventure, and they’ve promised to calm it down a bit on the snoop shouting. A new Adventures page on the SoT site ushered in this latest era, as did our debut Adventures Ahead primer article written to set the scene. If you’re awaiting the next chapter in the unfolding story of Golden Sands Outpost, be sure to come back for ‘Forts of the Forgotten’ later in March!

Along with the thrill of Adventure, we had our usual freshening up of monthly stock in the Pirate Emporium – with the wider availability of the Jack O’ Looter cosmetics from the Season Four Plunder Pass, some truly Cutthroat weapons and outlandish Props Master emotes, among other things. As always, pirates with an eye for detail should head on over to the release notes for the blow-by-blow breakdown of February’s update, Adventure and everything else.

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[h3]News and Features
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While a cohort of pirate journalists were busy writing salacious stories about the ghostly haze covering islands, our own intrepid newshounds were out on the prowl for the biggest scoops this side of the Devil’s Shroud.

February update, new episode of Sea of Thieves News and a juicy podcast all in the space of a few days? Got it covered. More entries in our programme of enlightening Spotlights? Yep, in February it was the turn of Boatswain and Voyage-avoider DrBullhammer along with Aussie plunderer Micromads. Work also continued apace for our artisan headwear makers as eight more Hats of Unfeasibly Glorious Fame flew out of the doors and onto the heads of deserving pirates. We’ll have to branch out further in more haberdashery – we’d love a new set of gloves.

As we celebrated the Lunar New Year, pirates looking to show off their stripes (don’t groan, it’s a classic) could pick up special Year of the Tiger merch over on the Rare Store. We also announced the new Legendary Fortune weapons on the way in Season Six, filling out the suite of flashy Pirate Legend cosmetics following the closure of The Arena.

With Season Five Community Day firmly in the rear-view mirror and a certain jam-adjacent pirate back in his jar, we took the time to pore over all the community’s amazing creations on the day in a dedicated lookback article. There was no missing the chance to be all lovey-dovey on Valentine’s Day either, with a special round-up of romantic activities. The main draw this year was, of course, our rousing rendition of the crooner’s classic ‘It Had to Be You’, sung valiantly by our Senior Audio Director. Some people might prefer chocolates as a gift, but we politely beg to differ.

If you’re feeling up for a song yourself, why not join in with our segue anthem? All together now as we effortlessly transition to…



[h3]Videos and Streams
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VIIIIIDEOS AND STREEEEEEAMS. You in the back row, a little flat on that last note – practise for next month. The pirate video shop was mighty busy in February, as we had podcasts, reveal trailers and newsreels in our ‘Coming Attractions’ section. For starters, following on from the cinematic trailer last month came a gameplay trailer for ‘Shrouded Islands’, offering a quick taste of the adventures you’d be having on this… Adventure.

After a brand new episode of SoT News which highlighted some of February’s main beats, we donned our flame-resistant suits and dived straight into the fires of controversy in the newest edition of the SoT Podcast. Hit reg, spawn camping, weapon balance – if someone’s written a long forum thread about it, we did our best to tackle it in this no-holds-barred discussion moderated by our very own Head of Community, Christina. One note for the next podcast – work on the winking.

If live video content is more your bag, February brought plenty of streaming action with three new episodes of The Gauntlet going live on SoT TV. Rather than Sea of Thieves Partners filling the hero role this time, it was the turn of actual Rare staff members to triumph over devious rivals and riddles. You bet we made the riddles extra tough, just to see if they really knew their stuff.

We also joined in on the GameBlast action at the end of the month, hosting a 24-hour charity livestream to help raise money for SpecialEffect. With a crew of Rare staff and SoT Partners giving it their best, we’re happy to say almost £10,000 was raised – thanks to all you generous souls! If you were tuning in to Twitch throughout February, you may also have also picked up more Twilight Hunter gear in our ongoing Twitch Drops campaign. Yes, there was a little snafu with the shirt, but the pirate costumier who caused the mix-up is now wearing nothing but a barrel as punishment for their crimes.



[h3]Social Channels
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While parts of the Sea of Thieves were gripped in a ghostly haze, our social channels remained a shining beacon of quality content, freebies and maybe just one or two memes. One long-awaited nugget was that if you’re active in a local Sea of Thieves fan community, you might soon have a chance to earn the new Affiliate Alliance sails. On Valentine’s Day, we offered specially made artwork and a repurposed Quest Board for the pinning of pirate love notes. We also celebrated a newfound calm after the disappearance of a certain flaming head, taught everyone the difference between Belle, Bel and a bell, berated some rats, spared a thought for a poor soul left behind and revealed that the Soulflame Captain is actually a massive Sea of Thieves fan.

A steady port in any weather, our trio of regular hashtags kept up the interesting factoids, beautiful scenery and loot showcases to make you green with envy. #TriviaTuesday was naturally focused on facts surrounding ‘Shrouded Islands’, with info on Belle’s previous showings, Flameheart’s fleet and the Soulflame Captain, while #SoTGear invited admiration of items like the Legendary Treasure Seeker Costume and Jacket of the Damned.

As if we were advertising pirate pleasure cruises, February’s #SoTShot contest encouraged players to go see the sights of the Sea of Thieves, with views that would get anyone down to the travel agents post haste. But we’re swapping sun-drenched views for gloomy vistas in March’s competition, putting out a call for pictures of the best Misty Moments. Our #SundayVibes tag would be a good stop for inspiration, with February’s selections touring the fog-blanketed Golden Sands Outpost, Devil’s Ridge and Shipwreck Bay.



The temporal train is picking up speed now as we start to barrel through 2022! It’s going to be non-stop for the remainder of the year, so follow our social channels to avoid missing any precious crumbs of info. If you need reminding, you can find Sea of Thieves on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, Twitch, TikTok and the official Forums and Discord server. As we’ll be full of the joys of spring next month, you’ll have to find the next round-up by breaking open the various Easter eggs we’ve hidden around your house. Either that or we’ll hire a giant talking rabbit to read it to you.

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[h3]Previously in 2022:
[/h3]Sea of Thieves Round-Up: January 2022

Pirates are not known for following rules. When it comes to both gender and race, buccaneers have historically subscribed a lot less heavily to the traditions of land-dwelling society – which is why this International Women’s Day, the #BreakTheBias theme particularly resonates with us here on Sea of Thieves.

A pirate’s story is one that they have the freedom to author themselves, and that’s always been the case for the ferocious female picaroons who sail our seas. Upon the Sea of Thieves, women have always been considered equal to their male counterparts. Our Pirate Code is clear: everyone is welcome regardless of age, gender, race, sexuality, nationality or creed.

So on International Women’s Day, we’re pulling focus to those ferocious female trailblazers who make waves within our game and community. Whether they’re Trading Company leaders, story chroniclers, infamous Skeleton Lords, mango-juggling marauders (who may or may not have a favour to ask) or even enigmatic newcomers arriving to take you on an Adventure, the proficiency of our in-game female pirates has always been respected and celebrated.

But much as we love our in-game characters, the beating heart of Sea of Thieves will always be our player pirates – and we’re lucky to have so many wonderful women sword-dashing their way into the hearts of the community. Just pay a visit to Umbra to discover the many tales of fearsome female pirates immortalised across the seas, their legends emblazoned within the world and celebrated in this classic update a couple of years back. Our Partner Programme is also home to many amazing women, with the likes of BBXH, HappyKrakenX, KaidaWrath, Smexi and many more all sailing regularly in an effort to entertain you – check out our Partner Directory for the exhaustive list.

Our Community and Creator Spotlights also illuminate a growing number of the inspirational women on our seas – in the last few months alone, the likes of Micromads, 0wl, CocoMayy, Betta VP, Mother0fChickens and Freyline have taken the time to tell us how they make their mark on the Sea of Thieves community.

It’s worth restating that all are welcome on the waves, and we cherish the diversity and creativity of the pirates who reach Sea of Thieves’ shores. We’re all in on ensuring that everyone feels included in our game and our community spaces, and we’re committed to championing and supporting our female players and creators. Join us all in marking this day by celebrating your fabulous female crew members and fellow sailors – and we’ll see you on the seas!



One last note: if you’re a fan of our special #IWD2022 artwork, not only is it available in T-shirt form at the Sea of Thieves online store, we’ve prepped it right here for you in a variety of sizes to decorate your devices. Enjoy!

Desktop (1920x1080) | Lesedi (1080x1920) | Belle (1080x1920) | Umbra (1080x1920)

The Sea of Thieves is a wondrous place, inhabited by all manner of colourful characters. No, we’re not talking about people like Merrick or the Pirate Lord this time – we’re talking about all you rapscallions who take to the seas to have fun, rabble-rouse or simply sail with friends.

It’s become a tradition for us to shine a Spotlight on folks within the Sea of Thieves community, whether they’re content creators or community members who’ve become known and loved in other ways, and give them an opportunity to tell us what they’re all about. We aim to switch our Spotlight on every two weeks and invite someone else up on stage, and it’s about time we gave you Steam readers a chance to check them out too – so let’s introduce you to the four people we had treading the boards in January and February 2022!



First into the Spotlight this year was SightlessKombat, a recent Pirate Legend and an accessibility consultant who helps make games accessible for all players. As a gamer without sight, he had lots to share about how he has been able to sail the seas with the help of Sea of Thieves’ plethora of accessibility features, and musings on further ways to make gaming more accessible!



Next on the January setlist was the botanist buccaneer from all the way down in New Zealand, CocoMayy! A member of the Sea of Thieves Partner Programme and a huge lover of nature, CocoMayy told us how she got her start on the seas, recalled her favourite moments while playing and offered some insights for anyone looking to engage with their community.



As we rolled into February, next to bathe in the limelight was long-time Boatswain on the Sea of Thieves Forums and cheerfully chaotic corsair DrBullhammer. Known among other things for the achievement of hitting Pirate Legend without buying a single Voyage, the good doctor regaled us with tales of how he became a Boatswain along with some in-depth, unconventional sailing tips.



Our final February Spotlight gave us another Antipodean headliner, as Aussie plunderer Micromads joined us for a chat about her own experiences as a pirate streamer. From finding an audience during lockdown to making lifelong friends on the seas, it’s a heartwarming read including more advice for fledgling content creators looking to make their start.

And that’s it for the opening months of 2022! If you want to keep up to date on new Spotlights as they go live, our dedicated Community Hub always features the most recently published, and you can check out the extensive back catalogue of Community and Creator Spotlights alike in the Sea of Thieves News section. Happy reading!