Sea of Thieves News

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!

As we prepare to set Sea of Thieves Season Five sailing off into a beautiful digital sunset, welcoming the Forts and frolics of Season Six in its wake, we feel it would be remiss of us not to take a look back at our first ever Community Day, and celebrate the camaraderie and capers we witnessed over its extended 36 hours.

In case you’ve navigated to this article with no idea concerning what this blue-branded day of picaroon appreciation and untold riches was all about, here’s a quick recap: starting at 10am GMT on Sunday, January 30th 2022, we invited Sea of Thieves players of all stripes to take part in a day of adoration for their fellow freebooters, both in-game and out.

Those who set sail found a free flag and emote with which to mark the day, while those interested in ridiculously raising their riches had to take to Twitter and use the hashtag #SeaOfThievesCommunityDay, as each instance of it being posted and shared helped boost in-game rewards through the helpfully named Community Emissary Grade.

The maximum Grade 5 was hit after just 13 hours, leading to a 3x gold and reputation multiplier – the biggest boost to ever grace our fair waves! Sea of Thieves was even trending for a while on Twitter because you’re all so brilliant to us. We’ve gone as red as your favourite ruby-coloured ocean dweller just thinking about it.



There were, however, some connection issues throughout a portion of the day that left a number of sailors adrift, with only an error message evoking visions of fruity face follicles to keep them company. Some stars of the community worked to raise spirits regardless, writing shanties, creating wanted posters and even designing cosmetics around this cursed concept.

We expected Community Day to be of interest to a lot of our players – in the end the numbers far exceeded our expectations, and we’re incredibly humbled by this, but also regret that it meant the experience on the day was not what it should have been for everyone. Those interested in hearing about how we’re working to resolve server issues to avoid such a situation occurring again should turn their ears to Episode 5 of the official Sea of Thieves Podcast.

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But despite these issues, we still saw a huge swell of positive pirates sharing memories, creations, stories, screenshots and more, helping to make the #SeaOfThievesCommunityDay tag a place to see the very best of what our unique and varied community has to offer. In line with this uplifting uproar, we set out to award an avalanche of the much-desired and unspecifically bestowed Hat of Unfeasibly Glorious Fame – or the #BeMorePirate hat for short.

More than 50 of the blue bonnets were dished out during Community Day, for a range of reasons more varied than Umbra’s future tattoo plans. From the ongoing pineapple burning of KaidaWrath to a celebration of pirates around the world set into motion by Patagounia. There were long overdue hats for stunning prop creators such as Jobiwan, ChloeSauras and TentacleCreations. Head-warmers for incredibly enthusiastic young sailors. KrisKalissa found one for their incredibly detailed hand-made map. SanderRoli’s ongoing support of community art needs earned them a cap of recognition.



Pirates simply nominated for being some of the best, most humble corsairs on the seas, including MrFawlout and cottonandcreme, found hat-shaped surprises in their Equipment Chests. As did some sailors who probably should have had an azure crown a while ago, but never quite had their head in a convenient spot, such as Keelhauled Podcast’s Capt Logun and organisers of competitive chaos for the NAL, Ragetrox and Dadinat0r. This is but a taste of the ways people truly embrace the mantra of #BeMorePirate every day, and we’re thankful for every one of you.

Not only were there hats, there was also fun to be had with our special Sea of ‘Friends’ Challenge List, with many players posting clips and screenshots of their escapades as they tried to complete all the arbitrary tasks set to them. Special mention goes to the crews of mystcasual and EliEelEye, who managed to complete a range of tasks and edit their work into swish clips. The crew of EliEelEye even adapted when caught a few thousand grogs short of a Cursed Chest, quaffing a healthy dose from the ship’s supply before staggering across an Outpost with some standard chests, and far be it from us to critique a clever application of available tools over our suggested rules. Hopefully Wonda enjoyed seeing so many friendly faces, too…



And that wasn’t all! Some of our dedicated Deckhands were out on the waves distributing Obsidian Capstans and Six Item Packs to people who spied their elusive sails, or solved their tricky puzzles. There was an actual commemorative T-shirt available, as well as a cheeky one-off Gilded Phoenix Tankard Twitch Drop. And throughout the day, over on Twitter, there were threads where you called out favourite crewmates, really showed us how much you love gold (the look of it, the taste, everything) and enjoyed the special wallpapers and photo frames provided for you to use (which you can still enjoy even if you weren’t around on the day, we won’t judge).

All this and more! So really, we can sum the day up by simply saying “lots happened”, even as we thank all our pirates for being the best, most creative and most hearteningly rowdy community we could ever ask to have sailing the Sea of Thieves with us.



A Community Day is planned for every Season moving forward, and ideas for Season Six’s event are already taking shape. That shape being nothing like a certain bite-sized fruit commonly enjoyed with cream, you’ll be pleased to know. So continue to keep your eyes on the horizon and, if you can, follow us on Twitter so you can join in the fun when the next Community Day rolls into port soon!

The next chapter of the Sea of Thieves saga is here! As revealed with a sizeable amount of fanfare by our cinematic trailer for ‘Shrouded Islands’, new Adventures on a roughly monthly basis will be carrying our ongoing narrative forward as we charge headlong into 2022.

A new threat encroaching on Golden Sands Outpost and a glimpse of the enigmatic Belle were more than enough to cause a stir among those who’ve been following the story since the start, but if you’re new to the seas or find yourself hard-pressed to distinguish Sudds from Salty, don’t worry. We’ll be providing a recap of concluded Adventures to set the scene each time a new one is just around the corner, because we’re good like that.

To begin with, as the clock is already ticking on the February 17th–March 3rd runtime of Adventure 1, ‘Shrouded Islands’, here’s a pirate primer on everything you’ll need to know going in...

[h3]The Sea of the Damned
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The odds are high that you’ve probably, at some point during your journey on the Sea of Thieves, died. Our condolences. When that happened, your pirate would have found themselves aboard the forbidding Ferry of the Damned, waiting impatiently for the Ferryman to open a door to the living world so that you could get back into the action.

Recent events, however, have shown the world that there’s far more to the Sea of the Damned than just the deck of the Ferry – there’s an entire ethereal existence lurking just beyond the veil. It’s a realm where memories can become real, shaped by the pasts of pirates who linger there. Under the right circumstances, these manifestations can be drawn through to the Sea of Thieves to wreak havoc.

Now that the true potential of the Sea of the Damned has been proven and Phantom pirates are running amok, tensions are rising as various factions ponder how they might make use of this power for their own ends…

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[h3]Captain Flameheart
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One key player who’s been particularly keen to subvert the Sea of the Damned is Flameheart himself. Since his spirit was unwittingly released by Sir Arthur Pendragon during ‘The Seabound Soul’ Tall Tale, Flameheart – who currently lacks a physical form of his own – has been able to summon ghostly vessels to fight in his name alongside his flagship, the Burning Blade, causing no end of problems for pirates in the vicinity.

Rather ominously, these attacks have now ceased. It’s highly unlikely that Flameheart has abandoned his pursuit of conquest, however, and the shopkeepers and shipwrights who’ve made the Sea of Thieves their home can’t help but wonder what his next move might be.

[h3]Turning Tides
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These new developments have not gone unnoticed. Larinna, leader of the Bilge Rats, has been keeping a watchful eye on the waves and has always encouraged crews to keep their skills sharp by taking part in colourful, sometimes chaotic activities of the Bilge Rats’ devising.

In this way, she hopes to prepare pirates for the inevitable conflicts to come. Whenever there’s a new Adventure to take part in, Larinna should be your first port of call and will beckon you over when you’re near the tavern.

In light of these new threats, others have looked to the Pirate Lord to take a stand, believing that his Athena’s Fortune Trading Company and its distinguished Pirate Legends should be the ones to rise up and protect the Sea of Thieves. Although the Pirate Lord claims to have retired from the pirate’s life, circumstances – and the unexpected arrival of Belle – may compel him to return to the seas sooner rather than later…




[h3]Golden Sands Outpost
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One of the most widely visited Outposts on the Sea of Thieves, located within The Shores of Plenty, Golden Sands is a hub of activity for Trading Companies, honest citizens and pirates alike – and a place that to many travellers feels inviolable, a home from home after a long Voyage.

However, news travels fast on the waves, and unsettling stories now reach the ears of those like Larinna who strive to stay alert even when the world seems calm. Stories of a dark influence spreading across the seas to engulf islands in an oppressive fog; of imminent peril to Golden Sands’ residents, Wonda the weaponsmith among them. Stories of ruin and desolation…

[h3]Adventures Await
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What’s the cause of the mysterious fog slowly consuming the Sea of Thieves? Just who is Belle, and what is her relationship to the Sea of the Damned? Can Golden Sands Outpost be saved? It’ll be up to you and your crew to discover these answers for yourselves by taking part in Sea of Thieves’ new Adventures.

Those with a thirst for lore can also reacquaint themselves with the likes of Larinna, Pendragon and the Pirate Lord via some of our expanded universe materials, like the Athena’s Fortune novel and audiobook and the Sea of Thieves: Origins comic series. Just don’t get too immersed and lose track of time – you can only explore ‘Shrouded Islands’ in Sea of Thieves from February 17th to March 3rd…

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