Sea of Thieves News

Sea of Thieves’ very latest Season begins today! Season Ten promises to be one of the biggest yet, launching with a significant and socially focused new feature for our shared-world pirate sandbox. Expanding on Season Seven’s Captaincy update, Guilds gives players opportunities to strengthen the bonds they've already forged on the seas, while also building new and long-lasting connections.

[h3]A New Way to Connect[/h3]
Across different crews, time zones and even platforms, Guilds can unite a group of pirates under a shared identity and cause, and help them celebrate their accomplishments with shared rewards. The in-game Guild Chronicles even allow players to see what other Guild Members have been up to while they were away, furthering the sense of communal goals and adventures. Each Guild also allows for full freedom of expression, with the Guild Owner having full control over its name, motto and branding.

With a limit of 24 pirates per Guild, these groups still maintain a sense of intimacy and shared identity – and with pirates only able to join a maximum of three Guilds at any time, the focus is very much on playing with crewmates you know or will come to know well. We know that Sea of Thieves is a game best played with friends, and whether this be old colleagues or new comrades you make out there on the waves, Guilds will offer players a longevity of connection far beyond a single Sea of Thieves session.

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[h3]Shared Progress and Rewards[/h3]
A Guild isn’t just for easier sailing with an expanded set of shipmates – it’s also a new way to earn rewards! When you’re sailing on a ship pledged to a Guild, you’ll contribute to its shared Guild Reputation. You can unlock rewards including special clothing themed to different ship’s roles, and with every 100 levels of Guild Reputation collectively reached, you’ll earn a level of Distinction that will upgrade your Guild Plaque and Guild Reputation cards. Keep raising that Guild Reputation and you’ll open up new Commendations to complete, carrying prizes that include the unique Unbroken Bonds ship set.

Pirates looking to maximize their Reputation gain – and get a little competitive edge at the same time – can even set sail as a Guild Emissary! Once your Guild has a few levels of Reputation safely secured, any Guild Member looking for a challenge can raise a Guild Emissary Flag at the Sovereigns’ tent and go seeking that nail-biting risk/reward Emissary experience. There’ll be a new Guilds Ledger too, so you can compare your skills with other Guilds and the most prolific will score even more enviable rewards!

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[h3]Level Up Guild Members’ Ships[/h3]
You can’t sail for a Guild without any ships available, so that’s where pledging comes in: any Captain with an owned ship can pledge it to the Guild, and choose whether fellow Guild Members can take it out even when its owner isn’t around. The ship in question will keep all its usual customisation and decorations, so your friends will be able to fully appreciate your daring interior design choices.

Even better, pledged ships will continue to progress their Ship Milestones when their Captain isn’t present. If you’ve got a vessel that you’ve been waiting to level up, now’s your chance to let some friends help you on your way.

We’re thrilled to be adding such a deep and connective feature as Guilds to Sea of Thieves, and we hope that players will love being able to explore and extend their bonds with other pirates. Social play is at the heart of Sea of Thieves, with its best moments being those you share with others. Guilds will give players the tools to turn these memorable moments into long-lasting magic.

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[h3]New Cosmetics Storm into View[/h3]
With a new Season underway, there are as always 100 fresh levels of Renown to rack up and rewards to be unlocked! Alongside the allocations of gold, Doubloons, Ancient Coins and Seasonal cosmetics available for everyone to unlock, pirates who pick up the Season Ten Plunder Pass can work towards the electrifying Stormfish Chaser ship set and clothing to help them feel right at home in the heart of a hurricane.

The Pirate Emporium will also continue to enjoy monthly updates throughout Season Ten, starting with October’s shining Silver Sepulchre set. In a world as dangerous as the Sea of Thieves, you never know what kind of horrors you might find yourself facing. With this set designed for fearless slayers of the undead, you’ll have all the tools you need to make a stand against the darkness.


[h3]Plenty Still to Come[/h3]
While Guilds are sitting firmly in the spotlight for Season Ten’s launch, they’re not the only thing to get excited about. There’s a range of meaningful quality-of-life improvements too, including work done on hit detection and sword combat, Rowboats in a range of new colors and the ability to repair them, and a persistent player inventory when you rejoin a session. For the full list of updates, be sure to check out our latest release notes.

And the fun doesn’t stop with the October update, as Season Ten is all set to deliver new feature updates throughout the rest of the year. Once you’ve all gotten settled into your Guilds, you’ll need to be ready for the next big thing in November: the Skull of Siren Song Voyages, which involve a server-wide race to score a significant new treasure. Swiftly following in December will be the Safer Seas update that gives players a way to find their sea legs without disruption, so if you need an overview on either of these forthcoming features, catch up with our Season Ten Preview video and stay tuned in the weeks ahead for full details.

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

New to Sea of Thieves? Find out about the latest free content updates on our What’s New page, get familiar with Who’s Who or pick up some gameplay tips from our Pirate Academy, which provides invaluable information on topics ranging from sailing to swordplay as you prepare for your maiden voyage. Learn more about Sea of Thieves here, 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!

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[h3]Guilds[/h3]
The first of Season Ten’s major features to arrive, Guilds builds on Sea of Thieves’ previous Captaincy update and allows players to expand their bonds with friends, enjoy asynchronous progression and work together under a shared banner to earn exclusive rewards. Available now!

Introducing Guilds

• A new feature that encourages groups of up to 24 like-minded players to band together under a Guild with its own name, motto and branding, and a shared approach to sailing the Sea of Thieves.
  
• Any player can create a Guild and invite other players to join, and all Guild Members can contribute to the collective Guild Reputation, unlocking fantastic new rewards. Those who choose to sail as Guild Emissaries can claim even more prizes from the Guild Ledger.
  
• Captains who pledge ships to the Guild can choose whether other Guild Members are able to sail those ships in their absence, progressing Ship Milestones on their behalf!
  
• To learn more about all that Guilds has to offer, head to our dedicated Season Ten page or check out the official Guilds Explained video.

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

Season Ten Rewards and Plunder Pass

• Progressing through Season Ten will reward pirates with the Intrepid Explorer clothing set and unique Season Ten specials alongside time-limited Gilded Sovereign collectibles.
  
• Purchase the Plunder Pass to gain access to a plethora of unlockable, never-before-seen rewards from the Stormfish Chaser set, all available to earn by climbing the levels of Seasonal progression. Purchase in-game through the Pirate Log or Pirate Emporium, or via the Pirate Emporium webpage or Steam Item Store.

Season Ten Emissary Ledger Rewards

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

Chest of Fortune

• For the duration of Season Ten, the Chest of Fortune has been locked away in the Vault of the Fort of the Damned and can only be obtained by triumphing over this formidable encounter.
  
• Crews who retrieve the Chest of Fortune can now earn the next grade of the Fortune’s Favour Commendation, unlocking access to the Fates of Fortune clothing.

Reaper’s Chests

• In Season Ten, crews coveting the precious Reaper’s Chest or Reaper’s Bounty can now earn the next grade of the Reaper’s Riches Commendation and start unlocking access to the Fates of Fortune vanity items.

[h3]Combat Improvements[/h3]
Hit Detection Improvements

• Season Ten brings together a suite of improvements to hit detection that provide accuracy improvements across a range of combat scenarios, including island and ship encounters.
  
• While this provides an overall improvement to the accuracy of hit detection, we are aware of scenarios where it can still underperform. A focused team continues to work on optimising this experience further in future updates.

Sword Combat Flow

• Improvements have been made to the flow of sword combat when two opponents are duelling, ensuring that the player to land the first strike retains the upper hand in the encounter.
  
• An attacker landing the first strike now consistently retains the upper hand and can land the second and third hits of their combo. The defending player is now interrupted from counterattacking and encouraged to switch to defence, using the block or moving to avoid strikes.

Sword Block

• To improve the reliability of blocking with a sword, improvements have been made to the angle and range of a defender’s block. Players should now find that blocking is a much more consistent experience and caters to a wide range of defensive scenarios.

Sword Hit Detection and Feedback

• Improvements to hit detection should now provide consistent visual and audio feedback that a strike has landed and damaged an opponent, when attacking players with a sword at the maximum strike range.
  
• Players attacking with a heavy strike will now only be penalised with a stun effect when missing an opponent. Players connecting with an opponent at any point during the heavy strike will no longer find themselves confusingly stunned.

Quick Switching Removal

• Players equipping two ranged weapons are no longer able to perform a technique to cancel the weapon wield animation and fire two shots in quick succession. While players may still find they can cancel the wield animation in some scenarios, there is no longer a competitive advantage to doing so and it may even extend the time between firing shots compared to a regular weapon switch.

Controller Aim Assist

• Controller players on console and PC will now have access to aiming assistance, improving balance between controller and mouse/keyboard inputs. Aim Assist is only active for ranged combat encounters against other players and enemy threats, and will not expose players hiding in the environment.
  
• Players using Aim Assist have access to a range of settings to refine the sensitivity of both Hip Fire and Aim Down Sights independently, and can also choose whether this applies to members of an Alliance to better configure the experience to their liking.

[h3]Gameplay Improvements[/h3]
Colourful Rowboats

• Players will now find a range of different coloured Rowboats washed up on shores. Seek them out in the Azure Scout, Flaming Jackal, Golden Chaser, Lucky Rover, Regal Hound and rare Good Boy liveries.

Saving Rowboats

• Captains who discover and dock a Rowboat to their ship during a game session will now find their Rowboat is saved, ready for them to set sail next time. Losing the ship, however, will also mean losing that precious Rowboat…

Repairing Rowboats

• Players can now repair a damaged Rowboat! With a plank in hand, the sizeable crack in the floor of the boat can now be patched, rescuing it from a murky fate.
  
• Rowboats docked to a Captained ship can now be repaired by the shipwright for free. Leaving a game session with a damaged Rowboat docked will also repair it ready for the next session.

Retaining Supplies Following Disconnection

• Players who are offered the chance to rejoin a session after being disconnected from the game due to a sudden exit, game crash or network issue will now find that the supplies in their inventory are retained, allowing them to pick up exactly where they left off.

Mermaids During Hourglass of Fate Battles

• Players who find themselves in the sea during an Hourglass of Fate Battle will now find that the mermaids appear much sooner and closer, helping them return to their ship more quickly.

Collector’s Chest Improvements

• Players holding a Collector’s Chest can now scoop up small treasures directly from the ground, allowing them to store items more quickly.

Clear All Map Markers

• Players can now quickly clear all map markers placed by their crew. Simply hover over a placed marker and select ‘Clear All Map Markers’.

Cashing In Recovered Resource Crates

• Crews who ‘recover’ stolen Resource Crates are now able to sell them back to the Merchant Alliance or Sovereigns at any Outpost. Crews who purchase the crates are still prevented from selling them back directly!

Extra Cooking Stoves

• Each ship now offers two stoves for players to cook up a hearty meal for their crew.

Fruit Crate Contents

• Fruit Crates purchased from the Merchant Alliance will now contain a variety of fruits, instead of just bananas.

Bait Keybinding

• Keen anglers can now assign a keybind to their bait, allowing them to cycle through the different bait types and be ready to cast more quickly.

[h3]Updates[/h3]
Reputation Menu Improvements

• The Reputation pane within the Pirate’s Log has now been redesigned, providing an improved overview of the various Trading Companies and player progression.

[h3]Pirate Emporium[/h3]
Show off your personal style with purchases from the Pirate Emporium! Pick up exclusive cosmetics such as ship liveries, costumes, weapons, pets and emotes using your Ancient Coins, purchasable with real money. Head to the Pirate Emporium page to browse and buy the latest additions!

New Items – Now in Stock!

• Silver Sepulchre Ship Collection
  
• Silver Sepulchre Weapon Bundle
  
• Silver Sepulchre Clothing Bundle
  
• Silver Sepulchre Lantern
  
• Crimson Crypt Ship’s Crest
  
• Friend or Fright Emote
  
• Graveyard Grim Pets (time-limited for Halloween, will return next year)
  
• Skeleton Pets Return (time-limited for Halloween, will return next year)
  
• Paradise Garden Blunderbuss (free!)
  
• Crypts and Creatures Bundle (Steam Store)

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

• The Outpost weaponsmiths and shipwrights have received a shipment of items from the brand new Gold Leaf set. Players are able to purchase the Gold Leaf ship set and weapons, all available for gold.

Season Three Legacy Cosmetics

• Cosmetics previously available during Season Three have now arrived in Outpost shops and can be yours in exchange for Doubloons!
  
• Pirates can purchase the Daring Deceiver clothing set, along with a range of unique one-off items that were available during this Season. Pirate Legends can also purchase Sudds’ Jacket and the Ferry of the Damned Figurehead.
  
• The time-limited Blue Horizon items, however, remain exclusive to players who participated in Season Three.

[h3]Fixed Issues[/h3]
Gameplay

• The Legendary Search for the Skull of Destiny Voyage is once again available from the Pirate Lord and shipwrights!
  
• Players who complete all Commendations across the three Legend of Monkey Island Tall Tales will now obtain the Legend of Monkey Island Commendation and gain access to the Monkey Island Shanty.
  
• Crews who sneak aboard a rival ship and place a Gunpowder Barrel will no longer cause a ‘Treasure Donated’ notification to be shown to the rival crew. Consider a more thoughtful ‘donation’ next time!

‘The Quest for Guybrush’

• Pickpocketing Guybrush should now have an appropriate animation and show updated iconography.
  
• The rings of fire in the circus will continue to appear lit when viewed from above.
  
• Players can no longer see through the environment near the top of the waterfall next to the troll’s bridge.

‘The Lair of LeChuck’

• Crews returning to this Tall Tale from a checkpoint will now see characters in the correct locations and the correct notifications as they play through it.
  
• A range of visual, audio and animation improvements have been made across the Tale to improve the level of polish.
  
• If the Mad Monkey ship sinks during the fight, the Root Beer Cannonballs will no longer revert to regular cannonballs.
  
• Guybrush will now stay closer to players when moving through the catacombs.
  
• Guybrush and Elaine now fire Root Beer Cannonballs instead of regular cannonballs.
  
• Players can now use the three-hit sword combo when fighting LeChuck in the church.
  
• Passing through a lava waterfall during the ship chase will now cause players to take damage as intended.
  
• Admiral Coco can now be interacted with after the Golden Monkey Idol retrieved from the Mast Trap has been placed.
  
• Players are now able to push the cannon after greasing it with the Banana Grease.
  
• Players can still use the Primitive Art after placing all the Golden Monkey Idols.
  
• Players can no longer climb into the front-facing cannons aboard the Headless Monkey while other characters are using them.
  
• The notification when finding the Stockade Key now appears properly for all players.
  
• Text improvements have been made across the tale to improve localisation, ensure dialogue and subtitles are correct and any placeholder text has been removed.

Environment

• Environment improvements have been made to prevent players becoming stuck or launched into the air while navigating The Reaper’s Lair, Wanderers Refuge, Molten Sands Fortress, Shark Bait Cove, The North Star Seapost, Dagger Tooth Outpost and the path to the Pirate Legend Hideout.
  
• Sea Fort keys dropped by defeated Captains should no longer become stuck in the environment.
  
• During a Skeleton Fort at Skull Keep or Lost Gold Fort, the Skeleton Lord should no longer become stuck within rocks on the island shore.
  
• Players can no longer get under the environment when shooting themselves out of a cannon at certain points around The Reaper’s Hideout.
  
• Players who shoot themselves from cannons into stone archways at sea will no longer find themselves stuck in the rocks.
  
• There will no longer be a dark space visible when the passage is open at the Shrine of the Coral Tomb.
  
• Fire effects will no longer appear on parts of wooden and metal tavern structures at Morrow’s Peak Outpost.
  
• The wooden platform at the shipwright’s shop on Ancient Spire Outpost is now fully connected to the ceiling surface.
  
• Items placed on the edges of the lift to the Reaper’s Lair will no longer have a chance of slipping through the cracks and falling below.
  
• Players are no longer able to swim under the environment in the Shrine of Ancient Tears.
  
• Player can no longer walk on the ocean floor east of the Shrine of the Coral Tomb.
  
• There is no longer an invisible wall blocking the path when exploring Old Sailor Isle during the Maiden Voyage.
  
• Players visiting Thieves’ Haven will no longer find that rain is falling into caves and affecting combat with Skeleton forms.
  
• Players can no longer move through the scenery in multiple areas of the Pirate Legend Hideout.
  
• Players can no longer walk through the table in the Sovereigns’ tents.
  
• ‘A Pirate’s Life’ – Players can now consistently pick up the Cursed Captain’s skull after placing it at Poor Dougie’s grave.
  
• ‘A Pirate’s Life’ – Players should no longer be able to become stuck behind the shipwreck hull after opening the first gate.
  
• ‘Captains of the Damned’ – Players are no longer able to see through the wall of the Fort in the second chapter.
  
• ‘Captains of the Damned’ – The lanterns on the Wicked Wench now display correctly.
  
• ‘Dark Brethren’ – Players can no longer walk through the pipe organ in the Chamber of Sorrow.
  
• ‘Shores of Gold’ – Players will now be able to retrieve the Gold Hoarder’s skull if placed down by the Vault entrance.

Accessibility

• Within the front end, the ‘Select a Ship Type’ screen is now narrated for players who enable ‘Let Games Read to Me’.

Visual and Audio

• Crews completing a Sea Fort or Skeleton Fort should no longer hear the music for the encounter continue.
  
• The Merchant Alliance Pistol has been polished and now shows the correct texture on its metal parts.
  
• Pendragon’s Pocket Watch no longer runs three minutes slow.
  
• Paintings placed within a Brigantine’s interior should no longer show a nail protruding through the frame.
  
• The Burning Blade Sails no longer show a floating piece of material.
  
• Crews equipping the Fearless Servant Figurehead will now see the correct item on their ship.
  
• The impact hole from a fired cannonball will now appear consistently.
  
• Textures now appear correctly on the Flaming Jackal Eye of Reach.
  
• After swigging a tankard of grog, a pirate’s hands will no longer intersect with their bodies when wiping their mouth.
  
• The Mountain of Crockery Trinket is now seated correctly when placed on shelves.
  
• Performing the Evildoer Dance Emote now displays the correct animation.
  
• Performing the Touch Grass Emote will no longer rain down an endless shower of pebbles.
  
• Players equipping the Gold Curse alongside the Sovereign Jacket will now find the Curse displays correctly on the arms.
  
• The Ashen Dragon and Shackled Phantom Hulls now glow at a consistent brightness.

Performance and Stability

• Ongoing improvements made to server stability to reduce instances where players are disconnected from their session.

[h3]Known Issues[/h3]
To learn more about known issues in Sea of Thieves currently being tracked and their status, head over to our Known Issues support site article.

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

• Steam: 8.06 GB

There may be a lot to get excited for around the corner with Season Ten boasting three headline updates, the promise of game health fixes and fresh cosmetics in equal measure and the allure of colourful Rowboats, but for a brief 48 hours, from September 30th–October 2nd, we proved that there was still some life left in Season Nine yet.

Which ‘we’ are we talking about? Why, the ‘we’ that refers to all of us, of course! The ‘we’ that includes us, you, your friend and even said friend’s cat if they have a penchant for pirates and pilfering precious possessions. Yes, for as many hours as it would take to walk from Lincoln to London without stopping for as much as a cheese and pickle sandwich, we all enjoyed the good vibes and handsome bonuses of a Community Weekend on the waves.

Image credit: @Taaaaamas

And what a Community Weekend it was! While the foundation of the offering remained quite similar to the shindigs we’ve hosted before, with pirates invited to set sail and enjoy boosted rewards while also grabbing a free flag and emote – the Season Nine Community Weekend Flag and Touch Grass Emote, in this case – the cladding applied was notably different.

First, the Community Emissary Grade was no longer fuelled by hammering out hashtags as we instead asked pirates to enjoy the stories of their fellow filibusters by tuning in to anyone showcasing their skulduggery on Twitch, with the cumulative watch time being responsible for the increasing Grade. You could even watch our own Community crew’s incredibly professional broadcast as we got involved in the fun!

And it wasn’t just rewards that increased with each Community Emissary Grade increase, as another brand new feature debut was initially tied to these in the form of Pop-Up Plunder. This is a system that sees a shared dig spot appear for all crews playing Sea of Thieves, creating a race in every session of the game as crews dash for the cache within the hour that it remains available.


To add to the allure of the spontaneous stash, this edition of the feature saw every spot offering something of a loot roulette, from a collection of Siren Gems to a Chest of Fortune – well, every spot except one, hit upon reaching Community Emissary Grade Five, which boasted a Box of Wondrous Secrets.

To complement the buzz of camaraderie over Community Weekend, the clues for the 12 Pop-Up Plunder spots were shared via our social channels. Not only did this give us some extra flexibility in the challenges we could present – breaking the shackles of mere spot-marked maps to task players with additional decoding, skeleton glyph interpretation and even time-based trailer trawling – these posts also became beacons for pirates to share solutions, spoils and stories.

From Phuzzybond’s brawl over the stash on Smuggler’s Bay to Freyline’s persistence and flabbergasted response to unearthing Wondrous Secrets at Mermaid’s Hideaway, it’s been thrilling to see the community’s response to this first iteration of Pop-Up Plunder.

Also gorgeous to see were the piles of pirates rushing to stand in front of the Picture Walls present at every Outpost! Building on the success of the Anniversary Weekend’s attraction at Port Merrick, the painted planks of these grog-boasting monuments to freebooter friendship were a common, energising sight throughout the weekend.


The energy didn’t end with posing either, if the impressive stats have anything to say about it, with plenty of big numbers suggesting lots of action on the waves – especially for a Season entering its sixth month. Let’s start with the headlines: 32,313,348 cannonballs fired. 2,615,501 grogs guzzled. 166,587 instances of foliage fondling. 14,935,481 skellies smashed. 12,751 Alliances formed. 486,741 pirates sent to the ferry by Gunpowder Barrels. 1,384 burnt leeches also eaten, meaning the Anniversary Weekend’s record remains unbeaten for now…

Now for some more exciting, head-to-head stats! Play along at home if you fancy. Did pirates prefer bananas or coconuts? Despite what you may think, the classic cronch remains superior with 4,383,958 potassium boomerangs devoured versus 4,282,041 coir skulls. And which big beasties sent more pirates to the Ferry, Megalodons or Krakens? If you said the large squid posted the larger numbers, you’re wrong, sorry: while our favourite oversized cephalopod did dispatch 2,472 hapless sailors, members of the Meg family were responsible for 6,354 journeys to the Ferry.

Last one, who do you think won more Hourglass bouts, the Servants of the Flame or Guardians of Fortune? Seems those that fighting in Flameheart’s name have a bit more bite to their bark, given that they chalked up 125,710 victories compared to the 109,667 in Ramsey’s name. We’d say nobody was keeping count so don’t take it personally but, well, we were. Maybe next time, eh?


Less stat-based celebrations came in the form of the Hat of Unfeasibly Glorious Fame, bestowed on many pirates throughout this Event thanks to nominations from others. Pirates such as Gilbot81 for their endless help with the Sea of Thieves UK community group, El Gato Pub for bearing the burden of several thousand excitable pirates when we raided them at the end of our own stream, Unporkable for some outstanding, unique craftsmanship and OrigamiStefan for their impressive Sea of Thieves D&D project. As always, there were more outstanding nominations than we had time to squeeze in, but seeing the outpouring of passion and affection is endlessly heartwarming.

There was plenty of social fun to be had as well, between invitations to misremember quotes and show us your Community Weekend fits to full-on catwalk challenges with a special crew-based #StyleOfThieves contest, even if you weren’t sailing the seas you were bringing a smile to our faces in plenty of other ways.

Oh, and Sea of Thieves also managed that little feat of entering the top 10 games ranked by Twitch viewership, unlocking the Obsidian Captain’s Rugs as a bonus Twitch Drop (and the Obsidian Ship’s Crest, to be delivered later to pirates who redeemed the aforementioned Drop during Community Weekend). We knew this was an ambitious target when we set it, and it means everything to us that our players came together to help hit this goal. Pat yourselves on the back, you all deserve it. Just be careful if you have a hook, please.


Wrapping up now, as we do really need to go and glare at all that newness waiting just around the corner. But before we go, one last cheers to you – thank you for continuing to surprise us with the ways you find to have fun with Sea of Thieves, from playing the game to your many creative endeavours, and thank you for embracing these Events and their ideas with unwavering passion and affection for the seas we share. We aren’t blowing hot air when we say that these Events inspire and fuel us, and that’s all down to you.

We probably don’t need to remind you, but there will be another Community Weekend in Season Ten, so loiter around our social channels to find out when that’s happening. Just don’t loiter too much, else we’ll have to ask you what you’re doing and that might start to get awkward. To avoid this article itself getting uncomfortable, we’re going to end now by simply saying thank you for being the best community there is. Till next time, see you on the seas!

With two back-to-back events, a Tall Tale release, a Season Ten preview and a Community Weekend, September was a rich feast of Sea of Thieves action and we defy anyone to say otherwise. No, put your hand down, we’ve already defied it. Now let’s round it all up, no time to waste! Commence round-uppery!

[h3]Content Update[/h3]
September got things going in fine style with the return of Legends Week, offering boosted rewards and goodies to grab in a celebration of our Pirate Legends’ mad skills. Without missing a beat, sailors then segued into the second Event of the month as Wish You Were Here week posed a trove of travel-centric Challenges with more unique items to earn.

Then as we neared the end of the month, it was time for the third and final instalment of Sea of Thieves: The Legend of Monkey Island! Entitled ‘The Lair of LeChuck’, this rollicking outing concluded the trilogy of Tales with an expedition to Monkey Island and a showdown with the ghost pirate Captain himself. If you’ve yet to pit yourself against his nefarious schemes, all three of these Tall Tales are playable now and will be until further notice.

Finishing off the month, we decided that the best way to mark the final weeks of Season Nine was with another Community Weekend! One of the star features this time around was Pop-Up Plunder, triggering rare treasures in-game for all crews on a server to track down before they rudely vanished again. Maps were shared on our social channels, with some dig spots more deviously disguised than others…

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[h3]News and Features[/h3]
Before Season Nine Community Weekend landed, we wanted to be sure all our intrepid players knew what to expect. Pop-Up Plunder was just one of the changes made since the last Community Weekend – changes that also included the shift in primary channel from Twitter to Twitch! Christina, our esteemed Head of Community and Comms, jumped in to break down the details.

Sticking with the community theme, September’s Spotlights took advantage of Legends Week to promote two pirates with historical Community Spotlights to Legendary status: IOnEI_Falcon, also known as dedicated Deckhand Amir, and Lizalaroo, a titan of community contests and crafting.

Even with the frenzy of activity in September, Talk Like a Pirate Day still got its dues with a special Pirate Emporium sale and time-limited Pretty Polly Sails – and as the Wish You Were Here Event was all about exploring the Sea of Thieves to experience all its beauty and danger, it was the perfect opportunity to reveal the Rough Guide to Sea of Thieves! If you’ve ever wondered what your favourite pirate haven might look like to a tourist, swipe this free download and feel that sense of discovery all over again.


[h3]Videos and Streams[/h3]
Leading the charge for the Video team in September, the launch trailer for ‘The Lair of LeChuck’ saw out the final Tall Tale in the trilogy with suitable fanfare and a look at the last batch of themed cosmetics. But that wasn’t the only Legend of Monkey Island content laid out to tantalise fans of Guybrush and friends last month, as lashings of behind-the-scenes insights and secrets were unveiled not only in part 2 of our Deep Dive video series, but part 3 as well.

The latest Sea of Thieves News video was also out there dropping exclusives of its own, as attention started shifting to the future and what changes Season Ten may bring. To sate that curiosity and offer much more detail on what we’ve been working on, various members of the team dropped by to spill the beans in a special Season Ten Preview video. That’s right: Guilds, Skull of Siren Song Voyages and Safer Seas will all be coming your way soon. Spoilers!

Finally, Season Nine Community Weekend got its own introductory video just like the Wish You Were Here event before it. The new Twitch-based Emissary Grade system meant that the weekend itself encouraged plenty of streaming, watching or both, and more Rare team members helped launch it from the on-site Tavern with hours of chaotic fun and plunder hunting!

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[h3]Social Channels[/h3]
Community Weekend was, of course, a massive September social media event and we did all we could to make sure everyone could get involved – from preparing the appropriate freebies and sharing a selection of assets for streamer setups to simply ensuring outfits were on point. Good thing too, as a special bonus Style of Thieves contest was right around the corner! Expect a Community Weekend lookback article full of good vibes and stonks summaries in the near future.

September’s two #SoTShot rounds were filled with crackingly creative submissions: after delighting in pictures of perfect pets for the Animal Appreciation theme, we took a quick swim to explore a surplus of Sunken Riches. Plus of course there were a pair of Community Hub updates, celebrating some of the community’s creative talents outside the game.

Elsewhere, someone made the mistake of letting the team go rogue with 100 kegs – with predictable results – while for others, looking ahead to Season Ten caused a rather strange fixation on paint. Quietly leaving the TikTok team to get over whatever that was and with the legacy of Legends Week still lurking, pirates traded stories of their legendary deeds, only to get dragged into reminiscing on a few of their legendary fails too. That was no problem though – nobody becomes a true Pirate Legend without sailing headlong into an island or two, right? Right?


And done! All covered for September. We’ll be back in a month to round up October’s occurrences, which will give us a chance to catch our breath because it’s looking so much quieter and – oh right, yes, Season Ten. Not quieter at all. In that case, keep up with everything by following Sea of Thieves on channels of your choice including Twit-X, Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, YouTube or Twitch, or the official Forums or Discord. Enjoy the debut of the imminent ‘Super Season’, count yourselves lucky we didn’t call it a ‘Super Spoopy Season’ considering the timing and we’ll catch you back here for more rigorous rounding up next month!
[hr][/hr][h3]Previously in 2023:[/h3]
Sea of Thieves Round-Up: August 2023 Sea of Thieves Round-Up: July 2023 Sea of Thieves Round-Up: June 2023 Sea of Thieves Round-Up: May 2023 Sea of Thieves Round-Up: April 2023 Sea of Thieves Round-Up: March 2023 Sea of Thieves Round-Up: February 2023 Sea of Thieves Round-Up: January 2023

After players worked tirelessly to free Guybrush Threepwood from the magical machinations of LeChuck in previous Tall Tale ‘The Quest for Guybrush’, the time has come to strike back against his captor. In this third and final instalment of Sea of Thieves: The Legend of Monkey Island, you’ll venture to the titular isle and finally confront the nefarious Captain responsible for Guybrush’s recent misfortunes.

[h3]Previous Pirate Perils[/h3]
As the third Tall Tale in the trilogy, ‘The Lair of LeChuck’ is the culmination of everything pirates have experienced in The Legend of Monkey Island so far. This delightful crossover kicked off back in July, as players reached the glittering Caribbean shores of Mêlée Island for the first time. However, not everything was as it seemed, and a series of challenges and riddles led them to uncover the shocking truth: this version of the island was a Sea of the Damned illusion, a trap designed to ensnare Guybrush.

That first Tale ended with Guybrush’s fate left in the hands of Corina as she searched for a way to free him. Once she found it, players were thrust right back into the action, concocting a potion to burn away the mysterious fog shrouding the island and revealing more iconic locations.

With expanded access to Mêlée Island and its eccentric inhabitants, players could then embark on the journey to obtain three symbols of True Pirate Courage. This required a demonstration of bravado and mastery of all the most important pirate skills, but the reward was the long-awaited cure for Guybrush’s beguilement. Once he was freed, that left only one thing to do: pursue and confront the scoundrel responsible!

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[h3]The Voyage to Monkey Island[/h3]
Which brings us here, to ‘The Lair of LeChuck’. After taking a few weeks to recover his strength and plan his attack, Guybrush is finally ready to take on his nemesis – with your help. Set sail once again into the Sea of the Damned and follow LeChuck’s trail to the fabled Monkey Island, but beware! Finding the dreaded ghost pirate will be no easy feat…

You’ll need to plot a way past the iconic Giant Stone Monkey Head, unearth three golden idols and delve into a maze of catacombs while seeking LeChuck’s lava-filled lair. From there, it’s a race to catch up with him before he can claim a final victory over Guybrush and Elaine, and put an end to his latest ruthless scheme!

‘The Lair of LeChuck’ provides a thrilling conclusion to the story set up in the first two Tall Tales with the payoff of a highly anticipated excursion to Monkey Island itself, as faces both familiar and new show up to speed you on your way. Good luck!

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[h3]Closing Out in Style[/h3]
Of course, dramatic showdowns with legendary villains require an appropriately stylish look. Fortunately, the Pirate Emporium has been welcoming in new crossover-themed cosmetics to help you along.

With the new Legend of Monkey Island Sails and Figurehead, you can head into this confrontation making an unmistakable show of your support for Guybrush. Alternatively, you might want to check out the new costumes inspired by Kate Capsize, Herman Toothrot and Stan, letting you live out a wealth of Tri-Island Area roleplay dreams. Even if those dreams involve becoming a Previously Owned Vessels salesman. It takes all sorts.

If it’s equipment you need, you’ll be happy to hear that the Rubber Chicken with a Pulley in the Middle has found a new lease of life. Given a few tweaks, this one-time transportation mechanism will helpfully transport fish from the sea onto your ship in the form of a snazzy new fishing rod! Not bad for some vulcanised poultry.

So what are you waiting for? Guybrush is banking on your support to stop LeChuck’s plans, and you wouldn’t want anyone else stealing all the glory. All three Tall Tales comprising Sea of Thieves: The Legend of Monkey Island are available free for all players, and are live right now! Just head on over to Capsize Charters at any Outpost to get started.

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