Sea of Thieves News

The Festival of Giving is all about coming together to celebrate the season, and this year we’re encouraging pirates to collectively earn as much gold as possible! Throughout this Event, any gold you earn will contribute to a shared Community Goal, and your first contribution will be recognised with a reward of bonus Doubloons. If the Community Goal is reached before the Event ends, all pirates who helped out will also unlock the Starburst Drum to commemorate their contribution!

To help you on your way to earning plenty of gold and hitting that Goal, the Trading Companies have agreed to take it in turns to offer boosted rewards. Check your Quest Table to see where you can earn the most money each day!

There’s plenty more to enjoy throughout the holidays, including an Emporium Extravaganza, more cosmetic giveaways and an entire week of Gold & Glory. For the latest info on what’s on and how to get involved, swing by our Events Hub: https://www.seaofthieves.com/event-hub

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[h3]Pirates of Mischief[/h3]
Grapple Gun Improvements

• The maximum range of the Grapple Gun has been increased to match the ship’s harpoon, providing players with greater scope for traversal and various sneaky plays.
  
• The speed of a fired arrowhead is now much quicker, reducing the need for players to lead their shots and also reducing the time after a failed shot before it can be fired again.
  
• Acceleration is now increased when grappling to a solid surface, with players moving faster the further they travel.

Blowpipe Improvements

• Players can now quickly cycle through available dart types via a new keybind, Dart Radial Input. This same key can also be held to summon the full Dart Radial. By default, this is bound to ‘H’ on keyboard and Right on D-pad when using a controller – players already using these keys for other actions will need to rebind their controls to prevent issues from occurring.
  
• Players now have a choice on how the blowpipe acts when running out of a specific dart type. By default it will switch to the next type, but by using Auto Switch Dart Type in the Input Settings, players can prevent this automatic switch.

Merfruit Improvements

• Enchanted Merfruit will no longer be selected when using the food keybind to switch and cycle through food within a player’s inventory to prevent accidental eating. Uncooked Merfruit will continue to be selected when cycling through food.
  
• Enchanted Merfruit can now be placed inside Fruit Crates for safekeeping.

Mimic Dart – Delayed

• As shared in our recent State of Play, while this new ammo type for the blowpipe was announced in previous updates, it has not yet reached the quality bar where the team would be happy to release it. This feature will continue to be worked on for release in a future update.
  
• While this feature is disabled, a range of Pirates of Mischief Commendations are visible but unable to be progressed and the Lucky Hand Blowpipe, Real Dead Ringer Trinkets and Part of the Hive Title remain locked.

[h3]Gameplay Improvements[/h3]
Safer Seas Rewards and Reputation

• Players choosing to sail on Safer Seas will now find it a more rewarding experience during their early stages of progression with the Trading Companies. Gold and reputation will now be earned at 100% (up from 30%), equivalent to their value on High Seas.
  
• To balance this, progression with each Trading Company is now capped at rank 25 (down from 40). To continue earning reputation and progress past rank 25 with a Trading Company, players will need to venture onto High Seas.
  
• While players who choose to remain on Safer Seas will be unable to climb all the way to Pirate Legend, they are still free to take on the Voyages to which they already have access and will continue to earn the same gold rewards as on High Seas.

[h3]Updates[/h3]
Detection Improvements for Ban Evasion

• Starting with December’s update, detection improvements will begin rolling out behind the scenes targeting players who evade game bans to regain access to Sea of Thieves. These improvements will be deployed in phases over the coming months to systematically crack down on banned players and prevent them from returning to the seas.

[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 to browse and buy the latest additions!

New Emporium Items – Now in Stock!

• Dreamers’ Dust Ship Collection
  
• Dreamers’ Dust Weapon Bundle
  
• Dreamers’ Dust Ship’s Crest
  
• Dreamers’ Dust Lantern
  
• Dreamers’ Dust Costume Set
  
• New Glacial Curse Pets: Fox, Owl, Parakeet and Alsatian
  
• Motley Mariner Cannon Flare
  
• Menacing Weapon Pose Emote
  
• Ice Sculpture Emote (free!)

Returning Emporium Items

• Bonechiller Weapon Bundle, now with additional weapons (time-limited, will return next year)
  
• Bonechiller Ship Collection and Ship’s Crest (time-limited, will return next year)
  
• Bonechiller Costume Set (time-limited, will return next year)
  
• Festival of Giving Weapons (time-limited, will return next year)
  
• Festival of Giving Pet Outfits (time-limited, will return next year)

Pirate Emporium Homepage Improvements

• The Pirate Emporium homepage now features a carousel to better highlight new items arriving in the store.
  
• Beneath the carousel are three dedicated tiles for themed content, showcasing items from Sea of Thieves: A Pirate’s Life and Sea of Thieves: The Legend of Monkey Island. With these dedicated spaces now accessible from the homepage, they have been removed from the top navigation to ease browsing.

Pirate Emporium Plunder Pass Improvements

• Selecting the Plunder Pass within the Emporium now allows players to see all items that can be earned by progressing through the 100 levels of Renown for the active Season before making their purchase.

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

• The Outpost weaponsmiths now stock the Bone Crusher and Sea Dog Heavy Swords and Rapiers.
  
• The Outpost clothing shops now offer Stately Shirts in four fetching colours for all pirates to purchase.

[h3]Fixed Issues[/h3]
Gameplay

• Pigs will no longer flee from players holding Merfruit.
  
• The aim on the Seasoned Sailor Pistol has been improved, ensuring shots now align with the tip of the barrel.

Performance and Stability

• Performance improvements have been made to the game client, providing a small overall improvement to framerates.
  
• Further improvements have been made to game stability to reduce scenarios where players unexpectedly exit the game or become disconnected from their session.

Pirates of Mischief

• Players completing the necessary criteria to progress the Pirates of Mischief Commendations will now find they are able to purchase disguises once the Commendations are fully unlocked. Some players with prior progress may remain temporarily blocked as the team works behind the scenes to sync their progress.
  
• Pirates extinguishing Black Powder Darts attached to them should now consistently progress the Wash Out Commendation.
  
• Attacking enemy Bone Caller Skeletons with Poison Darts should now progress the Poisonous Pirate Commendation.

Disguises

• Using a disguise while under the effect of sickness will now pause the symptoms and prevent a bout of vomiting from breaking a player’s disguise.
  
• The Chest of the Damned disguise visual effects now appear correctly when on a moving ship.
  
• Players in disguises will no longer make loud footsteps while moving around the deck of a ship.

Blowpipe and Darts

• Picking up an ammo pouch will now consistently restock all blowpipe darts.
  
• Kill markers now appear when defeating enemies with blowpipe darts.
  
• Controller vibration has been improved while using the blowpipe, addressing incorrect feedback when aiming and reloading.
  
• Darts are now damaged by explosives, and those embedded in a target can also be damaged consistently by gunshots.
  
• Shooting a Gunpowder Barrel with a Poison Dart should no longer trigger the fuse visual effects.
  
• Black Powder Darts embedded in players should now be consistently extinguished when doused with water.
  
• The glint of a Lure Dart now appears in the same colour for all players in the session.

Crouching and Stealth

• Players hanging from the side of a ship while it dives to a Voyage or Hourglass of Fate battle will no longer find themselves stuck in a drowning state.
  
• Exiting a hanging point while crouching will no longer cause a player to equip their weapon.
  
• Players will now find it easier to hide when out of sight of common enemies and Skeleton Captains.
  
• When multiple players interact with the same hanging point simultaneously, they will now retain the ability to crouch afterwards.
  
• Cancelling the action to bail water by using crouch no longer causes the resulting splash audio effect to be heard incorrectly.
  
• Players will no longer exit crouch when picking up a Trident of Dark Tides.
  
• Exiting crouch with a stashed item will no longer result in the item appearing to intersect with the player.
  
• Players can no longer crouch while holding the fishing rod fully drawn back before casting.
  
• Players switching quickly to a lantern after crouching will no longer see the light emitted below them as if they were still crouching.
  
• Players crouching while holding items are no longer able to interact with areas of the ship such as the capstan, maintaining consistency with held items.
  
• Players crouching with an open chest will now correctly display the contents to nearby players and items can be added and retrieved.

Traps

• When disarming a loaded trap with limited inventory space, players will retrieve the trap first before any loaded items.
  
• When attempting to deploy a trap in a restricted location, players will now have the trap returned to their inventory.
  
• Players who temporarily disconnect from a session with deployed traps will now find the traps stay active for a short grace period for the player to rejoin the session before they are removed.
  
• Traps are now triggered instantly by gunshots or melee attacks, but when this sets off a chain reaction of deployed traps there will be a short delay between triggers.
  
• Players standing stationary near a trap now take the same damage as players moving when it is triggered.
  
• Traps loaded with a Jigball or Wearyball should now consistently affect the pirate triggering the trap.
  
• While below deck on a ship, players can no longer set traps through the ceiling on the floor above.
  
• Traps buried in the same spot by multiple players will no longer disappear.

Environment

• Grapple Guns no longer allow players to move beneath surfaces or reach outside the map at various Skeleton Camps.
  
• Kraken’s Fall no longer has part of the environment sticking out from the geometry.
  
• Players are now prevented from moving through the ceiling or interacting with objects on the floors above while navigating Sea Forts.
  
• The coconuts inside crates at Port Merrick now appear correctly.
  
• Players can now pick up the Mysterious Journal from all potential locations on Crescent Isle.
  
• ‘The Lair of LeChuck’ – Players can no longer reach past the boundaries of the map by using the Grapple Gun.

User Interface

• Large Guilds with 30 ships pledged should now load consistently when selected.
  
• Captains should now find that when meeting the criteria for a Ship Milestone, that Milestone and associated reward are now unlocked.
  
• Players choosing to block communication through Xbox Family Settings should no longer find the UI becomes unresponsive after attempting to send messages using text chat.
  
• When equipping the Radiant Comet Capstan, the prompt to use the capstan is now placed in the correct location.
  
• ‘Maiden Voyage’ – The correct prompt is now shown when handing the Old Sailor’s Chest to the Pirate Lord.

Visual and Audio

• Items used in various emotes such as flowers and buckets should now consistently appear at their intended size.
  
• Equipping the Shadow Tide Wheel no longer hides the ship’s compass when sailing on a Brigantine or Sloop.
  
• The sight on the Lodestar Blowpipe is now correctly aligned.
  
• Obsidian Bone Crusher and Inner Sanctum Hulls equipped to a Brigantine now display correctly.
  
• Characters’ faces no longer appear to be missing parts when wearing a mask combined with the Forest’s Blessing Costume or Barrel Bombardier Costume.
  
• Ponytail hairstyles now display correctly from all angles.
  
• When equipping the Wheel of Noble Captaincy, it will now be displayed with the correct shadows.
  
• The Iron Turtle and Lucky Hand Grapple Guns no longer intersect with the player camera when fired.
  
• The speaking trumpet’s shadow now appears properly across all graphic settings.

Text and Localisation

• Localisation quality improvements have been made to a range of items within the Pirate Emporium across multiple languages.

[h3]Known Issues[/h3]
Blowpipe Keybinding

• Players who already have actions bound to ‘H’ on keyboard or Right on D-pad when using a controller may find they are unable to perform these actions following this update. This can be resolved by rebinding the actions from the Game Settings.

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: 3.47 GB

The end of the year is creeping ever closer and now that we’re in the final stretch, we’ve got a few more jobs to do before we sign off for the holidays. Like this one: filling you in on everything you may have missed in November! It was a surprisingly busy month for a mid-Season update, so let’s get right to business…

[h3]Content Update[/h3]
Due to earlier issues with some Season 14 launch content, the November update ended up including a whole host of postponed features, including traps, hanging points and the much-missed disguises. We later hotfixed in a few other minor changes to buff out some lingering issues, but then it was full speed ahead with the Season of mischief.

With all those sneaky features back in players’ hands, it was time for a celebration. Enter Season 14 Community Weekend, with a shared Community Emissary Grade to boost rewards, Twitch Drops, Picture Walls, Pop-Up Plunder – and its new cousin, Pop-Up Blunder – and so much more. It was great to see so many people joining us and taking part, even the pirates we couldn’t see. We’d wondered where all those extra chests and barrels were coming from.

Further afield, there were some out-of-game releases to shout about too. The music for a certain flaming ritual was added to the Sea of Thieves soundtrack for streaming in all the usual places, ready for whenever you feel like reliving that time you lost all your skin and flesh. At the same time, new Making Mischief designs made it to the Xbox Gear Store and a few lucky viewers were among the first to get their hands on the new colouring book as a livestream giveaway prize! Crayons out, pirates – we’re ready to see all your colourful creations.

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[h3]News and Features[/h3]
As always, a Community Weekend has so many moving parts that a news article was the best way to lay out all the details up front, including which cosmetics were up for grabs, how to get involved and what that Community Emissary Grade can do for you. If you haven’t joined us for a Community Weekend before, this is a good place to start getting to grips with what they’re all about ahead of the next one.

Sticking with the community theme, the Community Spotlight shone down again in November: this time we were exchanging words with SoT UK admin heroine MrsPabl0 to find out what goes into helping to run a Sea of Thieves Affiliate Alliance group!

We also tried something new with the first instalment of This Month in Sea of Thieves. While dates are always fluid as Events and updates get shuffled around, we’re trying out this new series to put all the information you need about the upcoming month in one easy-to-read place. By the time you read this, December’s article will have landed too, so you may want to give it a peek – just beware spoilers for next month’s round-up!


[h3]Videos and Streams[/h3]
The Video team started their month with a fresh instalment of Sea of Thieves News, but the very next day they were back again with the latest Explainer! This episode tackled the topic of the nature of Seasons and how players can earn, buy and win cosmetics to personalise their pirate however they see fit.

With the November update rapidly approaching, Drew hopped in front of a camera to deliver our first Developer Update in a while, teeing everyone up for what was to come in the rest of the month and giving a peek behind the scenes at what we’re working on. The video set us up nicely for the Monthly Update – complete with the full complement of trailers and Pirate Emporium reveals that you’ll have come to expect.

For Community Weekend, a cast of Community team members regrouped in the Tavern for some suitably chaotic stream fun, but not before we were done investigating this suspicious barrel we found… That left just one more thing to publish before the month was out, in the form of a somewhat belated official podcast episode! Give it a listen if you’re curious what might be coming next for the game or you want to hear some very serious, professional conversations about booty. No, really.

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[h3]Social Channels[/h3]
November on socials started with a spooky bang as we revealed the winners of the Ghouls and Ghosts round of #SoTShot! We really needed that one last scare before we shook off the lingering shivers of October. More player creativity was celebrated with a refresh of the Community Hub, but we may have gotten a bit preoccupied using Season 14’s new loadout additions to cause mayhem for much else. Fortunately it wasn’t long before the brand new Compass of Chaos made its debut and delivered a much more organised mayhem strategy for everyone to be getting on with.

The increased efficiency freed up some time to complete a second round of #SoTShot – this time putting everyone’s recently improved stealth abilities to the test with a Sneaky Sailors theme – but alas, some pirates mysteriously went missing during the process. Maybe they were just too sneaky.

Fortunately, most people came out of hiding for Community Weekend, highlighting their loyal crewmates and taking a moment to snap a quick pic at the Picture Walls to mark the occasion. There were even fireworks to enjoy – for some of us, at least…


All of which brings us to the end of November – and very nearly the year! This’ll be the last time you see the round-up crew (or at least, the writing crew with their round-up hats on) until next year when we’ll be recollecting all the adventures deployed in December. Until then, as always, you can find us on all the standard social channels – as well as Bluesky now! – over on Twitter/X, Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, Twitch, or via the official Forums and Discord. Drop us a line in any of those places with any feedback but otherwise, happy holidays and we’ll see you in the new year! Sail responsibly!
[hr][/hr][h3]Previously in 2024: [/h3]
Sea of Thieves Round-Up: October 2024 Sea of Thieves Round-Up: September 2024 Sea of Thieves Round-Up: August 2024 Sea of Thieves Round-Up: July 2024 Sea of Thieves Round-Up: June 2024 Sea of Thieves Round-Up: May 2024 Sea of Thieves Round-Up: April 2024 Sea of Thieves Round-Up: March 2024 Sea of Thieves Round-Up: February 2024 Sea of Thieves Round-Up: January 2024

As we sail into December, the Sea of Thieves is alive with fresh adventures and holiday cheer! From thrilling events to brand new features, there’s plenty in store to keep you voyaging through the season: prepare for festive challenges, unique rewards and community events to end the year with a bang.

Holiday Decorations – from Sunday, December 1st

Kick off December with some suitable festive cheer, as Sea of Thieves’ Outposts get into the holiday spirit!

Legends Week – Monday, December 2nd – Monday, December 9th

Seasoned sailors are in for a treat with the next Legends Week. Get double gold and reputation for handing in Athena's Fortune treasure, seek Legendary Messages in a Bottle and complete the Voyages within to earn rewards (and unlock the Life of a Legend Tattoo). Tackle Legendary Daily Deeds for additional payouts too!

Holiday Hauls – Friday, December 6th – Sunday, December 22nd

Gift giving for all! Sea of Thieves Partners, Affiliate Alliance leaders and Deckhands will be setting sail under the Generous Gift Sails during this period, spreading holiday cheer and delivering a delightful array of gifts to those fortunate enough to cross their path! 

Support a Streamer – Friday, December 6th – Sunday, December 22nd

Sea of Thieves is partnering with Twitch for December's Support a Streamer event. Twitch viewers can receive rewards for gifting subscriptions to participating streamers!

Viewers who gift two qualifying subscriptions will receive the Celestial Steed ship cosmetics, while those who gift three qualifying subscriptions will also receive the Obsidian Capstan. Keep an eye on our social channels for more details when the campaign goes live!

December Monthly Update – Thursday, December 12th

A fresh update drops this month, bringing in improvements and fixes for a variety of features, accompanied by new Emporium and Outpost stock! Check the release notes page when the update goes live for the complete rundown.

Once again, players who jump in during the first week after this release will be awarded a bonus stash of gold and Doubloons, and all players will find another Voyage of Luck waiting for them at the Quest Table.

Love to show off the latest emote? You can also claim the Ice Sculpture Emote for free when you visit the Pirate Emporium in December.

Your Story So Far – Thursday, December 12th

The pirate performance checkpoint returns, providing statistics on everything from gold earned and distance sailed to an eye-opening look at your fighting, singing and cooking preferences – and your engagement with new Seasonal features released in 2024.

Your final figures for the year are captured when you visit the page, so as soon as you’re ready, jump in and see how you did!

Festival of Giving – Wednesday, December 18th – Monday, December 30th

The Festival of Giving returns for another year with a treasure trove of daily gifts! Each day, pirates can claim a Gilded Voyage and a Voyage of Luck, drawing from an exclusive pool of these rare Voyages. But remember, they must be completed the same day, as they won't stack or carry over!

Adding to the festive bounty, a daily gold and reputation multiplier will boost rewards for the Trading Companies in turn. Across the 12-day event, each participating Company (Gold Hoarders, Order of Souls, Merchant Alliance and Athena’s Fortune) will have three special days with increased rewards, giving crews a generous holiday haul for their efforts.

Holiday Sale – Wednesday, December 18th – Monday, January 6th

This year's Holiday Sale in the Pirate Emporium arrives with an animal theme, slashing prices on the Pet Protector, Boarhunter, Soaring Oracle sets and more, in addition to offering deals on some Collector’s Pets and all standard pets. Swing by the Emporium when the sale is live to see the full selection!

Emporium Extravaganza – Wednesday, December 18th – Monday, January 6th

The Extravaganza is back: during the Holiday Sale period, Emporium shoppers can unlock the Ancient Coin Flag by spending at least 450 Ancient Coins, offering a stylish way to enhance their ship’s appearance. Similarly, the Ancient Coin Sails can be unlocked by spending 2000 Ancient Coins, allowing pirates to stand out on the high seas with style.

Gold & Glory – Monday, December 30th – Monday, January 6th

Gold and Glory returns to end the year, offering a final boost to all your treasure-hunting endeavours. For the duration of this Event, all pirates can earn increased gold and reputation, making it the perfect time to stack up your riches and climb the ranks of your chosen Trading Company!

Golden Scallywag Awards – ending Tuesday, December 31st

To ensure you have time to make the most of Season 14's features in this contest, the Golden Scallywag Awards have been extended a final time, until December 31st! See the complete contest details here.
[hr][/hr]As December wraps up, we look forward to seeing you all again in January! With fresh challenges, time-limited Events and festive cheer still to come, there’s plenty to keep you on your toes as you sail into 2025. So hoist your sails high, gather your crew and make this holiday season one to remember!

[h3]Fixed Issues[/h3]
Traps

• Players are no longer able to retrieve additional resources when disarming an item-loaded trap.
  
• Traps deployed should now remain in place and not disappear unexpectedly during gameplay. Once deployed, a trap should now last for hours if left undisturbed and only be removed when triggered, replaced by a new trap when players reach their limit of two or when players leave the server.
  
• Players are consistently limited to deploying two traps and can no longer place additional traps by disconnecting and rejoining a session.
  
• Traps deployed by other crews will now consistently be removed when they dive to a new server, scuttle to new seas or migrate naturally to another server.

Voyage of Luck

• Crews diving for the Voyage of Luck should no longer experience an extended wait while underwater.

Performance and Stability

• Further improvements have been made to game stability to reduce scenarios where players unexpectedly exit the game or become disconnected from their session.

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

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

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

• Steam: 1.32 GB