Sea of Thieves News

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!

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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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Ready your crew and prepare to sail into the fog as our first brand new Adventure, ‘Shrouded Islands’, goes live in Sea of Thieves! Kicking off a new series of time-limited, narrative-focused events, this inaugural Adventure sees you searching for answers in the ethereal mist that now engulfs the ruined Golden Sands Outpost… and may be starting to spread.

As part of our push to make the Sea of Thieves a more dynamic place to explore, these Adventures won’t be replacing our Season-based method of delivering free, regular content updates but will run alongside them, offering a new Adventure roughly every month, each lasting for a minimum of two weeks. There’ll be secrets to discover, battles to fight, rewards to earn and a unique cinematic trailer to introduce each Adventure, laying out the stakes and preparing you for the events ahead.

[h3]The State of the Seas
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As ‘Shrouded Islands’ opens, a new threat encroaching upon Golden Sands Outpost, the sudden disappearance of Captain Flameheart from the skies and reported sightings of the mysterious Belle have caused a hubbub on the Sea of Thieves – with Larinna, leader of the Bilge Rats, keeping a watchful eye on these strange events. Whenever you’re looking to venture forth on an Adventure, Larinna should have a lead to help you get started and will even beckon you over if you approach the tavern.

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If you’re a new player who doesn’t know their Captain Flameheart from their Pirate Lord, or if you’re just looking for a quick lore refresher before diving into ‘Shrouded Islands’, the official Sea of Thieves website will be posting a story primer before each Adventure to help get you up to speed. Should you need more information on how Adventures will work, or the other exciting additions we have lined up for this year, make sure you check out our recent 2022 Preview Event!

Ready to go? There’s no time like the present: cast off and start a new Sea of Thieves Adventure today in ‘Shrouded Islands’. Many more Adventures lie ahead in 2022, along with Mysteries and a story-focused Pirate Legend Voyage coming soon as part of Season Six. Happy sailing!

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

New to Sea of Thieves? Find out about the latest free content updates on our What’s New page and pick up some tips from our Pirate Academy, which provides invaluable information on topics ranging from sailing to swordplay as you prepare for your maiden voyage. Learn more about Sea of Thieves at www.xbox.com/seaofthieves, or join the ongoing adventure at www.seaofthieves.com where you can embark on an epic journey with one of gaming’s most welcoming communities!