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Sea of Thieves Release Notes - 2.6.0

Welcome to Season Seven! We hope you’ll agree that it was worth the wait, with a pool of Captaincy features so deep that you can buy and name your own ship and still only scratch the surface. This Season also brings a steady flow of other features, from the traditional sweep of Seasonal rewards to gameplay improvements, balancing adjustments and a bumper bunch of Emporium additions.

To start with, we recommend a quick soak in the official Season Seven content update video, and maybe a dip into the Deep Dive afterwards...

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Now pull up a stool (possibly one you stumbled across on a beach) as we detail everything added to Sea of Thieves in this latest update, from the headline features down to the smallest quality of life tweaks. Sitting comfortably? No splinters? Then let’s begin.

[h3]Captains of Adventure
[/h3]
The pirate fantasy reaches new heights with the debut of this long-awaited feature. Any pirate with gold to spare can now buy one or more ships to call their own, becoming a true Captain at last. But there’s a whole lot more than that to the Sea of Thieves Captaincy experience...

Owning a Ship
  • When starting a session, players will now see a ‘My Ships’ option on the game’s front end. Captained ships can be purchased from here, and players can own one of each ship type to begin with. Once a ship reaches Legendary status, another ship of that type can be purchased.
  • After purchasing a new ship, Captains can give their beloved new vessel a name. Ship names are capped at 20 characters, so choose wisely!
  • Now set sail on your new ship to unlock more perks as a Captain!
Customising Your Ship
  • Captained ships can access new ship decorations from the Ship Customisation Chest at any shipwright. Once these options are unlocked through Milestone progression, players can choose from numerous styles to apply to the table, drapes, bed and rugs, while Galleon crews can also change the chair, chandeliers and curtains.
  • New decorations such as Ship’s Crests, Captain’s Logbooks, Ship’s Banners, Flags and Titles can also be unlocked by progressing through Ship Milestones. These can be equipped once the ship has made the required progress.
  • Every Captained ship has a Ship’s Banner that shows the names of the ship and its Captain. This is shown whenever a crew approach their vessel at the start of each session, and is also shown after sinking. Crews scouting a fellow Captain’s ship on the horizon with a spyglass will also be shown their customised Ship’s Banner!
  • Alongside decorations, the Captain now has the option to permanently apply customisation options to their ship. For a fee, Captains can use the Ship Customisation Chest to save a ship part, which will then persist across sessions on the current ship.
  • If the Captain's Permissions are set accordingly, crewmates are free to keep expressing themselves during a session by freely applying liveries as before, but these will not be saved. Captains can also easily ‘Revert Ship to Saved Items’ from the Ship Customisation Chest.
  • Captains will find a range of spots on board their new ship where decorative Trinkets can be placed, enabling players to more fully express themselves and personalise their surroundings.
  • Trinkets are comprised of ornaments, which can be bought from the shipwright at any time, and trophies, which must first be unlocked by making progress towards Milestones – ultimately helping to showcase each player’s individual journey!
  • Trinkets can be pushed out of place when the ship takes damage or fills with water, but can be set right by simply nudging them back into position.
Expanded Shipwright Services
  • With a Captained ship now being a persistent vessel, any battle scars such as repaired hull damage or charring from fire will be saved between sessions.
  • For a fee, Captains can have these battle scars removed and their ship restored to pristine condition, either by speaking to a shipwright or via the ‘My Ships’ option on the game’s front end.
  • Shipwrights now present a new shop front exclusively to Captains and their crew. This offers a variety of supplies to stock up Captained ships ahead of a Voyage, with purchases being placed directly into the ship’s barrels.
Captain’s Voyages
  • In addition to restocking supplies, shipwrights now offer Captains an exclusive range of Voyages, enabling Captains and crews to curate their journeys by selecting from specific activities, Voyage lengths and difficulties (and resulting rewards) before setting sail.
  • Captain’s Voyages cover a range of Trading Companies, and once purchased will be delivered to the Captain’s Bookshelf aboard the ship for easy access while at sea.
Pirate and Ship Milestones
  • Milestones are a permanent record of a player’s accomplishments while aboard a Captained ship, both those of the crew and the ship itself! These can be accessed via the Ship’s Log tab of the game menu.
  • Pirate Milestones are personal and reflect the actions that players have taken while sailing on a Captained ship. Ship Milestones are achieved by a specific ship and tied to actions performed aboard that ship.
  • Milestones are grouped into Alignments, each representing a different play style. For example, Milestones related to earning gold and selling treasure will progress The Gold Seeker Alignment, while those more focused on socialising and enjoying the pirate life will progress The Rogue. Each Alignment offers rewards to unlock including Trinkets, ship decorations and Titles.
Captain’s Logbook
  • Players aboard a Captained ship will find a new book on the Captain’s Table. This Captain’s Logbook provides a record of the crew’s latest journeys, with a fresh log being started each session. The Captain’s Logbook can also be customised by pinning the Captain and crew’s most prized Milestone accomplishments for all to see.
  • When a Captained ship is sunk, the Captain’s Logbook will remain in the water, allowing other crews to review the adventures of the ill-fated crew before selling the Recovered Captain’s Logbook to The Reaper’s Bones. The price paid will increase based on the sailing time of the ship that was sunk!
The Sovereigns
  • A new group has arrived at the Outposts, offering an exclusive service to Captains and their crews. The Sovereigns can be found in the new marquees at the docks, offering a handy harpoon and Rowboat winch, allowing Captained crews to offload treasure from their vessels with ease.
  • The Sovereigns will pass treasure along to the appropriate Trading Company, returning 100% of the profit to the crew. However, any treasure destined for The Reaper’s Bones or The Hunter’s Call will not be accepted by the Sovereigns.
  • When receiving an item that can be offered to multiple Trading Companies, the Sovereigns will deliver it to a random Company. However, if the crew is representing a Trading Company as an Emissary, the treasure will always be delivered to that Company.
Captaincy Info & Tips
  • A new ‘Info & Tips’ option in the game menu contains a set of written tutorials on everything crews need to know about Captaincy.
Hiding Ship and Captain Names
  • Content creators who choose to use ‘Replace Gamertags’ from the in-game settings will now find that this feature also hides the Captain’s chosen ship name from their viewers, showing one from a predefined list instead.
Captains of Adventure Achievements

New Xbox and Steam achievements can be unlocked by progressing through the game’s variety of new features. A total of 300 gamerscore is available to earn from this update, and these achievements will remain in the game indefinitely.
  • O Captain! [10G]
  • The Quartermaster [10G]
  • A Crewed Wisdom [15G]
  • The Art Collector [15G]
  • Ready for Next Time [15G]
  • A Touch of Class [20G]
  • Chasing the Horizon [20G]
  • A Veteran Voyager [20G]
  • That’s ‘Captain’, Mate... [25G]
  • Spared No Expense [30G]
  • A Professional Pirate [35G]
  • A Seasoned Ship [35G]
  • A Fleeting Fancy [50G]

[h3]Season Seven
[/h3]
We haven’t skimped on the standard Seasonal expectations: raising your Renown once again helps you climb this Season’s 100 levels, with goodies to grab along the way (and an optional Plunder Pass adding more to the pool). Refreshed rewards for strong Emissary performances too!

Season Seven Progression and Rewards
  • Season Seven offers a refreshed progression path with Trials and Deeds for new and experienced pirates alike. Weekly, monthly and Seasonal goals all reward players for exploring the Sea of Thieves.
  • Players can capitalise on the introduction of Captains of Adventure this Season to earn Renown, both by completing Captain’s Voyages and by selling Recovered Captain’s Logbooks taken from rival crews!
  • Making progress through the 100 levels of this Season will reward pirates with the new Courage of Captaincy clothing set, along with time-limited Perilous Seas cosmetics.
  • Legendary pirates or those who become Pirate Legends during Season Seven can also earn Merrick’s Jacket and Cutlass.
  • Completing tiers of Seasonal progression will also award unique Titles from the Perilous Seas theme, allowing players to display their success for all to see.
Season Seven Plunder Pass
  • Purchase Season Seven’s Plunder Pass to gain access to a plethora of unlockable, previously unseen rewards along with bundles of Ancient Coins, all available to earn by climbing the levels of Seasonal progression.
  • Plunder Pass purchasers this Season can earn the full Beachcomber’s Bounty Ship Collection, including Collector’s variants.
  • For those looking to truly transform themselves, the Baleful Bloom Costume can also be earned, evolving through three stages as players progress through the Season.
    Unable to fully upgrade the costume before the Season ends? Upgrades will still be available through in-game activities in a later Season.
  • The Season Seven Plunder Pass is available to purchase in-game through the Pirate Log or Pirate Emporium, or from the Steam Item Store.
Season Seven Emissary Ledger Rewards
  • Representing the Gold Hoarders in their Emissary Ledger can now earn players the Tribute Peak Drum and Concertina.
  • Players seeking out the secrets of the Order of Souls can earn the Relic of Darkness Drum and Concertina.
  • The Merchant Alliance honour their high-performing Ledger representatives with the Merchant Ambassador Drum and Concertina.
  • Flying the flag of The Reaper’s Bones and earning a high rank in their Ledger can earn players the Masked Renegade Drum and Concertina.
  • Legendary pirates representing Athena’s Fortune in their Ledger can earn the Magpie’s Glory Drum and Concertina to show their allegiance to the Pirate Lord.

[h3]Gameplay Improvements
[/h3]
Map zooming and portable stools are some of the smaller but no less satisfying additions this Season, as sighted recently in Sea of Thieves News. There’s also a suite of balancing changes based on feedback and findings: get the scoop on Sloops plus respawn and revival revisions!

Washed-Up Stools
  • While players will have seen stools dotted around the world before, these special, interactable stools can now be discovered washed up on islands.
  • These stools can be picked up and carried by players. Fancy a seat on the beach while your crew digs for treasure? Now you can bring your own!
Map Zoom
  • Players can now zoom in on any map, note or Quest Book being held. While holding up the item, clicking the Right Stick on controller or the ‘F’ key on PC will zoom in and improve visibility of those hard-to-spot landmarks. The keybinding can be changed via the Settings Menu.
  • Players equipping a map or Quest Book for the first time are now shown a tutorial explaining how to use this new feature.
Removal of Reviving on Enemy Ships
  • When on board an enemy ship, players are no longer able to revive their crewmates.
Reduced Ferry Time for Solo Crews
  • Solo players defeated and sent to the Ferry of the Damned now have a reduced waiting time before they can return to their ship, getting them back into the gameplay more quickly.
Reduced Cannonball Knockback on Sloops
  • Players aboard a Sloop will find that the knockback from cannonball splash damage no longer propels them so far into the air, preventing them from being so easily sent overboard. However, they will still be knocked back and disorientated by the blast.
Sloop Mast Damage Rebalance
  • A Sloop’s mast is now more resilient than other ship types, taking two chainshot strikes or three cannonballs before being toppled. Initial strikes will still damage the mast and can be repaired individually. The masts on Brigantines and Galleons remain unchanged.
Disabling Sloop Mast Friendly Fire
  • Chainshots will no longer damage the masts of players’ own ships when fired upwards from a cannon on the deck.
Additional Sloop Respawn Locations
  • New respawn locations have been added around the Sloop, providing more variety in where crew members will return from the Ferry of the Damned. The vulnerable helm location has also been modified to give returning players more visibility over the surrounding area.

[h3]Pirate Emporium
[/h3]
Joining a brand new Plunder Pass on the Emporium shelves this month are Ship’s Crests for new Captains (and Renaming Deeds for those who change their minds), the extensive Wrecker Wrangler range, emotes to suit several types of self-indulgence and a whole lot more besides!

Ship’s Crests
  • The Pirate Emporium now offers a small selection of exclusive Ship’s Crest designs for Captains. Choose from the Weeping Waves, Royal Coronet, Reaver, Forgotten Temple and Big Game Hunter Ship’s Crests.
Ship Renaming Deeds
  • Captains wishing to rename their ship can now purchase a Ship Renaming Deed from the Pirate Emporium, each providing a single use. All earned progress on the ship will remain after it has been renamed. Players will need to return to the ‘My Ships’ option on the game’s front end to use a Renaming Deed.
Wrecker Wrangler Ship Collection
  • Browse all the items in the Wrecker Wrangler Ship Collection, including premium Collector's Figurehead and Sails.
  • For those who only want the bare essentials, the core components of this proudly piscine ship set can be purchased as an Essentials Bundle.
Wrecker Wrangler Costume
  • This costume is inspired by the Wreckers that dwell down in the darkness, and might just scare the living daylights out of your fellow divers.
  • While wearing the Wrecker Wrangler Costume, players can perform the Soaked to the Skin Emote.
Wrecker Wrangler Weapons
  • Festooned with glowing eyeballs, fins and fangs, these four weapons spell deep trouble for people you don’t like.
Wrecker Wrangler Fishing Rod
  • The object of a bizarre ritual to create a rod that only attracts Wreckers, this rod... doesn’t do that at all.
Bilge Rat Weapon Pose Emotes
  • Let the enemy decide whether you’re dangerous or just drunk with this set of expressive emotes.
Portable Portrait Emote Bundle
  • A collection of six emotes for pirates who know they’re the most picturesque sight on the seas!
Freebie Promising Portrait Emote
  • There’s bound to be something worth capturing here, if you can calm down and keep still for a minute.
Wrecker's Wrath Bundle (Store Only)
  • Available only from the Steam Stores, this bundle contains the Wrecker Wrangler Costume, Fishing Rod and Weapon Bundle, 550 Ancient Coins and a free 25,000 gold bonus for use in the Outpost shops! Head to the Steam Item Store to find out more.
Spitting Contest Emote Removal
  • Following internal review, the Spitting Contest Emote has been removed from the game. This emote is no longer purchasable within the Pirate Emporium, and players who previously purchased the emote will be refunded accordingly with Ancient Coins.

[h3]Outpost Cosmetics
[/h3]

Rusty Cutlasses Restocked
  • The Outpost weapon shops have been restocked with a range of old cutlasses, allowing pirates to once again purchase the Grand Admiral, Castaway Bilge Rat, Scurvy Bilge Rat and Ruffian Sea Dog Cutlasses.
Additional Sail Colours
  • The Outpost shipwrights have added new sails to their wares for players to purchase with gold. The new sails on offer include the Navy Blue Sailor, Burgundy Sailor, Bottle Green Sailor, Orange Sailor and Purple Sailor Sails.

[h3]Events
[/h3]

Twitch Drops
  • Continue to unlock even more cosmetics throughout Season Seven with Twitch Drops! Stay tuned to Sea of Thieves social channels to find out when Twitch Drops will be active for Partnered streamers, allowing players to earn clothing items from the Rising Morningstar set in the first set of Drops. Find out how to link your accounts and more on our dedicated Twitch Drops page.

[h3]Updates
[/h3]

Outpost Trinket Points
  • When players explore the Outpost taverns, they will now find spots where they can choose to place their newly earned Trinkets, allowing them to mount their prized trophies for all to see!
Ship Customisation Memory Optimisations
  • As more ship customisation options arrive in this update, memory optimisations have been made to protect lower-spec hardware. Players on older consoles or lower-spec PC hardware may find that when several highly decorated ships come together, the game will optimise performance by changing the appearance of some ship customisations.
  • Players on PC will still have the ability to configure how much system memory can be allocated to these decorated ships, ensuring higher-spec hardware can show a wider range of customisations.

[h3]Fixed Issues
[/h3]

Gameplay
  • Emissaries passing into a Tunnel of the Damned will once again drop a Broken Emissary Flag in the water upon leaving the server.
  • When a ship’s harpoon is used to retrieve items and drop them on the edge of the hull, the items on board are now correctly identified and the correct Emissary Grade progression granted.
  • Cosmetic and Vanity Chests now once again sort owned cosmetics by the date they were added to the game.
  • Multiple appearances of Graymarrow and Briggsy can no longer be created by cancelling and restarting Tall Tale checkpoints.
Legend of the Veil Voyage
  • Crews defeating the Soulflame Captain during a Haunted Island encounter will now be granted the correct number of rewards, along with the intended Emissary Grade progression when sailing as an Emissary.
Environment
  • There should no longer be a light source where Tina used to be during the ‘Lost Sands’ Adventure.
  • The rug at Mercy’s End Fortress should no longer intersect with the floor.
  • Players can no longer intersect with the archway near Sea Fort Treasury rooms, causing them to see through the environment.
  • Skeletons should now navigate smoothly around Skeleton Forts.
  • Movement around the pillars near the Sea Fort storeroom should no longer feel restricted.
  • The correct model for Hendrick is now present at the Spoils of Plenty Seapost.
  • Players will no longer appear underwater when becoming stuck under a pier at New Golden Sands Outpost.
  • Barrels and crates on the first floor of Ancient Gold Fortress will no longer make players’ movement feel restricted.
  • Players will no longer intersect with the floor at the entrance to Imperial Crown Fortress.
  • When exploring the entrance to Flameheart’s Tomb on Flintlock Peninsula, throwing a firebomb or blunderbomb will no longer cause it to explode immediately.
Visual and Audio
  • The Wall Press Emote should no longer allow a player to move forward into the surrounding environment.
  • The Merchant Ambassador Concertina handles should now appear as intended when played.
  • The Pet Cage door aboard a Sloop should now be connected to the cage.
  • The Springshell Pocket Watch should now display the correct time.
  • A range of capstans have been updated to fix incorrectly rotated pegs when equipped on a Sloop.
  • Players should no longer hear a muffled audio effect when being revived.
  • The audio effect for turning a ship’s lantern on and off can now be heard clearly.
  • After changing a ship’s lantern to different Flame of Fate colour, the lighting audio effects can now be heard.
Text and Localisation
  • Order of Souls representatives and weaponsmiths should all now have the correct dialogue options during interactions.
  • The description of the ‘Escape as Back’ option has been updated to resolve grammatical errors.
Performance and Stability
  • Server stability has been improved, reducing scenarios where crews are removed from a game session.

[h3]Known Issues
[/h3]

Ship and Pirate Milestones Temporarily Disabled

The following Milestones have been temporarily disabled and will not progress when the relevant actions are completed:
  • Quest Board Maps Completed – Ship and Pirate Milestones
  • Captained Ships Spotted – Ship and Pirate Milestones
  • Provisions Sold to The Hunter's Call – Ship and Pirate Milestones
  • Sea Forts Conquered – Ship and Pirate Milestones
  • Repairs Made – Pirate Milestone Only
Captain’s Stash Voyages Temporarily Unavailable
  • Captain’s Stash Voyages offered by the shipwrights are temporarily unavailable.
Reduced Server Performance
  • Players may experience scenarios where they encounter ping spikes at random while playing, resulting in rubberbanding or client stutters. While improvements were most recently released in update 2.5.3, the team continue to work on further improvements for future updates.
Ranged and Melee Weapon Hit Detection
  • In areas of intense action, players may find themselves firing shots or landing strikes that do not cause damage to their targets. While small improvements continue to be delivered during our regular updates, we are continuing to investigate and identify further improvements to the player combat experience.
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: 10.67 GB

Sail as Captains of Adventure in Sea of Thieves Season Seven

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First unveiled as part of this summer’s Xbox & Bethesda Games Showcase – via a jaunty musical number, no less – the seventh Sea of Thieves Season is here, heralding the arrival of ship Captaincy! As one of the features most anticipated by our community, we’re excited to give players the chance to name their ships for the first time, try out a wealth of new decorative choices and dive into the Captain’s Logbook to review their accomplishments across the waves.

If you’ve been itching to carve a maritime moniker into a Ship’s Crest and set sail as a Captain, you’ll be glad to know that Season Seven is now available as a free update for all players on Steam.

As with all past Seasons, Season Seven also offers 100 levels of rewards free to all Sea of Thieves players, with summer-themed cosmetics and plenty of other goodies to be earned as you build Renown by living your pirate life. If you want to further your Seasonal ambitions with more premium items not yet available elsewhere, you can pick up the latest optional Plunder Pass! Find out more about Seasons in our Seasons Explained and Plunder Pass Explained articles.



[h3]Captain on Deck!
[/h3]
What is it that might inspire a pirate to splash out and spend gold on a ship of their own? To begin with, Captains are able to bestow a name of their choice upon a new vessel for all to see, visible both on the Ship’s Crest or in Ship’s Banners when someone spies you at a distance.

Captains can also purchase a wealth of new decorative options for their quarters (ranging from rugs to the Captain’s Table itself), not to mention make the ship feel truly unique by picking out places to display Trinkets. A huge selection of ornaments can be purchased right away, while trophies can be earned by establishing yourself as a consummate Captain and will reflect your time at sea.

Whether you’re a dedicated treasure-taker, fishing fanatic or simply can’t get enough of smashing skellies, your actions will be reflected in Pirate and Ship Milestones, a new form of progression that encourages different play styles. New rewards will become available along the way, and you can show off your favourite accomplishments in the Captain’s Logbook, which handily also keeps track of your current sailing session.



[h3]Shipwrights and Sovereigns
[/h3]
The Outposts are more than ready to handle the arrival of Captained ships. For a fee, shipwrights will save the customisation of a Captain’s vessel ready for future sessions, meaning it’ll be just as you remember it next time you wake up in the tavern. Scuffs and scars from previous repairs will mount up over time, so pirates can opt to restore these at the shipwright too, bringing even the scruffiest ship back to pristine condition.

Shipwrights can also deliver premium supplies to the barrels on a Captained ship. This courtesy extends to Captain’s Voyages, which are stored aboard ship rather than in your pirate’s pockets and let you influence the difficulty and duration of your next objective – so anything from a swift skeleton hunt to a lengthy, lucrative commission can be plucked straight from storage.

Eager to ensure the shipwrights don’t take all the glory, the swanky Sovereigns have arrived at Outposts ready to deal with Captains of all kinds. They act as highly convenient intermediaries, accepting most treasures at their marquee on behalf of the other Companies and permitting Captained ships to make full use of their facilities when offloading valuables.

Of course, you don’t need to be a Captain to enjoy the next instalments of our ongoing, time-limited Adventures. These continue on August 18 with ‘A Hunter’s Cry’, which sends pirates on a risky rescue mission into hostile waters in the hopes of saving the captured hunter Merrick.

Along with 100 levels of Seasonal Renown to reap, new Commendations and achievements and the continuing intrigue of our first Mystery, there’s plenty waiting in Season Seven for every pirate to sink their teeth into!



[h3]The Emporium Expands
[/h3]
Naturally, a new Season brings a bevy of new treasures. The Season Seven Plunder Pass offers advance access to the Baleful Bloom Costume – which sees your pirate gradually succumb to a horticultural hex – and the Beachcomber’s Bounty ship set, created by a marooned mariner who got themselves seaworthy with whatever they could lay their hands on. As ever, once a Pass is purchased these items are unlocked by raising your Renown and climbing the levels of the new Season, and are initially exclusive to the Plunder Pass before arriving in the Pirate Emporium at a later date.

Keen to get in on the Captaincy fun, August’s Emporium offerings introduce additional designs for Ship’s Crests, lending extra flair to your newly named ship when anyone – crew, boarders, stowaways and so on – come aboard. If your chosen name no longer seems to fit as your ship carves out its legacy, Renaming Deeds can be purchased to scrub the Ship’s Crest clean and let you choose something new.

If you’re the kind of pirate who lights up dark places (and not with firebombs), the luminous Wrecker Wrangler ship set calls to you from the Emporium shelves this month, paying tribute to those flighty fish that call shipwrecks their home. Meanwhile, the boisterous Bilge Rat Weapon Pose Emote and puffed-up Portable Portrait Emote Bundle will bring out your merry and egocentric sides respectively. And don’t forget to snare the Promising Portrait Emote while it’s free for the taking, then use it to turn any vista into a wobbly work of art!



[h3]Find Out More
[/h3]
For more information on the Sea of Thieves Season Seven 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!

Sea of Thieves Spotlight Showcase #3

We’re back with a third Spotlight Showcase to keep you, our fine Steam readers, up to date with our regular Spotlight articles on the Sea of Thieves website – and below you’ll find no less than six instead of the usual four, thanks to a packed schedule pushing this latest catch-up deep into July.

It’s a good mix of Spotlight types too, with a trio of popular Community members, a couple of well-loved Creators and our latest nominated Legend. So fall in alongside us and find out who we showcased!



Way back in early May, we invited Captain Peachy into the Community Spotlight to talk about his fervour for the regular #SoTShot contests and his moment of fame as a synchronised swimmer. He did all that and more, throwing in some in-game photography tips too, along with bonus tales of Kraken attacks and a real-life Disneyland trip with friends made in Sea of Thieves.



Later that month we switched over to the greenish glow of a new Creator Spotlight, but kept up the food-themed names, definitely not by total coincidence. This time it was KatLikesTacos who came by to tell us about her lore-adoring approach to the game and how she balances streaming Sea of Thieves with everyday life, making a strong case for surrounding yourself with positive people.



June took us back to Community Spotlights to meet up with Sayuta, who has logged more victorious #SoTShot attempts and qualified for the Hat of Unfeasibly Glorious Fame more times than we thought anyone would manage so soon, quite frankly. Read all about those, enjoy some pirate portraits and find out about Sayuta’s involvement in community videos too while you’re there!



Video was also a strong suit of our next subject – more specifically cinematics, as we caught up with famed footage finesser and Partnered streamer TruEdits for his turn in the Creator Spotlight. Having worked with many a well-known creator while producing his own atmospheric videos spanning the length and breadth of the Sea of Thieves, this is another pirate who had plenty to share!



Then we hit July and decided to add another notable Pirate Legend to our small but growing crop of Legend Spotlights – and who better than Anja (better known to many as gaming_4nj4), one of the most uplifting pirates on the seas. We found out about the supportive approach that’s made her so beloved, asked about her favourite new things in the game and, most importantly, secured cat photos.



Then for July’s second Spotlight we paid a visit to Skulliah, allowing us to end our Showcase with a soothing Merfolk’s Lullaby. Many of that site’s prized resources were discussed in this Community Spotlight, so if you’re interested in player-focused tools such as a storm tracker and Mystery board, check out Skulliah’s insights into how and why he and his crew create such treasures!

And those were the occupants of our Spotlight slots throughout May, June and July ’22. You’ll find four more in our previous Spotlight Showcase (and the introductory instalment) if you missed out. And of course you can browse the full archive of Community, Creator and Legend Spotlights in our official News section, or see what else players have been up to lately in the Community Content section of our Community Hub.

Enjoy the summer sun and we’ll catch you back here in a couple of months for another Showcase!

An Update on Season Seven

Hi everyone, I just wanted to share an update on the progress of Season Seven with you all. As we revealed during the Xbox & Bethesda Showcase in June, Captaincy is at the heart of Season Seven and this is an update we are hugely excited about.

We believe Captaincy will transform the experience of playing Sea of Thieves, adding deeper meaning and history to every session and every encounter out on the seas, along with the much-requested ability to own and finally name your ship.

However, with such a fundamental update to the game, there is a lot of hidden work to be done in the background. This is an update that brings in a vast range of new stats to track, and has required a complex partnership across our Game, UI and Services teams to bring it to life.

As we started getting closer to the originally stated release date, it became apparent that things were coming in hotter than we liked and there was a real risk of not delivering to the quality and polish we expect, as well as putting undue pressure across the team to get it all over the line. Subsequently, we have made the decision to shift the release date back slightly to August 4th.



We understand this will be disappointing for those of you who are eagerly awaiting this update, and we appreciate your patience with this change. We know Season Six has been a looooong one, but we are super-excited about Captaincy and we hope you are too. Not too much longer to wait, we promise! We also want to make sure that with Season Seven arriving a little later than planned, you’ll have plenty of time to play through this new Season when it arrives and enjoy levelling up your Renown.

August promises to be an incredibly exciting month for Sea of Thieves – as we look past the launch of Season Seven, we also have our next Adventure ‘A Hunter’s Cry’ arriving on August 18th, so it’s going to be a busy month!

Running Sea of Thieves as an ongoing live experience is still a journey where we learn new things every day, but we will always consider what is the best course of action for the players and our development team alike. We believe the decision to shift this release is absolutely the right one to deliver the best experience for you all, while ensuring we continue to operate with a healthy and sustainable approach.

Thank you for your understanding, and for your continued support for Sea of Thieves. We appreciate you all, and as always, we’ll see you on the seas!

- Joe “Three Sheets” Neate

Sea of Thieves Round-Up: June 2022

Here we are, halfway (and a bit) through 2022. Hasn't it been lovely so far? No. No, it's been a bit pants, hasn't it. But at least the Sea of Thieves is open for sailing when you need some escapism, keeping up an ongoing monthly bombardment of new stuff for you to do – and in fact June packed in pieces of two separate Adventures, the next phase of the current Mystery and the revelation of what's coming in the next Season. But before we say any more about all that, let's drop in the Content Update subheader...

[h3]Content Update
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Much better. Yes, the start of June was all about the struggle for Golden Sands Outpost as Sea of Thieves' fourth time-limited Adventure, 'Lost Sands', entered its final week. After one last update on the numbers, the Adventure concluded on June 9th with the outcome declared in a special livestream – determining that that Reapers had been repulsed and Golden Sands was saved from forever being a foggy dump with rubbish shopping facilities.

A couple of weeks later, it wasn't quite time for Adventure 5 yet but it was time for the other monthly update, the one that brings in a month's worth of fixes and improvements and more creations from the clandestine lunatics who supply the Pirate Emporium – creations like the Prehistoric Plunderer ship set that nails a fossilised behemoth to the front of your ship. That's right! They're off their heads.

The month ended with the 'The Forsaken Hunter', our fifth Adventure, coming in all aflutter with the news that Merrick had mysteriously vanished! Mind, the cinematic trailer on the 27th gave some pretty good indications that he didn't just get drunk and fall off his Seapost, and the launch trailer on the 30th put paid to any remaining uncertainty over that. But the question remained for players to answer over the course of the Adventure: who did this? And why? That's two questions. And what happens next? Three questions, and you can't even answer that one yet without making something up.

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[h3]News and Features
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The biggest news of the month, of course, was the revelation of Captaincy coming to Sea of Thieves in Season Seven. In this announcement that dropped at the Xbox & Bethesda Games Showcase, taking the form of an actual song called 'Captains of Adventure' because why not, some of the main features – such as ship naming and personalisation, the ability to save loadouts and the services of the Sovereigns – were either teased by or heartily sung from a scroll that ended in the fourth-wall-busting declaration that Sea of Thieves has now passed a monumental 30 million players.

Also doggy-paddling in June's editorial pool was an Adventures Ahead article summing up relevant story events ahead of 'The Forsaken Hunter', then an Xbox Wire post on launch day to lay out what the Adventure entailed. A Season Six Community Day lookback dropped in at the start of the month and, later, there was a recap of our first Mystery so far to bring budding detectives up to speed. But #WhoIsT? No, not 'whoist', that sounds like some sort of weird dessert. And there was no skimping on player Spotlights either, with June lighting up many-time #SoTShot and Hat winner Sayuta and cinematic artisan TruEdits.

As far as goodies and giveaways were concerned, Pride Month saw a very fine Sea of Thieves shirt added to the Xbox PRIDE 2022 range, there were other shirts to encourage taking a stand on Golden Sands, and Titan Comics announced the bundled Sea of Thieves Origins collection coming in October. All that plus a mid-month Gold & Glory Weekend to mark the 30 million player milestone, and a login bonus for the occasion of our second Steam anniversary in the form of a ruddy big scar. Might not be the sort of bonus you'd appreciate getting in real life, but to a pirate it's like a fancy new tie.



[h3]Videos and Streams
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Leading the charge in June was that Season Seven singalong announce trailer, performed with gusto by our regular trailer voice man and Video team grafter John. He'd pop back up later in the month shoving his own actual face all over your screen in our first Mystery So Far video, compressing all the key developments into a Scots-inflected rapid-fire recap for which, don't worry, we also provided captions.

Then there was the pairing of our cinematic and launch trailers for 'The Forsaken Hunter', spaced a few days apart as is the way these days to build some buzz before an Adventure kicks off. This one runs until July 14th, so if you act fast there's still time to take part in the manhunt for Merrick's assailant. And the next Adventure will be another finale to a three-episode arc, just like 'The Shrouded Deep' was to the first, so expect some drama leading on from the events of 'The Forsaken Hunter'...

Elsewhere in June, SoT News let our other Scottish Jon into your living rooms to get you all caught up, covering the latest from the Xbox Showcase and Pirate Emporium while dropping dates for end-of-month Adventuring. And the 'Lost Sands' results stream came at you live from the tavern at Rare, with Jo and James from the Community team joined by familiar faces Joe, Mike, Chris and a couple of Sea of Thieves Partners as the community-driven decision to #SaveGoldenSands was unveiled. Yes, we did make sure folks from both sides of the fence were on hand to ensure some on-air salty tears.

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[h3]Social Channels
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There was plenty for our channels to get playful with in June, notably the long-awaited announcement of ship naming and the meme-fest that followed (including John being pulled back into the recording booth for frivolous reasons). We also celebrated New Golden Sands getting its dues, bigged up a Social Swag bonus when 'Lost Sands' was at its peak, requested final judgement on the Lionfish Costume and asked what secrets you might have for the Order of Souls to suck out of your skulls. Just curious.

Social channels continue to play a key role in other areas: like furthering out-of-game elements of the first Sea of Thieves Mystery, with a shift in June as music box clues made way for a note leading players to the next stage of their hunt for answers. They're also invaluable for shouting out Community Hub updates, as new batches of player creations earn the Hat of Unfeasibly Glorious Fame every couple of weeks, and #SoTShot results, with Golden Hour Sails going to a clutch of Instagram and Twitter winners on the Rivalries theme before June's sunlit second theme set up shop in The Shores of Plenty.

Meanwhile, the other hashtags we use 'on the regular' brought in #TriviaTuesday treats for the lorehounds (on subjects from Sea Forts and shanties to the Singh siblings), #SoTGear selections for the collectors (Servant of the Flame Cutlass, Golden Gatherer Merchant Sail and a timely tip of the hat to the Fallen Sea Dog Lantern), and #SundayVibes settings for marauders with more chill than most (taking in trips to Sanctuary and Plunder Outposts, with an additional stop to watch a shipwright do overtime to really make sure those nails were in properly).



And that image serves as a timely if slightly disrespectful end to proceedings here today – but if the combination of feature teases and sass appeals to you, get more of it without waiting for a round-up by following Sea of Thieves on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, YouTube or Twitch, then indulge in diverse antics in the official Forums or on Discord. Anything to avoid going outside if it's as hot as it is here in the UK, because your face could melt right off your head, and that's no way to discover you've been some sort of implausible pirate robot this whole time.

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[h3]Previously in 2022:
[/h3]Sea of Thieves Round-Up: May 2022 Sea of Thieves Round-Up: April 2022
Sea of Thieves Round-Up: March 2022 Sea of Thieves Round-Up: February 2022
Sea of Thieves Round-Up: January 2022