After waiting for over five and a half years and continuous appeals from its community, Rare has unveiled a significant update to its popular pirate game, Sea of Thieves.
Coming this December, as part of the Season 10 rollout, Rare will introduce private servers, known as Safer Seas. This move allows a single crew of up to four players to navigate the game’s world without the threat of Player versus Player encounters.
Sea of Thieves’ Season 10, which commences on October 19, promises to unveil a major new feature each month till the end of the year. This effectively means that all content that was initially planned for 2023 will be released by year-end, making up for the extended seven-month duration of Season 9.
A significant introduction on October 19 is the Guilds feature. This provides players an innovative avenue to establish a deeper connection beyond their immediate crewmates. To initiate a guild, players need to have achieved Captain status and must own a ship. Once a guild is formed, captains can offer their ships for use by guild members even when they’re offline. This lets all in the guild appreciate the unique ship decor and contribute towards that particular ship’s Captaincy milestones. Guild members can also progress a new Guild reputation track, which unlocks exclusive rewards for all members, with special distinctions added every 100 levels for added perks.
November will spice things up with the launch of The Skull of the Siren Song, a competitive voyage type. This voyage is initiated when a ghostly note emerges on each crew’s ship mast. Participating crews will embark on a quest to locate a treasure and a key, following which they need to unlock a chest to obtain the skull. Possession of the skull, however, will slow down the ship, potentially leading to thrilling chases as crews attempt to deliver it to an outpost.
The culmination of Season 10 in December will introduce the much-anticipated Safer Seas private servers. This mode is supplementary to the existing shared world mode, allowing up to four friends to partake in a private session. In Safer Seas, players can experience the game’s PvE content ranging from Trading Company quests to Tall Tales with little to no worries about hostile encounters. But, this mode comes with some limitations, like restricted access to Guilds, a cap on Trading Company progression, and significantly reduced payouts for reputation and gold.
Several players have expressed their delight over this update. Sea of Thieves, with its mesmerizing water graphics and captivating environment, has amassed over 25 million players. But despite its charm, the game’s continuous PvP threat often served as a deterrent for many who wished to simply enjoy its vastness and lore without continuous disruption. Safer Seas promises a more tranquil experience, allowing players to delve into the game’s content at their own pace, free from PvP confrontations.
Rare’s acknowledgment of players’ requests by adding a PvE mode further underscores its commitment to enhancing its gameplay experience. Players who value the sheer adventure aspect over game progression will likely gravitate towards this mode.
Given that the game’s progression is primarily cosmetic, many are looking forward to embarking on unhindered quests, free from the sporadic attacks by other crews.
Starting with Guilds in October, followed by The Skull of the Siren Song in November, and culminating with the Safer Seas mode in December, players are in for a treat.
As the launch for Xbox and PC nears, more specifics of Season 10 are expected, along with the final part of the Monkey Island adventure coming up next week.
Speaking of Microsoft, Xbox finally responded to the leaks about a new Xbox Series S/X, among others. FTC was quick to denounce any responsibility for the leaks, pinning it instead on Microsoft. Finally, Xbox’s strengthened partnership with Square Enix will see Octopath Traveler 2 hit the Xbox platform next year.
