Sea of Thieves

Freebie Fallin’

[img src="https://clan.akamai.steamstatic.com/images/37295600/5ad821538fbb718e4e1baf0add004d6f18a5bb15.jpg"]
Stream If You Wanna Go Faster

Drops Dead Gorgeous

Plunder in the Mountains

The First Picture of Crew

Who Needs Love Like Hat

Come Sea About Me

Secrets of the Banished: Act 2

• [p]For the duration of Act 2, Molten Sands Fortress will be the site of a fierce encounter with Flameheart’s forces, and highly sought-after treasure can be seized by crews who dare to take on the challenge.[/p]
• [p]Crews must first prove their worth to their preferred Trading Company and reach Emissary Grade 5, then claim a unique Emissary Quest from that Company. Emissary Grade progress is accelerated during Act 2 – but crews can still be targeted by prowling Reapers![/p]
• [p]This Emissary Quest will lead to a showdown with a formidable Eternal Guard. Valiant crews who defeat the Guard will be awarded the Molten Sands Key, which can either be sold for gold and reputation or taken into The Devil’s Roar to activate the Molten Sands Fortress battle for even greater spoils.[/p]
• [p]The Fortress battle will be fierce, pitting crews against an army hell-bent on protecting the Vault, including waves of Banished Skeletons, Shadow and Gold Skeletons, imposing Skeleton Lords and even deadly Ashen Lords.[/p]
• [p]Crews who survive this encounter will uncover a wealth of loot within the Vault, such as Ashen Treasures and the all-important Orb of the Banished. For the duration of Act 2, the Vault at Molten Sands is also the home of the Chest of Fortune.[/p]

• [p]Crews taking on Molten Sands Fortress during Act 2 can unlock a variety of time-limited Trading Company-themed Ship’s Crests for representing them as an Emissary. This includes the Hoarders’, Merchants’, Order’s, Hunter’s, Fortune’s and Reaper’s Exiled Ship Crests.
  [/p]

Pirate Emporium

• [p]Lone Night Wulf Ship Collection[/p]
• [p]Lone Night Wulf Weapon Bundle[/p]
• [p]Lone Night Wulf Costume[/p]
• [p]Lodestar Cabin Bundle[/p]
• [p]Tankard Scalding Emote – Free!
  [/p]

Outpost Cosmetics

• [p]The shipwrights have restocked this month with the tropically themed Palm Resolute Sails, Hull and Flag.
  [/p]

Updates

• [p]To improve matchmaking times in Oceanic regions when diving to Faction Battles and other experiences, players in Australia will now have their search extended to include crews in Southeast Asia should worthy opponents not be found in their home region.[/p]
• [p]Players wishing to wait for a match in their home region can opt out of Cross-Region Matchmaking from the Game Settings at any point.[/p]

• [p]The Text Chat option within the Game Options menu has been moved down below Crew Management to improve speed of access to more commonly used options.
  [/p]

Events

• [p]Your favourite 48-hour Event is back for Season 18! Enjoy free gifts, pose at Picture Walls, embark on Ashen Message in a Bottle Voyages, solve puzzles as you seek Pop-Up Plunder, and make use of reward boosts thanks to the Community Emissary Grade raised by watching Sea of Thieves streamers on Twitch.[/p]
• [p]Find out more in January’s This Month in Sea of Thieves article, and stay tuned for a full rundown closer to the date!
  [/p]

Fixed Issues

• [p]Improvements have been made to how players attach to, release and climb ladders. Players should therefore no longer experience unintentionally slow movement on ladders and should now consistently be able to grab and release ladders during gameplay.[/p]
• [p]Within the Hideout at Wanderers Refuge, crews should now find that the Smugglers’ Chronicles offer accurate instructions on how to find a hidden mystery.[/p]
• [p]Players sitting on the barrel on the lower deck of the Sloop can now consistently be damaged by sword attacks.[/p]
• [p]Wilting Crates of Plants can now be refreshed by bucketing water directly onto them.[/p]
• [p]Crates of Cloth will now become sodden when water is bucketed directly onto them.[/p]
• [p]‘Captains of the Damned’ – The Castaway's cutscene now plays correctly when starting the Tall Tale at Morrow’s Peak Outpost.[/p]

• [p]Items placed on top of the Eternal Guard’s sarcophagus now fall to the ground when it disappears, rather than hanging in mid-air.[/p]
• [p]Crews will now earn progress for Deeds requiring them to defeat an Eternal Guard, if during an encounter they defeat themselves by detonating nearby kegs with a thrown spear.[/p]
• [p]Players summoning an Eternal Guard from their sarcophagus and running away should no longer find the Guard appears in an unexpected location away from the sarcophagus.[/p]

• [p]Players should now be able to successfully traverse ladders within the Shrine of Ocean’s Fortune.[/p]
• [p]Several mysterious Journals on Kraken’s Fall, Devil’s Ridge and Old Faithful Isle have been repositioned to ensure they can be interacted with.[/p]
• [p]Further improvements have been made to address areas where players could push through the environment into the sea from the Pirate Legend Hideout.[/p]
• [p]The Sanctuary of the Banished on Cinder Islet now prevents players from seeing beneath the game's map.[/p]
• [p]Improvements have been made to areas of the environment at the Shores of Gold and Fetcher’s Rest to prevent players becoming stuck while traversing.[/p]
• [p]‘The Lair of LeChuck’ – Players should no longer be able to use a Grapple Gun to reach unintended areas of the map.[/p]

• [p]Phantoms viewed through spyglasses at Sea Forts will no longer appear or disappear unexpectedly.[/p]
• [p]Players wearing a disguise will now consistently appear disguised to approaching rivals.[/p]
• [p]Poison visual effects from the Trident of the Banished now clear correctly after a player is revived.[/p]
• [p]Equipping the Bonechiller Hull on a Sloop now applies the correct interior colours.[/p]
• [p]The Stone Islehopper Outlaw Flag now appears correctly once equipped.[/p]
• [p]Areas where water rises and falls such as Siren Shrines should now consistently display the correct visual effects on the water’s surface when moving.[/p]
• [p]Pirates of all sizes will now appear to hold and play all types of concertina correctly.[/p]
• [p]The Castaway seen at her camp on Outposts now appears correctly when viewed from different distances.[/p]
• [p]Improvements have been made to the Regal Hound Blunderbuss, Tundra Wanderer Blunderbuss, Tundra Wanderer Blowpipe and Tundra Wanderer Grapple Gun to ensure they are held correctly and fired without visual issues.[/p]
• [p]The Tundra Wanderer Grapple Gun now appears correctly when reloading.[/p]
• [p]The lift chains in The Reaper’s Hideout now appear at the correct visual quality.[/p]
• [p]Pirates of all sizes will now appear correctly when wearing the Baleful Bloom Costume.[/p]
• [p]Pirates wearing the Bleakheart Banshee Costume now wield and fire Double Barrel Pistols correctly.[/p]
• [p]Players wielding the False King’s Ransom Grapple Gun will now appear correctly when performing various Weapon Pose Emotes.[/p]

• [p]Players browsing their unlocked Disguises in the Vanity Chest should now see their pirate perform the action correctly in the preview window.[/p]
• [p]Players starting Trading Company Tutorial Voyages at Morrow’s Peak Outpost will no longer see incorrect warnings about sailing in the wrong direction.[/p]
• [p]Empty Company slots on the Reputation screen now display correctly after opening and closing certain Trading Company pages.[/p]
• [p]Within the Emporium, the Bonechiller Weapon Bundle now shows the correct artwork with all weapons included in the bundle.[/p]
• [p]The Wild Rose Eye of Reach now appears correctly when viewed in the Armoury and weaponsmith shops.[/p]
• [p]PC players joining a crew of console players who prefer to matchmake with others using controllers will now be shown appropriate messaging.[/p]

• [p]Within the Season Overview menu, the names and descriptions for Acts, Deeds and rewards now better support a range of localised languages.[/p]
• [p]Improvements have been made to localisation quality for Tall Tales when played in Turkish and Korean languages.[/p]
• [p]Improvements have been made to localisation quality for character dialogue across multiple areas in Korean.[/p]
• [p]Players using Polish language settings should find localisation improvements to various Commendation names, and clearer instructions when taking on a Voyage of Legends.[/p]
• [p]Players using Japanese language settings should find localisation improvements to Captained ship renaming screens and delivery tooltips when attempting to hand in cargo.[/p]

• [p]Improvements have been made to server stability to avoid instances where players are disconnected from their session.
  [/p]

Known Issues

Content Update

News and Features

Videos and Streams

Previously in 2025:

Sanctuaries of the Banished

[dynamiclink href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0V8MFKcXOcM"]
The Eternal Guard

An Evolving World

[dynamiclink href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fsRqAWBiTpI"][TAG-30]
More to Come

New Challenges and Rewards

Secrets of the Banished

• [p]Pirates can now encounter a resourceful new enemy – the Eternal Guard. Crews out scouring islands across the Sea of Thieves may stumble across ancient sarcophagi, and perform a summoning ritual to bring forth these ferocious combatants.[/p]
• [p]The Eternal Guard use ancient magic to cloak and stalk their targets around the battlefield. They are invulnerable while cloaked, so crews should keep an eye on their surroundings and seek the telltale signs of a Guard readying an attack.[/p]
• [p]When ready to strike, the Guard will cross the veil to take mortal form and unleash attacks with blowpipe, spear and poison bomb before returning to the shadows.[/p]
• [p]During this encounter, pirates should also be prepared to face off against Banished Ancient Skeletons who can be summoned by the Eternal Guard during a challenging encounter.[/p]
• [p]Upon defeat, the Guard will release a powerful shockwave – so stay back! Pirates who take down one of these uncanny enemies will be rewarded with a key to unlock a nearby Sanctuary of the Banished.[/p]
• [p]While they are most frequently discovered in The Devil’s Roar, the sarcophagi of the Eternal Guard can now also be discovered on large islands in other regions.[/p]

• [p]The Smugglers’ League have excavated three Sanctuaries in The Devil’s Roar. These Ancient structures can be found hidden beneath Cinder Islet, Flame’s End and Brimstone Rock, and each site is shown on the ship’s map.[/p]
• [p]Crews using a recovered Sanctuary of the Banished Key to make their way inside will discover Ancient Treasure littering the Sanctuary and the new Trident of the Banished weapon. Locked compartments can be opened with Ashen Keys to fully plunder the Sanctuary.[/p]

• [p]The Trident of the Banished is a corrupted weapon, enhancing the power of the Trident and inflicting poisonous effects.[/p]
• [p]A small bubble can be charged quickly and releases a fast-moving shot to deal both direct damage and lasting poison effects.[/p]
• [p]A medium-sized bubble deals greater damage than its Trident of Dark Tides counterpart with a larger blast radius, also poisoning enemies in the area.[/p]
• [p]The largest bubble deals high damage and poison; however, it moves very slowly when fired, allowing pirates to follow-up with a well-aimed shot to detonate it.[/p]

• [p]Crews venturing into The Devil’s Roar will be handsomely rewarded for their efforts by the local Trading Companies and Smugglers. Cashing in loot within The Devil’s Roar during Season 18 will offer boosted gold and reputation depending on the representative.[/p]
• [p]Crews exploring this volcanic region will find that the frequency of discovering the ferocious Chest of Rage in their treasure hoard has increased across a range of activities.[/p]
• [p]Across The Devil’s Roar, environmental hazards have been rebalanced to reduce frustration while adventuring. Crews should continue to watch their step and keep a keen eye on the horizon, however, as this volcanic region remains a dangerous part of the seas.[/p]
• [p]Morrow’s Peak Outpost is now a potential starting location for crews at the beginning of a session.[/p]

• [p]The Smugglers‘ League have established two new trap-laden hideouts in The Devil’s Roar. Elias operates from a cave beneath Fetcher’s Rest and Lucia can be found in a tunnel cutting through Ruby’s Fall. Both contacts are now available as delivery locations for Smugglers’ treasure.[/p]
• [p]The Smugglers’ Route Run has now shifted location into The Devil’s Roar and this new treacherous pathway has been marked on the ship’s map for all to see.[/p]

• [p]With Season 17 drawing to a close, the Smugglers‘ influence on the seas has waned and a variety of emergent discoveries have returned to pre-Season 17 levels.[/p]
• [p]The frequency of shipwreck discoveries has been increased and there is now an equal chance of finding a regular shipwreck or a Smugglers’ Shipwreck, both containing handy air bubbles throughout the ship to help pirates while exploring.[/p]
• [p]Crews spotting a washed-up Rowboat will now have an equal chance of finding any of the different types of Rowboat.[/p]
• [p]Ambushes by Black Powder-wielding Skeletons and the presence of washed-up Smugglers’ Caches are now much less frequent.[/p]
• [p]The glint of a washed-up Message in a Bottle on the shores now provides a range of different activities and will no longer just provide a Smugglers’ Run.[/p]
• [p]Skeleton Ships have slowed their stockpiling of Smugglers’ League treasures, and crews will now find a more balanced hoard on board.[/p]

• [p]As the fires of Act 1 begin, a range of new Commendations have been added to the Secrets of the Banished Reputation tab. Pirates completing these Commendations will unlock access to new weapons from the Forsaken Ashes set, Mark of the Widow Tattoo, Chest of Banished Tribute Disguise and ‘Effigy of Rage’ Trinket – and from the Smugglers’ clothing set, Saltbones Elias’ Hook and Laughing Fox Lucia’s Mask.[/p]
• [p]New time-limited Act 1 Deeds have been added to the Season menu, earning players a boost to their Seasonal Renown progression and the ‘A Dark Discovery’ Painting once completed.[/p]
• [p]New Xbox and Steam achievements and PlayStation®5 Trophies can be unlocked by progressing through the new in-game Commendations.[/p][p]Vanquisher of the Eternal[/p][p]Explorer of Scared Places[/p][p]Broker of Banishment[/p][p]Violet Violence [/p]

Season 18

• [p]Progressing through the 100 levels of Renown in Season 18 will reward players with a variety of new cosmetics. The Spider’s Venom clothing set and vanity items plus unique Creepy Crawlers cosmetics can be unlocked, while Pirate Legends can also earn the Warsmith Throwing Knives and Duke Tribute Tattoo.[/p]
• [p]Time-limited for Season 18, players can also earn the exclusive Widow’s Weave Flag, Hull, Sails, Makeup and Tattoo. Head to the Seasons profile page to browse the new rewards and check your pirate’s progress![/p]
• [p]Pick up a Plunder Pass to gain access to a plethora of additional unlockable cosmetics from the Nightshade Sentry collection, including a ship set and selection of themed clothing, all individually earned by raising your Renown. Purchase a Pass in-game through the Pirate Log or Pirate Emporium, or via the Pirate Emporium webpage or Steam Item Store![/p]

• [p]This Season, the Guild Emissary Ledgers offer the ‘An Eternal Ebb and Flow’ Painting, ‘Banished Finery’ Ornament and Guild of Dark Banishment Title to Guilds who represent them well and perform proudly in the Ledgers.[/p]
• [p]The Hunter’s Call Emissary Ledger now offers the Living Depths Flag, Sails and Capstan, along with the Assailant of Ancient Quarry Title. These new rewards are earnable by Hunters representing the Company as Emissaries.[/p]

• [p]The Chest of Fortune remains within the Fort of Fortune, allowing crews to earn the next Grade of the Fortune’s Favour Commendation and unlock access to the Regal Fortune Fishing Rod, Shovel, Pocket Watch, Tankard and Speaking Trumpet.[/p]

• [p]Crews chasing down the tell-tale beacon of the Reaper’s Chest or Reaper’s Bounty can earn the next Grade of the Reaper’s Riches Commendation and unlock access to the Regal Fortune Hurdy-Gurdy and Concertina.[/p][p][/p]

Gameplay Improvements

• [p]Crews engaging with the same rival repeatedly will now find that they will be migrated away to a new server after subsequent losses.[/p]
• [p]Losing to the same rival three times within a generous 1h 45m period will cause the losing crew to be migrated. However, should the losing crew turn the tide and sink their rival, this will reset the encounter.[/p]
• [p]This ruleset will not affect crews taking part in an encounter with the Burning Blade, and crews engaging with the Skull of Siren Song will need to be actively participating in the Voyage to be remain exempt.[/p]

• [p]Crews engaging with rivals in naval combat will find that ambush threats like Skeleton Ships and Megalodons are now reduced in frequency. While these unpredictable encounters can still occur, they will now be much less frequent, allowing crews to remain focused on their rivals.[/p]

• [p]This update includes further system-level optimisations to CPU performance across the whole experience. This will improve loading behind the scenes, with the aim of providing a smoother framerate when approaching islands, ships and other players in the world.[/p]
• [p]Improvements have been made to game performance when digging up items in the world to improve client framerate.[/p][p][/p]

Pirate Emporium

• [p]Tundra Wanderer Ship Collection and Ship’s Crest[/p]
• [p]Tundra Wanderer Weapon Bundle[/p]
• [p]Tundra Wanderer Clothing Bundle[/p]
• [p]Tundra Wanderer Drum[/p]
• [p]Festive Hat Bundle (time-limited, will return next year)[/p]
• [p]Dark Constellation Cat[/p]
• [p]Glacial Curse Barbary and Toucan[/p]
• [p]Ghostly Curse Ragamuffin (requires Pirate Legend status)[/p]
• [p]Humble Gift Emote – Free![/p]

• [p]Bonechiller Ship Collection and Ship’s Crest[/p]
• [p]Bonechiller Costume Set[/p]
• [p]Bonechiller Weapon Bundle[/p]
• [p]Festival of Giving Weapon Bundle[/p]
• [p]Festival of Giving Pet Outfits[/p][p][/p]

Outpost Cosmetics

• [p]The shipwrights have restocked with the new Pale Resolute Hull, Sails and Flag.[/p]
• [p]The Outpost weaponsmiths now offer weapons from the Regal Hound set.[/p]

• [p]Cosmetics previously available during Season 11 have arrived in the Outpost shops and can now be purchased with Doubloons![/p]
• [p]Players can purchase items from the Cunning Serpent set including clothing, Medusa Hair, Snake Tail Hair and Beard. The Cartographer Cannons and Pegleg, Musketeer Eye of Reach, Banded Chaperon Hat and Fog-Piercing Frog Lantern are also available.[/p]
• [p]Pirate Legends can purchase Briggsy’s Weatherbeaten Gloves and Belle’s Mysterious Dress.[/p]
• [p]The time-limited Swift-Winged Wayfarer items, however, remain exclusive to players who participated in Season 11.[/p][p][/p]

Updates

• [p]The Season Menu has been updated, now bringing Season Progress and Events into the menu alongside the Season’s Deeds and rewards. This menu now provides a single source of information for everything taking place during the Season.[/p]
• [p]The Pirate Log has been renamed to Reputation and is now focused on highlighting progression with the various Trading Companies, Factions, Tall Tales and Adventures at Sea.[/p][p][/p]

Events

• [p]The Orb breaks its silence with new whispers and visions, teasing future events and offering clues to an enlightening in-game reward. Tune in on Twitch![/p]

• [p]Pirate Legends join the Partners, Affiliate Alliance leaders and Deckhands taking to the seas under the Generous Gift Sails this year, spreading holiday cheer and delivering gifts to other pirates they meet![/p]

• [p]Support your favourite Sea of Thieves streamers and get rewards! Gift two qualifying subscriptions to earn Amethyst Mercenary ship cosmetics, and gift three subs for the Ebon Double Barrel Pistol.[/p][p][/p]

Fixed Issues

• [p]Blunderbombs fired from cannons into other ships will now push ships in a more predictable direction.[/p]
• [p]The Double Barrel Pistol now reloads reliably when rapidly fired and reloaded in quick succession.[/p]
• [p]Players sitting on the barrel on the lower deck of the Sloop can now consistently be damaged by sword attacks.[/p]
• [p]Exiting crouch by sprinting and quickly aiming down sights should no longer cause pirates to briefly stutter.[/p]
• [p]‘Shores of Gold’ – All levers in this Tall Tale can now consistently be interacted with, allowing the Tale to be progressed.[/p]

• [p]Crews experiencing technical issues when diving beneath the waves should no longer find themselves returned to the surface alongside a duplicate version of their ship.[/p]
• [p]Further improvements have been made to game stability to reduce scenarios where players unexpectedly exit the game or become disconnected from their session.[/p]

• [p]Sailing near a Skeleton Camp no longer causes ship interiors to appear overly bright.[/p]
• [p]A blowpipe musical tune should no longer be heard when on the Ferry of the Damned.[/p]
• [p]Players climbing inside the Cartographer Cannons will now retain their intended field of view.[/p]
• [p]The Gilded Phoenix Ship’s Crest now displays correctly when viewed at the back of a ship.[/p]
• [p]The symbol on the Purple Resolute Sails is now correctly positioned.[/p]
• [p]The Nightfall Hunter Shirt icon now shows the pirate’s hand in the correct position.[/p]
• [p]The glint of treasure viewed at a distance will now twinkle more randomly and not pulse consistently with other treasure.[/p]
• [p]Sprinting while holding a Fort Key no longer causes hand animations to jump after stopping.[/p]
• [p]Pirates burying items should now have a consistent shadow in sync with their animations.[/p]
• [p]Quest Board maps to islands with Skeleton Camps should now display the correct island visuals.[/p]
• [p]The Boreal Aurora Cannons now appear correctly when viewed at close range.[/p]
• [p]Players firing the Alter Ego Eye of Reach should no longer find the weapon clips into the camera.[/p]
• [p]The Amethyst Mercenary Flag now appears correctly when equipped on a Brigantine.[/p]

• [p]Improvements have been made to areas of the environment at Port Merrick, Flintlock Peninsula, The Devil’s Thirst and Ruby’s Fall to prevent players becoming stuck while traversing.[/p]
• [p]Players should no longer be able to grapple into the roof decoration of the tavern at Morrow’s Peak Outpost.[/p]
• [p]During a storm, rain can no longer be seen within the Pirate Emporium.[/p]
• [p]‘Shores of Gold’ – A visible crack on the ground at the Shores of Gold has been smoothed out.[/p]
• [p]Skeletons navigating around Mermaid’s Hideaway and Crescent Isle can now consistently reach their intended location.[/p]

• [p]Players using an ultra-wide screen will find HUD elements such as the notification pane and currency are now placed at the edges of the screen to be consistent with other parts of the HUD.[/p]
• [p]Viewing the Reputation tab from the front-end menu now shows the correct number of promotions.[/p]
• [p]Players changing settings for Narration and Custom Text Overlay will find that these settings now persist across sessions.[/p]
• [p]Player names in the Invites menu now remain visible when highlighted.[/p]
• [p]Players using ‘Let Games Read to Me’ should hear the Enhanced Headphone Menu fully narrated while browsing.[/p]
• [p]Viewing the Rank 15 promotion within the Gold Hoarders Trading Company now shows all the rewards available to unlock.[/p]
• [p]The preview imagery for the Frozen Horizon Instrument Bundle within the Pirate Emporium now shows the correct iconography.[/p]

• [p]Players speaking with the Smugglers Lottie, Solomon and Ix should now find their voiceover consistently matches their dialogue.[/p]
• [p]Players using Italian language settings should no longer see overlapping text when equipping various weapons within the Armoury.[/p]
• [p]Players navigating the Reputation tab while playing in Safer Seas are now correctly reminded of the Trading Company rank limitation across a range of non-English languages.[/p]
• [p]Players using Polish language settings should now find the clues given as part of the Voyage of Legends are now much clearer to follow.[/p]
• [p]Players using Thai language settings will find the Alter Ego set name has been changed to better match its visual appearance.[/p][p][/p]

Known Issues

Download and Installation

• [p]Steam: 5.4 GB[/p]