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Sea of Thieves Spotlight Showcase #5Mar 27, 2023 - Community AnnouncementsAs we sail full speed into April, the fifth instalment of the Spotlight Showcase is here! We last checked in with you all the way back in November, so there’s a whole new cast of Sea of Thieves Spotlight occupants to walk you through, with scientists, artists, streamers and even a carpenter here to share their thoughts. Without any further ado, let’s dive in… {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/37295600/9c831384dd10493e9b7452ed35f3dbb4b23b4329.jpg Leafing all the way back through the 2022 holiday season, we find plant prospector Solarlunar34 in the Community Spotlight! Discussing his experiences with Ancient Isles University, the ‘Plant King’ explained how he got into pirate plant classification and what goes into naming the fantastical flora of the Sea of Thieves. Did you know the Latin word for banana? Now you do! {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/37295600/353b3593f4893780ffcd344fa74540c7d33721f2.jpg Taking us from botany to geography, our next Community Spotlight jumped to Jerem, the creative mind behind the daily puzzler SoT Guessr. Jerem discussed how he and his crew worked together to capture hundreds of screenshots from across the seas to challenge eagle-eyed fellow players, and explained how his ship is named after an ongoing hunt for the elusive Shrouded Ghost. {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/37295600/a653d06547cb6e38c3dd9783b1ab221811da7300.jpg As we rolled into the cold month of December, our thoughts turned to warm summer memories of SoTFest as CalamityKez walked us through her history with Rare and how it all ultimately led her to becoming a pillar of the SoTUK community. Like Jerem, she also discussed the rarest of the Megalodons, though this time with a successful hunt to look back on and celebrate. {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/37295600/0682d60baeb29c36bb2688aee0816b807845ce1b.jpg For our first Spotlight of 2023, we got creative with one of the most widely shared artists in the community, Shabby! He spoke about where he finds inspiration for the mystical monsters he creates and how a Twitter meme ended up leading to him obtaining the legendary Hat of Unfeasibly Glorious Fame. Clearly one shouldn’t underestimate the power of the phrase ‘It’s Reapin’ Time’. {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/37295600/7754f5353505be42c0f30da501959aa0afcb386e.jpg The first Creator Spotlight on this list went to the streaming inspiration behind the Legacy Beard cosmetic, Beardageddon. He talked about his transition from YouTuber to Twitch streamer, and the journey that led to him becoming a major component of the Sea of Thieves streaming community (even if he did confess to thinking the game looked a bit silly in the beginning)... {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/37295600/894d34ace2176fb723e3f44092dc9d6f5cc4ae50.jpg February put us in a crafty mood, and who better to celebrate with than a woodworking wizard? In his Community Spotlight, MiniMeMarcLee spoke about nearly 40 years of history with games and how his training as a joiner enabled him to become a master at making Sea of Thieves props. He even teased a new project he’s working on...Supersized Community Weekend Set for March 25th-27thMar 22, 2023 - Community AnnouncementsHello! Unless you’ve been living under a rock for the past few weeks, you’ll have noticed we’ve gone hard on Sea of Thieves’ fifth anniversary celebrations. From feature-length films to in-game events and beautiful login bonuses, we’ve ensured that our big day has been commemorated with the biggest bang possible. A mega-keg of shenanigans, if you will. One of the most exciting events still to come in this anniversary month is our Community Weekend, taking place from March 25th-27th. It’s going to be a jam-packed weekend of gifts, on-sea action and an outrageous number of opportunities for loot – so to make sure you don’t miss any of the key information, we’re serving it up hot right here. We’ll get into the details in a moment, but not before we give you something else to entertain your eyeballs ahead of the event… Voyage of a Lifetime On March 20th, the very day of Sea of Thieves’ anniversary, we released a feature-length documentary tracing our journey as a studio since starting work on everyone’s favourite shared world pirate adventure. From inception to where we are now, the documentary features candid interviews with the development team, never-before-seen prototype footage and the most in-depth peek behind the curtain we’ve ever offered. Voyage of a Lifetime is available to stream now for all curious corsairs wanting to know how Sea of Thieves came to life, and because we’re nice, we’ve included a link to it right here: For those of you who have recently flicked through your favourite streaming services and thought “ugh, there’s nothing to watch!” – keep this brilliant documentary in mind next time you go searching for a show. We’re incredibly proud of it and the story it tells. RIGHT. Back to Community Weekend. Who wants to know what’s going on? You do? Perfect, you’re in the right place. Let’s get into it! Twice as Nice You might be thinking “hang on a second, aren’t these usually Community Days?” – and you’d be right, these types of events usually last for 24 hours and no longer. However, for this celebration we’re doubling down on the fun and offering players the opportunity to get involved across 48 hours. Starting at 10am UTC on Saturday, March 25th and finishing at the same time on Monday, March 27th, our Community Weekend will once again challenge you all to raise the Community Emissary Grade together – this time on Twitter, Facebook, Reddit, YouTube and Instagram. All you’ll need to do is use the shiny new event hashtag, #SoTAnniversaryPromo, instead of #SeaOfThievesCommunityDay, to notch up the progress bars. Raising the Grade will increase the multipliers active on gold, reputation, Renown and Allegiance, with the top Grade dishing out two-and-a-half times the regular amount of rewards usually available. We’re incredibly excited to be bringing more players into this community celebration by including more social channels, and we can’t wait to see what sort of amazing content you all create across the web this time, not just on Tw...Season Nine Arrives as Sea of Thieves Celebrates Five Years at SeaMar 17, 2023 - Community AnnouncementsSeason Nine of Sea of Thieves has arrived, packed to bursting with fresh features, prized plunder and many quality of life improvements to make the pirate life more approachable and enjoyable for all. As players have come to expect, a new Season also brings 100 levels of progression to be climbed by living the pirate life and raising Renown, picking up a steady stream of rewards while rising through the ranks – while Season Nine’s optional Plunder Pass adds exclusive extra content to that treasure pile. Find out more about how Seasons work in our Seasons Explained and Plunder Pass Explained articles! Fortune Favours the Bold Valuable Chests of Fortune have begun to surface across the Sea of Thieves, and will require strategy and skill to acquire, as a single Chest can only found within a conquered Fort of Fortune. Acquiring them can be quite the accomplishment, especially when other crews arrive to ‘help’ you empty the Vault’s contents... But the effort is well worth it, as players who hand in Chests of Fortune will gradually earn the right to possess cosmetics from the prestigious Fates of Fortune set. This new range is ready to expand in future updates, and showing it off will let everyone know the kind of truly tenacious treasure hunter you really are. Never ones to be outdone, The Reaper’s Bones have acquired their own Fates of Fortune pieces and are reserving these for pirates who bring them large numbers of Reaper’s Chests and Reaper’s Bounties. Since these blighted boxes now cast a shining beacon into the sky at all times, not just until they’re handled, this may prove easier said than done. {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/37295600/d4080bd868825f2902254531a62389cc6c3c943a.jpg Smoother Sailing Pirate Legends, meanwhile, can embark on several useful new Voyages guaranteed to uncover helpful, hard-to-find treasures. One of these is the new Skull of Destiny, a Ritual Skull filled with the flames necessary to instigate a Fort of the Damned Event – with no trips to the afterlife required. Elsewhere, crews aboard Captained ships will find that their Captain’s Logbooks now contain a blow-by-blow account of their most recent exploits, detailing everything from islands visited and ships sighted to frenzied battles against aggravated sea monsters. If you have spoils from those encounters, the Sovereigns have struck up an agreement with The Hunter’s Call and will deliver fish and cooked meat on your behalf – although the Seaposts’ residents now offer more gold for a fresh, direct delivery. It’s not just Captains and fearless Fort enthusiasts who’ll benefit from Season Nine, of course, thanks to a raft of improvements and enhancements across the game. Check out the release notes for more information on everything that’s been given a spit and polish. Now We Are Five All these additions and changes keep the game evolving and improving as Sea of Thieves approaches its fifth anniversary, and we’ve got an extravagant birthday bash all planned out. Naturally, you’re all ...Sea of Thieves Release Notes - 2.8.0Mar 16, 2023 - Community AnnouncementsTime to seek your fortune all over again as Season Nine offers up a wealth of additions, improvements and refinements of classic features. New chests, new Voyages and new rewards, a shot in the arm for World Events and countless tweaks to make the pirate life more gratifying than ever – get an overview in the official Season Nine Content Update video below, and if you've already seen it, tag along for the Deep Dive instead! There's a lot to break down into bullet point format, so get the kettle on and come back when you're all set to skim-read like a champ. All of the above plus 100 levels of spring-fresh Seasonal rewards lie ahead! Chests of Fortune Infiltrate Forts of Fortune, find Chests of Fortune, earn Fates of Fortune. Simple! Except the new Fates of Fortune cosmetics are behind Commendations also tied to Reaper's Chests, and neither those nor the precious new Chests of Fortune are easy to hold on to for long enough to sell... Chest of Fortune A new high-value chest has arrived on the seas, offering a fortune in gold and the promise of exclusive rewards if safely cashed in. Expect the Chest of Fortune to be highly sought after by crews across the waves! In Season Nine, Chests of Fortune have been locked away in Fort of Fortune Vaults, ready for the taking. Cunning crews who claim them will progress the Fortune’s Favour Commendation to unlock the first ship items from the new Fates of Fortune cosmetic set. In future Seasons, expect Chests of Fortune to move around and bring the fight to new locations, while enabling new Commendation Grades and expanding the Fates of Fortune set.Reaper’s Chests The beacon visible from across the seas that highlights a Reaper’s Chest or Reaper’s Bounty will now stay visible even when the chest is collected by players – no more hiding! Pirates can now use the beacon along with the Ship’s Map table icon to track this valuable cargo being transported by rival crews. With these chests now much more visible when being transported, there is an additional reward for crews who successfully hand them in. Crews will now progress the Reaper’s Riches Commendation and start unlocking access to the Fates of Fortune weapon set!Chests of Fortune Achievements New Xbox and Steam achievements can be unlocked by progressing through the game’s variety of new features. A total of 150 gamerscore is available to earn from this update, and these achievements will remain in the game indefinitely. Getting a Head Hot-Headed Fortune-ate Outcome A Favour for the Flame Favour the Bold {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/37295600/38e657df70ce1bda0f4a5d9c6255a046a1b73d22.jpg World Events and Encounters When you set sail into a world carefully rebalanced by Season Nine, the new level of life and variety out there will soon come into focus. Forts have been lavished with attention across the board, marauding Ghost Fleets are back and encounters now scale satisfyingly to all crew sizes! Fort of Fortune The gruelling Fort of Fortune has been reimagined for Season ...Sea of Thieves: 2023 Edition and Deluxe EditionMar 15, 2023 - Community AnnouncementsThere’s a lot going on around Sea of Thieves’ fifth anniversary, but one thing you may not have noticed in the barrage of freebies, announcements and events is the arrival of a couple of new editions of Sea of Thieves itself. Both include all the permanent content released for the game up to now, and both are available from today! Here’s a quick breakdown of what makes each one different… 2023 Edition The new standard version of Sea of Thieves. Anyone buying the game and joining us on the seas starting from today will get the 2023 Edition, which comes with a nice cache of extras to help you look sharp from your very first Voyage: the Hunter Cutlass, Pistol, Compass, Hat, Jacket and Sails, plus 10,000 gold for a shopping spree around the nearest Outpost. Don’t you worry, existing players – you’ll be granted those gifts of gold and cosmetics too, so expect to see them pop up when you set sail over the next few days. Deluxe Edition For players who want to treat themselves to an even more lavish array of goodies when they first set sail. In addition to the 2023 Edition of the game including Hunter items and 10,000 gold, this Deluxe Edition comes with a Deluxe Bundle of extra cosmetics and currency: the Black Phoenix Figurehead and Sails, the Crab Dab and Deck Hide Emotes, plus 550 Ancient Coins to spend recklessly in the Pirate Emporium. Steam buyers also get access to the Sea of Thieves Original Soundtrack – 5th Anniversary Edition, Athena's Fortune audiobook and a set of 4K wallpapers. We know there’ll be players who already own the game and want to add these treasures without buying an entire new edition, so we’ve made that possible too: while it comes as standard with the Deluxe Edition, the Deluxe Bundle Upgrade can also be snapped up separately. {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/37295600/ba7eb127bd81e889cb0b105009da6e24732920d2.jpg If you’re looking for a new route onto the seas as we hurtle past this five-year milestone, we’re pleased to say that Sea of Thieves is now officially Steam Deck Verified too! The game team really put the work in to optimise the Sea of Thieves experience for this platform, so anyone setting sail with a Steam Deck can expect all the good stuff: full controller inputs, native resolution, steady 30-60fps gameplay, voice communication and a pop-out keyboard for in-game text chat. Should you have a Steam Deck and already own Sea of Thieves on Steam, the game will be ready and waiting to install on your device, so you can rally your crew and go tracking down treasure or smashing up skeletons without missing a beat. There’s also an official FAQ to field any queries about the Steam Deck itself. If it’s Sea of Thieves you have more questions about, well, as it happens we’ve been buffing up a brand new trailer to showcase what the game has to offer in 2023. Welcome to our playground… So there you go, a pirate sandbox shaped by five years of evolution and free content updates, now offering more options than ever for getting involved. And it’s...Sea of Thieves Round-Up: February 2023Mar 9, 2023 - Community AnnouncementsThe shortest of months has passed us by in record time, but that hasn’t stopped us from packing those 28 days with exciting content to get stuck into. There’s so much to cover that we’re just going to skip the preamble and dive right in, okay? Okay. Let’s go. Content Update After the stargazing Adventure that took up the second half of January, we decided that in February we’d keep our attentions a little closer to home with the latest Community Day! On February 11th, pirates from across the seas came together to celebrate, and many of you took to Twitter to share your adventures and bump the collective Emissary Grade to the max. The more adventurous souls also tackled a Community Day-themed bingo card – were you able to cross off any squares? Later in the month, the Trading Companies and Factions came together and agreed that it was time for a deeply uncharacteristic show of generosity. So was born Double Rewards Week! They took turns in offering variations on doubled gold, reputation, Renown and Allegiance bonuses to all pirates for one day only, before a traditional Gold & Glory Weekend capped things off neatly. The Pirate Emporium took on an otherworldly look halfway through the month, when February’s update brought not just PvP matchmaking improvements and miscellaneous tweaks and balances, but saw the Infinite Depths collection phasing into view. A comprehensive collection it is too, with a ship set, costume, weapons and emote. The same theme extended to February’s freebie, the not-so-protective Armour Mock Emote, while sweet-toothed pirates were in for a treat of their own with the Pancake Puzzler Emote as a free login bonus for the week around Shrove Tuesday. Where does it go though? News and Features We kicked off the month with our very own article bracing everyone for Season Eight Community Day, then quickly followed it up with preparations for the prestigious Style of Thieves competition, by way of articles explaining the rules of engagement and Season Eight’s themes. The latest tournament has now finished, but it’s still good to read up on if you want to get your planning in early for the next bout… February saw two new player Spotlights for you to enjoy. First up was MiniMeMarcLee’s Community Spotlight, discussing his woodworking creations and how he sailed as one of the Pioneers of Sea of Thieves. Then our Creator Spotlight zeroed in on harmonica harmoniser LazyBuzzard, the conversation ranging from how he started streaming during the first Covid lockdown to his work in raising awareness of mental health, with a sprinkling of advice for anyone looking to follow in his footsteps. The Community Hub was also updated with fresh batches of fantastic player creations. In February we were snuggling up warm with treats like a Company-inspired blanket and celebrating some of the phenomenal highlights from Community Day. Of course, there’s another day worthy of note in February too… {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/37295600/aaa3f910bb7b07c3416a3525f3388b9...Celebrate Sea of Thieves’ Landmark Fifth Anniversary!Mar 7, 2023 - Community AnnouncementsThe fifth anniversary of Sea of Thieves is almost upon us! If you were able to tune in to the preview livestream on Twitch or YouTube, you’ll already know that the celebrations are already well underway – but if not, have no fear! We’re here to sum up everything that’s happening in the next few weeks and fill you in on how you can get involved, unlocking a pile of rewards for yourself in the process. The party kicked off on March 6th, with the Marauder’s Medley Event. Spanning 10 days, this Event revisits some of Sea of Thieves’ greatest updates by offering a themed collection of Challenges to undertake. Keep checking in and ticking off at least one Goal per Challenge to unlock classic cosmetic rewards from anniversaries past, as well as the stylish new Fabulous Five Eyepatch. For a full breakdown of the Challenges, check out our dedicated Marauder’s Medley page! {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/37295600/55fc3af19605e42b674e3ff7302555da27aeb4f2.jpg Those aren’t the only cosmetics you can snag this anniversary: log in between March 17th and March 22nd (10am UTC) and you’ll find the Lustrous Legend Figurehead waiting for you in your Ship Customisation Chest. Alternatively, if you’re in the market for a specific cosmetic, you might be interested in our Anniversary Sale! From March 17th–28th, a sprawling selection of items from sets including those themed around classic Rare games and Sea of Thieves: A Pirate’s Life – our 2021 collaboration with Disney’s Pirates of the Caribbean – will be on sale in the Pirate Emporium. Even if you’re low on Ancient Coins, you can always swing by the Emporium during the sale to grab the free Down the Hatch Emote and share a few celebratory grogs with friends. Thanks to all the freebies and rewards being dished out this month, you’ll have no shortage of material when posing for pirate selfies at the fifth anniversary picture wall – a temporary addition to New Golden Sands Outpost from March 20th! {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/37295600/f1aff95d5042d2b536fa8fbb74ab4d19ade67196.jpg For those of you in search of something to watch rather than play, we’ve got plenty to keep you entertained. Twitch Drops will be available for all participating streamers (not just Sea of Thieves Partners) to offer between March 16th and 20th, so tune in then to your Sea of Thieves creator of choice to earn the latest batch of rewards. Then, from the world of Twitch streams to the big screen, we’re going cinematic with our next announcement: the feature-length documentary Sea of Thieves: Voyage of a Lifetime will be premiering on the day of the fifth anniversary, March 20th! Featuring new interviews and never-before-seen footage, the film looks back on the highs and lows of developing Sea of Thieves and lifts the curtain on all the work that’s gone into making the game what it is today. Of course, there’s no way to celebrate our anniversary without also celebrating the tremendous community that has been with us throughout the last five years. That’s why we’re going t...From Concept to Cosmetic: Ravenwood SetMar 3, 2023 - Community AnnouncementsThe time has come once again to take a peek behind the curtain of one of our latest in-game cosmetic collections. After shedding light on the Snowbound Ship Lantern and unpicking the punk biker aesthetic of the Islehopper Outlaw set in previous instalments, we thought that this time we’d head in a slightly more… sinister direction. Enter the assassin-inspired Ravenwood collection, available through the Season Eight Plunder Pass! As well as a corvid-themed ship design, the Ravenwood collection features our latest evolving costume with three stages to be unlocked through the Season, reflecting your progress. But how did the whole set come into being? Let’s find out… CONCEPT Pirates and dagger-wielding assassins might have no real historical relationship to one another, but it’s fair to say they scratch a similar cultural itch for the ‘high adventure with swords’ genre of fiction. With that in mind, it was inevitable that we’d bring the two together sooner or later. Unsurprisingly, both the Ravenwood ship set and costume are filled with raven motifs, favouring the blacks, blues and purples of a pirate who prefers to keep to the shadows. It was the costume that came first this time, as Senior Concept Artist Ine T'Sjoen elaborates: “The Ravenwood set started out as part of a concept jam. This is when the Concept team have a few days to come up with as many ideas as we can for future cosmetics. The idea of a raven was tossed around until one of our talented artists created the costume, combining it with an assassin theme to evoke a raven in a way that was less like a literal bird. The costume then inspired the rest of the ship set and other items. As we worked on these, we thought of how we could make the ship feel like the lair of an assassin who uses ravens as a calling card.” {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/37295600/99d58715e328f1202365054588c79c126f0d6fb0.jpg The assassin theme really comes into its own with the evolving Ravenwood Costume. With three stages to unlock, the outfit consists of a maskless version, one with a white mask and a final variant in which the mask turns black. Designing these evolving costumes isn’t as simple as it might first appear, however. According to Ine, creating three unique but equally appealing designs can be a tricky balance: “Costumes are designed as part of a set that, from the Art team’s point of view, may at some point appear in the Pirate Emporium. So when we design the additional two versions for the Plunder Pass, we always try to find the balance between making a new version that feels like a step in an evolution, but has as much value as the other two costumes. It is at times tricky and some sets lean into the evolving part, whereas in the Ravenwood set, we put more emphasis on making sure players had three different roleplay options. “We had the idea to add a bird mask to the costume early on. From a role-playing aspect, it made sense to give a mysterious character something to hide their face behind. But we also wanted...Sea of Thieves Release Notes - 2.7.3Feb 16, 2023 - Community AnnouncementsAs we storm into the twilight of Season Eight, get set to salivate over this month’s heavy-hitting Emporium update along with more improvements to ship combat matchmaking following changes made in the last update. Need a quick refresher on the Battle for the Sea of Thieves? Hit play on that trailer... Ready to see exactly what’s new? Future fashion, Faction action and, er, a frying pan await you in the full release notes for this update below! Pirate Emporium The future comes calling on the shopkeepers of the Pirate Emporium this month with a supply drop containing the Halo-inspired Infinite Depths collection. Costume, ship set, weapons and heroic poses – it's a treasure trove of Sea of Thieves-styled cosmetics fit for a chief. Season Eight Plunder Pass Anyone wishing to take full advantage of Season Eight rewards can still buy the Plunder Pass. Any rewards unlocked will become available upon purchase, so players who have raised their Renown throughout Season Eight can instantly see their hard work rewarded before the Season ends. This Season’s Plunder Pass offers early access to the complete Ravenwood Ship Collection and evolving Ravenwood Costume, and can be purchased at any time through the Pirate Log, Pirate Emporium or Steam Item Store.Infinite Depths Ship Collection Follow in the footsteps of fellow outlaws beneath distant stars with this rebellious ship set. The Collector’s Sails and Figurehead are available to purchase separately. Pirates looking for just the core components of this ship set can purchase them in an Essential Bundle at a reduced cost.Infinite Depths Costume Blending traditional armour and piratical style, this costume makes a masterful addition to any pirate’s Clothing Chest. Players wearing this costume can also use the Constant Companion Emote. Even in the toughest of battles, the figure inside this music box brings you comfort.Infinite Depths Weapons With their unearthly sheen, these alien designs aren't quite like anything else you can find on the Sea of Thieves.Infinite Depths Weapon Pose Emote Face anything the future can throw at you with this supply of weapon-specific emotes.Freebie Armour Mock Emote While it's a reach to say this borrowed move will protect you from anything, it does at least make you feel a bit safer. The Battle for the Sea of Thieves Matchmaking Improvements Further improvements in this area have now increased the size of the matchmaking pools, allowing players to find more crews who have joined the fight. These improvements work towards reducing matchmaking times and improving the suitability of skill-based matches. Gameplay Improvements Athena’s Fortune Emissary Flags In the Battle for the Sea of Thieves, Athena’s Fortune Emissary Flags won from same Faction battles can now be handed to the Mysterious Stranger in return for gold and reputation. This ensures that players can profit from same Faction battles as well as rival Faction battles.Ghost Ship Damage Balancing Player ships colliding with ...Sea of Thieves Round-Up: January 2023Feb 10, 2023 - Community AnnouncementsWelcome to 2023! Would you believe it’s already been over a month since the start of the new year? Well, turns out it has because we’re back with another round-up of all the goings-on and happenings of January, all together in one convenient place. If you’d thought we’d have a quiet few weeks after the holiday break excitement then you couldn’t be more wrong. Let’s get into it… Content Update The big event in January was, of course, our latest time-limited Adventure. ‘The Secret Wilds’ had players following in the footsteps of Captain Briggsy as her memories took form throughout The Wilds and beyond. Using her old mask, now imbued with mystical powers by Madame Olivia, pirates were able to find shapes in the stars and uncover the legend of a cure to the curse that afflicts Tasha. Whether or not those efforts will succeed remains to be seen… The new year also meant new fashions, and the Pirate Emporium was ready to oblige. The latest collection to charge onto the scene was the Labyrinth Looter set, taking its cue from a monstrous creature of myth. Meanwhile, the Pocket Pebble Emote granted players a singularly sturdy new pet and the Oar-Inspiring Emote Bundle showed off the multifunctionality of your favourite Rowboat accessory. Throw in the usual free monthly emote silently beckoning you over and it was a good month to pad out your emote radial. That wasn’t all for January, with the Battle for the Sea of Thieves introduced at the start of Season Eight also getting a brace of updates and improvements. See the release notes for the full story! News and Features You’re likely familiar with the drill by now: with a new Adventure to explore, there was, of course, an Adventures Ahead article to catch you up to speed on the story so far. This time we were delving into the hidden power of Briggsy’s mask and the history behind the Skeleton Curse. In community news, we wasted no time in getting back to our ongoing series of Spotlights. First in line was a Community Spotlight on illustrious illustrator Shabby to talk about how Sea of Thieves has helped to inspire his artwork; then, towards the end of the month, a new Creator Spotlight centered on the famously hirsute Beardageddon, discussing how he came to the Sea of Thieves and relaying some of his favourite memories from the game. January also saw a host of new entries into the Community Hub, including a suitably wintry festive ship design and a mind-boggling trick of perspective. Meanwhile, the Rare Store celebrated Lunar New Year with a selection of Year of the Rabbit goodies, while snack lovers were offered another way to pick up some striking new ship parts! {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/37295600/e685092435d436117fa3ba1fb64ae3a9760b1381.jpg Videos and Streams After the excitement of Grogmanay finished off the Festival of Giving for another year, we started looking ahead at what’s coming with 2023’s first instalment of Sea of Thieves News – hosted by a new face too, in keeping with this season of new beginnings. ...Style of Thieves Returns for Season Eight!Feb 6, 2023 - Community AnnouncementsSeason Seven saw the latest creative contest swing onto the seas, and our crew and community alike delighted in a stream of stylish screenshots and clever clothing combos, with the prestigious Fashionista’s Finery Gloves being awarded to all the top scoundrel stylists who impressed us. Of course, as Season Seven was the first iteration of the contest, we were eager to see how things went – and while some elements worked well and resulted in a colourful catwalk of costume creations, it was clear that we needed to take other parts back to the workshop for alterations. After some internal conversation, we're now pleased to present the latest rendition of rules for the next Style of Thieves contest. Some things will stay the same while others will be changing, so make sure you read the rundown carefully if you’re planning on strutting your stuff for Season Eight! {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/37295600/063c09260ebf7eca209f9c20ea60c27dc2415b35.jpg Image credit: @Taaaaamas on Twitter Just like last time, there will be three stages: Theme Announcement Four new themes will be revealed, ready for you to begin raiding your stash and planning your pose. We recommend starting to secure those shots once the categories are announced; you’ll only be given 24 hours to submit your screens for each theme! Post Your Pics! Along with the theme announcement, you’ll be given a date for each category’s submissions to be entered, each staying open for just 24 hours. Make sure you share your screenshot by tagging @SeaOfThieves and #StyleOfThieves on Twitter, @SeaOfThievesGame on Instagram, posting your submission as a reply to the theme post on Facebook, or through the #pirate-fashion channel in the official Sea of Thieves Discord. Be sure to include the name of the theme you’re entering in your post. Winner Selection The biggest change compared to our first season is that the shortlisting and winner selection will all happen internally. Our crew, including special guest judges from our Art team, will whittle down the entries to their most fashionable favourites. With three top model marauders per category, a total of 12 pairs of the glorious Fashionista’s Finery Gloves will be awarded at the end of the season’s contest. {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/37295600/5338a7e55d00e180fac6bffed55b9acf6d464834.jpg Image credit: @SirSwizy on Twitter How to Wow We’ve put together some handy hints and rules for composing the perfect shot: No Costumes on the catwalk - we want to see your creativity and individuality, so no all-in-one Costumes, and avoid complete cosmetic sets. Unless a theme calls for it, all shots should be solo snaps, no crews. Only the pirate in the picture will be eligible for the prize. Find a simple or plain background to pose against to let your outfit pop. Backgrounds and locations will not be counted as adding to the theme. Lighting is key, so find a well-lit spot to fully show off your picks – any coloured or tactical lighting won’t be considered as part of the outfit. Toggle off y...Season Eight Community Day Set for February 11thFeb 2, 2023 - Community AnnouncementsWhile it might be a little too late to wish you all a Happy New Year, we can definitely wish you a Happy February – and with it, the arrival of another Sea of Thieves Community Day. This Valentine’s Day-tinted community celebration is one to slink straight into your sailing schedules, with the proceedings kicking off at 10am UTC on Saturday, February 11th and lasting a full 24 hours. While Season Eight’s brilliant new Battle for the Sea of Thieves feature might be a little bit fighty, we’ve carved out this day as a special 24 hours of showing you, our amazing community, some love. And how are we going to do that, you may ask? Well, we’re about to tell you. Let’s get into it… Treats for Tweets Hopefully you all know the drill by now, but if you don’t, allow us to recap. The beauty of Community Day is that we put in-game rewards in your hands and give you the opportunity to collectively boost the Community Emissary Grade via Twitter. Simply by tweeting #SeaOfThievesCommunityDay after the 10am UTC kickoff, you’ll play your part in raising the in-game boosts being awarded. There are five Community Emissary Grades to work through on the day, with the top Grade giving everyone two-and-a-half-times the regular amount of gold, reputation and Seasonal Renown for handing in hard-earned treasure. Better still, if you're also sailing as an Emissary for one of the Trading Companies, this multiplier stacks with any boosts accrued there too! As with our last Community Day, the usual Gold Rush periods will be switched off for the duration of the day – so once that fifth Community Emissary Grade is unlocked, you can hand in loot for maximum value whenever you want. With Renown also subject to this scaling multiplier, keen corsairs who’ve yet to hit the heady heights of level 100 in Season Eight have it all to gain from this Community Day celebration. There’ll also be a generous fixed boost to Allegiance, giving players a great opportunity to accelerate their Faction progress towards either one (or both) of Sea of Thieves’ newest Curses. Ain’t Nobody Gifts You Better As is traditional, Season Eight Community Day comes with a couple of in-game gifts. For the romantic and pastel-persuaded among you, this event’s flag bears beautiful pink and purple hues. Collect your flag simply by logging in during the 24-hour Community Day period – and don’t forget to flap it in your crewmates’ directions to make sure they know you love them (not a euphemism). Logging in during Season Eight’s Community Day will also bless your inventories with a second bonus: the top-drawer Scorecard Emote, allowing you to playfully rate your crew or any other passer-by on their piratical performance. Except the number on the card is chosen at random, so it’s a little bit of a lottery as to whether you’ll declare love or war. Best have a blunderbomb at the ready just in case… These aren’t the only items you can score for your inventories this Community Day: tune in to any participating Sea of Thie...Past and Present Collide in 'The Secret Wilds', Live Until Feb 2nd!Jan 19, 2023 - Community AnnouncementsThe festive season has come and gone, but while pirates across the waves were busy celebrating Grogmanay, the Order of Souls were hard at work. Hoping to cure Tasha the tavern keeper of a skeletal curse that’s consuming her, Madame Olivia has now recovered memories of Captain Briggsy – the notorious rogue who once searched far and wide for the rumoured restorative that would free her from her own fleshless fate. Memories of the Mask Sea of Thieves’ previous Adventure, ‘The Rogue’s Legacy’, tasked pirates with recovering keepsakes hidden by Briggsy long ago, intended to train Tasha in pirate practices as she went about retrieving them (if you need to learn more about this quest, our latest Adventures Ahead article can fill in the blanks). Three of these gifts were successfully delivered to Madame Olivia at Plunder Outpost, but that was only the beginning of the story... All too aware how dangerous it would be to place a Skeleton Lord’s spirit back into their waiting skull, Madame Olivia has accomplished an equally tricky task, imbuing Briggsy’s distinctive mask with the memories of its former owner. How close was Briggsy to locating the cure she so desperately sought? The only way to find out is for pirates to take up the mask, learn the truth from Briggsy herself and journey to The Wilds in her wake. {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/37295600/7068c721cc6a79e303a1e46f7cf8158cb4f985e8.jpg Star Power Inquisitive crews will soon discover that Briggsy’s mask confers more than one advantage. Its jewelled eye is no mere gemstone; rather, it houses Ancient knowledge of secret starfields, each very different from the night sky to which pirates have become accustomed. When considered correctly, these constellations reveal a long-forgotten tale of duty and sacrifice that set Briggsy on her path to the cure, though all may not be quite as it seems... Picking up the quest that Briggsy began so long ago is a considerable undertaking. Cunning and curiosity will be needed in equal measure if Tasha is to be saved, especially when The Wilds continue to bloom with strange, lush patches that suggest powerful forces are at work behind the scenes. To start your journey into ‘The Secret Wilds’, begin the Adventure by speaking with Larinna outside the tavern at any time between now and February 2. {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/37295600/5fd3e68844d214374a404a93b4979a62643b6fb0.jpg Battle Boosts Elsewhere on the waves, the Battle for the Sea of Thieves continues to rage between the Guardians of Fortune and the Servants of the Flame. The team at Rare have been hard at work improving the PvP matchmaking feature set based on player feedback, with the aim of allowing Faction crews to seek out combat much more swiftly. As detailed in the latest release notes, today’s content update not only delivers a new Adventure but includes a number of enhancements to these on-demand ship encounters, including same-Faction battles designed to boost the pool of viable opponents and get battle-hungry crews into the f...Sea of Thieves Release Notes - 2.7.2Jan 19, 2023 - Community AnnouncementsIt’s a triple treat in this month’s content update as we point the way to a brand new time-limited Adventure, score a bullseye in the Pirate Emporium and deploy another set of improvements to the Battle for the Sea of Thieves! If you need a reminder of what everyone’s fighting about, rediscover the Season Eight trailer below... You can also look back on the release notes from Season Eight’s launch for the complete picture, but if you know full well what the state of play is on the seas these days, don’t let us keep you any longer from sifting through the spoils of this latest update! Adventures Time is running out for Tasha the tavern keeper as her skeletal curse continues to spread, and Madame Olivia relies on the aid of adventurous pirates as she strives to find a cure. Will you retrace Briggsy's steps through the secrets of the past in this eleventh time-limited Adventure? ‘The Secret Wilds’ (January 19th – February 2nd) To start the Adventure, talk to Larinna and be directed to Madame Olivia at Plunder Outpost. She will then explain the importance of retracing Briggsy’s steps to find a cure for Tasha. To aid pirates in their quest, Madame Olivia will hand over Briggsy’s Mask that will allow them to view hidden starfields. Tasha will also provide one of her childhood storybooks that she hopes will aid in the search for a cure and the missing amulet fragments. Pirates who fully complete the Adventure will earn an exclusive Title and a cosmetic reward to serve as a Memento of their quest. The Battle for the Sea of Thieves From battles for honour within the same Faction to rebalanced rewards, another round of improvements have been made to on-demand ship combat in this update. Rejoin the Battle for the Sea of Thieves and rack up some Allegiance in the most balanced experience to date! Same Faction Battles Improvements to matchmaking now allow players the opportunity to battle against other crews from the same Faction in a battle for honour. These improvements will reduce matchmaking times for all pirates seeking battle! Crews will vote on the War Map and begin searching for an opponent in a rival Faction as before. However, after a period of time when a rival has not been found, the search for crews will expand to include those from the same Faction. These battles for honour within a Faction will play out in exactly the same way as a traditional battle, with Allegiance, Hourglass Value and Streaks all continuing to be earned. Most Commendations and Captaincy Milestones will also continue to progress, omitting those that specifically involve the opposing Faction.Additional Battle Locations Two crews travelling beneath the waves and resurfacing to fight will now find around 50 new battle locations have been added across the seas where an encounter can take place. Many of these new locations will be only a stone’s throw away from a nearby Outpost, allowing the victors an opportunity to leave their Faction and claim their Hourglass value or restock b...Adventures Ahead: ‘The Secret Wilds’Jan 17, 2023 - Community AnnouncementsIf there’s one thing that can travel across the waves faster than a Galleon at full billow, it’s gossip. Grog-houses across the Sea of Thieves continue to buzz with stories and speculation, discussing strange areas of lush growth and sapphire skies that have mysteriously appeared throughout the normally desolate region known as The Wilds. Over at The Unicorn tavern, however, Tasha is in no mood to join in with rumourmongering as she continues to face a private peril of her own. Her last few weeks have been spent waiting impatiently for answers to arrive, however indirectly, from an old friend… Testing Times There are many different kinds of transformative curses that can plague pirates going about their business, but not all of them are entirely unwelcome. Some crews will even go so far as to accept an affliction willingly as a sign of dedication to the likes of Captain Flameheart, while the Gold Hoarders consider a glittering finger or two nothing more than proof of a hard day’s work. Tasha, on the other hand, never asked to be cursed, and while she remained oblivious to the root cause of her cadaverous conversion (discovered shortly before the events of ‘The Rogue’s Legacy’), she was not about to sit back and let it consume her without a fight. Recalling tales of a cure told by her friend and mentor, the notorious Captain Briggsy, Tasha set out for Plunder Outpost to confide in the Order of Souls, hoping that they’d be able to provide her with more concrete information. Unfortunately for Tasha, Briggsy’s skull had been drained of its memories years ago, after her own skeletal transformation led to a fatal confrontation with pirates who knew little of Briggsy’s tragic past. This complication forced Madame Olivia to gather the knowledge she needed in a much more unorthodox fashion... {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/37295600/7068c721cc6a79e303a1e46f7cf8158cb4f985e8.jpg The Eye of the Beholder Briggsy had buried many keepsakes throughout The Wilds, intending them to be discovered by Tasha once she was old enough. Madame Olivia wisely recruited pirates who were willing to retrieve several of these guarded gifts on Tasha’s behalf, uniting the mementos with a paranormal process intended to extract memories of days long past. Much to Tasha’s relief, that ritual has finally been completed, granting Olivia fresh insight into Briggsy’s time in The Wilds – and setting the stage for another expedition to uncover the truth. Unwilling to risk bestowing any kind of power upon the skull of a Skeleton Lord, Madame Olivia has instead chosen to transfer these memories into Briggsy’s distinctive mask, ready to be wielded by pirates prepared to undertake this Adventure. Whoever dons the mask will hear the wisdom and insights of the Cursed Rogue herself as they follow in her footsteps, scouring The Wilds on the hunt for a cure to Tasha’s curse. And yet, as is always the case with the legends of Captain Briggsy, all is not as it seems. The distinctive jewel in Briggsy’s mask, whic...Sea of Thieves Round-Up: December 2022Jan 12, 2023 - Community AnnouncementsIt’s a brand new year, but we can’t leave the old one behind without a final round-up now, can we? So much happened in December that frankly it’s all a bit of a blur, but we’ve picked out a few highlights to share as we take a look back over the happenings of the final month in 2022… Content Update The Festival of Giving is still fresh in our memory, but if you cast your mind even further back you’ll realise just how much was going on in December! The first major development came in the form of ‘The Rogue’s Legacy’, our tenth Adventure, which saw players joining the search for a cure to Tasha’s osteal ailment. Fortunately, following in Briggsy’s footsteps left Madame Olivia with the tools she needed to learn more. Later in the month, we embraced the holiday spirit as December’s content update sent the Festival of Giving into full swing. From a Gifts & Glory Weekend and Twitch Drops to the annual challenges of Grogmanay, there was so much going on that honestly it’s a wonder anyone was able to keep track of it all. Although, on second thought, Grogmanay might have something to do with the hazy memories. If you could drag your attention away from the festivities for long enough to buy a little seasonal treat for yourself, you might have popped over to the Pirate Emporium. Alongside some returning festive favourites, December’s update introduced the raptor-themed Soaring Oracle set, a new collection of rhythmic emotes and a trio of Trinkets drawing inspiration from familiar stories. Or for anyone watching their Ancient Coin purse, there was a free Tree Decorator Emote so you could raise a star of your own. There’s still time to grab any or all of these before the January update arrives! News and Features As is tradition, we couldn’t release an Adventure without first giving you a new Adventures Ahead article to bring you up to speed – this time on Briggsy and Tasha’s exploits. Over on the player side of things, we updated the Community Hub one last time for 2022 and shared a new Spotlight on a pillar of the UK community, CalamityKez, to hear how she got into Sea of Thieves and what her work with her SoTUK family looks like. Looking ahead, we thought the final month of the year would be a good time to fill you in on some of the upcoming improvements to the Battle for the Sea of Thieves, following a lot of feedback on the challenges players have been facing during matchmaking. If you’re still sitting here wondering what stamps have to do with anything, fear not, the summary is this: we’ve heard your concerns and we’re working on getting those matchmaking times down. All you need to do is keep sinking ships. With all that done, we saw off the year with the Festival of Giving celebrations and left you with a thorough article-based summary of everything that would be going on through the holiday period. But we didn’t neglect our out-of-game content either, filling in the backstory of everyone’s favourite Reaper in the latest Sea of Thieves: Origins comic...Sea of Thieves Release Notes - 2.7.1Dec 15, 2022 - Community AnnouncementsWhile the Factions continue to clash as we breach the second month of Season Eight, a growing spark of camaraderie can be found in the taverns as the annual Festival of Giving returns – although crews fully focused on the Battle for the Sea of Thieves will also find improvements and adjustments made to the flow of battle this month. If you’re not sure what all this talk of Factions is about, take a dive back into the Season Eight launch trailer! The Season Eight launch release notes are a crucial port of call for anyone needing the specifics, while early December’s release notes have more information on the ongoing Adventure! Now find out what’s new in the year’s climactic content update... Gameplay Improvements Since Season Eight unleashed the Battle for the Sea of Thieves, the waves have churned with crews clashing in on-demand ship combat. A range of balancing improvements have now arrived to level the playing field not only within the Battle, but encounters throughout the shared world. Blunderbomb Impact Balancing Blunderbombs fired from a cannon now have a reduced area of effect range when exploding, and players caught in the blast will no longer be propelled so far into the air, preventing them from being so easily sent overboard. Blunderbombs fired from a cannon to hit a ship’s hull now deal reduced damage to players caught in the blast inside the ship. Reduced Blunderbomb Availability Blunderbombs are now discovered slightly less frequently in island barrels, and fewer are collected at once. Captains restocking at the shipwright will find the throwables supply now contains fewer throwables and has been reduced in price accordingly. The number of throwables found during the ‘Captains of the Damned’ Tall Tale has now been significantly reduced. Crates found during the ‘Dark Brethren’ Tall Tale now contain fewer blunderbombs. Jettisoning Ship Supplies When a ship sinks, the resources held within its barrels now float to the surface in the barrels to be easily collected. Sinking another ship now offers simpler restocking options after a battle, while also giving crews who sink due to emergent encounters a chance to retrieve their hard-earned supplies! Starting Ship Supplies All ships will now start a session with additional cannonballs per barrel, increasing the Sloop stock to 80, with the Brigantine and Galleon stocking 90. Ship defensive stocks have been increased with additional wooden planks, with the Sloop and Brigantine now holding 35 planks and the Galleon holding 40. Ships will now find more plentiful food stocks, as all ships now hold 16 coconuts in addition to their existing banana supply. Battle for the Sea of Thieves – Restocking after Defeat Crews who are thwarted by an enemy in battle and become another sinking wreck for the graveyard will now appear on the new server at an Outpost, allowing them to quickly restock and get back into the fight! Battle for the Sea of Thieves – Emissary Flags Collected Emissary Flags will now be br...An Update on Season Eight and Matchmaking TimesDec 13, 2022 - Community AnnouncementsFirstly, I’d like to say a huge thank you from the entire team for all the positivity toward Season Eight and for the feedback you have raised around it. It’s been a huge release for the team with many hidden complexities and we’re very happy it’s been received well by our players. We have heard the feedback from the Sea of Thieves community that the matchmaking queue times to get into the Battle for the Sea of Thieves can be long. We appreciate that people are eager to make progress in each Faction and earn the two unique Curses that Season Eight offers. This is an area we knew we’d need to monitor and improve even ahead of launching the content update. Since the release of Season Eight, we’ve been working behind the scenes to improve our matchmaking queue times. We want to take some time to discuss how these queue times work, and what the team are doing to improve them going forward. First, I’d like to explain why queue times can sometimes be long for players: 1. Imbalance of players between Factions Over the launch period, the data has shown us that different regions often have significantly more players in one Faction than the other. This imbalance will also swing to the other Faction at different times of the day. Whenever this imbalance exists, it’s always going to result in longer matchmaking times for the Faction that has more players in it. Simply put, imagine there are 10 players matchmaking in the underwater tunnels: Nine for the Guardians of Fortune One for the Servants of the Flame As soon as the first players are paired up against one another, we now have: Eight Guardians of Fortune Zero Servants of the Flame This means the Guardians of Fortune players will have to wait until a new Servants of the Flame player enters the queue before they can be matched for a battle. Even if we have millions of players all diving into battle, an imbalance in the number of players siding with each Faction means that one Faction will experience longer wait times than the other. {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/37295600/cea60b21c08a1caf1984d8a9f5e0aaa5f58c4057.jpg 2. Players on different stamps To enable Sea of Thieves to support the largest possible number of players, we separate our servers and services into smaller units that are easier to manage. These units are called ‘stamps’. This helps us to scale our game and ensure the gameplay experience is great for all players. The downside to arranging our servers in this way is that it can mean our players are separated between different stamps. Currently, Sea of Thieves does not allow players to migrate between these stamps, which means that even if crews of the opposing Faction are ready to fight you, it may not be possible to actually matchmake you all together. This will in turn result in longer queue times as you wait for an opponent who is also on the same stamp as you. 3. Low population regions Certain regions, such as Japan and Australia, have a lower population of players. This will also result in longer matc...Sea of Thieves Round-Up: November 2022Dec 13, 2022 - Community AnnouncementsThat’s right friends, November is already over! With so much going on, we’ve barely had time to notice the days passing and yet here we are in December with so many things to catch you up on. From a fresh Adventure to an entire Season update, November positively overflowed with content. So grab a mug of your beverage of choice, brace yourself and let’s dive right in. Content Update We wasted no time in getting into it at the start of the month by jumping into the ‘Return of the Damned’ Adventure. As Captain Flameheart threatened to return and Pendragon laid his freedom on the line, players spent two weeks battling it out to capture Sea Forts and raise Flags for their chosen side. With almost 400,000 Soulflame Captains returned to the Veil in that time, you’ve almost got to feel sorry for the ghosts. It was a hard-fought struggle, but ultimately the mighty Reapers could not be stopped. Pendragon was banished back into a painting – leading to a truly tragic image of his trapped soul – and we jumped straight from Flameheart’s victorious cackle to the announcement of Season Eight. Surprise! It turns out that ‘Return of the Damned’ was only the start of the battle to come. A few days after Pendragon’s defeat, the new Season launched and players were urged to wage war for their chosen Faction, with ghostly and bony cosmetic Curses among the rewards for doing so. Skeleton suits and apparition fashion weren’t the only new looks to appear in November. Over in the Emporium, Plunder Pass holders got to embrace their sinister side with the corvid-inspired Ravenwood set. The King’s Ransom ship set offered flashier pirates a chance to show off all that gold they’ve been digging up, with shining sails and a gilded hull that manages to float against all the natural laws of buoyancy. And just in case the several metric tonnes of precious metal weren’t enough of a clue, picking up a matching Crown would ensure everyone knows who’s boss. News and Features As the first half of November was set to be spanned by an Adventure, we kicked off the month by catching you up on Flameheart and Pendragon’s bitter history in another instalment of Adventures Ahead. Once that initial skirmish was concluded and the outcome unveiled in a special stream teed up by another handy article, the seas broke into all-out warfare as Season Eight blasted onto the scene. To make sure you were fully armed with info on all this new content – and so that you wouldn’t be taken aback by an enemy Faction ship popping out of the depths right in front of you – we put together a Season Eight launch article to walk you through it. So if you have any lingering questions about the new Season, that’s the place to find answers and enter the Battle for the Sea of Thieves! Fortunately, despite all this conflict, pirates still found time to put aside their differences and spread some positivity as showcased with regular updates to the Community Hub! And we kept the power flowing to the player spotlights with ...Get Involved in This Year's Festival of Giving!Dec 12, 2022 - Community AnnouncementsDeck the hull with piles of plunder! The Festival of Giving is almost upon us once again and we’re celebrating the season in style. There’s a lot going on through the holiday period, so take this as your handy guide to everything that’s happening and when and how you can find it. Join us from December 16th to get involved and earn some unique rewards! Grand Festival of Giving Switch-On We’ll be kicking things off this year with a lights switch-on! So that everyone can get involved, we’re hosting a livestream at 6:15pm UTC on December 16th, celebrating the community and looking back over the past year. Of course, the highlight will be the switching on of the seasonal in-game decorations! If you happen to be sailing the seas while the stream’s live, gather with your crew at the tavern on New Golden Sands Outpost to see the switch-on for yourselves. You can even have a grog while you’re there. The stream is the perfect opportunity to hear more about everything that’s going on during the Festival, and to enjoy a seasonal, community-focused get-together. {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/37295600/0d516df84521f90fad4b99312d2a91acc9247eb4.jpg Your Story So Far Of course, community-led accomplishments aren’t the only thing to be celebrated. Every pirate on the sea has plenty to be proud of this year, and don’t think we haven’t noticed! For a more personalised look back at this year and beyond, make sure you check out Your Story So Far. From hours played to fruits eaten, this summary breaks down everything you’ve been up to into a series of easily digestible numbers. Yes, even the things you’d rather forget. Especially those. Your Story So Far will be available to peruse from December 12th to January 11th, so be sure to take note of anything you want to record before the book closes for another year! Gifts & Glory Weekend No Festival of Giving would be complete without, well, giving, would it? Enter the Gifts & Glory Weekend, running from December 23rd-26th (10am UTC). Sail the Sea of Thieves during this time to earn boosted gold, reputation and Seasonal Renown for your exploits, and any pirates participating in the Battle for the Sea of Thieves will also gain increased Allegiance from their ship combat encounters. Even better, we’ll throw in a free Gilded Treasure Voyage for anyone who logs in while Gifts & Glory Weekend is live, along with a Legendary variant for the Pirate Legends out there. You’re welcome! If you’re still holding on to either of those types of Gilded Voyage from a previous event, now’s the time to use them to make room for a new one… {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/37295600/f5cb61ca2ffd63a50cb0e09c10f9fa6108c450c8.jpg Pirate Emporium Holiday Sale Gilded Voyages and boosted gold aren’t the only incentives on offer. That’s where our Pirate Emporium sale comes in! From December 23rd to January 3rd, items throughout the store will be available at a discount, many with a frosty theme like the Frozen Horizon ship set and weapons and the full Lodestar collection. There...