The embargo for Sea of Thieves has finally lifted and we can share with you everything we know about Rare’s upcoming pirate adventure. For those who have played in the alphas and betas, it’s comforting to know that represented only a small percentage of the full content within the game. From what we’ve played and know about the future of the title, we feel this one could be really special for some time to come. Without further ado…
Character Customization
There have been a lot of questions around how you will create your own personal pirate avatar. It turns out that Sea of Thieves doesn’t have a full character creation system like we’ve seen in some titles. However, you will still be able to customize extensively in the end. Let us explain:
- When you first begin the game you will be given the choice of one of eight pirate models that are randomly selected from millions of combinations.
- If you don’t like any of the initial eight you are presented with, you can ask the game to provide you eight more to choose from. You can do this endlessly until you find one that truly fits the look you are going for.
- Once chosen, that will represent your “base” character and it will tie to your Gamertag within Sea of Thieves.
- Customization will come while playing the game in the form of a “vanity” chest that will unlock things like hairstyles, beards, clothing, hooks, equipment, peg legs, etc… You will also be able to unlock pets and more in the future.
- Lastly, all characters will have the same hitbox in the game as you would expect. So don’t have any fear of selecting a big, hearty pirate should you so wish!
Voyages and Progression
As was shown in Rare’s progression related video (here in case you missed it), players will complete “voyages” for the different trading companies in the game. As you move up the ranks with one or more of the trading companies, you will gain rank, titles, and reputation in the Sea of Thieves world.
- At launch, there will be 3 trading companies ; the Gold Hoarders, the Merchant Alliance, and the Order of Souls.
- Eventually as you’ve reached a high enough rank, you will be able to unlock a secret hideout for you and your crew. Once unlocked, you will gain access to more lucrative voyages and rarer gear.
- Some of the voyages will act similarly to raids in other games in that you’ll need a solid crew of 4 to tackle the most difficult ones.
- Also, as you rise the ranks and grow your reputation, you will then be a more sought after player in the Sea of Thieves world. So you can choose to share your high level voyages with others, or join them on theirs.
- The Kraken that has been discussed and shown at times seems to represent a random event in the game that acts as a mini “boss”. More details on the Kraken will come in time.
Sea of Thieves will also present dynamic content that expands over time. At launch, this will include Skeleton Outposts that randomly appear in the world. By now you’ve likely seen the screenshots or videos of the giant skull cloud appearing in the world. When this appears, it will alert all crews in the area that there is an outpost nearby containing loads of loot.
- Skeleton outposts will contain tougher enemies and a difficult boss skeleton. Once defeated, the boss will drop a key that opens a vault within the outpost.
- The vault will contain a large amount of booty that players can then fight over to try to secure.
- As Sea of Thieves contains no safe areas, outposts will provide many opportunities for adventure, thievery, and PVP combat. It will be up to the players how they choose to approach these outposts!
Post Launch Content
The most important thing for Rare at launch is to provide a fun game with enough content to keep players engaged. Beyond the normal support and bug fixing that will obviously occur, Rare has discussed some of the content that will arrive shortly after launch.
- There will be no loot boxes ever added to Sea of Thieves. Yes you read that right. Rather, after launch Rare will allow players to purchase some cosmetic items (including pets) should they so choose. You will be able to purchase them directly without worrying about loot crates and RNG.
- The first content update for Sea of Thieves will include the ability for pirate legends to unlock a new ship with additional areas of customization. You will also be able to become a Ship Captain ; eventually leading a full crew of legends that will be able to recognized (and feared) just by your appearance.
- New systems and gameplay progression will be added to support these legendary crews over time.
It’s clear to us here at SG that Sea of Thieves is a labor of love for Rare and a chance for them as a studio to once again flex their creative muscles that have seemingly been held back for years now. We’ve really enjoyed our time with Sea of Thieves and feel that Rare has created something special that will continue to evolve over time. Sea of Thieves launches on March 20th and keep in mind, you can now access the full title at launch with the Xbox Game Pass (which offers a 14 day free trial as well).