Sea of Thieves 2024 Preview (Seasons 12, 13, 14 details revealed)

[Babu93]

View: https://youtu.be/IJmXsdrOkYg?feature=shared

Rare have announced new details about the year ahead and new features that will be introduced in upcoming seasons.

Credit to SubZeroDestruction on Reddit for this summary:


Season 12

New weapons

• Throwing Knives - Quick low damage attack, medium damaged charge attack, high damage throw which anyone can retrieve if missed.
• Double Shot Pistol - Shoot two separate shots, or one singular double shot. (Double shot possibly causes players to drop loot)

New cannon ball/throwable/tool

• Scattershot - New cannonball with wide spread damage (multiple small holes) and high drop-off.
• Bone Caller - New throwable which causes skeletons to spawn on land or ships, friendly to thrower/shooter.
• Wind Caller - New consumable equipment with finite charge, blows out fire, stops fall damage, can blow players back (on land/in water), creates a gust of wind which can push rowboats or boost ship sails.

New ways to traverse

• Ziplines - Added to outposts, Skeleton forts, various islands. Can be walked/zipped down on.
• Harpoons - can now be walked/zipped on. (New boarding method)
  

Season 13

New ship/World Event

• The Burning Blade
  • A mobile world event. Once defeated, you can take over the ship and the skeleton crew.
  • 10x cannons, 2x front facing fire-ball launcher. Additionally crewed by skeletons that can shoot/repair/etc. (Likely similar to Jack Sparrow's A.I.)
• Orb of Secrets (Treasure) - Adds "tribute" to Burning Blade, which increases value of the Burning Blade.
  

Skeleton camps

• Has underground excavation/tribute areas, requires players to solve puzzles, contains new loot such as the Orb of Secrets.

Season 14

New Mechanics/Utility/Tools

• New stealth mechanics - crouching, hanging off ships, player disguising as treasure chests MGS-style
  
• Blow darts – can trigger sound effects, tracking dart, lure skeletons
  
• Throwable traps – can trap skeletons or players. Place above ladders to prevent boarding.
  
• Grapple Gun - multipurpose Rifle, harpoon loot, players, traverse environment, board ships mid-air. Has consumed ammo "arrowheads"

 

[GulfCoastZilla]

All looks like great updates, Sony fans will never know the bare bones of launch.

All these updates just add layers to the gameplay. I want that harpoon grappling gun.

 

[vixolus]

I said it elsewhere but it is very smart for Rare to be focusing on the sandbox this year and launching S12 sandbox changes alongside the PS port date.

Seems most structural sweeping changes are "done" and it'll be more about exciting playable content. Very welcome.

 

[CountAntonio]

Damn this game just keeps getting better.

 

[rusty]

Ho damn! This is just awesome. I found the recent additions (like safer seas) smart but not attractive to a long time SoT like myself.

Now this is the content I crave. Can't wait to battle it up or team up with all the new folks from PS5.

 

[Commander Kook]

As a PS player hopping in day one, how are the PvE servers? It appears they are "limited" and reward less experience than the PvP ones. Is it a significant amount lost?

My friends and I aren't too interested in PvP because some time ago we read complaints about groups getting their loot stolen after a long mission, and it reminded us of the nightmares playing GTA online together. Is that still an issue nowadays, or was it ever?

 

[Zebesian-X]

grapple gun 👀 season 14 sounds like a winner

 

[MasterYoshi]

They've been COOKING

YEAH I'M THINKING I'M BACK

 

[CountAntonio]

Tools not rules is a great saying. These tools sound amazing for the sandbox.

 

[beebop]

All looks like great updates, Sony fans will never know the bare bones of launch.

All these updates just add layers to the gameplay. I want that harpoon grappling gun.

Click to shrink...

Honestly I miss the launch days. Something about the organic nature of finding your own fun has been a bit lost in amongst all the subsequent updates.

 

[beebop]

As a PS player hopping in day one, how are the PvE servers? It appears they are "limited" and reward less experience than the PvP ones. Is it a significant amount lost?

My friends and I aren't too interested in PvP because some time ago we read complaints about groups getting their loot stolen after a long mission, and it reminded us of the nightmares playing GTA online together. Is that still an issue nowadays, or was it ever?

Click to shrink...

People stealing your loot isn't an issue. It's literally in the title of the game.

 

[vixolus]

As a PS player hopping in day one, how are the PvE servers? It appears they are "limited" and reward less experience than the PvP ones. Is it a significant amount lost?

My friends and I aren't too interested in PvP because some time ago we read complaints about groups getting their loot stolen after a long mission, and it reminded us of the nightmares playing GTA online together. Is that still an issue nowadays, or was it ever?

Click to shrink...

The main thing is you only make 40% of the gold and rep you would otherwise. And there are some other limitations that you don't need to worry about as a newcomer.

I encourage you to try pve first To get acclimated and maybe for Tall Tales ( story quests basically) but eventually try the regular servers. You don't really come across players all that often but it's what makes it exciting and memorable.

It's a pirate game so you'll come across pirates. But you'll learn to not get too attached to your loot. Plus the changes they have made makes getting into content easier and less frustrating.

 

[Gowans]

I'm so glad more people are getting to play this absolute gem.

Nothing else like it and love they are going a little mad with these additions, can't wait to have a go.

By far the most creatively updated Gaas platform for years now.

 

[Winnie]

This is insane, so hyped. God lord, everything looks amazing.

 

[HonestAbe]

These are all great additions as someone who was there day 1. Some fun new tools finally.

As a PS player hopping in day one, how are the PvE servers? It appears they are "limited" and reward less experience than the PvP ones. Is it a significant amount lost?

My friends and I aren't too interested in PvP because some time ago we read complaints about groups getting their loot stolen after a long mission, and it reminded us of the nightmares playing GTA online together. Is that still an issue nowadays, or was it ever?

Click to shrink...

PvP servers are more lucrative and offer more rep. High seas loot is just 3-4x more valuable due to the "risks".

Getting loot stolen and also doing the stealing is part of the game on high seas. There are no loooong missions in this game anymore. Rare has done a lot to improve session play time over the past year or so. You can dive straight to something based on how long you want it to take. complete it. get it sold. There are outposts everywhere you can sell in between if it's longer sail / multiple island voyage. Even the more difficult stuff only takes 30-45 mins once you know what you're doing (athena level voyages) but you can still cash in during them. If you're going for large loot hauls and get stolen from, that's your own fault. Loot isn't yours until you turn it in. Learn this quickly. Honestly, I can go many sessions without finding people if I'm not actively looking--hell, I sometimes can't find ships even when I am actively looking. There are only 5-6 ships to a server and the map is rather big.

 

[Richietto]

FINALLY something to shake up the weapons. Can we also rework melee combat while we are at it?????? Please????

 

[Glio]

Everything sounds great

 

[a Master Ninja]

Stuff like the Wind Caller pushing your ship faster than full sails, the ability to walk across harpoon rope, and the ability to summon skeletons should really mix things up.

 

[Chippewa Barr]

Damn they went HAM with these updates.

I REALLY hope the stealth stuff can be applied to skellys as well. I'd love to creep around them without being noticed lol.

 

[Commander Kook]

People stealing your loot isn't an issue. It's literally in the title of the game.

Click to shrink...

I understand that, but it would also be demoralizing to be new to the game and get curb stomped by people playing for 5+ years. Kind of hard to enjoy a game if you keep having your hard work wiped out by more experienced players.

The main thing is you only make 40% of the gold and rep you would otherwise. And there are some other limitations that you don't need to worry about as a newcomer.

I encourage you to try pve first To get acclimated and maybe for Tall Tales ( story quests basically) but eventually try the regular servers. You don't really come across players all that often but it's what makes it exciting and memorable.

It's a pirate game so you'll come across pirates. But you'll learn to not get too attached to your loot. Plus the changes they have made makes getting into content easier and less frustrating.

Click to shrink...

PvP servers are more lucrative and offer more rep. High seas loot is just 3-4x more valuable due to the "risks".

Getting loot stolen and also doing the stealing is part of the game on high seas. There are no loooong missions in this game anymore. Rare has done a lot to improve session play time over the past year or so. You can dive straight to something based on how long you want it to take. complete it. get it sold. There are outposts everywhere you can sell in between if it's longer sail / multiple island voyage. Even the more difficult stuff only takes 30-45 mins once you know what you're doing (athena level voyages) but you can still cash in during them. If you're going for large loot hauls and get stolen from, that's your own fault. Loot isn't yours until you turn it in. Learn this quickly. Honestly, I can go many sessions without finding people if I'm not actively looking--hell, I sometimes can't find ships even when I am actively looking. There are only 5-6 ships to a server and the map is rather big.

Click to shrink...

These posts ease my concerns quite a bit. The 40% limit of PvE is disappointing but understandable. As stated it's probably best to get our feet wet there and then attempt the regular servers. Plus the tidbit about mission length is definitely shorter than what I remembered reading before, so that's encouraging.

 

[vixolus]

I understand that, but it would also be demoralizing to be new to the game and get curb stomped by people playing for 5+ years. Kind of hard to enjoy a game if you keep having your hard work wiped out by more experienced players.



These posts ease my concerns quite a bit. The 40% limit of PvE is disappointing but understandable. As stated it's probably best to get our feet wet there and then attempt the regular servers. Plus the tidbit about mission length is definitely shorter than what I remembered reading before, so that's encouraging.

Click to shrink...

Rare even says safer seas should be seen more as a tutorial safety net rather than an intentional way to play always. Its good for chill sessions but the real experience is High Seas.

Another note is that they balanced world events and bosses and whatnot based on crew size. It used to be for 4+ people always even when solo making it nearly impossible or just super gruelling. Now you can do basically anything in the game, even solo, fairly comfortably. It scales accordingly.

And being on the High Seas lets you run emissaries which gives a multiplier on your loot which really can make it like a 4x multiplier compared to Safer Seas. And that is without a Gold and Glory or Community Weekend multiplier in effect.

AND you can Captain a ship in High Seas which gives you access to the Sovereigns at a port which lets you offload all loot types right there, with harpoon guns. Super convenient vs risky runs across an Outpost one by one to each vendor.

 

[Gjallarsean]

As a PS player hopping in day one, how are the PvE servers? It appears they are "limited" and reward less experience than the PvP ones. Is it a significant amount lost?

My friends and I aren't too interested in PvP because some time ago we read complaints about groups getting their loot stolen after a long mission, and it reminded us of the nightmares playing GTA online together. Is that still an issue nowadays, or was it ever?

Click to shrink...

The Safer Seas mode (PvE only) caps you at 30% value for both money and faction experience from turning things in. So, it is a pretty significant amount you're losing out on. But, obviously you can't have loot stolen.

As far as having stuff stolen, yes, it's still going to be a thing - that's part of the game, it's a game about pirates, they're gonna pirate. That being said, it's not nearly as bad as it once was IMO. There are more avenues for PvP-minded players to get action than just chasing random ships. There's a whole PvP on demand system to engage in ship battles, and there's tons of PvE stuff to do - that was always one reason there was a lot more unwanted PvP at one time, people were just bored by lack of PvE things to do. That's much less of an issue now.

So, I'd say dive into Safer Seas to get your sea legs and better understand the mechanics and core gameplay loops. But don't feel afraid to jump into the High Seas deep end - it's a bit more lively of an experience and you'll generally earn way more loot and experience. You also can't get to Pirate Legend status without going to High Seas - levels are capped at 40 in Safer Seas, and PL requires level 50 in 3 factions.

 

[Long Drong]

As a PS player hopping in day one, how are the PvE servers? It appears they are "limited" and reward less experience than the PvP ones. Is it a significant amount lost?

My friends and I aren't too interested in PvP because some time ago we read complaints about groups getting their loot stolen after a long mission, and it reminded us of the nightmares playing GTA online together. Is that still an issue nowadays, or was it ever?

Click to shrink...

No PvP makes this game... dull.

Sometimes you can try to improve or just relax (fishing, Tall Tales...) but if you don't play PvP servers I think it's not funny.

Also, you see the ships from distance, so you can escape.

But you get the adrenaline boost that makes this game great.

 

[IsaacVarion]

I know it's a silly question but how enjoyable this game is now as a single player/PVE title?

I'm looking for a good pirate game since Black Flag (and now I'm watching black sails, so the "need" of a game like this is stronger than ever) but I have no friends interested in playing this one.

 

[RightChandMan]

I know it's a silly question but how enjoyable this game is now as a single player/PVE title?

I'm looking for a good pirate game since Black Flag (and now I'm watching black sails, so the "need" of a game like this is stronger than ever) but I have no friends interested in playing this one.

Click to shrink...

I was just about to ask this same question! Curious about playing solo as well.

 

[vixolus]

I know it's a silly question but how enjoyable this game is now as a single player/PVE title?

I'm looking for a good pirate game since Black Flag (and now I'm watching black sails, so the "need" of a game like this is stronger than ever) but I have no friends interested in playing this one.

Click to shrink...

If you play solo it will be a very uneventful but zen experience. Good for the Tall Tale quests. Turning in loot solo is a bit of a slog.

But even solo I recommend High Seas as you will come across more of that pirate feeling by being unsure about the boat on the horizon. Or you may stumble upon friendly randos that offer you a pineapple and to play music with, and even form an alliance with. The funny memorable pirate stuff vastly outweighs the annoying bits.

 

[Scottoest]

Goddamn, these changes all sound awesome. I'll be interested to see how they balance the grapple though, as you don't want to make more skilled stuff too easy.

 

[SuikerBrood]

These are great additions. Adding to the sandbox is exactly what they should've done.

Now... when are we getting servers with more ships/players?

 

[beebop]

I understand that, but it would also be demoralizing to be new to the game and get curb stomped by people playing for 5+ years. Kind of hard to enjoy a game if you keep having your hard work wiped out by more experienced players.

Click to shrink...

As someone who has played since launch I can tell you that you come up against seemingly inexperienced players ALL THE TIME. Even without the new influx of PS players.

This evening I had combat with 3 crews, and lost my loot to 2 of them. But that's incredibly unusual and probably only because it's double gold right now.

 

[beebop]

I know it's a silly question but how enjoyable this game is now as a single player/PVE title?

I'm looking for a good pirate game since Black Flag (and now I'm watching black sails, so the "need" of a game like this is stronger than ever) but I have no friends interested in playing this one.

Click to shrink...

It's not a single player PvE game. It's better to go in with that mindset than try and squeeze yourself into that experience, when while possible it's fundamentally not that. The "PvE mode" is more of an extended tutorial.

 

[roguesquirrel]

I know it's a silly question but how enjoyable this game is now as a single player/PVE title?

I'm looking for a good pirate game since Black Flag (and now I'm watching black sails, so the "need" of a game like this is stronger than ever) but I have no friends interested in playing this one.

Click to shrink...

I dont know how much fun the core loop will be to a fresh player coming in & just hopping straight into Safer Seas to do PVE, but stuff like the Tall Tales (which between the three campaigns is a nice chunk of content to play) and the Mermaid Shrines (puzzle dungeons beneath the sea) should be pretty fun without feeling like you're missing out on the zest of other players if you just want to do some swashbuckling

 

[RedSparrows]

It's not a single player PvE game. It's better to go in with that mindset than try and squeeze yourself into that experience, when while possible it's fundamentally not that. The "PvE mode" is more of an extended tutorial.

Click to shrink...

Agreed. The game shines with the possibility of PvP. It's just not the same without it. Not every game is for every player.

 

[SuikerBrood]

Agreed. The game shines with the possibility of PvP. It's just not the same without it. Not every game is for every player.

Click to shrink...

Agree.

 

[Gareth]

Some really nice additions on the way!

 

[theAllseeingEYE]

Goddamn, these changes all sound awesome. I'll be interested to see how they balance the grapple though, as you don't want to make more skilled stuff too easy.

Click to shrink...

Yep, the changes sound amazing. Honestly, my favorite additions to the game over the years, were the ones that added really cool new things to the sandbox that added variety and creative new way to play the game. I'm excited to try these out.

I also agree that the grapple gun sounds both amazing, but also almost too powerful. Thinking about it more though, I think the way to balance that, is the limited ammunition, and to make it either a found item (very few people have one, and those who get one, and burn through it pretty quickly), or make it something you only obtain from completing a special mission, kind of like the Skull of the Siren song. I doubt they will simply let people select them at the beginning of the match if they prove too powerful and useful, unless they are just so fun to use for everyone.

 

[FUNKNOWN iXi]

These are the kinda updates that'll get me back in, new gameplay mechanics and abilities like summoning friendly skeletons.