Sea of Thieves' new monthly update 'Dark Relics' improves hit detection, adds rowboats with harpoons and capture the flag-like chest

[SuikerBrood]

Voyage into the Dark…
In this month's update, the Order of Souls has a special request for brave pirates! Skeletons have stolen a trove of dangerous artefacts, known ominously as Dark Relics. For the next few weeks, assist in the urgent recovery effort and you'll be well rewarded, but you'll have to butt heads with some skulls along the way. Find the Relics to earn Commendations and gold, while boosting your reputation with the Order on your path to Pirate Legend!

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https://www.seaofthieves.com/dark-relics

The release notes:

with some highlights

Ranged and Melee Hit Detection – Players will now find that engaging in combat with other players out in the world is much more responsive. When targeting a rival player or skeleton then taking a shot or swinging a sword, players should find that the hits are more consistently registered and damage applied as expected. Hit detection improvements across the game include ship-to-ship, ship-to-water and water-to-water player encounters.

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A Rowboat with a Harpoon?! – Players may come across a rare new type of Rowboat abandoned throughout the world. These come with a harpoon attached, allowing rowers and their passengers to have even more fun on the sea!

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Barrels of PLENTY! – Players can now find a greater range of items within floating Barrels of Plenty. Be sure to stop and check them out as you may find skulls, artefacts, chests, Merchant Crates, Mermaid Gems, Messages in a Bottle or even gunpowder kegs – why not use these inconspicuous floating 'mines' to your advantage against rival crews?

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Dark Relic Voyages – The Order of Souls' representatives have begun to experience visions of skeleton activity across the sea, including rituals performed with the Dark Relics and what appear to be Ritual Skulls. They want those Dark Relics back before something catastrophic happens, and will pay good money to anyone who can retrieve them. Duke has been tipped off to the potential locations of these artefacts, and will offer pirates a range of Voyages costing five Doubloons to seek and retrieve them. All Dark Relic Voyages are time-limited for the duration of the Dark Relics update

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The Reaper's Chest – Keep an eye on the horizon for an eerie pillar of light reaching skyward. Upon reaching its source, players can obtain a new Reaper's Chest and the pillar of light will be extinguished. But beware: once collected, the Reaper's Chest will appear on the ship's map of all rival crews on the seas! Return these chests to Duke if you can, who will take them off your hands in return for Doubloons. Following the Dark Relics update, the Reaper's Chest and Doubloon rewards will persist as an emergent encounter in the world along with a way to earn Doubloons regularly.

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And there is much, much more on the pages at the posted links.

The next monthly update will be on September 11th. With https://www.resetera.com/threads/sea-of-thieves-pets-are-coming-in-september.134872/ pets.

 

[Lethologica]

Improved hit detection is a much needed and very welcome improvement.

 

[SuikerBrood]

Improved hit detection is a much needed and very welcome improvement.

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Yes, fully agree. Especially in Arena, where the player-to-player combat is still clunky.

 

[Droyd]

Pretty good update.

I have to keep reminding myself that these content drops are a monthly thing.

I feel a little disappointed in them when compared to past updates, but these are regular and welcomed.

Looking forward to Reaper's Bones

 

[SuikerBrood]

Hope this monthly cadence gives Rare some time to breath

 

[Dyashen]

Sounds pretty good, harpoons on the rowboats sounds exactly like the type of shenanigans that i hope we continue to see in future updates :D

 

[Deleted member 5129]

Ohh I should reinstall this :D