Sea of Thieves Guide

Welcome to our Sea of Thieves Guide to sailing on the open ocean. Freedom is you right and loot is your main oibjective, so raise the anchor as we descend in the world of the Sea of Thieves

Getting Started in Sea of Thieves

Selecting a Pirate

When you first launch Sea of Thieves, you'll need to create your pirate. You'll be presented with three randomly generated pirates to choose from. Pick the pirate that speaks to you - you'll be stuck with them for the rest of your pirating days! Each pirate comes with a unique set of characteristics like scars, tattoos, and clothing that you can't change later on.

Picking a Vessel

With your pirate selected, it's time to choose your ship. You have three options: the sloop (small size), the brigantine (medium size), and the galleon (large size). The sloop is perfect for 1-2 players, the brig is ideal for 3 players, and the galleon suits 4 players. Each ship has unique attributes, so consider how many friends you have to sail with. The type of ship also determines your max crew size, number of cannons, and how fast you can explore the seas.

Becoming a Captain

Once you've chosen your pirate and ship, you'll need to become the captain before setting sail. When selecting your ship, choose "Set as my ship" to become the captain. The captain is in charge of steering and navigating the vessel. They can also invite friends to join the crew.

If you want to just be a crew member on someone else's ship, select "Join another crew" instead. As a crew member, you'll help the captain by adjusting sails, navigating, and defending the ship.

Now you have your pirate, ship, and crew - it's time to set sail on the Sea of Thieves! There are islands to explore, treasure to find, and rival pirates to battle. Anchors away, matey! The open seas are calling.

Stock up on supplies

Before setting sail, stock your ship at an outpost. Load up on planks to repair holes in your hull, cannonballs for naval combat, and food like bananas to keep your pirate fed. You'll also want to buy or find a compass, shovel, bucket, and lantern. Burying treasure, bailing out water, and exploring shipwrecks in low light all require the proper tools.

Voyages and quests

Once you've gotten your bearings, visit a trading company to embark on your first official Sea of Thieves voyage. They offer quests like transporting cargo, hunting skeleton captains, raiding forts, and of course, searching for buried treasure. Start with Gold Hoarders voyages to dig up chests or Merchant Alliance cargo runs before progressing to Order of Souls bounty hunting.

Sailing the Seas and Ship Combat

Raising your sails

As a beginner pirate, you’ll want to get familiar with how to properly sail your ship. Our Sea of Thieves Guide will help. Raising your sails slightly on a sloop can help increase your speed and maneuverability in combat. Positioning your sails to catch the wind at your back will propel you forward at a steady clip. Practice tacking against the wind for the quickest speeds. The more you sail, the more intuitive it will become.

Supplies are vital

Having ample supplies on your ship is crucial for engaging in combat. Stock up on planks, cannonballs and food before setting sail. Planks are essential for repairing holes in your hull, cannonballs are needed to fire at enemy ships, and food keeps your crew fed so they can continue fighting. If you run out of any supplies in the middle of a battle, you’ll be in trouble. Visit outposts to buy supplies and loot sunken ships for extra stock.

Engaging in combat

Once you spot an enemy ship, it’s time for combat! Sail behind or beside them and fire your cannons to damage their hull. Shoot at the same area of the hull to create bigger holes. When their ship has taken on water, you’ll see smoke coming from the lower deck. Use your eye of reach or flintlock pistol and shoot the enemy pirates on board or jump over and engage in hand-to-hand combat. Board their ship by running and jumping off your bowsprit onto theirs. Defeat their crew to claim their loot!

With practice, you’ll be sailing the seas and dominating in ship combat in no time. Pay attention to your ship’s needs, stock up on supplies, and use the wind to your advantage. Engage enemy ships with cannons before boarding to defeat them. Happy sailing and may the loot be with you!

Exploring Islands and Finding Treasure

Moonstone Island

One of the best places to start your treasure hunt is Moonstone Island. This mysterious island is filled with clues and treasure maps just waiting to be solved. Keep your eyes peeled for messages in bottles or maps pinned to trees that point the way to buried chests of gold and jewels. The terrain on Moonstone Island is hilly and treacherous, so watch your step as you search the cliffs and beaches. If you're lucky, you might spot the glowing moonstone rock formation that gives the island its name.

Jekyll Island

If solving puzzles is your passion, head to Jekyll Island for the ultimate treasure hunt challenge. This island hosts a massive game of hide and seek with hundreds of chests concealed all over the island. You'll have to scour every inch of the terrain, from the sandy beaches to the dense jungle, to find all the hidden loot. Team up with other pirates to cover more ground, but be careful who you trust—they might steal the treasure right out from under you!

Plunder Valley

For pirates who prefer action and adventure over mind-bending puzzles, Plunder Valley is the place to be. This valley is filled with perilous cliffs, raging rivers, and hidden caves that are home to some of the most fearsome creatures in the Sea of Thieves. Surviving the dangers of the valley is a challenge in itself, but those who make it out alive will be greatly rewarded. Legend says there are massive treasure troves hidden deep within the caves, just waiting for a bold pirate crew to claim them. If your crew has nerves of steel and quick reflexes, Plunder Valley may lead you to more gold than you can carry!

Exploring the islands of the Sea of Thieves is the heart of the pirate life. Whether you prefer solving puzzles, battling beasts, or a mix of both, there are dangers and riches to be found on every shore. Gather your crew, stock up your ship, and set sail for the adventure of a lifetime discovering all the secrets these mysterious islands hold. Yarr! X marks the spot, mateys, now get out there and find it!

Completing Voyages and Quests

Accepting a Voyage

To get started, you’ll need to accept a voyage from one of the Trading Companies at an outpost. Head to the tent of the Gold Hoarders, Order of Souls, or Merchant Alliance and browse their voyages. Select one that matches your desired difficulty and rewards. Higher risk voyages have greater rewards but are best saved for when you have more experience.

Following the Map

Once you’ve voted on a voyage with your crew, check your map table or quest radial to view the details. Voyages will direct you to an island and mark the general area where you need to search. Look for landmarks like large trees, rock formations or buildings to help get your bearings. Some voyages provide an ‘X’ to mark the exact spot, while others just give a broad location to explore.

Completing the Task

The objectives of each voyage will differ depending on which Trading Company it came from. Gold Hoarder voyages have you following maps to dig up buried treasure chests. Order of Souls sends you hunting down bounty skulls. Merchant Alliance quests task you with capturing livestock or delivering cargo. After achieving the goal, return the loot or resources to the outpost to cash in.

Getting Your Reward

Return to the tent of the Trading Company that gave you the voyage. Turn in the requested items to the NPC inside and they’ll reward you handsomely for your work. You’ll receive gold, reputation progress, and possibly promotions that unlock higher-paying voyages. The gold and reputation can then be used to buy cosmetics to customize your pirate and ship.

From easy starter voyages to challenging multi-part epic quests, the sea holds adventures for pirates of all skill levels. Keep practicing and soon you’ll be completing the most difficult voyages the Trading Companies have to offer! Grab your crew, set sail, and may the wind fill your sails. There’s treasure to find and a fortune to build.

Leveling Up and Reputation

Complete Voyages and Commendations

To increase your reputation with each trading company, you’ll need to complete voyages and commendations. Voyages are the quests you can pick up from each trading company’s representative. Focus on the highest level voyage available to you for maximum reputation gain. Completing commendations, like sinking skeleton ships or delivering cargo, also provide big reputation boosts.

Raise an Emissary Flag

Once you’ve reached level 15 in a trading company, you can raise an emissary flag to maximize the reputation you gain from that company. For example, if you raise the Gold Hoarders emissary flag, you’ll earn bonus reputation for every piece of gold and treasure you sell to the Gold Hoarders. The higher your emissary level, the bigger the reputation bonus. Emissary flags make it possible to rank up quickly, but they also make you a target for rival crews.

Sell Items and Earn Gold

Selling treasure, cargo, and loot to the trading companies not only earns you reputation, but also gold, the main currency in Sea of Thieves. You can use gold to buy exciting new ship cosmetics, weapons, and clothing to customize your pirate. To earn the most gold, focus on high-level voyages and world events, then sell your loot to the companies when your emissary flag is at level 5.

To become a Pirate Legend, you need to reach level 50 in any three trading companies. Leveling up earns you access to more lucrative voyages, commendations, and emissary flags. It also allows you to unlock new cosmetics to deck out yourself and your ship. Regularly completing voyages, raising emissary flags, and selling loot are the keys to increasing your reputation and becoming a Pirate Legend.

Making Alliances and Playing With Others

Finding Other Ships

The seas of Sea of Thieves can feel empty when you first start sailing, but don't worry - there are other pirate ships sailing the waves! The server you join will contain up to six other ships. Spotting their mast and sails on the horizon is a sign you're not alone. Sail closer and use your speaking trumpet to hail the other crew. You never know, they may be friendly!

Forming an Alliance

If the other crew seems trustworthy, suggest forming an alliance. This allows ships in an alliance to share rewards and bonuses. To officially join an alliance, both ships must raise the alliance flag. The flag is located in your ship's flag box, along with the standard Jolly Roger. Once both ships are flying the alliance flag, you'll be in an alliance! The ships will now appear as allies on your ship's map.

Sharing the Spoils

While in an alliance, any loot you find or steal will be shared between all allied ships. Don't worry, you'll still get your fair share. Being in an alliance also means any world events completed by an ally will reward you as well. The bigger the alliance, the more shared rewards! Some crews have formed alliances of up to six ships.

Playing Sea of Thieves with a fully crewed galleon is a blast, but alliances allow you to interact with even more pirates. Forming a strong alliance can lead to new friends, exciting adventures, and of course, more treasure! Just be careful, as there are dishonest pirates who may betray an alliance. Keep one eye on the horizon, and one eye on your "allies"!

Pirate Code and PVP vs PVE Servers

Sea of Thieves is focused on player interactions, both friendly and hostile. The developers have said private servers without progression are on the horizon, but PvE-only servers are not currently planned. For now, you'll encounter other pirates during about 70% of your voyages.

Some pirates will want to form an alliance and share in your loot and glory. These alliances, as well as controlling territory, are a big part of progressing in the game. Other pirates just want to sink you and take everything. This mix of PvP and PvE is central to the Sea of Thieves experience, so you need to be ready for anything on the high seas!

The Pirate Code sets some ground rules for behavior to keep things fun. Breaking the code can result in punishment from the developers. Some of the key rules are: don’t spam, harass or be toxic to other players. Don't cheat or exploit bugs. And don't falsely report other players or abuse the support system.

When encountering other ships, the first decision is whether to engage or avoid. If you want to fight, get close enough to fire cannons and board their ship. But be careful, the tide of battle can turn quickly! If you'd rather avoid combat, keep your distance and sail away. Hide behind large islands or in storms to lose pursuers.

The key is choosing your battles wisely. As a beginner, focus on avoiding conflict when you have loot or supplies to lose. Build up your skills by taking on skeleton ships or megalodons first. Over time, you'll get better at naval combat and even try your hand at epic sea battles against other pirates! With experience, you'll find the right balance of PvP and PvE action for your taste as a legendary Sea of Thieves pirate.

Sea of Thieves Tips and Tricks FAQ

You’ve set sail and are ready to become a pirate legend, but the seas can be treacherous for new swashbucklers. Here are some tips to keep your ship afloat and your crew alive.

Always raise sails to slow speed and drop anchor to fully stop your ship. Dropping anchor ensures your ship won’t drift away while you explore an island or battle skeletons. Before leaving your ship unattended, raise sails and drop anchor.

Keep a lookout for other players and spot them before they get too close. While some pirates are friendly, others are out for blood and treasure. Scan the horizon for incoming ships regularly, especially when stopped at an island or outpost. If another crew gets too close for comfort, raise anchor and get moving to avoid confrontation.

Avoid PvP encounters by paying attention and positioning your ship towards open waters. Don't sail into confined areas where other ships could trap you. Keep your bow pointed at the open sea so you can make a quick getaway if needed.

Stock up on planks, cannonballs, and food at outposts. You never know when you might spring a leak, get into a cannon fight, or need to heal. A well-stocked ship is a safe ship.

Learn how to properly steer, adjust sails, patch holes, and fire cannons. Practice makes perfect. Take time to familiarize yourself with how each part of the ship works. In the heat of battle or during a storm, you’ll be glad you did.

Don't overload your ship with treasure. While it may be tempting to hoard as much gold and jewels as possible, a heavy ship is a slow ship. Sell often to outposts to avoid losing your hard-earned loot to enemy pirates or storms.

With time and experience, you'll be plundering loot and battling like a pirate legend. Fair winds and following seas, matey! Let the adventures begin.