It’s been over a year since we last delivered a Showcase, if you can believe it! We hardly can, but the relentless wheel of time has been spinning ever on regardless, and we’re long overdue in sharing another for your reading pleasure. In fact, we’re going to do one better and publish two in rapid succession, catching us up to the end of 2025 and giving all those Spotlights another chance to shine while the series takes a li’l break in 2026.

So sit back and relax as we summon up some of the amazing community members who’ve faced the Spotlight in the last couple of years…

First Spotlight on the list takes us back to mid-2024 and a face familiar to many pirates who’ve sworn loyalty to The Reaper’s Bones: Mutinous Mel[www.seaofthieves.com]! Famed in the community for her unshakeable adoration for a certain Servant, Mel took a break from her usual antics to grant us an in-character interview all about her time on the seas and how she came to craft that particular persona.

The first Creator Spotlight on this list focused on what was at the time a recent addition to our Partner Programme, OphieIRL[www.seaofthieves.com]! Known to many as the cosplaying burger clown Donald McRonald, Ophie spoke with us about overcoming his worries around vulnerability and authenticity on stream, and why Sea of Thieves became a place for him to meet and interact with other people.

The Creator Spotlight had to shine a little wider for our third entry as there were two names on the docket! Loki and Leator[www.seaofthieves.com], together forming the Underpants Brigade, joined us for a dual interview, taking turns to reveal secrets about one another and insights into how their unbreakable partnership came to be. And they only mentioned underpants five times! Truly, paragons of restraint.

Back in the land of Community Spotlights, the next highlight turned our attention to a renowned member of the SoT UK community, MrsPabl0[www.seaofthieves.com]! She walked us through her history as part of the Affiliate Alliance and how Sea of Thieves has helped her socialise with people far and wide. She also disclosed a somewhat incomprehensible love of soggy socks, and we did not pry any further.

One aspect of the Sea of Thieves community we never tire of is everyone’s incredible artistic creations! So we caught up with Penguill[www.seaofthieves.com], one such digital artist known for his captivating comics. He explained how a contest by fellow community member Kaidawrath[www.seaofthieves.com] first got him into creating SoT art and revealed that he uses his computer mouse with his left hand. Shocking behaviour.

For our next few Spotlights, we wanted to highlight some more of the amazing creators making up our Community Stream Team. First up, we tracked down Arrvocado[www.seaofthieves.com] to learn about his journey from playing platformer adventures in the ’90s through Sea of Thieves’ E3 2016 trailer to where he is today, and how the COVID pandemic guided him into the world of content creation.

Continuing with the Community Stream Team theme – say that five times fast – next on our list was FluffyEdge[www.seaofthieves.com], along with her fearsome feline friend Captain Tigerpants! She shared how being furloughed during lockdown encouraged her to spread a little joy on Twitch when she could, and how the beauty of Sea of Thieves’ world provides a soothing way to unwind after a long day.

For the penultimate entry of this particular Showcase, meet Hans Sprungfild[www.seaofthieves.com]! Finding fame for sharing the faces of others, Hans’ time as an in-game photographer of the Faces of Open Crew has earned him a loyal following of players enjoying his unique captures. He explained how meeting amazing pirates from around the world formed the basis for his foray into content creation.

And finally, we come to Róisín[www.seaofthieves.com]! Another member of the Stream Team, Róisín revealed how she started her Sea of Thieves journey by trying to solo sail a Galleon, and how that first taste of the sandbox led her to sharing her pirate adventures with the world. She left us with her best advice for other content creators and even offered a handy pronunciation guide for her name!

And that’s it for the first part of this months-in-the-making catch-up. The next Spotlight Showcase will be along soon, supplying even more community goodness, so keep your eyes peeled for that.

Until then, you’ll just have to fill your time by reading the full interviews with all the amazing community members featured here, as well as all our other previous Community[www.seaofthieves.com], Creator[www.seaofthieves.com] and Legend[www.seaofthieves.com] Spotlights. You can find all of them – and plenty of other content to dig into – on the Sea of Thieves News[www.seaofthieves.com] page. Or, if you prefer the short-form summaries, there’s always our previous Showcase Spotlight for another whistle-stop tour like this one. Happy reading!

Get ready to take on the Eternal Guard, raid Sanctuaries of the Banished and generally risk life and limb returning to The Devil's Roar! To learn more about this Season’s headline features, head over to our dedicated Season 18 page[www.seaofthieves.com].

The Eternal Guard

• Pirates can now encounter a resourceful new enemy – the Eternal Guard. Crews out scouring islands across the Sea of Thieves may stumble across ancient sarcophagi, and perform a summoning ritual to bring forth these ferocious combatants.

• The Eternal Guard use ancient magic to cloak and stalk their targets around the battlefield. They are invulnerable while cloaked, so crews should keep an eye on their surroundings and seek the telltale signs of a Guard readying an attack.

• When ready to strike, the Guard will cross the veil to take mortal form and unleash attacks with blowpipe, spear and poison bomb before returning to the shadows.

• During this encounter, pirates should also be prepared to face off against Banished Ancient Skeletons who can be summoned by the Eternal Guard during a challenging encounter.

• Upon defeat, the Guard will release a powerful shockwave – so stay back! Pirates who take down one of these uncanny enemies will be rewarded with a key to unlock a nearby Sanctuary of the Banished.

• While they are most frequently discovered in The Devil’s Roar, the sarcophagi of the Eternal Guard can now also be discovered on large islands in other regions.

Sanctuaries of the Banished

• The Smugglers’ League have excavated three Sanctuaries in The Devil’s Roar. These Ancient structures can be found hidden beneath Cinder Islet, Flame’s End and Brimstone Rock, and each site is shown on the ship’s map.

• Crews using a recovered Sanctuary of the Banished Key to make their way inside will discover Ancient Treasure littering the Sanctuary and the new Trident of the Banished weapon. Locked compartments can be opened with Ashen Keys to fully plunder the Sanctuary.

Trident of the Banished

• The Trident of the Banished is a corrupted weapon, enhancing the power of the Trident and inflicting poisonous effects.

• A small bubble can be charged quickly and releases a fast-moving shot to deal both direct damage and lasting poison effects.

• A medium-sized bubble deals greater damage than its Trident of Dark Tides counterpart with a larger blast radius, also poisoning enemies in the area.

• The largest bubble deals high damage and poison; however, it moves very slowly when fired, allowing pirates to follow-up with a well-aimed shot to detonate it.

The Devil’s Roar

• Crews venturing into The Devil’s Roar will be handsomely rewarded for their efforts by the local Trading Companies and Smugglers. Cashing in loot within The Devil’s Roar during Season 18 will offer boosted gold and reputation depending on the representative.

• Crews exploring this volcanic region will find that the frequency of discovering the ferocious Chest of Rage in their treasure hoard has increased across a range of activities.

• Across The Devil’s Roar, environmental hazards have been rebalanced to reduce frustration while adventuring. Crews should continue to watch their step and keep a keen eye on the horizon, however, as this volcanic region remains a dangerous part of the seas.

• Morrow’s Peak Outpost is now a potential starting location for crews at the beginning of a session.

The Smugglers’ League

• The Smugglers‘ League have established two new trap-laden hideouts in The Devil’s Roar. Elias operates from a cave beneath Fetcher’s Rest and Lucia can be found in a tunnel cutting through Ruby’s Fall. Both contacts are now available as delivery locations for Smugglers’ treasure.

• The Smugglers’ Route Run has now shifted location into The Devil’s Roar and this new treacherous pathway has been marked on the ship’s map for all to see.

Sandbox Balancing

• With Season 17 drawing to a close, the Smugglers‘ influence on the seas has waned and a variety of emergent discoveries have returned to pre-Season 17 levels.

• The frequency of shipwreck discoveries has been increased and there is now an equal chance of finding a regular shipwreck or a Smugglers’ Shipwreck, both containing handy air bubbles throughout the ship to help pirates while exploring.

• Crews spotting a washed-up Rowboat will now have an equal chance of finding any of the different types of Rowboat.

• Ambushes by Black Powder-wielding Skeletons and the presence of washed-up Smugglers’ Caches are now much less frequent.

• The glint of a washed-up Message in a Bottle on the shores now provides a range of different activities and will no longer just provide a Smugglers’ Run.

• Skeleton Ships have slowed their stockpiling of Smugglers’ League treasures, and crews will now find a more balanced hoard on board.

Secrets of the Banished Rewards

• As the fires of Act 1 begin, a range of new Commendations have been added to the Secrets of the Banished Reputation tab. Pirates completing these Commendations will unlock access to new weapons from the Forsaken Ashes set, Mark of the Widow Tattoo, Chest of Banished Tribute Disguise and ‘Effigy of Rage’ Trinket – and from the Smugglers’ clothing set, Saltbones Elias’ Hook and Laughing Fox Lucia’s Mask.

• New time-limited Act 1 Deeds have been added to the Season menu, earning players a boost to their Seasonal Renown progression and the ‘A Dark Discovery’ Painting once completed.

• New Xbox and Steam achievements and PlayStation®5 Trophies can be unlocked by progressing through the new in-game Commendations.

  Vanquisher of the Eternal

  Explorer of Scared Places

  Broker of Banishment

  Violet Violence

Another Season means 100 new levels to climb by raising your Renown, with racks full of rewards to snag along the way – and an optional Plunder Pass adding even more!

Season 18 Rewards and Plunder Pass

• Progressing through the 100 levels of Renown in Season 18 will reward players with a variety of new cosmetics. The Spider’s Venom clothing set and vanity items plus unique Creepy Crawlers cosmetics can be unlocked, while Pirate Legends can also earn the Warsmith Throwing Knives and Duke Tribute Tattoo.

• Time-limited for Season 18, players can also earn the exclusive Widow’s Weave Flag, Hull, Sails, Makeup and Tattoo. Head to the Seasons[www.seaofthieves.com] profile page to browse the new rewards and check your pirate’s progress!

• Pick up a Plunder Pass to gain access to a plethora of additional unlockable cosmetics from the Nightshade Sentry collection, including a ship set and selection of themed clothing, all individually earned by raising your Renown. Purchase a Pass in-game through the Pirate Log or Pirate Emporium, or via the Pirate Emporium webpage[www.seaofthieves.com] or Steam Item Store!

Season 18 Emissary Ledger Rewards

• This Season, the Guild Emissary Ledgers offer the ‘An Eternal Ebb and Flow’ Painting, ‘Banished Finery’ Ornament and Guild of Dark Banishment Title to Guilds who represent them well and perform proudly in the Ledgers.

• The Hunter’s Call Emissary Ledger now offers the Living Depths Flag, Sails and Capstan, along with the Assailant of Ancient Quarry Title. These new rewards are earnable by Hunters representing the Company as Emissaries.

Chest of Fortune

• The Chest of Fortune remains within the Fort of Fortune, allowing crews to earn the next Grade of the Fortune’s Favour Commendation and unlock access to the Regal Fortune Fishing Rod, Shovel, Pocket Watch, Tankard and Speaking Trumpet.

Reaper’s Chests

• Crews chasing down the tell-tale beacon of the Reaper’s Chest or Reaper’s Bounty can earn the next Grade of the Reaper’s Riches Commendation and unlock access to the Regal Fortune Hurdy-Gurdy and Concertina.

Migrating Crews from Failed Encounters

• Crews engaging with the same rival repeatedly will now find that they will be migrated away to a new server after subsequent losses.

• Losing to the same rival three times within a generous 1h 45m period will cause the losing crew to be migrated. However, should the losing crew turn the tide and sink their rival, this will reset the encounter.

• This ruleset will not affect crews taking part in an encounter with the Burning Blade, and crews engaging with the Skull of Siren Song will need to be actively participating in the Voyage to be remain exempt.

Reducing Emergent Encounters During Naval Battles

• Crews engaging with rivals in naval combat will find that ambush threats like Skeleton Ships and Megalodons are now reduced in frequency. While these unpredictable encounters can still occur, they will now be much less frequent, allowing crews to remain focused on their rivals.

Performance Improvements

• This update includes further system-level optimisations to CPU performance across the whole experience. This will improve loading behind the scenes, with the aim of providing a smoother framerate when approaching islands, ships and other players in the world.

• Improvements have been made to game performance when digging up items in the world to improve client framerate.

Show off your personal style with purchases from the Pirate Emporium! Pick up exclusive cosmetics such as ship liveries, costumes, weapons, pets and emotes using your Ancient Coins, purchasable with real money. Head to the Pirate Emporium[www.seaofthieves.com] to browse and buy the latest additions!

New Items – Now in Stock!

• Tundra Wanderer Ship Collection and Ship’s Crest

• Tundra Wanderer Weapon Bundle

• Tundra Wanderer Clothing Bundle

• Tundra Wanderer Drum

• Festive Hat Bundle (time-limited, will return next year)

• Dark Constellation Cat

• Glacial Curse Barbary and Toucan

• Ghostly Curse Ragamuffin (requires Pirate Legend status)

• Humble Gift Emote – Free!

Returning Items – Time-Limited

• Bonechiller Ship Collection and Ship’s Crest

• Bonechiller Costume Set

• Bonechiller Weapon Bundle

• Festival of Giving Weapon Bundle

• Festival of Giving Pet Outfits

New Outpost Stock!

• The shipwrights have restocked with the new Pale Resolute Hull, Sails and Flag.

• The Outpost weaponsmiths now offer weapons from the Regal Hound set.

Season 11 Legacy Cosmetics

• Cosmetics previously available during Season 11 have arrived in the Outpost shops and can now be purchased with Doubloons!

• Players can purchase items from the Cunning Serpent set including clothing, Medusa Hair, Snake Tail Hair and Beard. The Cartographer Cannons and Pegleg, Musketeer Eye of Reach, Banded Chaperon Hat and Fog-Piercing Frog Lantern are also available.

• Pirate Legends can purchase Briggsy’s Weatherbeaten Gloves and Belle’s Mysterious Dress.

• The time-limited Swift-Winged Wayfarer items, however, remain exclusive to players who participated in Season 11.

Season Overview Menu

• The Season Menu has been updated, now bringing Season Progress and Events into the menu alongside the Season’s Deeds and rewards. This menu now provides a single source of information for everything taking place during the Season.

• The Pirate Log has been renamed to Reputation and is now focused on highlighting progression with the various Trading Companies, Factions, Tall Tales and Adventures at Sea.

The Festival of Giving is in full swing throughout the second half of December, with free daily Gilded Voyages for players and much more besides. See below for an overview and head to the Events Hub[www.seaofthieves.com] to check on what’s live!

The Orb Returns (December 12th – December 14th)

• The Orb breaks its silence with new whispers and visions, teasing future events and offering clues to an enlightening in-game reward. Tune in on Twitch[www.twitch.tv]!

Holiday Hauls and Legends of Giving (December 15th – January 2nd)

• Pirate Legends join the Partners, Affiliate Alliance leaders and Deckhands taking to the seas under the Generous Gift Sails this year, spreading holiday cheer and delivering gifts to other pirates they meet!

Support a Streamer (December 15th – January 2nd)

• Support your favourite Sea of Thieves streamers and get rewards! Gift two qualifying subscriptions to earn Amethyst Mercenary ship cosmetics, and gift three subs for the Ebon Double Barrel Pistol.

Gameplay

• Blunderbombs fired from cannons into other ships will now push ships in a more predictable direction.

• The Double Barrel Pistol now reloads reliably when rapidly fired and reloaded in quick succession.

• Players sitting on the barrel on the lower deck of the Sloop can now consistently be damaged by sword attacks.

• Exiting crouch by sprinting and quickly aiming down sights should no longer cause pirates to briefly stutter.

• ‘Shores of Gold’ – All levers in this Tall Tale can now consistently be interacted with, allowing the Tale to be progressed.

Performance and Stability

• Crews experiencing technical issues when diving beneath the waves should no longer find themselves returned to the surface alongside a duplicate version of their ship.

• Further improvements have been made to game stability to reduce scenarios where players unexpectedly exit the game or become disconnected from their session.

Visual and Audio

• Sailing near a Skeleton Camp no longer causes ship interiors to appear overly bright.

• A blowpipe musical tune should no longer be heard when on the Ferry of the Damned.

• Players climbing inside the Cartographer Cannons will now retain their intended field of view.

• The Gilded Phoenix Ship’s Crest now displays correctly when viewed at the back of a ship.

• The symbol on the Purple Resolute Sails is now correctly positioned.

• The Nightfall Hunter Shirt icon now shows the pirate’s hand in the correct position.

• The glint of treasure viewed at a distance will now twinkle more randomly and not pulse consistently with other treasure.

• Sprinting while holding a Fort Key no longer causes hand animations to jump after stopping.

• Pirates burying items should now have a consistent shadow in sync with their animations.

• Quest Board maps to islands with Skeleton Camps should now display the correct island visuals.

• The Boreal Aurora Cannons now appear correctly when viewed at close range.

• Players firing the Alter Ego Eye of Reach should no longer find the weapon clips into the camera.

• The Amethyst Mercenary Flag now appears correctly when equipped on a Brigantine.

Environment

• Improvements have been made to areas of the environment at Port Merrick, Flintlock Peninsula, The Devil’s Thirst and Ruby’s Fall to prevent players becoming stuck while traversing.

• Players should no longer be able to grapple into the roof decoration of the tavern at Morrow’s Peak Outpost.

• During a storm, rain can no longer be seen within the Pirate Emporium.

• ‘Shores of Gold’ – A visible crack on the ground at the Shores of Gold has been smoothed out.

• Skeletons navigating around Mermaid’s Hideaway and Crescent Isle can now consistently reach their intended location.

User Interface

• Players using an ultra-wide screen will find HUD elements such as the notification pane and currency are now placed at the edges of the screen to be consistent with other parts of the HUD.

• Viewing the Reputation tab from the front-end menu now shows the correct number of promotions.

• Players changing settings for Narration and Custom Text Overlay will find that these settings now persist across sessions.

• Player names in the Invites menu now remain visible when highlighted.

• Players using ‘Let Games Read to Me’ should hear the Enhanced Headphone Menu fully narrated while browsing.

• Viewing the Rank 15 promotion within the Gold Hoarders Trading Company now shows all the rewards available to unlock.

• The preview imagery for the Frozen Horizon Instrument Bundle within the Pirate Emporium now shows the correct iconography.

Text and Localisation

• Players speaking with the Smugglers Lottie, Solomon and Ix should now find their voiceover consistently matches their dialogue.

• Players using Italian language settings should no longer see overlapping text when equipping various weapons within the Armoury.

• Players navigating the Reputation tab while playing in Safer Seas are now correctly reminded of the Trading Company rank limitation across a range of non-English languages.

• Players using Polish language settings should now find the clues given as part of the Voyage of Legends are now much clearer to follow.

• Players using Thai language settings will find the Alter Ego set name has been changed to better match its visual appearance.

To learn more about known issues in Sea of Thieves currently being tracked and their status, head over to our Known Issues support site article[support.seaofthieves.com].

Download Size:

• Steam: 5.4 GB