It had to be this particular weekend, of course, following on from Talk Like a Pirate Day on September 19th. So brace for impact because we’re about to come at you again with the latest celebratory get-together on the seas, running from 11am UTC on Saturday, September 21st to the same time on Monday, September 23rd!

As always, the Community Weekend vibe runs both ways and we encourage players to save something to share with us and their fellow pirates while it’s in progress, whether we’re talking adventures, creations, ideas or good old-fashioned sentiment – all while enjoying everything else that’s going on, from freebies and discounts to special Voyages and Plunder. But let’s kick off with that all-important Community Emissary Grade…

You know the drill: while Community Weekend is live, log in to Twitch and tune in to any streamer in the Sea of Thieves category[www.twitch.tv], and your viewing hours will count towards a cumulative total. That total in turn drives up the Community Emissary Grade, increasing the multiplier on gold, reputation, Seasonal Renown, Allegiance and Guild Reputation for all players! Max it out at Grade Five and that’s two-and-a-half times the usual rewards for everyone until Community Weekend draws to a close.

Not sure who to watch? Don’t forget our Sea of Thieves Partner Directory[www.seaofthieves.com] will let you see who’s live, we have an archive of Creator Spotlights[www.seaofthieves.com] stretching back years and we’ll even be getting involved in our own trademark barely planned way with a Saturday stream on the Sea of Thieves channel[www.twitch.tv]. Keep tabs on our socials as we approach the weekend for more details of what time we’ll be live!

As anyone who’s taken part in a previous Community Weekend will know, the fun starts as soon as you turn up to find free gifts falling into your lap. This time you can expect to be awarded the exclusive Season 13 Community Weekend Flag, along with the hypnotic Shimmy Dance Emote. And you can’t tell us you don’t want that.

Further freebies can be claimed through Twitch Drops[www.seaofthieves.com]: a spyglass and shovel from the Stormy Sea Dog set, a concertina and bucket from the Stalwart Sea Dog set, and of course our latest stygian stretch goal: the Obsidian Captain’s Table. Once again, the community must come together to unlock this beauty, this time by collectively completing a total of 100,000 World Events. That’ll cause the Obsidian Captain’s Table to become earnable through Twitch Drops and go on to brighten up the cabin of any Captained ship! Well, maybe brighten isn’t the right word, but you know what we mean.

Still unfulfilled by all the freebies? Then you may expand your options once again by browsing the Talk Like a Pirate Day Sale in the Pirate Emporium[www.seaofthieves.com], which not only offers visitors its own freebie (the Rage Unleashed Emote) but defies its own name by actually running for eight days from September 19th–27th. Lodestar bargains! Mandrake markdowns! Stone Islehopper Outlaw steals! Pretty Polly Sails back in stock for a limited time (possibly eight days)!

Cosmetics are all well and good, but we understand you also want treasure – ideally treasure worth an eye-twitching amount of gold if handed in when the Community Emissary Grade is riding high. To bring you more chances of finding such enviable items, Pop-Up Plunder is back in play for Season 13 Community Weekend!

You’ll get an in-game notification when a Pop-Up Plunder spot is activated, and clues on Sea of Thieves social channels such as Twitter/X, Instagram [www.instagram.com]and Discord [www.discord.gg]will steer you in the right direction. Each server only has one piece of plunder so it’s a race to unearth it before any other crew on the same server – and a race against the clock to do that within one hour, before the treasure evaporates in a puff of glitter and shattered dreams. But live up to the pressure and you’re sure to get something good out of it! Probably. It might even be one of the fancy loot-packed Community Crates introduced for the occasion…

The time-limited treats don’t end with Pop-Up Plunder: you’ll also find also some lucrative new Voyages lined up on the Quest Table during the weekend. Keen to take advantage of increased traffic on the seas, those skeleton-hating scamps in the Order of Souls will be placing Bounties on unsavoury Obsidian and Shadow Skeleton Captains found loitering at the Skeleton Camps introduced in Season 13.

While you can’t repeat these new Bounty Voyages indefinitely – after all, there’s an in-game economy probably best left intact – you will get multiple cracks of the whip, so enjoy! While this skelly-targeting treat lasts, you’ll find it under Special Voyages on the Quest Table.

As always, we encourage all pirates to join in the spirit of Community Weekend by sharing their own captivating clips, unhinged undertakings and consummate crafts inspired by Sea of Thieves. Tag whatever you’ve got on social media with the venerable #BeMorePirate hashtag, as we’ll be staying frosty for new favourites to reward with the Hat of Unfeasibly Glorious Fame! You’re also free to nominate other players who you think deserve this long-winded reward for their own accomplishments, or the simple good vibes they bring to the community – and you can do that starting right ruddy now.

There will of course be the traditional Picture Wall at the Outposts too, in sleek new Season 13 Community Weekend colours, so we hope you’ll share your finest and most raucous crew pics from any or all of those during your weekend adventures!

It’s got all the makings of another unforgettable weekend, so slip on your finest freebooting footwear and join us from September 21st–23rd, whether you have something you want to share or you’re simply there for the stonks. Both are valid.

One last thing we should mention to ensure you don’t miss out: in the unifying spirit of Community Weekend, you’ll need to be sailing in the open world of High Seas to take advantage of all the antics outlined above, from Community Emissary Grade gains to the perks of Pop-Up Plunder. So if you’re usually a Safer Seas sailor, now’s the time to brave those busier waters. We’ll see you there!

From now until September 15th (23:59 UTC), partake in a spot of hunter-gathering and enjoy a fine 1.5x boost on all gold and reputation for goods handed to The Hunter's Call this weekend!