Game news Sea of Thieves season 5: that’s why you’ll love it
For years, pirates have been going on an adventure every day in a world of ever-expanding possibilities. Season after season, the free updates follow one another and the game of Rare continues to complement each other. We saw this with A Pirate’s Life, the partnership with the Disney Pirates of the Caribbean license, last June. Today, let’s go back to season 5. Cooperation, roleplay and gameplay mechanics, are the additions up to the task?
Sea of Thieves has been accessible since launch on Xbox Game Pass, both PC and console, as well as the XCloud. All updates are free, and so is this season 5. But she also brings her bundle of cosmetic items that you have to buy with real money, as well as a Battle Pass. Nothing that changes the balance of the game, we are talking about costumes, animations, personalization elements of the boat or even a cute little dog. But what interests us the most are the changes made to the game mechanics, at no extra cost. The various seasons have already allowed for a whole bunch of quests and events to be added, so we couldn’t wait to see what happened next.
I am brigantine, I am a card, eh
It’s going to be bim, bam and probably boom
And the major difference of this season 5 is that, this time, you are going to create the content! The game includes the possibility of burying objects: chests and other rewards can be scattered on the islands of Sea of Thieves. And once your treasures are buried, you’ll be able to create a map, which other players will collect on a board in each outpost. “But why would I leave my treasures to other pirates, rather than reap the rewards myself,” you are probably wondering? Know that when pirates complete your quests, you earn fame and cash rewards! This is a cooperative aspect that mainly emerges from this update. But not that, because it is also possible to place traps by burying explosive barrels which will jump in the face of the unfortunate treasure hunter … The excitement is total when the treasure is discovered, as the possibilities are great. A trap ? A sumptuous treasure? A crate of bananas?
Sea of Thieves is more community-based. New mechanics bring roleplay and interactions with other players up to date, and make you want to avoid the fight. The immersion is helped by, it may seem silly, the possibility of sitting down everywhere, and it also allows you to take great screenshots. You can also lie in bed, which allows you to slowly regain life. To whisper secrets to other pirates, grab your megaphone and … Flip it! Besides, your pirate’s lips move now when he speaks. And since we are talking about sound, three new songs are added, which allows to dress beautifully the most impressive new feature: fireworks. Almost all of the hundred rockets added are there only to make beautiful colors. And when two ships start a battle of fireworks in the middle of the night, The result is amazing ! We also mention the flares, which help the exploration of huge islands in the middle of the night.
Show me what’s in the sloop
Sea of Thieves is still a pirate game, let no one be kidding yourself. The famous player-created treasure maps mentioned earlier can only be used if they are placed prominently on the captain’s table. So, anyone can come and steal them and appropriate the loot … PVP is still in order, and it is even reinforced by a very appreciable mechanism: it is now possible to aim with its cannon. Even better, some rowboats will carry their own cannon, which can allow rapid and devastating raids against large, less mobile boats … or even bring an additional cannon to floating buildings that will have moored an armed rowboat. A significant gain in firepower! Finally, let’s mention the enemies that drop pockets of ammunition, which is much more convenient than lugging around a dedicated crate. One way to make the fights more interesting in PVE, the firearms finding a more obvious use there.
Since we are talking about practicality, it is also an update that finally allows you to load your boat more quickly, with storage boxes that can be filled and emptied at the touch of a button. Sea of Thieves also keeps its good habit of adding information without burdening itself with unnecessary interfaces, by making it organic with the game world: so, to know if your boat is taking on water, rats appear. If your hull is flooded, you will see them flee, and all you have to do is prevent a shipwreck … A good idea. Finally, let’s mention improvements in accessibility for menus, as well as a whole bunch of bug fixes.
This season doesn’t bring any bombastic quest, high-sounding partnership, or major revolution in Sea of Thieves. But it does perhaps what is most important: improving the multiplayer experience, which has been inherent in the game from the start. Through cooperation and roleplay mechanics, the possibilities for interaction are more numerous and the rewards are up to par. And it is not necessarily about gold or fame, because spending an evening preparing a fireworks show with friends, or chasing the treasures left by a stranger, it is all opportunities to get together. remember that, when it’s done, a video game can be a very pleasant social experience.
A big thank you to Fanny, Nico40k and Pikamox for their help, especially pyrotechnics but not only, in writing this article.
