Many people have been asking how does Sea of Thieves works and how do you actually begin your pirate adventure? Well, Gaming Instincts is here to help you out and get you started on your way to becoming a legendary pirate.
But before we get to all the good stuff, we have to learn how to be a not-so-legendary pirate first, by getting our asses kicked while exploring the mysterious and exciting world of Sea of Thieves. Also, before we start our epic adventure, we wanted to let you know that we’re going to be running a giveaway for Sea of Thieves from March 1st, 2018, up until the launch date on March 20th. You can check more information for that right here.
Let’s begin!
First and foremost – What is Sea of Thieves? Basically, it is a pirate simulator in a nutshell in a shared-social open environment. The game is open-world, has a ton of islands to go to, and plenty of piratey things to do. From taking on voyages and completing quests, fighting other pirates and stealing their booty in PvP fights, and of course, adventuring with your crew, exploring the world at your own leisure alongside your pirate friends. But a lot of these things are a bit more complicated than they sound, and we are here to guide you on your voyage to becoming the best pirate you can be and surviving the unforgiving world of Sea of Thieves.
When you start the game, you’ll spawn on an Outpost Island. In Sea of Thieves Outpost Islands are places players can find NPCs, taverns, shopping vendors, other players that may or may not be hostile, and most importantly, the Trading Company NPCs that play a super important role in the gameplay loop of Sea of Thieves. There are a total of 3 different Trading Companies in the game: The Gold Hoarders, The Merchant Alliance and The Order of Souls. I will do a separate video on them individually, explaining them in much greater detail and how they’re different from one another, so stay tuned for that.
Once you have been spawned in the game world, you’re objective is to figure out how do I become legendary pirate?. If you wish to explore, take on voyages, or kill other pirates and steal some booty, you may do so at your choosing. But the better question is: what’s the best way to start out to understand how Sea of Thieves works and get a leg up in the competition? Well, my friends, the first thing you actually want to do is find the Trading Company Faction Leader on the Outpost where you have spawned and interact with him or her and take on your first Voyage.
In this starting guide, we will be taking on a Voyage from the Gold Hoarders Trading Company. The Gold Hoarders are all about the treasure hunts. You will be given a map that hints at what island you must go to in order to find and locate the treasure that is marked by the red X. Once we start talking to the NPC he will present you with a voyage that costs 0 gold and that’s because later voyages will require gold in order to buy them and activate them, since this is literrly the begnning of the game you’re given a freebie to start of and prove your worth as a poor peasant pirate who might or might not have a bright future. So let’s take on the free Voyage and then start going to our ship to begin our glorious treasure hunt and prove our worth.
Once we arrive at our ship, the first thing we want to do is head down to the Navigation Room. The navigation room is where you will be spending the majority of your time on deciding where to go and what to do first whether you’re a solo pirate or with a full crew. At this Voyage table, you want to present your voyage to other players by pressing X and then take a vote on it by pressing X again. You may also press Y to put your voyage away and save it for later. Since we’re playing solo here you have to vote on your own voyage and be ready embark on it and that’s exactly what we’re going to do here. Voyages are actual physical objects in the game’s world. Some pirates may have higher tier voyages as opposed to you and vice versa but those voyages usually involve multiple chapters, much longer completion time and a higher risk, so it’s always important to discuss with your crew what’s the best voyage to take and will it be worth the risk. I will make a separate video discussing Voyages in much greater detail and now back to our hunt for booty.
Our next step is to look at the map of our Voyage and figure out what Island we need to go to. You want to hold the right bumper to bring up your scroll wheel and then use your left analog stick to select your map. The map will show you the shape of the island and a rex X which is where the treasure is. We have to memorize the shape of the island and compare it to the islands on the ship’s map table to see which islands match your voyage. Once you have found the island that matches your voyage you will be ready to start sailing towards your booty. Once you spend a lot of time in Sea of Thieves you’ll start recognizing a lot of the Islands by default and you’ll know where to go exactly a lot quicker than before. Also, make sure to take advantage of your compass on the map table and look at where your ship is directed so you know which direction to sail too.
Once you have found your destination our next step is to get the ship sailing and we do that by going over to the captain’s quarter and pulling down the sails and then pulling up the anchor. Quick tip, if you’re not sure where exactly your heading you can quickly go down to the navigation room and look at the map table to see where your ship is heading as it’s being updated in real time and there is no delay. At this point, Go back upstairs to the captain’s quarters and start controlling the wheel and steer the ship in the direction you need it to go to. Be careful about going to the navigation room too often tho, because you might end up bumping your ship into an island or an obstacle in the sea and that will create holes in your ship and cause it to sink if you’re not fast at covering up the holes with planks and using your bucket to get the water out. I will do a full video on how to maintain your ship during crazy storms and rough situations.
Our next step is to look at the map of our Voyage and figure out what Island we need to go to. You want to hold the right bumper to bring up your scroll wheel and then use your left analog stick to select your map. Now, we see an Island and we have to memorize how it looks like and then we have to head over to the map table in the navigation room and find the same exact island on that map and see if they match together. If they do then that means that that’s the island we have to go to. It may seem to be weird or clunky at first, but over time it will grow on you and you will get used to it. Once you spend a lot of time in Sea of Thieves you’ll start recognizing a lot of the Islands by default and you’ll know where to go exactly a lot quicker than before. Also, make sure to take advantage of your compass on the map table and look at where your ship is directed so you know which direction to sail too.
Once you have found your destination our next step is to get the ship sailing and we do that by going over to the captain’s quarter and pulling down the sails and then pulling up the anchor. Once you do those two things your ship will start sailing. Quick tip, if you’re not sure where exactly your heading you can quickly go down to the navigation room and look at the map table to see where your ship is heading as it’s being updated in real time and there is no delay. Go back upstairs to the captain’s quarters and start controlling the wheel and street the ship in the direction you need it too.
Sailing a ship solo is a lot more daunting and stressful than having at least another person on your team or better yet a full crew because you have to do everything on your own and you can’t do multiple things at once. In Sea of Thieves, you’re allowed to play up to a maximum of 4 players which makes the game a lot easier as opposed to playing as a duo or better yet solo. Solo is considered to be the hardest challenge in the game. So make sure you pick your battles and decide what kind of a life you want to live as a legendary pirate.
Sailing a ship on your own is a lot more daunting and stressful than having at least another person on your team or better yet a full crew because you have to do everything on your own and you can’t do multiple things at once. In Sea of Thieves, you’re allowed to play up to a maximum of 4 players which makes the game a lot easier as opposed to playing as a duo or better yet solo. Solo is considered to be the hardest challenge in the game. So make sure you pick your battles and decide what kind of a life you want to live as a legendary pirate
Ok, so we have found and arrived at the island where the treasure is. Now what you have to do is look at your surrounding and look at every object around you such as palm trees, rocks, barrels and use those objects as points of direction or landmarks for your map. Pull out your map after you have some analysis of where you’re standing and as your looking at your map you have to try to understand how far away you are from the red x and what part of the island you’re standing on and how to get there. If you see a red x on a piece of green colored land, that means it will be where the grass is, if the X is marked on a yellow sand color then that means you will have to dig somewhere on the sand. Also, pay attention if the X is surrounded by palm trees or some sort of other environmental objects such as rocks and then use those objects as a point of reference for your guidance towards the loot.
Sea of Thieves is not a game that will hold your hand 24/7 but it is a game that gives you just enough information to motivate you to explore and hunt for delicious booty which is what actually makes the treasure hunts so fun in the first place. At first, it may prove very challenging but in reality, it’s not that difficult once you get used to it. I’ve learned that smaller islands are much easier to find the treasure in due to their size and that there is not a lot to be confused about or explore. Meanwhile, islands that are a lot bigger and have high cliffs and underpasses and caves can be proven to be more challenging. So here we figured out where out where our treasure is and now it is time to start digging!
Once you have started digging you will know if you have found the treasure or not. Keep digging to get the whole treasure out and be ready to hold on to it and carry it to your ship. Once you have received the treasure the Voyage will be completed but now you have to be extra careful because if other pirates see the precious treasure that is being held in your hands your bet your ass they will be after you. So be even more extra cautious this time around and head back to the Outpost Island you came from or you may also go to a different Outpost Island if its closer to the Island that you’re currently in. It does not matter which Outpost you go to as long as it’s an Outpost because all of them have all the Trading Company NPCs. In this case, we’re going to go back to the Outpost we started at and at this point, you should already know how to set sail your ship and find the direction you need to go.
Once we return to the Gold Hoarder NPC we will turn in our treasure in exchange for gold and a reputation experience that grants you ranks within the trading company. Gaining reputation ranks with Trading Companies will grant you access to higher tier voyages, awesome looking cosmetic gear for your pirate and titles as well. This is how you progress in Sea of Thieves, how legendary of a pirate are you? What kind of cool looking cosmetic gear you’re wearing and what title have you chosen to go by? We hope that this guide has been very helpful for beginners, those who need a quick refresher after the closed beta or better yet newcomers who have never heard of this game before and want to get their feet wet in the game. Stay tuned to Gaming Instincts for more exclusive content for more coverage and future guides for Sea of Thieves.
A Nintendo Switch trailer was also released.
According to SteamDB.
An announcement trailer was also released.