Sea of Thieves‘ next update, described by the game’s creative director Rare‘s next update, described by Sea of Thieves’ creative director Mike Chapman as the game’s “biggest and most ambitious update yet”, launches in just a few days.
The team has been tight-lipped about what is being added to Sea of Thieves in the new content, managing to keep the crossover between the world of Pirates of the Caribbean and Sea of Thieves – and the surprise appearance of Captain Jack Sparrow – under wraps.
There are some clues as to what players can expect when A Pirates Life launches on June 22, and in an embargoed gameplay showcase, NME was shown that players will get a brand-new original story featuring the characters Captain Jack Sparrow and Davy Jones. Similar to the Tall Tales released in the Anniversary update in 2019, the new story content will take place over five Tall Tales, with each of those containing their own chapters and checkpoints so that players can enjoy them at their own pace.
The team has confirmed that A Pirate’s Life will be available to all players whether they are just starting their adventures or are seasoned veterans of the high seas, activated by visiting a brand new character, the Castaway, who will have a presence on each of the outposts dotted around the map. Playing A Pirate’s Life will pull players out of the main world and into their own instance, far from other players who could potentially ruin their experience. With cannons.
Not everything will be entirely separate from the main game though, as in true Sea of Thieves fashion it does seem that some elements of the story are going to bleed through into the main world with three new enemy types showcased. We have a new water-based enemy in the Sirens, phantom pirates and even new crab enemies called Ocean Crawlers. There is even a new weapon called the Trident of Dark Tides that the Sirens wield that can be located in the world. This’ll be useful for fighting the swarm of new AI creatures.
Deep-sea swimmers will also be able to make even longer dives courtesy of an undersea plant that will give them a quick top-up of air.
The story will take players to brand new places in the Sea of Thieves, whether that is the Sunken Kingdom of the Sirens or a host of familiar locales from the Pirates of the Caribbean movies or the theme park ride opened in Disneyland in 1967. Chapman also promised some cool easter eggs that will delight fans of the stories and lore of the Sea of Thieves.
This new update promises exciting possibilities for the future of Sea of Thieves. The fact that Disney has licensed such an iconic character to the talented team at Rare to create something unique perhaps opens the doors for other pirate favourites to make their way across the shroud – could we see a Monkey Island crossover?
Sea of Thieves is out now, the A Pirate’s Life update is free for all players, and will release on June 22.
