New Sea of Thieves dev update is all about polish and quality of life

Sea of Thieves has collected a loyal fan base due to the core of the game; it offers an incredibly organic, fun and occasionally terrifying pirate experience on the high seas. While there have been criticisms due to lack of content and limited PvE experiences, the developers are apparently listening.

Rare has already announced three upcoming DLC packs that should substantially flesh out the game. While we’re not ready to fight the Hungering Deep or gear up for weekly events yet, the latest developer update polishes some features of the game, addresses feedback and is all about getting the game ready for future updates.

Executive producer Joe Neate shared what some of those changes looked like in the May 10 Developer Update.

First of all, the patch mentioned in last week’s developer update has been delayed to next week, due to technical issues. This patch didn’t contain any of the big DLC, but it did contain changes to the way public and private crews work; the eventual addition will allow pirates to invite strangers onto their ship and join their journey if there is a free slot. Unfortunately, as it exists, that feature would have caused issues for enough players that it will be delayed.

The cosmetic additions were well received, but Rare are removing eight pieces for being too similar to other pieces of clothing. Other items are getting their prices adjusted. Players will automatically receive refunds for these changes, so your gold is nice and safe.

What we do get are two small changes that seem very small but are very exciting to regular Sea of Thieves players, especially those among us who like to contest forts. Players can now share bananas, cannonballs and planks. This means that you can share your supplies with an allied galleon as you defend a fort, or you can do a supply sweep and then hand your poor, hungry friend a banana to cronch upon.

Gamer tags are now invisible under water, which means the boarder or pirate with an explosive barrel are now the most terrifying thing in the world. Players have more room to be stealthy and sneaky by managing their breath underwater.

We also got a minor tease for what the Hungering Deep DLC will contain: more puzzles. For puzzle fiends who are already frustrated with Gold Hoarder missions for giving oodles of Castaway Chests, the drop rate on those has been substantially lowered.

For now, the developer team remains split into three groups, one on each piece of upcoming DLC. Since the Hungering Deep has the shortest lead time of those three teams, they’ll be working on weekly events after the DLC has launched. We’ll also get a trailer next week. The Hungering Deep approaches, and pirates will have the chance to work together, solve puzzles and overcome something lurking beneath the ocean.