:format(webp)/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/71331184/2022_Season_of_Plunder_Vendor_Helm_COMPRESSED_005.0.jpg)
Destiny 2’s new Season of Plunder is all about pirates, ship battles, and booty. But like any good pirate captain worth their salt, your Guardian would be nothing without their crew. Thankfully, this season allows you to upgrade your Pirate Crew a few times each week, unlocking critical skills that will help you complete activities more easily and dig up even better treasure.
In this Destiny 2: Season of Plunder guide, we’ll list off each of your Pirate Crew’s potential upgrades and recommend which improvements you should select first.
All the Pirate Crew skill trees
Each week you’ll be able to pick up two Repute items by completing specific Seasonal Challenges. You can then exchange a Repute at the Star Chart in the HELM for a new skill for your Pirate Crew. There are three trees to choose from, each of which is associated with a specific pirate crewmate — although each tree also houses many other unrelated skills.
In the Pirate Crew skill trees, you don’t need to purchase skills in a linear, left-to-right order. However, you won’t be able to unlock a new vertical row of skills until you’ve already exchanged a certain number of Reputes. So while you can’t make a beeline directly to the best skills — nuzzled late in the trees — you do have a great deal of freedom when selecting the order in which you’d like to upgrade your crew’s skills.
Here are all the Pirate Crew skill trees in Season of Plunder:
Quartermaster
The Quartermaster skill tree allows you to summon SCUR-V The Servitor:
Quartermaster Crew tree
| Name | Description | Previous upgrades required |
|---|---|---|
| Name | Description | Previous upgrades required |
| Hire SCUR-V The Servitor | Summon the Servitor crewmate from their pirate banner during Ketchcrash and Expedition missions. SCUR-V grants you slightly increased reload speed while they're in combat. SCUR-V also unlocks armor focusing, allowing Umbral Engrams to be decrypted into Season of Plunder armor once it has been added to your Collections. | 0 |
| Captain's Share | Earn bonus Glimmer at the end of the Expedition | 1 |
| Focused Weapon Spoils | Grants the ability to decrypt Umbral Engrams into Season of Plunder weapons once they have been added to your Collections | 3 |
| First Mate SCUR-V | Promote SCUR-V the Servitor to First Mate in the Captain's Atlas to get improved buffs while they're in combat. First mate buffs: Increased reload speed, Faster class ability recharge | 5 |
| Double Perk Weapon Spoils | The first time you focus a Season of Plunder weapon each week, it will roll with an additional selectable perk | 7 |
| Double Plundered Umbral Energy Map | Unlocks the Double Plundered Umbral Energy Treasure Map in the Captain's Atlas | 9 |
| Bargain Armor Spoils | The first time you decrypt an Umbral Engram into Season of Plunder armor each week, it does not consume Plundered Umbral Energy | 11 |
Navigator
The Navigator skill tree allows you to summon Halsiks The Sniper:
Navigator Crew tree
| Name | Description | Previous upgrades required |
|---|---|---|
| Name | Description | Previous upgrades required |
| Hire Halsiks The Sniper | Summon Halsiks the Sniper crewmate from his pirate banner during Ketchcrash and Expedition missions. Halsiks grants you slightly increased precision damage while he's in combat. Also unlocks the ability to occasionally find Treasure Coordinates on defeated combatants. | 0 |
| Armor Treasure Map | Unlocks the Plunder Armor Focuses Map in the Captain's Atlas | 1 |
| Weapon Treasure Map | Unlocks the Plunder Weapon Focused Map in the Captain's Atlas | 3 |
| First Mate Halsiks | Promote Halsiks the Sniper to First Mate in the Captain's Atlas to get improved buffs while he's in combat. First Mate buffs: Increased precision damage, Faster grenade recharge | 5 |
| Under One Banner | Earn bonus Treasure Coordinates by completing ritual activities with other Guardians who have Season of Plunder access | 7 |
| Boastful Crew | Increases Savvy earned from completing Season of Plunder activities | 9 |
| Plunder Windfall | Occasionally earn Plundered Umbral Energy by completing Strikes, Crucible, Gambit, and other activities | 11 |
Swashbuckler
The Swashbuckler tree allows you to summon the Skiffblades:
Swashbuckler Crew tree
| Name | Description | Previous upgrades required |
|---|---|---|
| Name | Description | Previous upgrades required |
| Hire the Skiffblades | Summon the Skiffblades crewmates from their pirate banner during Ketchcrash and Expedition missions. Grants you slightly increased melee damage while they're in combat. Also unlocks a random bonus reward when you emote with your crew at the end of successful Ketchcrash and Expedition missions. | 0 |
| Floating Debris | Increases the chance to earn Season of Plunder gear by completing Ketchcrash missions | 1 |
| Magnetic Drill | Increases the chance to earn Season of Plunder gear from the chest at the end of Expedition missions | 3 |
| First Mate Skiffblades | Promote the Skiffblades to First Mates in the Captain's Atlas to get improved buffs while they're in combat. First mate buffs: Increased melee damage, Faster melee ability recharge | 5 |
| Hidden Compartment | The first Ketchcrash mission completed each week rewards a weapon with Deepsight Resonance | 7 |
| Precise Cartography | Increased Plundered Umbral Energy found using Treasure Maps | 9 |
| Rumored Treasure Map | Once a week, you can use a Treasure Map your crewmates heard rumors about | 11 |
What order should you upgrade your Pirate Crew?
For our recommendations, we’re going to make suggestions that will help you unlock Patterns and craft the seasonal weapons as early as possible. That means focusing heavily on loot drops — specifically weapons — and ignoring armor and Glimmer upgrades for as long as possible.
Here is the order we recommend spending your Reputes in:
- Hire The Skiffblades
- Floating Debris
- Hire Halsiks The Sniper
- Weapon Treasure Map
- Magnetic Drill
- Focused Weapon Spoils
- Hire SCUR-V The Servitor
- Hidden Compartment
- Under One Banner
- Precise Cartography
- Double Plundered Umbral Energy Map
- Rumored Treasure Map
- Plunder Windfall
- Boastful Crew
- First Mate Halsiks
- First Mate SCUR-V
- First Mate Skiffblades
- Double Perk Weapon Spoils
- Bargain Armor Spoils
- Armor Treasure Map
- Captain’s Share
The most important upgrade in this tree is #8, Hidden Compartment, which is the only guaranteed Deepsight Resonance drop upgrade for Season of Plunder. (Unlike previous 2022 seasons, you can’t choose one each week.) It should become available to purchase on Sept. 13.
By the end of Season of Plunder, you’ll have enough Reputes to unlock every skill — and you’ll need to if you want to complete the Scallywag Title — so don’t stress too much if you’ve already made some different decisions than we suggest on your tree.
