Summary
- Safer Seas will open up in the latest Sea of Thieves content update, available December 7 and free for all players with Xbox Game Pass and across Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, Windows 10/11, and Steam.
- For the first time, players can choose to sail the Sea of Thieves alone or in a crew of chosen friends, without the possibility of PvP encounters.
- This update arrives as the third of three major content updates that make up the ongoing Sea of Thieves Season Ten.
After two months of back-to-back content updates, Sea of Thieves completes the trio promised back at the start of Season Ten by introducing a brand new game mode for players to explore: Safer Seas! Allowing exploration and adventure on a single-crew server, either alone or with a crew of chosen friends, this update opens the door to an entirely new way of playing the game.
A Peaceful Voyage
In Safer Seas, players can elect to sail solo or with a crew of up to three friends, with no other player-controlled crews present in the world. For fresh-faced pirates just starting their journey, this means a chance to learn the ropes without having to keep an eye out for hostile rivals, and an opportunity to understand the world and its key mechanics before diving into the traditional mayhem of the main Sea of Thieves game mode, now known as High Seas.
There’s no shortage of content in Safer Seas for players old or new to tackle. As in High Seas, a wide range of Voyages can be undertaken for the various Trading Companies, while World Events are frequently encountered, from fending off a Megalodon attack to striking down fearsome Ashen Lords. The ability to unlock the corresponding Commendations for these activities will also be present in Safer Seas.
For story-hungry pirates, Safer Seas still gives access to all the game’s narrative-driven Tall Tales, including the crossover experiences that make up 2023’s Sea of Thieves: The Legend of Monkey Island and 2021’s Pirates of the Caribbean-themed Sea of Thieves: A Pirate’s Life. In the absence of enemy crews, you’ll now be able to immerse yourself in all this lore at your leisure, without the risk of being interrupted by anyone who thinks you might have valuable loot tucked away.
Reduced Risk, Reduced Reward
While Safer Seas presents players with a wealth of content to explore at their own pace, there are of course some aspects of the game incompatible with a strictly single-crew experience. As a result, Safer Seas has a slightly reduced range of activities in comparison to High Seas.
For instance, content built around player vs. player interactions has no place in Safer Seas by design, such as Faction battles using the Hourglass of Fate or the competitive Skull of Siren Song Voyage. Similarly, The Reaper’s Bones Trading Company will not be accessible there due to its focus on player combat.
There are also some limits placed on progression within Safer Seas to account for the reduced risk in the absence of other players. Gold and reputation rewards will be accrued at 30% of that awarded in High Seas, and Trading Company reputation levels are capped at 40. This means that players will not be able to obtain the coveted title of Pirate Legend without venturing onto High Seas and, correspondingly, Safer Seas isn’t the place to engage with the Pirate Legend-focused Trading Company, Athena’s Fortune.
These limitations have been put in place to maintain a balance between Safer and High Seas, and to encourage players to try out both modes to see which suits their play style and needs. Even with these in place, however, Safer Seas presents a world alive with opportunities, whether it’s diving into Sea of Thieves lore through the Tall Tales, spending an undisturbed evening working on your fishing skills, or getting to grips with the game’s combat mechanics by taking on veritable hordes of skeletons. After all, Safer Seas isn’t entirely without risk – with or without roving pirate crews, the Sea of Thieves is a perilous place!
Fashion for All
One thing remaining consistent across Safer and High Seas is pirate style. The Outpost shops and Pirate Emporium are accessible in either mode, and Ancient Coin earnings won’t be subject to the 30% cap on gold and reputation. Seasonal Renown can also be earned at the same rate across both High Seas and Safer Seas, so your progress towards the active Season’s cosmetic and currency rewards (and the rewards themselves) will be consistent no matter how you choose to play.
If you’ve picked up the Season Ten Plunder Pass, you’ll still be able to work towards unlocking the Stormfish Chaser ship set and clothing alongside all the usual gold, Doubloons and Ancient Coins available through the 100 levels of Renown on offer during this Season.
Over in the Pirate Emporium, a range of time-limited seasonal goodies make a comeback this month, including the Festival of Giving weapons and pet outfits. The Bonechiller Costume is also back for the holidays, and this time it’s bringing with it an entire ship collection and bundle of weapons to fill out that frightfully festive look. Combined with the Ransacking Emote, you shouldn’t have any problem getting into the holiday spirit…
A Jam-Packed Season
Of course, Safer Seas is far from the only content to explore in Season Ten. December’s monthly update is the third to arrive this Season, following the introduction of Guilds in October and the Skull of Siren Song Voyage in November.
With Guilds, players can team up with fellow sailors beyond the usual limit of a four-person crew. By forming or joining a Guild, pirates can contribute to its shared Guild Reputation and unlock exclusive rewards for all Guild Members as they progress. And, for those of a less collaborative persuasion, the Skull of Siren Song Voyage sees the notorious Captain Briggsy summon pirates from across the waves into a competitive race to claim an ancient and powerful artefact.
All these new updates have been accompanied by a host of improvements and fixes to various areas of Sea of Thieves, to ensure that you’re able to have the experience you want out on the waves. With Safer Seas, that personalized experience is more accessible than ever, and we can’t wait to see you out there!