Sea of Thieves is an action-adventure video game where you take on the role of a treasure-hunting pirate. Since Sea of Thieves is an online multiplayer experience, you have the option to chase down players and steal their loot or go on your own to hunt for treasure by completing quests, events, or visiting sunken ships or islands. How you collect it is up to you.
If you’re new to Sea of Thieves, then here are some things to know before you start playing.
Watch Out for Players
Sea of Thieves is the perfect breeding ground for players to be pirates. Or trolls (people who mess with you). Either way, Sea of Thieves emphasizes a lot of stealing, fighting, chasing, taunting, and running (if you’re the one trying to get away from another player).
Just assume that every player that you come across wants to steal your loot. That’s the thrill of the game: Stealing from another player and getting away with it. As a beginner to Sea of Thieves, be on the lookout and don’t expect everyone to play nice. Some players are down-right rude, and they don’t care. Just be prepared to have some thick skin when a player starts cussing up a storm and taunting you for no reason–or if you’re the instigator of the conflict.
There are friendly gamers who play Sea of Thieves. But, even if they are “nice”, they’ll still take your loot and leave a “gg” in the chat.
When playing for the first time, it helps to always be on the lookout for other players. Keep in mind that players may be hiding out on their ship with their buddies behind a nearby island or rock, waiting for the perfect opportunity to strike. Scan the horizon from the crow’s nest before you start trying to dig up loot on an island. Check frequently because you never know when somebody will come sailing toward you full speed.
Also, check your ship because a player could be hiding somewhere in the shadows. Or, they may be blending in with the mast or cannons (yes, this does happen).
Expect to Get Robbed…A Lot
The first section hints at this point, but expect to get robbed a lot.
When I started playing Sea of Thieves for the first time, I got my butt kicked by more experienced players all the time. I was unfamiliar, at the time, with the controls and different techniques you could use to escape. One time, I jumped off my ship with a treasure chest in my hands while being chased by a brigantine. I thought I was smart as I watched my vessel sail off into the distance with the players still following. They were unaware that I had already abandoned my ship with the one item I had. But I completely forgot that I was nowhere near an outpost to sell my loot and ended up getting eaten by a shark.
While the players stole nothing from me, I felt as though they had.
There were other times where, upon nearing completion of an event, I had players pretending that they were chilling at an island, acting like they were doing nothing suspicious. Suddenly their sails would unfurl and come charging at me. In the end, they would steal all the hard work I had put in, which sometimes amounted close to an hour or more.
If you see players seemingly waiting at a nearby island, find another event. Or, take them on yourself, because there is a good chance they want you to do the hard work for them and are biding their time.
You’ll Spend Most of Your Time Looking for Treasure
Well, I already mentioned that searching for loot is one of the biggest focuses of the game. But, if you think searching for treasure is all you do in Sea of Thieves, then, in a manner of speaking, you are correct.
Starting as a beginner, that’s likely all you will be doing until you reach a point that you have so much gold you won’t know what to do with it.
If you do reach that point, you’ve probably racked up thousands of hours that your practically a pro at Sea of Thieves.
If you do reach the point that you have more gold than you care for, you’ll likely have racked up thousands of hours that your practically a pro at Sea of Thieves.
While searching for treasure is almost always the objective each time you play, it serves a purpose. For example, you can purchase in-game skins for customizing your character, items, and ship. Depending on the type of loot you get, you can also unlock skins that you can’t buy with your gold.
Although the skins themselves give you no real advantage over your online opponents, like enhanced strength, or reduced damage, some of them look cool. And it’s fun to have an objective when there is a skin you want.
However, certain skins can help you blend in with your environment, like in the shadows of an enemy ship. Just remember to equip and use the hiding emotes when doing this, otherwise, your gamertag will remain visible to nearby players.
Some Skins Are Only Available for a Limited Time
Frequently, Sea of Thieves announces new quests which, if you complete them, you’ll unlock new skins. However, some of these skins are only available for a limited time.
If you’re unable to complete the quests and you want a skin that you weren’t able to get, you’ll have to visit the game’s Pirate Emporium where you can spend real money on the items you want. You can also visit Microsoft’s store to purchase coins that will get added to your account, which you can then use to buy skins or emotes if you own Sea of Thieves for Xbox or PC.
It Takes Time to Get Good
Playing Sea of Thieves once will not make you a professional. It takes some patience and learning before you reach a point where you can take on players yourself.
The best way to get better at playing Sea of Thieves is to watch YouTube videos to see what other players are doing. Then, practice their techniques. There are loads of videos out there where they show you how to play Sea of Thieves. These give you valuable insights into strategies you wouldn’t have figured out on your own.
For example, I shared the story where I got eaten by a shark. If I had been sailing against the wind, I would have likely gotten away. In the game, if you are sailing a sloop, the smallest ship available (not counting the rowboat), when you go against the wind, you become slightly faster than a galleon ship or a brigantine. However, because I didn’t know this, I tried to sail with the wind to escape. Eventually, I found a YouTube video where a player demonstrated that you can escape when you sail against the wind in a sloop. I started using this strategy, and since then, I’ve escaped other players multiple times.
Simply put, I wouldn’t have figured this out on my own if I hadn’t come across that YouTube video. So if anything, if you want to get better, or be prepared, when you start playing Sea of Thieves, look up tips and strategies that other players have already discovered. And practice them. If that means purposely getting into ship battles with other players then, perfect. That is one of the fastest ways to learn. Just be sure to sell all of your loot first if you want to play it safe.
Final Thoughts
Sea of Thieves is one of the most thrilling games out there that you can play. If you manage to sneak onto a player’s ship and steal their loot without them knowing, that can be one of the most satisfying and rewarding aspects of the game. It probably explains why so many players keep going back to it. Once you get a taste of Sea of Thieves piracy, you want more.
However, Sea of Thieves can also be one of the most frustrating games if you continuously find yourself getting sunk or robbed by other gamers, especially if you’re new. But, if you keep practicing and learning, this will happen less and less.