Exciting New Features Arrive in Sea of Thieves Update

Sea of Thieves has recently undergone a significant update, bringing in Epic Games' Easy Anti-Cheat system, a solo mode accessible without a Game Pass subscription, and various other enhancements. This update represents one of the final changes before Sea of Thieves makes its debut on PlayStation 5 on April 30.

In March, Sea of Thieves soared in pre-orders on the PlayStation Store, generating excitement among Sony fans eagerly anticipating the unique pirate adventure from developer Rare. The PS5 version of Sea of Thieves will support crossplay like its Xbox and PC counterparts, likely leading to a surge in the game's player base upon release.

As Rare gears up for the PS5 launch of Sea of Thieves, a new update has been rolled out. The standout addition in this update is the integration of Epic's Easy Anti-Cheat, a crucial security measure following the announcement of an upcoming anti-cheat system for Sea of Thieves. Known for its usage in popular titles like Fortnite and Apex Legends, Easy Anti-Cheat will receive regular updates to combat cheating effectively. Furthermore, the update introduces the Safer Seas solo mode, allowing Game Pass-less players to enjoy Sea of Thieves on their own.

The update streamlines the Adventures feature by removing its tab from the quick menu, enhancing the overall gaming experience. Players will now be greeted with a Message of the Day upon launching the game, providing insights into new features, upcoming content, and other announcements. Download sizes for the update vary across platforms, ranging from 35 to 45 GB on Xbox consoles, 4 GB on Steam, and 100 GB on the Microsoft Store.

Recent advancements in Sea of Thieves technology point to smaller updates in the future, particularly for Microsoft Store users. The integration of Xbox's latest Game Development Kit last month sets the stage for more streamlined updates going forward, with reduced download sizes anticipated in upcoming releases.

The latest update also enhances the Pirate Emporium with new items like the Stone Islehopper Outlaw Ship Collection, Roaring Grog Emote Bundle, and Gold Curse Whippet. Returning favorites include the Spartan Ship Collection and Ravenwood Costume Set, along with a free Blow Bubbles Emote. Moreover, a new Classics Range section offers older ship collections at discounted prices.

Sea of Thieves Update Patch Notes

Game Enhancements

Easy Anti-Cheat

Easy Anti-Cheat is now safeguarding Sea of Thieves, leveraging Epic Games' advanced anti-cheat technology to combat hacking and cheating in multiplayer environments.
This system will receive updates independently of regular game updates to effectively counteract cheating practices.

Enhancements

Safer Seas Solo Play

Players without an Xbox Game Pass Core or Ultimate subscription can now enjoy Safer Seas solo mode, offering a true single-player experience still connected to cloud servers.
This addition marks a milestone for Sea of Thieves, enabling non-subscribers to delve into the game independently.

Virtual Keyboard Support

Summoning the Virtual Keyboard now supports additional languages including Simplified Chinese, Traditional Chinese, Thai, Japanese, Korean, and Russian.

Message of the Day

Upon entering the front end menu, players will now receive a Message of the Day showcasing current Season features, upcoming content, and other exciting news within the Sea of Thieves world.

Adventures Tab

The Adventures tab has been removed from the Quick Menu to streamline navigation and enhance the overall user experience.

Report a Player

The in-game Report a Player tool now offers a web-based reporting option through the Sea of Thieves Support site, facilitating more detailed reports.

GDK Integration

While console and Microsoft Store players may face a large download this month, future updates are expected to be significantly smaller following the integration of the Game Development Kit.

Pirate Emporium

Explore unique cosmetic items at the Pirate Emporium, with a range of exclusive ship liveries, costumes, weapons, pets, and emotes available for purchase using Ancient Coins.

New Items – Now Available!

Stone Islehopper Outlaw Ship Collection
Roaring Grog Emote Bundle
Gold Curse Whippet
Spartan Ship Collection (previously limited-time promotion)
Ravenwood Costume Set (from Season Eight Plunder Pass)
Blow Bubbles Emote (complimentary!)

Introducing the Classics Range

Older ship collections are now part of the Classics range in the Emporium, permanently discounted after years in the game. Additional sets will join the range over time.
The Classics range includes 15 beloved ship sets like Cutthroat, Sea of Sands, and Bear & Bird collections.

Outpost Cosmetics

New Outpost Offerings!

Players can now acquire Maestro ship parts from Outpost shipwrights after unlocking The Artistic Souls Commendation.
Flourishing Wild Rose set items are now available at Outpost shops, including ship parts and weapons like the Heavy Sword and Rapier.
Additional items from the Wild Rose and Thriving Wild Rose sets are accessible, such as the Wind Swept Sweeping Hair and Floral Hair and Beard.

Bug Fixes

Gameplay

Players surfacing next to another ship after a dive should no longer experience issues with interactable items on their vessel.
After a defeat by a Skeleton Ship or Megalodon, players will now have a longer respite before facing another attack.
Shark encounters when entering the water have returned to normal frequency.
Improved controller stick input detection and adjustments to dead zone and response curve controls have been implemented.
Console players can once again utilize a mouse and keyboard seamlessly.
Sailor’s Knot Stronghold encounters will now consistently be defended by skeletons.
Buried treasure will no longer transfer across servers with a crew.
Treasure from Sea Forts or Siren Shrines will no longer reappear after leaving and returning to an area.
Athena’s Fortune Ashen Lord encounters will now consistently reward players with appropriate treasure.
Correct treasure drops are now guaranteed from ships during Skeleton Fleet Voyages and after defeating an Athena’s Fortune Ashen Lord.
Using a Storage Crate to generate additional resources from ship barrels is no longer possible.
Access to earned Guild cosmetics should now be consistent for players.
The Gold Hoarders Vault Voyage has been adjusted to prevent predicting treasure locations.
All Raid Voyage Commendations are now unlocked reliably for the corresponding Trading Companies upon completion.
The Pirate Lord now concludes the Order of Souls Trading Company tutorial.
The initial session tutorial will now display for all new players and halt once a player interacts with the Quest Table or proposes a Voyage.
Interaction with the shipwright at the Sovereigns’ tent on Sanctuary Outpost is now possible.
Quest notes will now be removed from a player’s inventory promptly after completing a Coral Message in a Bottle Voyage.
Ammo Pouches left on a sinking Skeleton Ship will now submerge with the vessel.
Dark Relics sales now count towards the Treasures Sold to the Order of Souls Captaincy Milestone.
The Shrouded Ghost Figurehead will now unlock consistently after completing the Hunter of the Shrouded Ghost Commendation.
Stationary players can now be hit by phantoms' lunging attacks.
Progressing the Gold Hoarders tutorial by using the harpoon to bring aboard treasure now functions correctly.
Performing the Make Friends Emote together triggers the Add Friends menu as intended.

Environment

Players navigating The Reaper’s Lair should no longer be teleported back to their ship.
Getting stuck in rocks beneath the Glorious Sea Dog Tavern has been resolved.
Falling through the environment near the pier at the Fort of the Damned no longer occurs.
Environment textures at Devil’s Ridge are now displayed accurately.
Swimming in areas lacking water within the Shrine of Ocean’s Fortune is no longer possible.
‘Captains of the Damned’ – Players now consistently reappear in the correct location aboard the Silver Blade after returning from the Ferry of the Damned.
‘Captains of the Damned’ – Tree foliage no longer appears in the sky in the bayou.
‘A Pirate’s Life’ – Distorted plant views have been rectified.

User Interface

The ship damage notification no longer lingers after repairs are completed.
A tutorial notification guides players to their Quest Table for newly unlocked Voyages after claiming relevant Trading Company promotions.
Ship renaming can now be done consistently without error messages.
Notifications for The Mysteries of the Sunken Kingdom Commendation now correctly indicate where to purchase future quests.
Completing the Merchant Alliance tutorial no longer erroneously displays a lost Chicken Coop banner.
Accessing the Discover panel with a left-click is now functional.
Promotion certificates have received visual enhancements, addressing text size and overlap issues and incorporating glowing animations.
Commendation notification backgrounds now align with the corresponding Trading Company themes.
Proposing a Tall Tale on the Quest Table now displays an improved layout with checkpoint status. This UI is also visible when interacting with a Tall Tale Quest Book in-game.
Players diving to a Siren Shrine will no longer see Gold Hoarder-themed imagery when retrieving gold from Collector’s Chests.
On Xbox Series X with a 120Hz Screen sans HDR support, the Game Settings menu no longer displays HDR Brightness and Contrast settings.
The Quest Table now updates to show Liked Voyages after they are liked.
The Quest Table no longer prompts its use when a Voyage is active.

Visual and Audio

Players now consistently see their ship name on their Ship’s Crest upon joining a session.
Lost Shipments Voyage maps no longer feature black squares over island icons.
Phantoms preparing their teleport attack are now visible before the attack.
Phantoms executing a lunge attack now move smoothly towards players.
Skeletons will flinch upon successful sword hits consistently.
Continuously striking a Skeleton Captain visually staggers it without sliding back.
Players migrating across servers no longer appear on fire intermittently to other players.
Flags on Sea Forts now display their original colors once more.
Underwater objects now exhibit correct lighting effects when positioned against the shimmering effect of a Shrine.
The Quest Table on rival ships now appears correctly during an Hourglass battle.
The Pirate Lord now appears accurately in outro cutscenes during Trading Company tutorials.
Players of different sizes now sit comfortably on the back of a Sloop without floating.
Pirates’ fingers no longer merge with the strings of the Reaper’s Heart Banjo.
Repeatedly aiming down sights with specific Eye of Reach models no longer causes flickering at the top of the screen.
The Reaper’s Heart Tankard contents now deplete correctly during drinking.
Skulls, Vault Keys, and Collector’s Chests hidden in Smugglers’ Bay caves are now correctly marked on treasure maps.
Splash screens now feature Season 11 artwork.
The Wailing Barnacle’s Ragamuffin Outfit no longer distorts the cat's chin when held.
Pirates of varying sizes no longer merge with the environment at outdoor sitting spots.
The active Fort flag is now visible from a greater distance.
The Crab Ocean Crawler now turns at the correct speed with smoother animations.
Messages in a Bottle now display the correct glint effect when viewed from a distance.
The Capsize Charters tent now appears on buried treasure maps.
The Maestro Banjo icon has been resized to prevent cutoff at the top.
Chest keys no longer sink into players’ hands.
The Reaper’s Heart Equipment Bundle now features the correct artwork.
Jumping with a fishing rod no longer causes visual discrepancies when viewed by others.

Text and Localization

Notifications directing players to the correct character when selling items have been revised for accuracy.
Larinna’s dialogue no longer references buying Voyages from Trading Company representatives.
All Merchant Crates now feature consistent naming conventions.
‘A Pirate’s Life’ – The Cursed Captain’s name now appears in subtitles during chess game interactions.
‘Wild Rose’ – Madame Olive’s subtitles now display fully during the Tale.
‘The Legendary Storyteller’ – Overlapping text in non-English languages within the Quest Book has been corrected.
‘The Legendary Storyteller’ – German localization in the Quest Book now appears correctly.

Performance and Stability

Enhanced game stability reduces instances of unexpected exits or disconnections from game sessions.
Xbox Series S players experiencing a black screen after losing an Hourglass battle no longer encounter extended downtime when transitioning to a new server.
Continual improvements to client and server performance mitigate high ping spikes, desync, and rubberbanding during gameplay.
Enhanced stability for Steam clients playing on Custom Servers.

Known Challenges

For a detailed overview of current known issues in Sea of Thieves and their status, refer to the Known Issues support site article.

Download and Installation

Download size:

Xbox Series X: 45.47 GB

Xbox Series S: 35.25 GB

Xbox One X: 45.47 GB

Xbox One: 35.25 GB

Microsoft Store: 100.1 GB

Steam: 3.86 GB

Find XBOX INSTALLATION INSTRUCTIONS HERE.

Discover PC INSTALLATION INSTRUCTIONS HERE.