Sea of Thieves launches its new season-based schedule of content updates starting Thursday, January 28th. Developer Rare, Ltd. says players can plunder 100 levels of cosmetics, swag, and other rewards in the game for free, thanks to a new progression system, or purchase additional rewards with a premium combat pass.
The loot offered each season will be earned as players win Renown, “a new progression measure that is not entirely dependent on loot submission,” Rare said. There is no purchase to take part in the unlocks of each season. Players who are Pirate Legends (level 50 in each of the three original seafaring companies) receive exclusive rewards.
The ‘Plunder Pass’, available for 999 Ancient Coins (a premium currency, purchased for $ 9.99), gives players access to another 11 items, which Rare approximately $ 40 collectively value when compared to the game’s Pirate Emporium sold. Antique coins can also be earned for free as a reward for seasonal progression, and can be obtained by defeating rare antique skeletons that randomly spawn during island explorations.
It is possible that some players already own items available via the Plunder Pass, the studio says, but “there are probably still enough new items to justify the purchase price.” All players will still unlock the standard content as they progress through the season’s familiarity levels; there is no time-saving purchase of the unlockable goods with the Plunder Pass or other real funds. The standard content contains ‘more rewards than we ever made available simultaneously,’ Rare said.
Awareness is constantly earned through the game, “whether you pop in for a short session or are hidden halfway through an epic sail,” Rare said. ‘You will never have a Sea of Thieves session with empty hands. Players can also follow a series of trials of a season, which are suitable as theme categories (actions, as they are called in the game) for game sessions of different lengths. Trials also reward players with unique items in the world.
Sea of Thieves launched a monthly update schedule in the summer of 2019 and delivered ten content updates in 2020, the last of which was the Festival of Giving whose events ended a week ago. Although Sea of Thieves is now scaling back to one major update every three months, the new model “enables us to create more meaningful experiences for all of you and return to a more predictable rhythm of release,” developers wrote.
They also acknowledged the feedback from players that ‘the release of cosmetics throughout the game and Pirate Emporium felt a bit unbalanced in recent updates.’ A seasonal schedule is also meant to address this.