Sea of Thieves has managed to provide players near four years of patches, updates, and major expansions. Now Rare is trying something different. The studio is transitioning Sea of Thieves into a Seasonal content schedule, which means that the game will be broken down into Fortnite-like quarterly seasons. The Sea of Thieves experience as it stands will remain largely unchanged, but with the addition of a new progression track and a variety of other interesting additions.
In a new trailer breaking down how Sea of Thieves' new seasonal content schedule works, Rare explains the new progression track. Every season will have its own unique seasonal progression track with 100 levels to climb through. Players progress through this system, unlocking unique cosmetics, currencies, and more, simply by playing the game. Additionally, there's a new Trials system of more specific tasks and adventures that will boost seasonal progress more meaningfully.
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Like with other games' seasonal content structures, Rare has monetized the new Sea of Thieves progression track. Players will be able to purchase a seasonal Plunder Pass that will grant access to a premium track. 11 Pirate Emporium items will be available as part of this track, at least in Season One. These items will then be moved to the Pirate Emporium to be individual cosmetic purchases after the season. The Plunder Pass will cost around $10 per season.
To clarify regarding costs, the base 100 levels of the seasonal progression system in Sea of Thieves will be entirely free. It's just the 11 Pirate Emporium items that require a Plunder Pass to unlock. Further, the new Sea of Thieves Trials, continued quality of life changes, new features, events, and voyages will all continue to be free as well. And the Pirate Emporium will get routine updates as well. Suffice to say, don't let the changes fool anyone. Sea of Thieves has a bright future ahead of it.
Sea of Thieves is available on PC, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
