We’re approaching a year since Sea of Thieves launched its much-requested private servers, and with that one-year anniversary approaching, Rare has announced that it’s making some welcome changes, finally allowing players to earn full rewards while navigating Safer Mode. You are.
Safer Seas, if you’re unfamiliar, provides a means for a single crew of up to four pirates to navigate the entire Sea of Thieves open-world map without the ever-looming PvP threat of High Seas mode. While the absence of other crews means that a good portion of the PvP-focused content is not available in Safer Seas, players can Still tackle pop-up PvE events, complete Trading Company voyages, and embark on great narrative tales.
Most importantly, it is also possible to earn gold to spend on cosmetics and increase Trading Company prestige by gaining reputation in Safer Seas, but both have been limited to 30 percent of the amount you would normally earn in the High Seas until now, This is a bit annoying for pirates who just want to, say, spend some quiet time raising money for a shiny new figure away from the hustle and bustle of Sea of Thieves’ main mode.
However, in a new developer update, Rare acknowledged Safer Seas’ “severely restrictive rewards,” admitting that they are working against its intention to provide an “onboarding ramp for new players.” As such, it will increase the current gold and reputation payout rate by up to 100 percent, matching rewards earned on the high seas. However, there is a trade-off; the studio is lowering the Safer Seas level cap from 40 to 25.
Basically, that means that players who want to ascend to Pirate Legend status and gain access to the various Trading Company cosmetics unlocked along the way will now have to jump to the High Seas much sooner. On the other hand, players looking for a safe environment to learn the ropes, or a more relaxed space to accumulate gold or Seasonal Renown (which continues to be awarded at a 100 percent rate in Safer Seas) can now do so without hindrance. Admittedly, it’s a shame that the Hunter’s Call faction received a lower level cap given how perfect the Safer Seas mode is for a night of quietly contemplative fishing (and given the Trading Company’s already glacial reward payouts), but maybe that would be something, along with the use of Captaincy ships, please. Rare, reviewed as a Christmas gift. next year.
In other Sea of Thieves news, players will soon get their hands on a number of features originally promised for the start of the current stealth-focused Season 14, but which were pulled en masse as part of “drastic measures” after a disastrous launch in October. Once Rare releases its next patch this Thursday, November 14, players will finally be able to set traps, hang from ledges while sneaking, and wear costumes. Rare also promises a series of “high-impact” fixes, ending players crouching to gain a fire rate advantage and preventing pirates from grabbing supplies from barrels after moving out of range. Additionally, measures have been introduced to prevent players from stealing treasure from the Fort of the Damned vault by swimming underneath.
The study notes that this week’s update has gained “additional [testing] “There has been a concerted effort across the team to improve quality assurance.” says Rare, and there are also now plans afoot for “broader quality improvements in the studio,” with more details to come.
And finally, players who navigate Sea of Thieves during the first week of tomorrow’s update will earn additional gold and doubloons, plus a lucrative Lucky Voyage or Legendary Lucky Voyage for Pirate Legends. These bonuses will now be offered with each monthly update.
