Sea of Thieves
Sea of Thieves is a pirate fantasy sandbox with a huge number of activities available. The adventures are unpredictable and exciting - in part due to the fact that your personal "Black Pearl" team consists of other players. Attempting to coordinate on the deck of a massive pirate ship can be chaos at times, but it's also insanely addicting. If you have a good group of two or three friends, it will be difficult to find a more fun game that you can dive aboard.
Prepare to sail the ocean with the Sea of Thieves
Sea of Thieves is an open-world multiplayer game in which you dive aboard a ship and take part in sea battles. When you start the sandbox for the first time, you will not create your own character. Instead, you find yourself in a so-called pirate generator. Each time you update the menu, you can choose your avatar from a new set of ready-made heroes. All characters are unique and have different pirate aesthetics - there are elegant sea beauties, and dark-skinned natives with fighting colors on their faces. The variety of heroes is so great that you can spend an hour choosing the one that suits you.
Sea of Thieves is good at explaining the basics of gameplay to beginners. The game starts out the same every time - your character will spawn in one of the many safe (usually) outposts, in a local tavern. From here you can enter the city where you will find everything you need to stand out on your next big voyage.
Weapons, clothing and equipment stores stock a huge variety of cosmetic items. All of them are bought for in-game currency. The types of weapons are equally balanced, so in battle everything will depend on the player's skills. The purchase of equipment is needed only for beauty. What is only a plus - you do not have to spoil the lovingly selected image of a strange-looking character with a weapon with good characteristics.
The appearance of your ship can also be customized: here we will be offered sails of various colors, flag designs, visual themes of cannons and other objects. Don't be afraid to sink all this beauty along with the ship. Once you buy an item, you will never lose it.
But while you are a beginner in the game, you will only be able to stare at the windows. Make your way from rags to riches by fulfilling contracts of three gaming guilds. Hunters for Gold, eager only for profit, will send you to the farthest corners of the sea. The mysterious Order of Souls gives a reward for the heads of the captains of the undead, which are dotted with islands near and far. The tasks of the Merchant Union are to obtain an important cargo and deliver it to the outpost within the allotted time.
In general, guilds have quests for every taste. But in the end, the game creates the feeling that it is not the result that is important, but the participation.
Adventure on the high seas
The experience of playing Sea of Thieves can be very different, from the calm and relaxing to the moments that raise adrenaline and force quick decisions. It doesn't matter if you play alone, with a friend, or take on the role of captain of a galleon. The adventure is always addictive.
Despite the abundance of quests from guilds, the exploration of the seas and islands is addictive in itself. You will find random chests, scraps and cards in bottles, old tomes that keep the path to hidden treasures. Look for ways to outsmart and surpass enemy teams. The game makes you feel what it means to be a real pirate. Thanks to the intuitive control system, you will focus on coordinating your team, rather than wasting time memorizing the right buttons.
Arena in Sea of Thieves
Well, if you are not interested in research, but in battles with other players, the game has an Arena mode, designed specifically for this. It has two formats: Sloop for two players and Galleon for four players. The goal in them is the same - to find a chest on the map and take it to a merchant ship. The catch is that all teams are hunting for the same treasure. Players receive points for surrendered chests and enemy ships sent to the bottom. The team with the most points wins. With this mode, you can focus only on PvP, without bothering where to go next.
Success in the Arena will require almost professional team coordination. It is in this mode that you can see the impressive aspects of the Sea of Thieves. Here you will need to raise and lower the sails, manually shoot the cannons and literally dig up the hidden treasure. Trade cannon shots, trying to cover with fire the teammate who darted behind the chest, while your captain barely manages to miss the enemy ship, having cast the anchor for a sharp turn - the arena will present many unforgettable moments. And remember, success depends on timing and coordination.
What is the perfect pirate setting? Sea voyages, unexpected discoveries, epic battles, daring robberies, mysteries, treasures and, of course, liters of rum. Sea of Thieves contains all these elements and is the epitome of the ultimate pirate game, where everyone has the right to dispose of fate as he wants. And if at the time of the release in 2018 there were a lot of complaints about the weak content of the Rare studio, then after a couple of years the toy has developed and has become much more interesting and diverse.
Smash me with thunder!
You literally fall in love with Sea of Thieves! Designers and animators have done a serious job - the cartoon world seems livelier and more beautiful than many "close to realism". The sea looks especially impressive. It can be both completely serene and downright disturbing. Bright days, dark nights and gorgeous sunsets in the game inspire admiration and pride in being a part of the process.
A true pirate can live without an arm, without a leg, without an eye, but he will never survive without a ship. It is not surprising that the ship is one of the key pillars of the Sea of Thieves. When playing in solo mode or with one person, a yacht will be available to you. The small, single-masted ship is fast and maneuverable, but has mediocre combat power. A crew of three or four will be put on the galleon. The ship is slow, but large, armored and with serious combat power.
Sea of Thieves is much more fun when playing as a team. You can either organize a cooperative with friends, or join a random team (just pay attention to the presence of a connection and the same spoken language). Overall success primarily depends on competent interaction, and only secondly - on individual skills. Imagine: the first pirate screams from the crow's nest about a spotted enemy, the second makes an unexpected maneuver, the third takes aim and shoots directly at the target, and the fourth companion is trying to scoop out water with a bucket, holding a bottle of strong drink in one hand. Chaos and turmoil turns into real art, and the joy of victories makes you love the game even more.
By the way, both PvE and PvP battles take place in Sea of Thieves. The blue skull in the sky is the signal for the start of the event. For example, you need to siege a well-fortified fort and knock out all the skeletons from there. Such tasks, in general, have normal difficulty and require a certain skill. PvP battles are the hardest part of the toy. Firstly, all their property, obtained over long hours or even days, is put on the scale. Therefore, often players, seeing a ship next to real opponents, quickly float off the horizon. Secondly, it requires high preparation and availability of resources - often the winner is not the one who shoots more accurately, but the one who has more cores and boards to repair.
About factions
Most of the storyline quests in Sea of Thieves come from collaboration with three existing factions:
- Trade Union - deals with logistic tasks, that is, the transportation of animals, goods and barrels of gunpowder. The details are always described in the contract received. The main difficulty lies in the fact that the cargo must be delivered in perfect condition. Bottles shatter from being hit by kernels, plants can dry out without moisture, and tissue becomes unusable from contact with moisture. Accordingly, it is not just transportation from point "A" to point "B", but also the ability to maintain the suitability of your cargo.
- The Order of Souls is a mysterious non-public organization that pays good rewards for delivering magical artifacts. Basically, such artifacts are the skulls of skeletal bosses living on the islands. Quest battles get very hot, as any boss has a loyal army of helpers.
- The Gold Holders - offer quests to find hidden treasure chests. The location of the treasure is either displayed on the map or encrypted in the form of a puzzle. In the course of execution, it is often necessary to fight with skeletal guards. Good chests can significantly improve your financial condition.
Each time the tasks become more difficult and more profitable. When your level in all three factions exceeds 50, you will be able to talk to a mysterious hero who will bring the ending of the story closer.
Better and better
The game Sea of Thieves after the release was not criticized only by the lazy. Despite the unique mechanics in the open world, she seriously lacked variety and all kinds of "fancy". The developers immediately announced that the possibilities would expand and they kept their word. For example, a fishing mode has been added. The caught fish can be eaten, replenishing the supply of energy, but there are also luminous individuals that can be used as a flashlight.
Two serious add-ons were also released. Tall Tales are Indiana Jones-style intricate challenges. The whole chain of adventures that leads to treasures requires logical thinking and creativity from the players. No easy-to-read cards, you will need to re-read entire diaries, find use for secret signs and symbols, pass tests, etc.
The Arena mode is ideologically similar to the "royal battle", which has recently been at its peak. It brings together 5 crews of 4 people on one map. Everyone is given an identical treasure map and the hunt begins! Sometimes all teams can immediately meet next to one island, staging a large-scale carnage. In other cases, there is a competition for the number of collected treasures, which must also be cashed out. All in all, a very dynamic, intense, but exciting activity.
Sea of Thieves is a very beautiful, thoughtful, distinctive game. Everyone will find something for themselves in it - from admiring the sunsets and fishing, to meat shootouts and team special operations. Even the kraken swims in the sea, acquaintance with it will be remembered for a long time!