There are hundreds of games on Xbox Game Pass, but if you haven’t already banded your group of merry pirates together, now is the time. Sea of Thieves continues to strongly ride the tides 5 years after launch, and now, the latest Sea of Thieves update is a game-changer for playing with your friends. If you don’t fancy heading out into the big bad world, then this latest tweak is ideal for keeping the action contained on Xbox.
Touted as the third major update for the Xbox exclusive, Sea of Thieves Season 10 introduces Safer Seas. The mode offers a more relaxed experience for one of the best Xbox Game Pass games around, as developer RARE explains that “you can now choose to play on either Safer Seas, which gives you a private world in which to sail solo or with your own crew, or on High Seas, the traditional Sea of Thieves experience with other roaming player crews added to the mix.”
Safer Seas specifically reduces the scale of the Xbox game, at least player count wise, to only you and 3 other friends. You don’t have to worry about getting blown out of the water by a rival captain, as Safer Seas is all about immersing yourself in the game has to offer, in a stress-less environment. This is a great way to encourage newcomers to learn the basics of Sea of Thieves, or a nice alternative if you’d rather roam around your own contained world.
To ensure that Safer Seas is still a worthwhile experience in the absence of other players, RARE details that “Safer Seas mode allows access to the vast majority of content in the game, including all our story-driven Tall Tales. Notable exceptions are PvP-focused elements such as The Reaper’s Bones and Faction battles.” Furthermore, the new mode also caps the experience to a degree, to encourage players to head out into High Seas mode after gaining the necessary experience to survive amid other pirates.
“Gold and reputation are earned more slowly on Safer Seas, and Trading Company rank is capped at 40. Pirate Legends are only forged on High Seas,” RARE says. We recommend diving into the traditional Sea of Thieves experience when you’re ready, as the game’s unpredictable antics can be hilarious. Running into other ships, smashing them to pieces with canon balls, and making away with their loot is always a fantastic time. Although, is it equally fun when your ship is sinking and the odds are stacked against you.
We’re curious to see what trajectory Sea of Thieves takes in 2024, as Ubisoft prepares to finally arrive at the Skull and Bones release date. Skull and Bones has had quite the road to release so far, with several delays and internal changes along the way. As one of many new Xbox games coming in 2024, we’ll have to see whether it will sink or swim.