Rare has announced that its pirate-themed action-adventure Sea of Thieves will be getting a battle pass in 2021. Sea of Thieves: Season One is set to launch in January and will introduce a plethora of new features for the Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, and PC title.
The studio shared the news on its YouTube channel, revealing that the huge new update will feature seasons, a new progression system, live events, and more. Each new season will last for approximately three months, offering a free 100-level battle pass for you to work your way through and earn rewards such as player and ship cosmetics.
Sea of Thieves’ current trading company progression system will remain, but the new battle pass will offer another set of goals for players to chase, with Rare saying that it’s designed to give players “a tangible sense of progress.” In addition to the free battle pass, there’s also a premium tier known as the Plunder Pass. This unlocks discounts for existing items in the premium Pirate Emporium store alongside a number of exclusive items.
Each new season will begin with the introduction of “a new experience or way to play.” For Season One, this puts the Merchant Alliance trading company front and centre. Players will be cast as detectives, tasked with piecing together clues to locate a lost shipwreck and plunder what remains.
Aside from all this, the arrival of a new season will also introduce quality-of-life updates, new Pirate Emporium additions, new Twitch drops, and one featured live event with its own goals and rewards. Regular monthly live events will also continue.
Unfortunately, these new updates to the game’s Adventure mode will result in development ceasing on Sea of Thieves’ PvP-based Arena mode. You’ll still be able to play Arena, but there will be no further updates.
Before all of this kicks off, however, The Festival of Giving will arrive in-game on December 9, including the return of the advent-calendar-style 12 Days of Giving Event, login bonuses, Guilded Voyages, Twitch drops, and more.
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