2.4.0

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A quiet end to the year? Not a chance: Sea of Thieves Season Five is unleashing fireworks and flares, Cannon Rowboats, boisterous December Events and a stampede to the new Quest Board to claim maps to stashes buried by other players! And those are just a few of the latest additions, as the official Season Five trailer is about to show you...

You’ve seen it, now read it: everything you need to know about all the above plus rolling dice and roaming rats, sitting down and sleeping in, Seasonal rewards, a packed-out Plunder Pass and more Emporium ranges evoking Disney’s Pirates of the Caribbean. Begin!

## Buried Treasures

Finally, pirates have grasped another use for shovels: to bury treasure rather than unearthing it. So cover up your loot, make a map and either hold on to it for safekeeping or pin it to the Quest Board for others to find, earning you not just reputation but bonus Renown!

**Burying Treasure Maps**

* Shovels now have a secondary use, enabling pirates to bury treasure! Drop your item on soft ground, and use the right mouse button or Left Trigger (or whatever’s bound as your Secondary Use button) to begin burying it. Continue burying to fully hide the item, leaving just a hint of disturbed earth on the surface.
* While many treasure items found across the Sea of Thieves can be buried, sneaky pirates might also choose to bury Gunpowder Barrels to create traps for whoever digs them up.
* When an item is fully buried, the crew will receive an ‘X Marks the Spot’-style map showing the location of their Treasure Stash. Burying multiple items on the same island will add additional ‘X’s to the map. These maps will be found in the Quest Radial and represented as a Map Bundle on the Captain’s Table.
* Maps can be gifted to other crews! With the map equipped, use your Secondary Use button to offer the map. Should the other crew accept, it will be removed from the Quest Radial.

**Stealing Treasure Maps**

* Be aware that Map Bundles sitting on the Captain’s Table are vulnerable! Other pirates can sneak aboard, steal them and take them to the Captain’s Table on their own ship, transferring the maps to their crew.
* When a ship sinks, Map Bundles will float to the surface like any other item to be collected (or stolen) from the sea.

**Quest Board – Browsing Maps**

* Crews will now find a Quest Board near the docks at each Outpost and Seapost, providing access to a range of maps leading to Treasure Stashes. You can filter by region and find islands to plan your route.
* Crews are limited to taking five maps from the Quest Board each in-game day, so choose wisely!
* While the maps leading to true riches are placed there by real pirates, the Quest Boards will always be topped up with extra maps to keep the board busy!

**Quest Board – Posting Maps**

* Crews with a Map Bundle can head to the Quest Board to post their map for other crews to follow. Some maps may be restricted from being posted, such as items buried at Outposts, so only those that can be accepted by the Quest Board will be displayed.
* When your crew’s maps are collected by other pirates, each treasure dug up will reward the original crew with Renown and the equal Trading Company reputation for each item discovered. Posting a map to a Chest of Legends? You’ll still earn the same Athena’s Fortune reputation when discovered by another crew, along with bonus Renown!
* After posting a map, crews are free to continue their adventure or leave the server, receiving rewards for any completed maps while offline. When next joining the game, players will receive a notification of Buried Treasure Map rewards followed by the Renown and reputation payouts.
* Crews who have placed Buried Treasure Maps on the Quest Board are issued a smaller amount of Renown and reputation for their efforts if the server shuts down, or if another crew retrieves a map and leaves the server or discards the Map Bundle.

**Buried Treasures Commendations and Rewards**

* Within the Bilge Rats Reputation tab, new Commendations have been added for players seeking to explore the rich experiences added in this update! Completing these Commendations will unlock new cosmetic sets for purchase in the Outpost stores.
* The Outpost shipwrights, along with the clothing and weapon shops, now stock the Bilge Rats’ new Party Boat cosmetics. Players must progress through Buried Treasures Commendations to unlock this set for purchase.
* The Midnight Blades clothing set is now available in the Outpost clothing shops for purchase, locked behind Buried Treasures Commendations.
* To celebrate in true Bilge Rats fashion, all players now have access to three new shanties: ‘Ballad of the Mer’, ‘Infernal Galop’ (the Can Can) and that old classic ‘Row, Row, Row Your Boat’!

**Buried Treasures Achievements**

* New Xbox and Steam achievements can be unlocked by progressing through the new in-game Commendations. A total of 300 gamerscore is available to earn from this update, and these achievements will remain in the game indefinitely.
	+ Stolen Secrets [10G]
	+ Who Needs a Bigger Boat? [15G]
	+ Night-Time Spectacular [15G]
	+ Tribute Seat [15G]
	+ Sleepover [15G]
	+ Critical Roll [20G]
	+ Hider of Secret Treasures [30G]
	+ Master Cartographer [30G]
	+ Seeker of Pirate Plunder [50G]
	+ Beholder of Buried Treasures [100G]

## Gameplay Improvements

That’s not even half of what’s happening in Season Five. See in the new year with a flurry of fireworks, go on a Cannon Rowboat rampage... or just take a seat to watch the world go by, whisper sweet nothings through your speaking trumpet and roll the dice with seafaring friends!

**Fireworks**

* Fireworks are a new resource type and can be purchased in themed Firework Crates from the Merchant Alliance at each Outpost, or discovered across the seas. Fireworks produce a range of effects and colours, with over 50 different designs!
* Once selected from the inventory, fireworks can be loaded into a cannon and will explode in a magical display of lights when fired. Unlike cannonballs, a firework has a fuse that lights when fired and launches it into the sky after a short time.
* Fireworks that hit an obstacle will be extinguished before they explode. While fireworks do not damage ships if used aggressively, a rogue spark could always set a ship alight…
* Crews discovering Firework Crates after looting wreckage can return them to the Merchant Alliance for a reward, or sell them to The Reaper's Bones.

**Signal Flares**

* Players will now discover a stock of Signal Flares in their ship’s Cannonball Barrels, which can also be found out in the world. Loading a Signal Flare into a cannon and firing will launch a bright beacon into the sky to call for aid or signal allies!

**Cannon Rowboats**

* A new and explosive addition to Rowboats: cannons! Load a cannonball, firebomb, pet or pirate and launch them towards unsuspecting ships and other threats across the seas, while you hide among the waves in your humble Rowboat.
* Docking a Cannon Rowboat to your ship also provides a new tactical advantage – an additional cannon for those smaller vessels!

**Rowboat Docking**

* When docking a Rowboat to a ship, they will now dock to the orientation they were facing in the water. To change the direction, simply face the Rowboat in the intended direction before docking it to the ship.

**Sitting**

* Players will now find different areas on their ship, Outposts and other locations across the world where a prompt enables them to take a seat – finally you can fully enjoy the Captain’s Chair! While sitting, players can change camera position by pressing the Y Button on a controller or the R key on keyboard to better enjoy the view.

**Sleeping**

* Players can now make full use of beds, where a prompt will allow them to sleep. The screen will fade to black as they begin to snore, and after a short time they will slowly regain health. Players can wake up at any time – rowdy crew members can even wake them with a splash of water.

**Moving Resources Between Barrels and Crates**

* Players can now transfer resources more quickly between barrels, storage crates and Rowboat chests using a held action while carrying the crate itself. Transferring more resources will take more time, and stealing resources from another crew’s ship will take an extended time – it pays to be stealthy!

**Rats on Ships**

* As a ship begins to fill with water, rats can now be seen scurrying up from the bottom deck as a sign that there's trouble below. Keep a look out!
* Any players feeling uneasy about rats needn’t fear – this feature can be disabled from the Settings menu.

**Rolling Dice Emotes**

* Available to unlock by progressing through Season Five, these six new emotes can be equipped from any Vanity Chest. Use the D4, D6, D8, D10, D12 or D20 emote to roll a random number and zoom in to see it more clearly. Let’s see what games our pirates can invent!

**Floating Treasure**

* After players defeat Kraken tentacles or a Megalodon, seagulls will now circle the floating treasure, marking its location until it sinks.
* Treasure dropped by defeated Kraken tentacles will no longer begin to sink until the Kraken has been dispatched, preventing crews from missing out while engaging in the encounter.

**Enemy Ammo Drops**

* Skeletons and Phantoms now have a chance to drop ammo pouches upon defeat, fully restocking all weapons a pirate has equipped and improving the flow of combat against island-based threats.

**Whispering**

* With the speaking trumpet equipped, hold the right mouse button or Left Trigger on a controller (or whatever button is bound to Secondary Use) to turn the trumpet around and whisper when using in-game chat.
* When whispering, the range of proximity chat heard by other crews and chat heard by your own crew will be reduced, allowing for more private conversations.

**Talking**

* Players will now notice that when using in-game chat, their pirate’s mouth will animate whenever they are speaking.

**Improved Cannon Aiming**

* When using a cannon, players can now hold the Secondary Use button to focus their aim by zooming in on their target.

**Improved Island Navigation**

* Pirates have been busy around Thieves' Haven! Crews will find crumbling mechanisms replaced with new working versions, allowing easier traversal of the island. But keep a watchful eye out for booby traps!
* Something feels different at Plunder Valley… New ladders have been placed around the island to aid players in reaching those high cliffs more easily.
* Watch your step on Kraken’s Fall, as new ladders and makeshift bridges allow pirates to take a death-defying leap on a shortcut to the peak.
* Everyone’s favourite island Old Faithful Isle has received some much-needed improvements, allowing players to more easily traverse the difficult terrain including a few lifts for faster vertical progress.

**Wrong Delivery Location**

* When trying to hand in treasure not accepted by a particular Trading Company, players will now be redirected to the correct place to hand in the item. Trying to sell a Reaper’s Chest to the Order of Souls, for example, will now direct players to The Reaper’s Hideout.

**Island Enemy Encounters**

* While exploring islands, crews who encounter and vanquish Ocean Crawlers should now enjoy a much longer respite period before encountering them again on the same island.

## Season Five

Another Season means another 100 levels of Renown-based progression, with a grand haul of rewards to claim and more Trials and Deeds to attempt! Not forgetting new Ledger awards for the boldest of Emissaries, while this Plunder Pass packs in more prizes than ever...

**Season Five Progression and Rewards**

* Season Five kicks off the festive season with a refreshed progression path, offering new Trials and Deeds for new and experienced pirates alike. Weekly, Monthly and even Season-wide goals reward players for exploring the vast world of Sea of Thieves.
* Players can also capitalise on Season Five’s new features to earn Renown. Whether it’s burying treasure and posting maps to the Quest Board, or setting out to snatch Map Bundles from unsuspecting crews, there are plenty of new ways to accrue Renown!
* Progressing through this Season will reward plucky pirates with the unique Bell Brigade clothing set along with time-limited Ancient Gold cosmetics. As an added bonus for Season Five, players can unlock a range of Rolling Dice Emotes to play games with other crews they meet on their adventures!
* Legendary Pirates or those who become a Pirate Legend during Season Five can also earn Merrick’s Tankard and Grimm’s Jacket.
* Completing Tiers of Seasonal progression will also award unique Titles that display your success for all to see!

**Season Five Plunder Pass**

* Season Five’s Plunder Pass is a generous holiday special to coincide with the season of giving! Purchase the Plunder Pass for access to a boatload of unlockable, never-before-seen rewards, all available to earn by climbing the levels of Seasonal progression.
* Plunder Pass purchasers can earn the full Boreal Aurora ship set along including Collector’s variants, and flop on the beach with the Sand Angel Emote.
* Purchasers can also earn the Creeping Cold Costume which visually upgrades as players progress through the Season. Unable to fully upgrade the costume before the Season ends? Upgrades will still be available through in-game activities in a later Season.
* Along with the wealth of new cosmetic rewards in this time-limited holiday offer, Plunder Pass purchasers can now earn 750 Ancient Coins in Season Five – added to the 250 earnable through Seasonal progression, that’s 1000 Ancient Coins in total!
* The Season Five Plunder Pass is available to purchase in-game through the Pirate Log and Pirate Emporium, from the Microsoft Store or Steam Item Store.

**Season Five Emissary Ledger Rewards**

* Representing the Gold Hoarders in their Ledger can now earn players the Tribute Peak Pistol and Cutlass.
* Players seeking out the secrets of the Order of Souls can earn the Relic of Darkness Pistol and Cutlass through their Ledger performance.
* The Merchant Alliance honour their high-performing Ledger representatives with the Merchant Ambassador Pistol and Cutlass.
* Flying the flag of The Reaper’s Bones and earning a high rank in their Ledger can earn players the Masked Renegade Pistol and Cutlass.
* Legendary pirates representing Athena’s Fortune in their Ledger can earn the Magpie’s Glory Hull and Figurehead to show their allegiance to the Pirate Lord.

## Game Events

For those seeking something more focused than the wide-ranging Trials, each Season delivers new time-limited in-game Events offering their own rewards. As the Outposts are once again dressed in jolly decorations, it’s time to deck the hulls for the Festival of Giving!

**Festival of Giving (December 13th – December 27th)**

* To kick off the Festival of Giving in style, the tradition of Plundered Presents is back! Grab a free Event Flag from Larinna and head out to the seas to spread gifts far and wide. Sharing treasure with others will earn Seasonal progression and progress towards the festive Wreath of Winter Bucket, Makeup and Tattoo!
* For those looking for some festive spice on the seas, Larinna has brought back the Powder and Arms Voyages, directing crews to different regions of the seas to recover buried stashes of armaments! Pirate Legends can pick up a special Voyage too.
* As is customary at this time of year, Larinna is also offering special Gilded Voyages. A new purchase experience helps to ensure that players select their preferred Gilded Voyage, as remember: you only get one!

**Grogmanay (December 27th – January 11th)**

* Grogmanay is back! Collect the free Event Flag before taking on the preparatory duty of chugging tankards of grog. When the effects of at least three grogs take hold, head out to attempt a range of woozy Challenge Goals and earn the Bilge Rat Celebration Makeup and Bilge Rat Celebration Tattoo!
* Players can also celebrate their participation in Grogmanay with an Annual Tankard. Each year, players who join in the festivities will earn another notch in their tankard, and those who joined in last year will already find a notch from last year’s antics!
* If these grog-fuelled festivities aren’t enough, Larinna provides Firework Stash Voyages after completing the various Grogmanay Challenge Goals. Each Voyage leads to a crate of Bilge Rat Celebration Fireworks to help crews make this a Grogmanay to remember!

**Twitch Drops**

* Continue to unlock even more cosmetics throughout Season Five with Twitch Drops! Stay tuned to Sea of Thieves social channels to find out when Twitch Drops will be active for Partnered streamers, allowing players to earn more items from the Twilight Hunter set. Find out how to link your accounts and more on our dedicated Twitch Drops page.

## Pirate Emporium

Two Seasons on from Sea of Thieves: A Pirate’s Life, new treasures keep rising to the surface as the latest range of Emporium items commemorates the cunning Captain Barbossa. You’ll also find plenty of new emotes and some returning favourites from festive seasons past!

**Royal Revenge Ship Collection**

* Adorn your ship with the new Royal Revenge ship set. In addition to the main Royal Revenge Ship Bundle, a majestic Collector’s Figurehead and glorious Collector’s Sails can be purchased separately for top-tier showboating!
* A Royal Revenge Essential Ship Bundle is also on offer, including just the core ship cosmetics at a lower price.

**Royal Revenge Weapon Bundle**

* Show your foes you’re a pirate to be feared with the four mighty Royal Revenge weapons.

**Captain Barbossa Costume Set**

* Dress as the devious Captain Barbossa and bring retribution to any pirates who dare cross you on the seas. Players will receive two variants of the costume, one with beard and one without!

**Mutinous Mutt Pet**

* Welcome this dapper dog into your crew with the arrival of the Mutinous Mutt pet!

**Time-Limited Captain Barbossa Pet Bundle**

* A time-limited discounted bundle containing both variants of the Captain Barbossa Costume and the Mutinous Mutt pet to keep you company as you sail the seas.

**Frozen Horizon Equipment**

* Feel the chill in the air with the Frozen Horizon equipment and instruments! Purchase these items individually or in bundles for a discounted price.

**Sea Dog Weapon Pose Emote**

* Flaunt your victory and show off any equipped weapon with this triumphant all-in-one emote!

**Say Cheese! Emote Bundle**

* Pose for a quick picture with friends, foes, pets or unsuspecting strangers with these highly photogenic emotes.

**Time-Limited Bonechiller Costume**

* Back to help you bring the fear to your foes is the terrifying Bonechiller Costume, which can be worn with or without the ‘jolly’ beard – available to purchase for a limited time.

**Time-Limited Festival of Giving Weapon**

* Express your aggressive love for this time of year through the Festival of Giving Weapon Bundle, back on sale for a limited time.

**Time-Limited Festival of Giving Pet Outfits Collection**

* To ensure your faithful sidekicks don’t get left out, these adorable pet outfits are also back on the Emporium shelves for a limited time.

**Freebie Festive Tree Emote**

* Make yourself part of the furniture this festive season with a free emote!

## Accessibility

**Enchanted Compass Support**

* Following on from Nautical Narration supporting players with compass navigation, players can now enable narration support for the Enchanted and Wayfinder Compasses. Head to the Language Settings to enable the Enchanted Compass Proximity Announcer.

**Settings Menu Refresh**

* Settings menus have now been refreshed, providing new categories with clearer headings for improved ease of use. Accessibility settings have also been moved from their own separate section to the appropriate category for the experience they’re designed to improve.

## Fixed Issues

**Gameplay**

* On a Sloop, items dropped from the harpoon when the harpoon is angled into the air will no longer become unreachable.
* Megalodons in pursuit of players should less frequently collide with islands and run aground.
* Gilded Voyages are now only removed from players’ inventories once successfully begun. Any Voyages that fail to be created are now returned to the Voyage inventory.
* While travelling through the Tunnels of the Damned on a Sloop, the ghosts on the lower deck can now be seen using the comfy mattress.
* When ‘Jump Up to Move Up’ is enabled, holding the ‘Swim Up’ button at the same time as reading a journal should no longer cause players to be stuck swimming up when they stop reading.
* The Trident of Dark Tides aim sensitivity settings are now saved between sessions.
* Players resetting their keyboard and controller settings to default will now find that the settings stay reset after restarting the game.

**Sunken Kingdom**

* The Legend of the Cursed Voyage should no longer fail if players place a Forbidden Key into a Sunken Merfolk Statue before migrating to another server.
* When inside a Siren Treasury, if a player dies and returns to the final wave from the Ferry of the Damned, the correct music should continue to play.
* Shrine of Ocean’s Fortune – Loot retrieved from a Sunken Merfolk Statue near the top of the Shrine should no longer float off the platform.
* Shrine of the Coral Tomb – Players can now exit through the Shrine’s entrance.
* Shrine of the Coral Tomb – An ammo box has been added at the entrance to the Shrine.

**Lost Shipments Voyages**

* Map clues discovered while on Lost Shipments Voyages should no longer become blank after migrating to another server.
* Lost Shipments map clues should no longer appear blank for players joining a session in progress.

**Tall Tales**

* ‘The Sunken Pearl’ – Players should not be able to see the bubbles of other debris through the water while swimming down.
* ‘Captains of the Damned’ – There is now a gate to the Spanish fort that players must open to gain entry.
* ‘Captains of the Damned’ – When exiting the water near the sewer gate, the small steps will no longer cause the player to bounce back into the water.
* ‘Dark Brethren’ – Ambient noises in the Coral Fortress should no longer cut out when moving around in the ascending chamber.

**Pirate Emporium**

* Players purchasing a Plunder Pass are now awarded with the appropriate level rewards straight away without requiring Renown to be earned.
* The page-turning animation should now loop correctly when using the Good Book Emote.

**Visual and Audio**

* Following navigation through the Tunnels of the Damned, ranged weapons now correctly display their bullet trails.
* Scrolls should now play paper audio effects when being raised and turned.
* Water audio effects when the Kraken is leaving should no longer stop prematurely.
* When a player’s ship is on fire, dousing the fire should now no longer cause the flames to disappear immediately but to go out gradually.
* Players should no longer be able to see through fog when standing next to a ship that is on fire.
* The friendly merfolk holding a crew’s treasure should now use the appropriate audio effects.
* Damaged Devil’s Roar Rum Bottle Cargo will now display correct smashed visuals when placed on the ground.
* The handles on the Legendary Fishing Rod and the Silver Blade Fishing Rod should no longer become detached when used.
* Fishing rods now should now have a fishing line colour that better matches the colour of the line in the spool.
* There should no longer be a visual glitch when firing the Victorious Sea Dog Blunderbuss, the Scurvy Bilge Rat Blunderbuss, the Castaway Bilge Rat Blunderbuss and the Sea of Sands Blunderbuss.
* The Victorious Sea Dog Blunderbuss should no longer clip through the camera when aiming down the sights.

**Environment**

* The wall next to the Sloop’s new bed now takes impact from weapon damage.
* Navigating up the wooden ramps on top of Thieves’ Haven should no longer cause players to slide off.
* Players should no longer be launched into the air by walking into a wooden gate on Sailor’s Knot Stronghold.
* The Mysterious Stranger’s Tankard should no longer become visible floating in mid-air when a player stands too close.

**Text and Localisation**

* The tooltip for collecting crates from the Merchant Alliance now reads ‘Take’ instead of ‘Redeem’.
* The text description in the Events panel should no longer be cut off when the language is set to Russian or Japanese.
* Text should no longer spill outside the box when naming pets with the language set to Chinese, Korean or Japanese.
* Corrected spelling issue within the Pirate Emporium monkey collection.

**Performance and Stability**

* Improvements made to server performance, reducing latency, lag spikes, rubberbanding and server correction during gameplay.
* Server stability has been improved, reducing scenarios where crews are removed from a game session.
* Improvements to how mouse position is captured within the title to improve Touch Controls when played on xCloud.
* Improved responsiveness of radial menus on lower-spec hardware. Following this change, players will find any custom keybinds for radial menus have been reset.

## Known Issues

**Incorrect Poses in Sitting Positions**

* Players may find that some pirates adopt an incorrect hand position when sitting in various places around the world. These pirates should rest with their hands on their knees, but may appear to hold their hands in the air.

**Ship Physics During Megalodon Attacks**

* Encounters with a hostile Megalodon can cause unexpected physics issues with players’ ships, causing them to be propelled away from the attacking Megalodon.

**Ranged and Melee Weapon Hit Detection**

* In areas of intense action, players may find themselves firing shots or landing strikes that do not cause damage to their targets. While small improvements continue to be delivered during our regular updates, we are continuing to investigate and identify further improvements to improve the player combat experience.

*To learn more about known issues in Sea of Thieves currently being tracked and their status, head over to our Known Issues support site article.*

## Download and Installation

**Download size:**

* Xbox Series X: 8.29 GB
* Xbox Series S: 6.22 GB
* Xbox One X: 8.29 GB
* Xbox One: 6.22 GB
* Windows 10: 7.81 GB
* Steam: 6.76 GB