2.7.2

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It’s a triple treat in this month’s content update as we point the way to a brand new time-limited Adventure, score a bullseye in the Pirate Emporium and deploy another set of improvements to the Battle for the Sea of Thieves! If you need a reminder of what everyone’s fighting about, rediscover the Season Eight launch trailer below...

You can also look back on the release notes from Season Eight’s launch for the complete picture, but if you know full well what the state of play is on the seas these days, don’t let us keep you any longer from sifting through the spoils of this latest update!

## Adventures

Time is running out for Tasha the tavern keeper as her skeletal curse continues to spread, and Madame Olivia relies on the aid of adventurous pirates as she strives to find a cure. Will you retrace Briggsy's steps through the secrets of the past in this eleventh time-limited Adventure?

**‘The Secret Wilds’ (January 19th – February 2nd)**

* To start the Adventure, talk to Larinna and be directed to Madame Olivia at Plunder Outpost. She will then explain the importance of retracing Briggsy’s steps to find a cure for Tasha.
* To aid pirates in their quest, Madame Olivia will hand over Briggsy’s Mask that will allow them to view hidden starfields. Tasha will also provide one of her childhood storybooks that she hopes will aid in the search for a cure and the missing amulet fragments.
* Pirates who fully complete the Adventure will earn an exclusive Title and a cosmetic reward to serve as a Memento of their quest.

## The Battle for the Sea of Thieves

From battles for honour within the same Faction to rebalanced rewards, another round of improvements have been made to on-demand ship combat in this update. Rejoin the Battle for the Sea of Thieves and rack up some Allegiance in the most balanced experience to date!

**Same Faction Battles**

* Improvements to matchmaking now allow players the opportunity to battle against other crews from the same Faction in a battle for honour. These improvements will reduce matchmaking times for all pirates seeking battle!
* Crews will vote on the War Map and begin searching for an opponent in a rival Faction as before. However, after a period of time when a rival has not been found, the search for crews will expand to include those from the same Faction.
* These battles for honour within a Faction will play out in exactly the same way as a traditional battle, with Allegiance, Hourglass Value and Streaks all continuing to be earned. Most Commendations and Captaincy Milestones will also continue to progress, omitting those that specifically involve the opposing Faction.

**Additional Battle Locations**

* Two crews travelling beneath the waves and resurfacing to fight will now find around 50 new battle locations have been added across the seas where an encounter can take place.
* Many of these new locations will be only a stone’s throw away from a nearby Outpost, allowing the victors an opportunity to leave their Faction and claim their Hourglass value or restock before diving back beneath the waves.

**Allegiance Balancing**

* Crews who are defeated in a Faction battle will now receive a slight increase to their Allegiance as compensation for their loss.
* Crews fighting for the Servants of the Flame and flying a Reaper’s Emissary Flag will now earn increased reputation for The Reaper’s Bones upon winning a battle.
* Crews who lose by being run out of the battle area will now receive a small amount of Allegiance as compensation for their loss.
* In rare circumstances, crews may find they are not moved away from a server after sinking while in a Faction. In this scenario, crews will no longer receive Allegiance for repeatedly sinking the same ship in a server, preventing opportunities for crews to progress faster than intended.

**Deterring Teaming in Battles**

* Improvements have been made to matchmaking rules to reduce the chance of crews encountering a battle with multiple opposing ships.
* Crews who discover two Faction ships in a battle will no longer be rewarded with Allegiance, Streak increases or Hourglass value for joining the fight and sinking the Faction ships, as they are not part of the battle.

**Update on Cross-Stamp Matchmaking**

* While we announced cross-stamp matchmaking in the January edition of SoT News, a critical issue was uncovered during final testing. To ensure the stability of our matchmaking as it stands, we've pulled this feature from today's release and will deliver it following further testing when we can implement it with greater confidence.

## Pirate Emporium

Get your head down for a new month of Emporium additions! The Labyrinth Looter collection leads the charge with a ship set, costume, weapons and drum. But there's an Oar-Inspiring new set of emotes too, and you'd need to have a heart of stone to ignore the Pocket Pebble Emote...

**Season Eight Plunder Pass**

* Anyone wishing to take full advantage of Season Eight rewards can still buy the Plunder Pass. Any rewards unlocked will become available upon purchase, so players who have raised their Renown throughout Season Eight can instantly see their hard work rewarded before the Season ends.
* This Season’s Plunder Pass offers early access to the complete Ravenwood Ship Collection and evolving Ravenwood Costume, and can be purchased at any time through the Pirate Log, Pirate Emporium, or Steam Item Store.

**Labyrinth Looter Ship Collection**

* Reminisce over your near-mythical misadventures with this ancient ship livery. Collector’s Sails and Figurehead are available to purchase separately.
* Players can also pick up just the core components of this set at a discount in the form of an Essential Ship Bundle.

**Labyrinth Looter Costume**

* Start a beef in this outfit inspired by a hulking beast of myth! The mask might smell awful, but it’s worth it for the intimidation.
* If an enemy gets too close, give them due warning with the built-in Charge Up Emote.

**Labyrinth Looter Weapon Bundle**

* Adorned with trophies from your amazing adventures, these weapons let everyone know you're not to be trifled with.

**Labyrinth Looter Drum**

* If a drum isn't enough for you, it doubles as a maze puzzle to keep you entertained on long nights at sea.

**Oar-Inspiring Emote Bundle**

* Oars can be good for more than just rowing, as these inventive emotes allow you to demonstrate.

**Pocket Pebble Emote**

* The seas can be lonely, but now there’s a handy pet rock to help keep you sane. It’s even got a little smiley face!

**Freebie Come On Emote**

* Beckon other pirates over to face what’s coming with this freebie emote.

**Time-Limited Lunar Festival Pet Outfits**

* Get your pet dancing like a dragon to celebrate the Lunar Festival in one of these striking pet outfits, back on sale for a limited time.

**Amazing Adventurer Bundle (Store Only)**

* Why risk venturing into perplexing passageways, especially ones where legendary beasts roam freely, when there's a safer way to acquire treasures? The Amazing Adventurer Bundle contains the bullish Labyrinth Looter Costume, Weapon Bundle and Drum, as well as 550 Ancient Coins to spend in the Pirate Emporium and a bonus haul of 25,000 gold. Head to the Steam Item Store to find out more.

## Outpost Cosmetics

**Bristling Barnacle Cosmetics**

* Show off your love of the sea with the new Bristling Barnacle clothing pieces, ship set, weapons and equipment. All can be purchased for gold from the appropriate shopkeepers.

**Wailing Barnacle Hairstyles**

* New hairstyles for this old favourite set are now available to purchase for gold from the Outpost clothing shops.

## Updates

**Storage Crate Pricing**

* Storage Crates have now been reduced in price, and can now be purchased from the Merchant Alliance for 5,000 gold instead of the original 17,500 gold.

## Events

**Twitch Drops**

* Continue to unlock even more cosmetics throughout Season Eight 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 Eastern Winds Sapphire items.
* Find out how to link your accounts and more on our dedicated Twitch Drops page.

## Fixed Issues

**Gameplay**

* Treasure can no longer be used around ships to reduce the damage taken from cannon fire.
* Treasure held by a player will no longer float in the air after being harpooned.
* Pirates will no longer be able to shoot through the wall underneath the stairs on the Sloop and damage players outside the ship.
* Treasure collected from wrecks within the Sunken Graveyard during the Legend of the Veil Voyage should no longer disappear from a crew’s ship after finishing the Voyage.
* Storage Crates acquired from Skeleton Ships can now be buried.
* Cannonball Crates of the Damned released when completing Order of Souls Ghost Ship Voyages will now only reward a single Wraith Cannonball.
* Athena’s Fortune artefacts found during the Legend of the Veil Voyage will now progress the Hider of Legendary Secrets Commendation when buried.
* Animals will now take damage when caught in the blast of cannon fire, explosions and blunderbombs.
* Ships can no longer be attacked by a Kraken while traversing the Tunnels of the Damned.
* Shadow Skeletons in the Fort of the Damned will now be instantly stunned if they emerge into an area with the correct type of lighting.
* If players shoot through a broken Rum Crate and hit a Gunpowder Barrel, the barrel will now explode as intended.
* The Old Brinestone Fortress storeroom key will no longer be present in the lock after the Fort has cleared, allowing crews to gain access again in the future.
* ‘Dark Brethren’
* – Collecting the Siren Heart from Jack while holding an item will now drop the held item on the ground and collect the Siren Heart.

**The Battle for the Sea of Thieves**

* Ships that become beached and subsequently destroyed during a battle will now cause that crew to lose the encounter.
* Crews should no longer experience the rare scenario where they surface for battle only to find another battle already taking place.
* The Ghost Lord Commendation is now unlocked when meeting the requirements needed.
* The Commendations entitled Risk It All, His Favourite Crew, In His Name, Running the Risk, Exemplary Captain and Pretty Good At This will now progress for Captains and crewmates alike when sailing on a Captained ship.
* The Proven Your Worth Commendation has now been removed. The Guardian Ghost Spyglass and Guardian Ghost Speaking Trumpet can still be earned by earning the Quite the Collection Commendation.
* Players will now need to earn the His Favourite Crew Commendation in order to unlock the Twin Pegs lower body cosmetic instead of the previously listed Commendation.
* Players will now need to earn the Quite the Collection Commendation in order to unlock the Guardian Ghost Flag instead of the previously listed Commendation.
* Sitting down or sleeping while below the waves waiting for another opponent will no longer cause the player to become stuck or removed from the ship, or for the player’s camera to become stuck in the environment when a rival is found.
* If a crew’s ship is lost due to becoming beached on land, the ship will now retain its Faction status.
* Quickly rotating the Hourglass of Fate and joining a Faction should now consistently display the correct Faction alignment.
* When the Blessing of Athena’s Fortune or Ritual of the Flame cutscenes begin playing, only the players who are observing the cutscene will see the subtitles.
* Crew members leaving during the Blessing of Athena’s Fortune or Ritual of the Flame cutscenes should no longer cause the cutscene to end.

**Captains of Adventure**

* Captained ships with a large number of Captain’s Voyages in the Bookcase should no longer experience issues when purchasing ship supplies.
* Completing A Commission of the Ancient Veil now updates the Milestone for ‘A Veteran Voyager’.
* Players can now flip through the pages of a Ruined Logbook.
* As the ship is sinking, the Captain’s Logbook interaction prompt now disappears.
* When a crew member picks up their own Logbook from a wreck, their gamertag icon will now show that treasure is being carried.
* Captains changing a Ship’s Banner should now see the new banner after leaving the Ship Customisation Chest.

**Pirate Emporium**

* Players will now be able to repair the Soaring Oracle Wheel as normal.
* Players’ hands no longer intersect with the top of the barrel when reloading the Soaring Oracle Eye of Reach.
* Players can no longer equip belts over the top of the Soaring Oracle Costume.
* Players can no longer equip an eyepatch while wearing the Soaring Oracle Costume which includes the blindfold.
* The visual effects for the Soaring Oracle Costume emote have now been corrected for all body types.
* The aurora effect on the Boreal Aurora Cannons and Capstan is now consistent all the time.
* The Ravenwood Costume visual effects will now appear correctly when performing the emote while sailing on a ship.
* Players’ hands will now appear correctly while wearing the Mandrake Costume.

**Environment**

* The unfurled War Map no longer intersects with the Bone Crusher and Bilge Rat Captain’s Tables.
* Players will no longer be able to swim away from the Shrine of Ancient Tears and appear beneath the sea bed.
* It is no longer possible to swim onto the exit at the Shrine of the Coral Tomb.
* Players will no longer appear to start swimming on a wall at the Shrine of Ocean’s Fortune.
* There is no longer a hole deep underground at Wanderers Refuge.
* The player camera will no longer intersect with the ground while sitting south-west of the tavern on Sanctuary Outpost.
* Players will no longer intersect with Phantoms when sitting in the Tavern of the Damned.
* Players sailing on a Galleon will no longer be able to sit on a barrel where pets may also sit.

**User Interface**

* The fire and retract actions of the harpoon can once again be rebound within the Settings menu.

**Visual and Audio**

* Pirates will no longer appear tiny if they emerge from a Rowboat cannon when returning to the ship via a mermaid.
* The Ghostly Curse will now appear consistently when equipped by pirates of all body types.
* Scooping audio will no longer play when using a bucket on a dry deck or island.
* ‘The Sunken Pearl’
* and ‘Dark Brethren’
* – Areas of rising and lowering water during the Tall Tales no longer display an incorrect texture.
* ‘Lords of the Sea’
* – Jack Sparrow’s voice now stays in sync with his location throughout the Tale.

**Text and Localisation**

* The Athena Shield, Is That All You’ve Got, Hunt Them Down and Righteous Victory Commendations all now have the correct requirements to unlock them listed within their descriptions.
* The descriptions for rank 70 and 75 promotions for Gold Hoarders, Merchant Alliance and Order of Souls have now been corrected.
* The text on Merchant Alliance quest parchments now appears correctly when the language is set to Russian.
* Samuel in the Pirate Legend Hideout no longer has an error in one of his dialogue options.
* The War Map tooltip for choosing to fight a larger foe is now a consistent size with other prompts.
* ‘The Legendary Storyteller’
* – The Tall Tale book will no longer have overlapping or compressed sentences when the language is set to Thai.

**Performance and Stability**

* Improvements have been made to reduce scenarios where players can experience extended black screen loading times when using a mermaid or returning from the Ferry of the Damned.
* Reduced instances where players are being disconnected from their session when travelling through the underwater tunnels.
* Ubebeard error message should no longer appear after rapidly changing tabs from within the crew selection screen when setting up a session.
* Improved server stability to decrease the chances of players becoming disconnected from their session.
* Improved client stability when interacting with the Captain’s Logbook while playing on Xbox One.

## Known Issues

**Reduced Server Performance**

* Players may experience scenarios where they encounter ping spikes at random while playing, resulting in rubberbanding or client stutters. While improvements were most recently released in update 2.5.3, the team continue to work on further improvements for future updates.

**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 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:**

* Steam: 8.1 GB