Gunpowder Barrel

The **Gunpowder Barrel** is an item in *Sea of Thieves* that can be used as a weapon and a trap.

## Description

The Gunpowder Barrel is not a chest or treasure, though it can still be picked up and carried like one, and will float when placed in deep water. When carried, their fuse can be ignited by pressing the left mouse button, after which the user will have five seconds to drop the barrel and run away before the barrel explodes. The fuse can be stopped by clicking the right mouse button, after which the timer is reset. Gunpowder barrels will also explode if shot with a gun or cannon, struck by a sword or lightning bolt, or if run into by a ship while floating in the ocean.

Gunpowder barrels are extremely powerful, and have a massive blast radius far larger than the visible resulting explosion. It can instantly kill any players or skeletons nearby, while others will take less damage the further away they are. They can also greatly damage ships if struck/detonated onboard or nearby- even if the ship isn't damaged, it can still knock players overboard or cause the ship to rock violently back from the force of the blast.

Gunpowder barrels placed in the crow's nest can destroy the masts when detonated, the repair of which can take significantly longer than patching holes in the hull.

You can also sell this item to the Merchant trading company, though individually they are not worth much, and are in fact one of the least valuable items found in the game. Some Merchant Voyages involve the selling of Gunpowder Barrels, and will pay off double the amount.

## Stronghold Gunpowder Barrel

The **Stronghold Gunpowder Barrel** is an upgraded version of the Gunpowder Barrel, added in the Shrouded Spoils update in November 2018. They are only found one at a time inside the vaults of Skeleton Forts.

Stronghold barrels are similar to Gunpowder Barrels in every way, save for their unique look and increased explosive yield- a single Stronghold Gunpowder Barrel is three times more powerful than a regular Gunpowder Barrel, with three times the blast radius. This makes it especially dangerous to transport, as even placing it in the Crow's Nest won't prevent it from damaging the ship or harming the crew.

It does, however, make it a useful tool when fighting other ships, especially Skeleton Ships, as a single Stronghold Barrel can cause enough damage to sink any ship in seconds if used correctly. They are also far more valuable than a regular stronghold barrel, due to the danger of transporting one, and thus should only be used in battle as a last resort.

## Location

Gunpowder barrels spawn randomly on islands, far more frequently than Chests or other treasures, and can be easily spotted by their bright red color. They appear most abundantly at Skeleton Forts (between 5-10 on average), where they can serve both as a weapon against large groups of skeletons as well as a deadly obstacle for players.

They can also be carried by Skeletons, who will run at nearby players in the hopes of blowing them up. If a player manages to shoot the skeleton without hitting the barrel it's carrying, the barrel will drop where it is and can be collected as normal- although if the skeleton ignites it and then dies, the barrel will drop while ignited and will explode unless quickly grabbed and defused.