The Sea of Thieves closed beta has only been active for a handful of days, but that hasn't stopped hungry gamers from turning over every rock (in-game or otherwise) in the quest to uncover as much about the game as possible. The upcoming multiplayer seafaring experience will see pirates voyaging from island to island in search of treasure, contracts, and glory, but the closed beta only offers a sample-sized portion of the full picture. Now, Sea of Thieves fans have datamined the closed beta in order to get a better glimpse of what is to come.
While the closed beta only features sharks and skeletons as AI-controlled enemies, the datamine reveals a wider variety of enemies and creatures, some of which have already been featured in trailers for the game. The data implies that the full game will feature bats, chickens, fish, parrots, pigs, seagulls, sharks, and snakes. It's not currently known if parrots will be tamable, allowing pirates to mount a feathered companion on their shoulders as they guzzle down some grog. The datamine also reveals that mermaids will not always be friendly like they are in the beta, and that the Kraken will wrap its tentacles around the ship in a manner which will likely require the crew to work together quickly in order to survive.
Many gamers have been asking about the possibility of customizing their galleons, and it looks there are a variety of ways to do this in the full game. Files have been found for a healthy selection of hulls, ranging from red, white, or black, all the way to barnacled, adventurer, and a design simply called "Old Bettsy". The same categories also exist for the sails, pennants, and flags – a strong indicator that crews will be able to vote on a flag to sail under. As expected, player customization will also be much more in-depth, with a healthy portion of tattoos, eye patches, beards, hooks, and pegs up for selection.
While the infamous bananas are the only healing factor in the beta, the full game will also feature coconuts, pineapples, pomegranates, and rum. It's not clear what the difference between grog and rum will be, though it's likely pirates will make haste of their own supply. Those who have played the beta also know it has a few gaps in the equipment wheel, and while the full inventory hasn't yet been discovered, there was an entry here for dice, which is a solid indication that players will be able to gamble with one another. There will also be a variety of at least three usable potions which seem to be health restoration, resurrection, and poison. If there's a chance to poison the grog supply on an enemy ship, we imagine impromptu stealth missions will be a joy to behold.
The addition of harpoon guns brings some exciting possibilities for underwater combat and maneuvering: it's a great shark deterrent (as it's likely gunpowder-based weapons won't be usable under water post-beta), and also brings the possibility that pirates will be able to attach themselves to opposing ships via the harpoons and potentially sneak up the sides. Of course, that's not the only new weapon to watch out for. The boarding axe, heavy sword, rapier, flintlock pistol, and blunderbuss will also be featured in the full version of Sea of Thieves.
There are also references to more instruments beyond the hurdy-gurdy and accordion, which have become massive hits among players. Each of the two existing instruments has a lead and backing track (along with their drunk variants), but a fifth track for drums also appears to be on the cards. Many players have also wished for larger galleons allowing for crews of 5 or 6, but the datamine has revealed no fruits in that regard – just more pomegranates.
It's worth noting that while the datamine does reveal plenty of content that players haven't been able to experience for themselves just yet, it doesn't provide the full picture of what Sea of Thieves will bring to the table once it releases. The closed beta for Windows 10 and Xbox One users has been extended for another two days, so potential pirates still have ample time to ride the high seas to discover if the game matches their mettle.
Sea of Thieves will release on March 20, 2018 for Xbox One and Windows 10.
Source: Reddit