Sea of Thieves saw ten Adventures in 2022 that took players across and under the waves in the game's first set of time-limited Adventures as part of the 2022 Sea of Thieves roadmap. These Adventures often followed a central story arc following the growing threat and lore of Captain Flameheart. Some were driven by player choice, as players decided the pivotal fate of Golden Sands Outpost in Adventure 4 or chose to sacrifice Sir Arthur Pendragon in Adventure 9.
However, some Sea of Thieves Adventures were better received than others. This list handily summarizes and ranks all the Adventures introduced into the evolving, open-world pirate adventure game so far, for those wanting to reflect on the journeys experienced or learn about the ones they might have missed along the way.
10 Adventure 2 – Forts of the Forgotten
Sea of Thieves Adventures sometimes utilized Sea Forts introduced in season 6, which also functioned as quality-of-life improvements for quicker gameplay. Adventure 2, Forts of the Forgotten, sent players to Sea Forts to rescue kidnapped Golden Sands traders in an attempt by Flameheart to win over Wanda as his new Warsmith. Players fought Phantom Soldiers and Jailors to free them and learned Flameheart also sought the Veil of the Ancients to weaken the boundaries between worlds.
However, despite the plot developments, the actual rescuing meant leaving NPCs trapped in their cell, reducing the authenticity and value of the experience for some players. However, others did still enjoy the Adventure and the opportunity to return to the Forts.
9 Adventure 5 – The Forsaken Hunter
Merrick, a favorite Sea of Thieves character for many fans, was in danger in Adventure 5, which saw players track down his whereabouts using Belle's lantern and a tattered journal. It was a lengthy Adventure across several islands with many puzzles to solve, and ultimately led players to the unveiling of the masked stranger as Amaranta and the discovery of Merrick's imprisonment in the Sea of the Damned.
However, although some fans appreciated the lore developments, for others the Adventure was mainly an island-hopping experience. It wasn't the most exciting in terms of gameplay.
8 Adventure 7 – The Siren's Prize
In the Siren's Prize Adventure, players headed back underwater to three of the Siren Shrines. Although not always popular, some players enjoyed returning to them, particularly those who hadn't yet managed to complete them all. The Adventure also included the return of the Ancients who many players enjoy seeing in the game again.
After the exploration that players could complete in any order, Adventure 7 built up to an exciting Soul Captain battle below a vortex, with the Ancients joining in to help again in an exciting ending.
7 Adventure 10 – The Rogue's Legacy
This story slightly pivoted from Captain Flameheart to focus on a different, renowned pirate captain known as Captain Briggsy in the 10th Adventure and the discovery of Tasha's skeleton curse. Although many of the puzzles were challenging, players who enjoy collecting journals had the opportunity to find and read more Dark Brethren journals. These revealed additional lore insights about Briggsy's relevance to the ongoing central story.
Although not necessarily the most exciting Adventure so far, Adventure 10 included a fairly even mix of combat and puzzles. Players had to fight various Briggsy Lesson Teachers and return artifacts to Madame Olivia once discovered.
6 Adventure 6 – A Hunter's Cry
In A Hunter's Cry, it was up to players to attempt to rescue Merrick trapped in a twisted Sea Dog's Tavern. Players had to solve a lighthouse puzzle to transverse the twisted landscape to reach Merrick in a puzzle design similar to those experienced in the A Pirate's Life update.
Although the gameplay was an exciting rescue raid with brain-teasing puzzle challenges, for some players, the Adventure was somewhat hampered by ongoing issues like spawn-camping and grievers treating the area like a mini former arena. These issues made it challenging for some complete the Adventure. However, Rare did address the issues by making some changes, and other players enjoyed the Adventure because it felt like a return to the Arena.
5 Adventure 1 – Shrouded Islands
Shrouded Islands was the first time-limited Adventure that also introduced players to the character of Belle in the game and set the scene for the Adventures. The gameplay was straightforward, but had a good balance between exploration and action. As such, it was enjoyed by many.
Players investigated a shrouded Golden Sands Outpost, used a mysterious compass, and used the Flame of Souls to reveal past visions before the Adventure peaked in a battle against Phantom Reapers and a Soulflame Captain. Players also located a hexing skull and learned from Belle that destroying the Soulflame Captains unwittingly helped Flameheart's cause.
4 Adventure 4 – Lost Sands
In the Lost Sands Adventure, the gameplay premise was quite simple and not necessarily the most thrilling for all. However, the inclusion of player choice drives this Adventure into the top five, making for a fun battle between sides that many in the community got involved with. Players chose whether to help Merrick rebuild Golden Sands or help the Reapers acquire relic caches and explosives using the Servant of the Flame's compass.
The keg rowboats proved popular for players who followed the Servant's Path. Additionally, although much of the gameplay had a simple fetch and deliver basis, it held pivotal significance for community involvement that shaped the development of New Golden Sands Outpost, the first pirate port in the game.
3 Adventure 9 – The Return of the Damned
Adventure 9 marked the return of player choice and the Damned. Players chose sides to support Captain Flameheart or save Sir Arthur Pendragon in capturing Sea Forts and enchanting bewitching dolls. It was a factional foreshadowing of Season 8's PVP on-demand factional ship battles and a welcome short adventure with some fantastic rewards in the form of Reaper or Belle sail rewards. Players could visually display their choice of allegiance, although players had to complete both pathways to complete the Adventure and get all rewards.
It was also great for players to capture the Forts using flags in capture-the-zone style gameplay. Some players previously suggested using flags to capture Forts when Sea Forts appeared as a means of potential in-game role-play, and it came to fruition here.
2 Adventure 8 – The Herald of the Flame
The Herald of the Flame added to the lore of Stitcher Jim by developing his role in the growing threat of Captain Flameheart from previous Tall Tales. Players searched for evidence of Stitcher's involvement through various puzzles that culminated in an exciting, intense, fiery Ashen-Lord-style battle at Molten Sands Fortress in the Devil's Roar.
Rare even turned off the often disliked seismic activity of the Devil's Roar for the duration of the Adventure and cleverly tied this to the plot. This made the area much more enjoyable for players as they explored. Some players might have experienced spawn-camping around Molten Sands Fortress as the hefty treasure reward lured in players looking for quick loot. Overall, the Adventure was well-balanced, suitably challenging, and enjoyable, with some great rewards.
1 Adventure 3 – The Shrouded Deep
Taking first place is The Shrouded Deep for its unique and memorable encounter with the rarely sighted Shrouded Ghost. This mythical megalodon has the ability to travel between worlds that only a handful of players may have encountered before Adventure 3. Players had to battle other megalodons and enchant effigies before joining forces with other players to perform a ritual to summon the shrouded ghost before vanquishing it and a ghostly fleet in an intense sea battle.
Although a firm favorite for many players, the Adventure wasn't without controversy as some players struggled to get other players to help. Including mechanics that don't rely solely on community cooperation could be a handy addition for future Adventures. Many appreciate when cooperative play becomes optional rather than a requirement.
Sea of Thieves is available on PC, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.