Sea of Thieves is all about hitting the open waves, engaging in some sightseeing, and occasionally dabbling in some piracy. After three years, there is a passionate fanbase that is constantly up to pirate-themed shenanigans that involve sailing, thieving, and even a little bit of eldritch magic. With Season 2 on the way, players are flooding back to the game to prepare themselves for some new swashbuckling adventures.
For many, this will involve tracking down Ritual Skulls to gain access to the Fort of the Damned, which is a great way to load up on loot in Sea of Thieves. While Ritual Skulls are not easy to find, and the Fort of the Damned can be a difficult challenge, it can have a big payoff in the form of loot and doubloons.
There are three ways to get a Ritual Skull in Sea of Thieves. The first method is to purchase a Skull Stash Voyage from Stitcher Jim or Duke in the tavern. At the cost of 30 doubloons, they are not cheap. They do have the advantage of leading you straight to the location of a Ritual Skull. The second method is to get an Ashen Key and use it to open an Ashen Chest.
The downside to this method is that it can take some time and will only give players a chance at getting a Ritual Skull to drop from the Ashen Chest. The third way to get a Ritual Skull is from a Skeleton Ship. While solo players shouldn't make the mistake of taking these on, it's a fun challenge for groups of players.
When the ship is destroyed, looting the wreckage may lead to a Ritual Skull if players are lucky. The best method to get them is certainly the first one, but the cost may be too high for some players who will have to engage in the longer, riskier ways of finding the Ritual Skulls. The good news is that these methods will at least give them a way to find other loot and improve their sailing skills.
Once players have a Ritual Skull, they can make their way to L14 on the map, where they will find the Fort of the Damned. Before this, they should gather up all the Flames of Fate. These can be collected by dying in very specific ways and then collecting each colored flame from the Ferry of the Damned.
- The Flame of Treacherous Weather - die to lightning (white)
- The Flame of Embattled Souls - die to players from another crew (pink)
- The Flame of Lost Seafarers - die to a shark or megalodon (blue)
- The Flame of Cursed Bone - die to a skeleton (green)
- The Flame of Burning Hearts - die to fire, lava, or volcanic rocks (red)
- The Flame of the Viper - die to poison (purple)
At the Fort of the Damned, players will find six statues that correspond with the types of deaths they suffered to get the flames and can light the torch of each one. After that, they can head to the center of the island and place the Ritual Skull on the headless skeleton in the cage to begin the Fort of the Damned.
Sea of Thieves is available on PC, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.