Some major changes are coming to Sea of Thieves next year as Rare has announced a major shift to seasonal content for the game, the addition of an optional Plunder Pass, and some smaller updates.
Replacing monthly updates in Sea of Thieves, each season will run for roughly 3 months and will be highlighted with the addition of featured events while continuing smaller live events that will include new rewards, in-game store updates, and a new progression system to level up.
The launch of seasonal content, which was teased by Rare earlier in the year, will begin in January with the introduction of the Merchant Alliance Voyage content drop, where players will have to work together in a voyage across land and sea. Players in Sea of Thieves will be charged with locating a lost shipment within a shipwreck, with plenty of loot waiting to be plundered. In addition, live events will involve daily and weekly challenges and will reward participants with bonuses such as double Gold and additional Reputation towards the season.
Highlighting the seasonal content will be the addition of a Plunder Pass, an optional premium pass that is Rare's version of the ever popular standard Battle Pass. Like many Battle Passes, players will have the opportunity to earn Sea of Thieves' version of XP, referred to as Pirate Renown, by meeting goals and leveling up the pass. Each tier unlocked will reward players with additional unique in-game rewards. While optional, it should be noted that the ability to earn specific rewards may require the pass.
Twitch Drops will still be a major part of Sea of Thieves and will reward players who tune in to participating Twitch streams during particular events. Players who link their Twitch account and watch specific streamers during specific times will be rewarded with in-game cosmetic items that can be displayed.
The shift to seasonal content has impacted the focus of the game, as development of the PVP Arena is currently at a halt. While this doesn't mean the PVP Arena will not be updated in the future, Rare has stated that internal stats show players spend most of their time in Sea of Thieves in the Adventure mode. While disappointing it's understandable, given that the playerbase for Sea of Thieves reached an all time high of 15 million, earlier this year.
2020 has been quite a year for Sea of Thieves, already receiving Xbox Series X enhancements. Players can expect the final content drop for 2020 with the return of the Festival of Giving, which begins on December 9. The final event of the year will involve the usual in-game activities occurring during the event along with the return of the 12 Deeds of Giving and the long awaited re-introduction of the dangerous Gilded Voyages.
Sea of Thieves is available for PC, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.