Rare's online pirate action-adventure Sea of Thieves has undergone many changes since it launched at the start of 2018. Sea of Thieves has recently entered its fifth season, bringing another list of updates and new content including improved mechanics and added songs. Since the game launched, Sea of Thieves has had a treasure chest full of pirate lore encompassing mysterious curses, legendary buccaneers, and a near-impenetrable fog called The Devil's Shroud. These, along with many other intriguing elements, make up the story of Sea of Thieves, providing a backdrop for adventurous players as they navigate the troubled waters and steer their ships to new horizons in search of bounty.
Along with the established and ever-expanding lore of Sea of Thieves, the game features some recurring characters that help to flesh out the tales and provide NPCs for the player's pirate to interact with. They help to explain more about the world of the game, originate or participate in quests, and fill Sea of Thieves with interesting sea-faring souls and wayward explorers. One of the more memorable and occasionally elusive NPCs that players can encounter is Stitcher Jim. While many of Sea of Thieves' characters are far from trustworthy, this slippery backstabber is up there with the most suspect, and he has a twisted and tumultuous backstory.
Introducing Stitcher Jim
Many years ago, the treacherous Stitcher Jim was part of the crew that explored the Devil's Roar – a volcanic and dangerous region of Sea of Thieves with plenty of peril and barely any resources. As a member of Grace Morrow's Forsaken Shores Alliance, Stitcher Jim came upon one of the rarest treasures in the game when he discovered a chest which he subsequently named the Box of Wondrous Secrets. This mysterious chest is believed to contain secret instructions on curses, according to a letter that players can discover of Stitcher Jim's. After finding the box, Stitcher Jim then took down the Alliance, but his attempt to poison its leader Grace was unsuccessful and she became the last survivor.
Following his betrayal, Stitcher Jim retreated to the shores of the appropriately named Liar's Backbone. He repeatedly denied Grace's claims that he was a murderer and a traitor, and instead leveled these accusations back at her, claiming she had lost her mind after living in the Devil's Roar. However, Grace was able to find evidence of his nefarious deeds and his connection to the Skeleton Lord known as the first Gold Hoarder (or as the former pirate Rathbone) – the final boss in Shores of Gold and Dark Brethren. With Stitcher Jim's motives and methods now called into question, he once again disappears after successfully retrieving the hidden Box of Wondrous Secrets.
Stitcher Jim And The Masked Stranger
After this, Stitcher Jim can no longer be found at his Liar's Backbone location and is next seen as a member of the Bilge Rats and serving as a temporary replacement representative for Duke before his return. Stitcher Jim, apparently now contrite and eager to repent for his past ways, is keen to prove his change of heart. It seems he had been marooned in the Devil's Roar and had come within a hairsbreadth of death before he was rescued by the Masked Stranger – one of Sea of Thieves' more interesting characters.
It turns out that Stitcher Jim developed much stronger feelings for his rescuer beyond simple gratitude, becoming infatuated with the secretive Masked Stranger. Her help apparently inspired his ardent reformation and decision to join the trading company present throughout Sea of Thieves, the Bilge Rats, in an attempt to go legit. However, this commitment to shun his previously murderous and treacherous ways turned out to be a sham as the Heart of Fire Tall Tale unfolded.
Stitcher Jim In The Heart Of Fire
When Stitcher Jim's previous boss - the first Gold Hoarder - was defeated, it seems like he went in search of new management. Enter the Masked Stranger, who was later revealed during the events of the Heart of Fire Tall Tale to be none other than Wanda, the former weaponsmith at Golden Sands Outpost. After being cursed, Wanda left her shop to her twin sister. After transforming fully into a Skeleton Captain named Captain Warsmith, Wanda attacked outposts and even helped to create the Skeleton Ships first introduced in Cursed Sails. Stitcher Jim and Wanda initially worked together to bring about the return of Captain Flameheart, although Wanda later becomes disillusioned with her former loyalty to the Ashen Skeleton Lord.
Players can learn about Stitcher Jim's motivations and plans to release Pendragon from the portrait and serve Flameheart by discovering five of his journals scattered throughout Sea of Thieves, providing further insight into the slippery scoundrel's psyche. The end of Heart of Fire sees Stitcher Jim's various betrayals, murders, and countless lies catch up with him, as he is himself stabbed in the back by Flameheart – a fitting twist to the tale as Flameheart warns that Stitcher Jim is likely on the path to becoming an Ashen Lord himself.
Sea of Thieves is out now for PC, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X.