Rare has given Sea of Thieves players a good reason to start sinking opponents' ships more often. That may seem like an odd idea. Sinking ships should be an obvious goal in a multiplayer private game with competitive elements. Yet in Sea of Thieves, there's been a counterintuitive mechanic that was driving an increasing number of dastardly pirates to do the opposite. They'd leave ships floating, spawn camping their Sea of Thieves opponents, though for an understandable reason.
Supplies in Sea of Thieves can be a somewhat rare commodity. Special types of Sea of Thieves cannonballs, bananas, wood planks, and other supplies can feel plentiful up until the point a player needs them and realizes they ran out. As such, dedicated Sea of Thieves players know it's smart to stock up when the opportunity presents itself. The best source of supplies, by intention, is opposing Sea of Thieves players who have likely stocked up for their own treasure hunts.
The contradictory element is that Rare designed Sea of Thieves so that when a player's ship sinks, the supplies in their barrels go down with the ship. That creates a problem. If a player is raiding another ship for supplies, it behooves them to keep their opponent's ship afloat. It's become a common practice to "siphon" other pirates, spawn camping them so they aren't a bother while a teammate gathers supplies and ferries them back to their own ship. It's griefing, but it's encouraged by Sea of Thieves' design.
Rare has now made a significant change regarding supplies and sunk ships. Sea of Thieves players have confirmed that when a ship sinks, its supply barrels will float to the service. In other words, siphoning supplies is no longer necessary. Players can quickly sink an opponent, gather their floating supplies, and go on their merry way.
Some players have reacted in an odd way, saying they'll still siphon because they like to let their Sea of Thieves PvP opponents go on their way after stealing all their supplies. That's both kind and cruel in a way that truly matches the spirit of Sea of Thieves, at least. It's also something that was possible before the change.
There are still some problematic design elements in Sea of Thieves that will require some further thinking from Rare. For example, scuttling a ship will still cause supplies to sink with the ship. They won't float, so players can troll those that sink them in a last-ditch effort. Further, players can still spawn camp others for the fun of it. The supply change won't prevent Sea of Thieves griefers from doing what they do, of course. Still, it's a good fix for a problem Sea of Thieves players have been dealing with for a long time.
Sea of Thieves is available now on PC, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.