Ubisoft Singapore's Skull and Bones has sought to take pirate action to the next level since it was first announced, and the Helm will help give players a pirate identity to be proud of. Games like Sea of Thieves and Assassin's Creed 4: Black Flag have made the pirate experience a mainstay on consoles in the last decade, and the swashbuckling action and ship combat have been embraced by many gamers, so Ubisoft's title has a clear audience.
Skull and Bones got some new trailers at Ubisoft Forward, with combat and the sizable amount of customization being the focus. As fans know, Skull and Bones has been delayed a number of times following its initial reveal at E3 in 2017, supposedly due to various conflicting goals for the game that required major shifts in development. Ubisoft Singapore has been hard at work to correct this, and the Helm could be one of the keys to success.
Skull and Bones' Pirate Lairs
Players will unlock the Helm after reaching a previously unspecified level in Skull and Bones, giving them a base of operations and their own pirate lair. No longer taking orders from other pirates, at this point in the game players will be able to begin the ascent of their own career as a legendary pirate leader while gaining riches and pirate glory across the Indian Ocean.
The vast amount of customization options available with the Helm are what makes the feature so intriguing. If done right, each player will have their own lair that truly reflects their identity as a pirate in Skull and Bones, showcasing their greatest triumphs and representing how they play the game. With there being a limited narrative in Skull and Bones, the ways the game allows players to define their own pirate identity may decide how successful the game's launch is. A personalized lair gives gamers something to fight for, defend, and invest in.
If a player wants to primarily be a trader and amass riches, their lair can serve as a base of operations to manufacture and transport illegal goods. Using the Helm as a place to manage production, plan shipping routes, and establish the market for prices would give the Helm feature real meaning and importance and separate it from just being a random pirate on a ship. Immersion can set Skull and Bones apart from its competition.
Maybe the life of a pirate merchant isn't for some players, and they would rather plunder the high seas and gain riches through the acquisition of riches any way they can. In those cases, the Helm could be a place to plan attack strategy, manage ship fortifications and armaments, and store treasure safely until a rival attempts to take it. The lair can also serve as a hub to manage quests and the overall content inside Skull and Bones as well as being a place to showcase and brag about a player's biggest bounties and their most glorious victories, since no great pirate is short on ego.
The Riches of Skull and Bones
A potentially great feature for console players would be a trophy case of sorts inside the Helm, where players can view their unlocked achievements or trophies as actual physical trophies in the game. It would be a great chance to do some boasting and bragging for players who have invested a lot of effort into building their pirate legacy. Choosing and showcasing the most difficult trophies to acquire as the centerpiece of a pirate captain's accomplishments in their career would be a small but nice way to set dedicated players apart, especially in the first few months after Skull and Bones releases.
It's important to remember that very little is known about the Helm feature in Skull and Bones right now, despite the Ubisoft Forward's contents, but there are a lot of possibilities that could make it one of the best parts of the game over time. Regardless of what the Helm ends up being, gamers will be able to take hold of their own personalized pirate lair soon.
Skull and Bones releases November 8 for PC, PS5, Stadia, and Xbox Series X/S.