As Sea of Thieves players busy themselves diving for lost treasure as part of the game’s latest limited-time event, Rare has been busy with putting the final touches on the game’s next major expansion: Cursed Sails. Now, at long last, we know exactly when players will get to experience the new Cursed Sails content for themselves. Mark July 31 on your calendars you scallywags, and get ready to face an all-new danger once that date arrives.
What is undoubtedly the biggest new feature to be included in Cursed Sails is the addition of AI-controlled Skeleton Ships. We touched on the inclusion of Skeleton Ships in the past, but in this new announcement post, Rare doubled down on just how big a deal their inclusion is since it means that those sails you spot on the horizon will no longer be a guarantee of imminent players-to-player interaction:
“Cursed Sails will change things forever on the Sea of Thieves, as the sails you see cresting the horizon are no longer guaranteed to be other players making their own way through the world. The decks beneath those masts may now be manned by skeletal marauders returned to the seas from their restless graves. All that sustains these grinning terrors is a thirst for battle that leads them to terrorize Outposts and call out defenders to face them on the tides…”
Along with Skeleton Ships, the Cursed Sails expansion will introduce a new three-person ship type called the Brigantine, allowing three-person crews to efficiently operate their ship even when they don’t have a fourth crewmate tagging along. The expansion will also introduce a new Alliances system that will allow multiple crews to link up and work towards a common goal.
While details remain scarce for the moment, Cursed Sails will come with a brand new story experience that will allow participants to unlock unique rewards. As was the case with The Hungering Deep expansion’s story campaign, the Cursed Sails campaign will only be available for a limited time, but Rare was careful to clarify that the Skeleton Ships themselves will be a permanent addition along with the Brigantine and Alliance system.