The Real Sea Of Thieves is the Friends We Make Along the Way

Official Artwork for Sea of Thieves (Source)

Call me a lonely fellow, but I spent the longest time looking for that one game—that one multiplayer game that folks have as their go-to thing for playing with their friends. MMOs weren’t really working because it wasn’t easy to play with people when they play at their own rates, and while match-focused multiplayer like FPSs or MOBAs were easy to drop into and out of, they tended to lack the “oomph” took keep playing them consistently after about a few weeks. Nothing seemed to be hitting the spot, and I was desperate to find the game that was just right—not too progression-punishing, but not too shallow, either.

Naturally, when I first saw Sea of Thieves around the time it launched, I thought to myself, “Huh. That looks like a fun little game. Not really my thing, though.” A couple years later, when I saw it become available on Steam, I thought to myself, “Oh, hey, that pirate game! I’d probably be interested in trying it out with a friend or few.” It wasn’t long after that when I learned that my good pal Nyaature was playing and enjoying the game, already a Pirate Legend at this point. With my interest piqued and eager to find my game™, I bought the game on sale, installed it, and started playing the moment Nyaature invited me for my first session (once I finished the “Maiden Voyage” tutorial, of course).

So what was the moment that made me fall in love with the Sea of Thieves so much that I’d dedicate a week’s writing to it? Was it some epic maritime showdown against a rival ship? Was it one of the game’s numerous Tall Tales, each with its own unique story to tell? Was it the immense satisfaction of unloading a whole day’s voyage’s worth of treasure for a modest fortune?

While all those things were fun and amazing, it was nothing so grandiose. Instead, it was within my first 15-minutes, fiddling with instruments in the Crow’s Nest of our sloop and watching the sun set to the tune of Stitcher’s Sorrow. Despite being nothing but a day-one sea thief with nothing but his default rags, just playing a song in a game with a friend to a beautiful sight made feel like I had all the riches in the seven seas. As easily as I breathed, I immediately turned to Nyaature and said “I love this game, man.”

In a sense, that first impression really defined what Sea of Thieves means to me, and what I believe is its greatest strength. It’s not the most action-oriented game, as you’ll spend much of your time sailing the ocean blue without much else to do but organize your loot and be on guard for the occasional Meg or Kraken. I can’t really say it’s all that complicated either, as most of its intricacies can usually be resolved with simple, albeit clever, solutions (playing music to calm snakes, pouring water on a chest of rage to keep it from blowing, adjusting the sails for optimal nautical velocity, etc.). It’s a generally simple and easygoing game, and yet I would describe it as anything but, because the real meat of the game lies fully in the hands of the player and their accomplices.

To make my case, I could regale to you the tale of the gilded voyage where me and a brigantine of friends misadventured our way from island to island, foolishly hoarding all our treasure without a single outpost stop only to panic when another ship turned our way, our journey culminating in rapidly scouring the final isle amidst a thick veil of fog as we kept our anchor aweigh and our ship ready to bail with a score that practically doubled my reputation with the Gold Hoarders. Alternatively, I could tell you about another time when we did end up victims to another ship but managed to somehow save all our accrued treasure aboard a small rowboat, leading to a cathartic moment as we reunited and rescued him using naught but our own intuition (although it took a second attempt as our first rescue voyage was thwarted by a Kraken right as we sailed from the outpost). Alternatively, I could just tell you about all the times we played our tunes to the blazing sight of our ship sent away and set aflame to end a night’s session—or the one time we did so only for another player’s ship to spawn in next to us, to which we responded by setting it aflame and playing Infernal Gallop amongst its flames before vanishing without a trace by logging off right in front of its captain (who was a very good sport about the whole thing as they had just logged in).

Don’t get me wrong: the official lore and narrative of the Sea of Thieves are pretty good, too, but Sea of Thieves’s best stories are the ones its players create for themselves. Every play session has the chance of being one of a kind, only able to come to pass thanks to you, your friends, and anyone else who might dare involve themselves in your business. Laughing in victory, fussing in defeat, and just doing pirate things with pirate people are what Sea of Thieves is all about.

If you’re interested in dipping your toes into Sea of Thieves, this is the part where I recommend you give it a shot, but let me add an asterisk: for the optimal experience, play with a good friend or to. You’ll find plenty of good people in the game who’ll become a part of your story, but the best way to start will always be to do so with someone you know, be they a grizzled veteran or an equally green newcomer.

Admittedly, it’s been a while since I’ve hopped onto Sea of Thieves, but that’s mostly because me and my friends haven’t been able to align in availability lately. Hopefully the next big adventure is waiting for us right around the corner, and I’m looking forward to whatever blunders are in store for us.