Skeletons Forts have long lured pirates to crack open their precious vaults since the dawn of the Sea of Thieves. But, while larger crews can coordinate and quickly take one down, smaller crews can easily be overrun by the vicious foes thrown their way.
However, with the latest Season Nine changes to Skeleton Forts, a pirate in any crew size will have a better chance of cracking open a Skeleton Fort vault during their next adventure!
Skeleton Wave Changes
The number of Skeletons summoned during a Skeleton Fort now dynamically scales to the number of pirates participating in the World Event.
Not only is the number of Skeletons per wave dependent on the number of pirates, but so is each Skeleton’s health and damage. So, smaller crews can expect to fight weaker Skeletons will less health, allowing them to slash through the waves faster than before!
The number of Skeletons per wave for each pirate is as follows:
- One pirate = 7 Skeletons per wave
- Two pirates = 9 Skeletons per wave
- Three pirates = 10 Skeletons per wave
- Four pirates = 12 Skeletons per wave
The next wave will adjust the number of Skeletons, health, and damage if pirates join or leave the fight.
All crew sizes can expect to fight fewer Skeletons wielding weapons and only one or two waves of Gold, Plant, and Shadow Skeletons. You will also no longer fight waves of only Unarmed or Cutlass Skeletons.
And lastly, Skeletons will move slightly slower, allowing you to retreat and regroup quickly.
Skeleton Captain Changes
As mentioned, the Skeleton Captain is gone, so that’s one less wave to fight. And as for the Ashen Guardian and Ashen Key Master, they will now wield a Blunderbuss instead of a Pistol.
Skeleton Lord Changes
The Skeleton Lords now wield a Cutlass and Pistol instead of two firearms. You can also expect the Skeleton Lords to Summon more frequently, Teleport further away, and use their Knockback attack more often.
A significant change is that Skeleton Lords no longer eat bananas meaning they will no longer regain health during the battle!
The damage pirates do to the Skeleton Lord will now scale to the number of pirates in the battle. So if you take on a Skeleton Lord by yourself, you will do more damage than if you were in a crew of four. So effectively, the single pirate can now take down a Skeleton Lord just as quickly as a group of four pirates damaging one simultaneously. This change to damage should make the experience feel the same for everyone.
Fort Changes
Skeleton Forts now have thirteen waves, with the Skeleton Captain wave removed. So instead, you only have the Ashen Guardian, Ashen Key Master, and Skeleton Lord to defeat.
Cannon Skeletons will despawn when a crew docks near the Skeleton Fort. The Cannon Skeletons will return 15 minutes after all pirates and ships have left the Skeleton Fort’s vicinity.
You will also find more food in the Resource Barrels around the Skeleton Fort and a Weapon Chest.
