Season 19 has arrived, and the Sea of Thieves has never been more alive with the thunder of cannons and the glow of celebration. From the evolving chaos of Faction Battles to the whimsical merrymaking of the Bilge Rat Weekender, this season is equal parts battle and festival. Sharpen your blades, raise a glass, and set sail under a blaze of cannonballs and fireworks!
Shrinking Battle Bounds
The red waters surrounding the combat zone are now even more threatening as they shrink in stages throughout the fight!
During a Faction Battle, the Battle Bounds will shrink twice at five-minute intervals. Each time they shrink, the bounds close in around the center of the current combat area, so you can predict where the fight is heading.
You can double-check your Map Table during each transition, as it will show you exactly where the next combat area will be. You can also watch the red waters and red mist close in around you for a visual indicator.
A notification and music cue will also signal when the Battle Bounds begin to shrink and stop shrinking. They will shrink over two minutes, giving you plenty of time to sail into the new combat area.
Once the Battle Bounds have shrunk twice, they’ll hold their final size for the remainder of the fight.
For a deeper dive into the shrinking Battle Bounds, check out our guide here!
Faction Storage Crates
Upon starting a Faction Battle, you may receive a Faction Storage Crate next to your ship’s main mast. However, the Resources inside the crate can vary depending on the Resources you already have aboard your ship. You might not even get a crate if your ship is overflowing with Resources.
Each type of Resource has a threshold, and if you have more than the threshold, the crate won’t contain that Resource. Resources inside Resource Barrels, Resource Crates, loaded Cannons, and each crew member’s Inventory are all taken into account when determining the Resources you’ll receive in the Faction Storage Crate.
So, if you’re running low on Cannonballs and have less than the threshold, Cannonballs will appear in the Faction Storage Crate filled to its full amount. However, if you already have enough Cannonballs, Cannonballs won’t be included in the crate. If you exceed the thresholds for all types of Resources, you won’t receive a crate.
You’ll see a notification when you receive a Faction Storage Crate on your ship.
For a breakdown of how many Resources you can receive and the Resource thresholds, head over to our article here!
Faction Battle Entry Requirements
Before participating in Faction Battles, you must complete the following requirements:
- Completing the Maiden Voyage
- Completing the Tutorial Voyages for the Gold Hoarders, Order of Souls, and Merchant Alliance Trading Companies
- Reaching Reputation Level 25 with The Reaper’s Bones Trading Company
Every pirate in your crew must complete the requirements to interact with the Hourglass of Fate on your ship. If even one pirate is not eligible, then the Hourglass of Fate will be locked, and you cannot pledge your allegiance to a Faction.
You must complete the Maiden and Tutorial Voyages and see them through to the end to receive credit. Leaving early or joining another crew will not count toward completing the requirements.
Automatically Raising Emissary Flag
You no longer have to worry about raising an Emissary Flag before diving to invade a rival crew. The next time you start a Faction Battle, the Faction you pledge to will automatically raise an Emissary Flag for you, as long as at least one crew member owns the Emissary License.
So, if you are representing the Servants of the Flame, you will automatically raise a Reaper’s Bones Emissary as long as a crew member owns one. And if you are representing the Guardians of Fortune, you will automatically raise an Athena’s Fortune Emissary as long as a crew member owns one.
However, if there isn’t a single crew member that owns the corresponding Emissary Flag for the Faction they pledge to, the Faction will not automatically raise an Emissary Flag.
The Emissary Flag will automatically raise at the start of the Faction Battle. It doesn’t matter if you invaded a rival crew or are defending your ship from an invasion.
Quick Requeue
Directly after losing a Faction Battle, your crew can vote to fight again. Voting yes will return you to an Invasion Tunnel to match with another crew, while voting no will return you to the High Seas. The vote to fight again is timed and requires a unanimous vote, so every crew member must vote yes to return to an Invasion Tunnel.
During the vote, crew members have full control over their votes and can change their decision until the time is up. Once the timer has elapsed, your crew will either be queued back up for another Faction Battle or returned to the High Seas.
If you were sailing with a Guild Emissary Flag in the previous Faction Battle and lost, the Guild you were sailing for will automatically raise a Guild Emissary Flag for you if you choose to fight again before returning to the High Seas.
Rewards
Both Factions have enticing new rewards for pirates who jump back into the fight, including additional cosmetics for those working on reaching Allegiance Level 100.
You’ll find the following cosmetics for the Guardians of Fortune when speaking with the Pirate Lord:
- Guardians of Fortune War Paint – Allegiance Level 10
- Pledge of Honour Emote – Allegiance Level 35
- Champion of Fortune Flag – Allegiance Level 45
- Champion of Fortune Hull – Allegiance Level 65
- Champion of Fortune Sails – Allegiance Level 75
- Champion of Fortune Figurehead – Allegiance Level 90
- Guardian Chief’s Gloves – Allegiance Level 115
- Guardian Chief’s Hat – Allegiance Level 125
- Guardian Chief’s Jacket at Level 135
And you’ll find these cosmetics for Servants of the Flame when speaking with the Servant of the Flame and the Bonesmith:
- Servants of the Flame War Paint – Allegiance Level 10
- Pledge of the Chalice Emote – Allegiance Level 35
- Champion of Flame Flag – Allegiance Level 45
- Champion of Flame Hull – Allegiance Level 65
- Champion of Flame Sails – Allegiance Level 75
- Champion of Flame Figurehead – Allegiance Level 90
- Warrior Acolyte’s Skull – Allegiance Level 115
- Warrior Acolyte’s Lower Body – Allegiance Level 125
- Warrior Acolyte’s Upper Body – Allegiance Level 135
And more to come!
While Act 1 of Season 19 focuses on Hourglass Faction Battles, you can expect Act 2 to showcase lively celebrations across the sea and Act 3 to deliver Last Ship Standing. We’ll be sure to update this article as the rest of the Season releases!
1 thought on “Sea of Thieves Season 19: Fights & Festivals”
Paul’s my name.
I’m learning this game.
I’m not a dame.
That’s not a shame.