Rare and Xbox have announced that Season 8, “Return of the Damned,” is now available in Sea of Thieves. It is a free update for all platforms, including Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, Xbox Game Pass, Windows 10/11, and Steam. Players can expect to find tons of new content to explore and an all-new Plunder Pass.
To showcase some of the exciting new stuff players can explore, Rare devs released an overview trailer.
Return of the Damned brings some interesting new features into the game, including ship-to-ship PvP combat “on demand.” The new Hourglass of Fortune feature allows players to declare allegiance to one of two competing factions. Doing so unlocks the on-demand PvP feature and allows them to engage players of the rival faction. As players fight one another, they can win Allegiance, Treasure, and other exclusive rewards. The more successful a player is, the potential for greater rewards grows as does the risk of being targeted.
Once you’ve chosen your Faction, the goal is simple: sink as many enemy ships from the opposing Faction as you can. Unfurl the War Map, dive beneath the waves and enter head-to-head showdowns with crews of similar ability to your own. Fight and win, and you’ll earn Allegiance and unlock Faction rewards!
Building up a streak of defeated enemy Faction ships will also result in boosted Allegiance, and sinking four or more in a row will mark you as a Faction Champion! Be warned though, becoming a Champion will make you visible to any other players in the area and taking you down will grant them a greater boost than usual. An enticing target for any pirate looking to make a name for themselves.
Season 8 also has an all-new game pass with 100 levels of goodies to unlock. The base pass is free to all players and features 100 levels of goodies to unlock. Players can also purchase the Plunder Pass, which offers premium items not yet available elsewhere.
Check out the Season 8 blog post on the Sea of Thieves Xbox.com page.
