Sea of Thieves

Secrets of the Banished: Act 2

Take on the Eternal Guard, raid Sanctuaries of the Banished and generally risk life and limb returning to The Devil's Roar! To learn more about this Season’s headline features, head over to our dedicated Season 18 page.

Molten Sands Fortress

For the duration of Act 2, Molten Sands Fortress will be the site of a fierce encounter with Flameheart’s forces, and highly sought-after treasure can be seized by crews who dare to take on the challenge.

Crews must first prove their worth to their preferred Trading Company and reach Emissary Grade 5, then claim a unique Emissary Quest from that Company. Emissary Grade progress is accelerated during Act 2 – but crews can still be targeted by prowling Reapers!

This Emissary Quest will lead to a showdown with a formidable Eternal Guard. Valiant crews who defeat the Guard will be awarded the Molten Sands Key, which can either be sold for gold and reputation or taken into The Devil’s Roar to activate the Molten Sands Fortress battle for even greater spoils.

The Fortress battle will be fierce, pitting crews against an army hell-bent on protecting the Vault, including waves of Banished Skeletons, Shadow and Gold Skeletons, imposing Skeleton Lords and even deadly Ashen Lords.

Crews who survive this encounter will uncover a wealth of loot within the Vault, such as Ashen Treasures and the all-important Orb of the Banished. For the duration of Act 2, the Vault at Molten Sands is also the home of the Chest of Fortune.

Act 2 Time-Limited Rewards

Crews taking on Molten Sands Fortress during Act 2 can unlock a variety of time-limited Trading Company-themed Ship’s Crests for representing them as an Emissary. This includes the Hoarders’, Merchants’, Order’s, Hunter’s, Fortune’s and Reaper’s Exiled Ship Crests.

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Pirate Emporium

Show off your personal style with purchases from the Pirate Emporium! Pick up exclusive cosmetics such as ship liveries, costumes, weapons, pets and emotes using your Ancient Coins, purchasable with real money. Head to the Pirate Emporium to browse and buy the latest additions!

New Items – Now in Stock!

Lone Night Wulf Ship Collection

Lone Night Wulf Weapon Bundle

Lone Night Wulf Costume

Lodestar Cabin Bundle

Tankard Scalding Emote – Free!

Outpost Cosmetics

New Outpost Stock!

The shipwrights have restocked this month with the tropically themed Palm Resolute Sails, Hull and Flag.

Updates

Cross-Region Matchmaking Improvements

To improve matchmaking times in Oceanic regions when diving to Faction Battles and other experiences, players in Australia will now have their search extended to include crews in Southeast Asia should worthy opponents not be found in their home region.

Players wishing to wait for a match in their home region can opt out of Cross-Region Matchmaking from the Game Settings at any point.

Text Chat in Game Options

The Text Chat option within the Game Options menu has been moved down below Crew Management to improve speed of access to more commonly used options.

Events

Season 18 Community Weekend (January 31st – February 2nd)

Your favourite 48-hour Event is back for Season 18! Enjoy free gifts, pose at Picture Walls, embark on Ashen Message in a Bottle Voyages, solve puzzles as you seek Pop-Up Plunder, and make use of reward boosts thanks to the Community Emissary Grade raised by watching Sea of Thieves streamers on Twitch.

Find out more in January’s This Month in Sea of Thieves article, and stay tuned for a full rundown closer to the date!

Fixed Issues

Gameplay

Improvements have been made to how players attach to, release and climb ladders. Players should therefore no longer experience unintentionally slow movement on ladders and should now consistently be able to grab and release ladders during gameplay.

Within the Hideout at Wanderers Refuge, crews should now find that the Smugglers’ Chronicles offer accurate instructions on how to find a hidden mystery.

Players sitting on the barrel on the lower deck of the Sloop can now consistently be damaged by sword attacks.

Wilting Crates of Plants can now be refreshed by bucketing water directly onto them.

Crates of Cloth will now become sodden when water is bucketed directly onto them.