Sea of Thieves isn't widely known for a bustling world filled with interesting and relatable NPCs, and that's because it doesn't really have one. While Sea of Thieves does offer some story-based content, the depth found in these missions is a little lackluster, with characters often having an interesting visual design but lacking any emotional complexity or reason for players to be invested. Fortunately, all that looks like it might change over the next few months.
In a recent announcement, Rare has revealed that Sea of Thieves is about to get a whole slew of story-based content, coming to the game via live-service events titled "Adventures" and "Mysteries." These Adventures and Mysteries will see players work through objectives, all the while uncovering new plot details and encountering new characters. One character that players will soon come face-to-face with is Belle, a mysterious figure that has haunted the game's promotional materials since before its release but has never actually appeared in-game.
Belle's History of Real World Appearances and Teases
Belle's real-world history starts back in 2016, where she appeared alongside Captain Flameheart in a variety of statues and promotional displays. Much like Belle, Captain Flameheart also had a history of appearing in promotional material, only receiving an in-game reveal during the 2019 "Seabound Soul" update.
Alongside her appearance in marketing displays, Belle also appeared in a few of Sea of Thieves' cinematic trailers. In a pre-release trailer, Belle could be seen lounging around the Athena's Fortune Hideout, sitting in the same chair that would later be used by the Legendary Shopkeeper.
In July 2021, just following the release of the "Pirate's Life" Pirates of the Caribbean crossover event, the developers of the game teased a future appearance of Belle. It started with a simple tweet from the official Sea of Thieves Twitter account, saying that Jack Sparrow's in-game compass always points to what the player really desires. One user quickly posted a picture of Belle with the caption, "Show me the way to Belle so I can learn her story," to which the official Sea of Thieves account replied "Not yet."
In a Twitch stream in December 2021, a brief tease showed Belle standing at a fireplace. It was only a glimpse, but it was enough to re-ignite the speculation among fans.
Belle's Upcoming Appearance in The Shrouded Islands
While fans had all but given hope that Belle would actually appear in the game at some point, it seems as though Rare has never forgotten, and it was only a matter of time. Following Sea of Thieves' 2022 roadmap reveal, a cinematic trailer revealed that Belle would be coming to the game's first Adventure, titled "The Shrouded Islands."
The Shrouded Islands cinematic trailer shows the inhabitants of the Golden Sands Outpost being threatened by an encroaching spooky green fog, which soon takes hold of the entire island. The trailer then cuts to the Pirate Lord, Ramsey Singh, telling a room about the oncoming danger, and how they need to join their forces to put an end to it quickly.
Before he can finish, a mysterious figure walks in, telling the Pirate Lord to "sit down," and exclaiming that they'll "handle this." The camera pans in, and it's revealed that the mysterious figure is none other than Belle, finally coming to Sea of Thieves after all these years. Belle's appearance amongst the Pirate Lord's people seems to make sense as eagle-eyed fans spotted an Athena's Fortune necklace on the character a while ago, the company that the Pirate Lord founded.
While her exact role in the upcoming Adventure is still unknown, it's likely that players will end up teaming with the ghostly pirate as they try to uncover the mystery of the Shroud and rescue the outpost's inhabitants.
Sea of Thieves is out now for PC, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
