Sea of Thieves: A Pirate's Life is the forthcoming Season 3 collaboration between developer Rare and Disney to bring the Pirates of the Caribbean universe to Sea of Thieves. The announcement was a huge surprise at E3 2021, bringing the long-awaited fantasy of cruising the Sea of Thieves in full Jack Sparrow regalia to the game, along with lots of other content. The expansion is surprisingly influenced deeply by the Pirates of the Caribbean Disneyland ride, as well as the movies that spawned from it.
The third season does not change much about the way that Sea of Thieves is played. Instead, it builds upon the already-established mechanics and lore of the game with a number of new locations, quests, Tall Tales, and cosmetics that make it easier than ever to role play as the crew of the Black Pearl. The expansion is a lot more than a crossover, though – according to creative lead Mike Chapman, it's an "intertwining" of both stories that takes place after the events of the fifth Pirates movie.
A Pirate's Life Contains An Original Story, New Locations, and Familiar Faces
Sea of Thieves: A Pirate's Life is as close to a full-fledged Pirates of the Caribbean online game as players are likely to get any time soon. If it were to be described in a way that befits food, A Pirate's Life will be distinctly Sea of Thieves-flavored with strong accents of the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise throughout – these accents come to the forefront in the five Tall Tales that take the player through the expansion's main narrative. All of that to say that it is not a continuation of the Pirates of the Caribbean movies.
Even though it "has a place" in the Pirates of the Caribbean chronology, A Pirate's Life is its own completely unique story that uses elements from Sea of Thieves and the Disney movies in tandem with one another. In addition to this, The Sea of the Damned is now explorable in A Pirate's Life, specifically in the shipwreck settlement of Sailor's Grave. Another confirmed area is the Sunken Kingdom, an area rife with new Siren enemies who have allied with Davy Jones.
Familiar faces like Joshamee Gibbs and Captain Barbossa will show up through the campaign with some recognizable members of the Black Pearl, too. There are two entirely new characters in the game as well; the Castaway leads players to A Pirate's Life from any outpost, and the Cursed Captain leads players to Jack Sparrow, who joins the crew as part of the expansion.
New Enemies Change Up The Sea of Thieves Experience
There are a huge number of new enemies being added to Sea of Thieves in A Pirate's Life. Siren are coming into the game in the Sunken Kingdom, a new zone only accessible underwater, who appear to have control over a kind of Kraken-like creature. Phantom Pirates will be in the game in the Sea of the Damned, specifically in Sailor's Grave, which are the souls of pirates abandoned by shipwreck.
Three different types of a new enemy, Ocean Crawlers, will be added to the game too. Each has a particular method of attack and its own unique oceanic look.
- The Crab Ocean Crawler swings its giant claws around to damage players
- The Eel Ocean Crawler can shield allies and electrocute players
- The Hermit Ocean Crawler constantly emits poisonous spores (and it can charge from a distance).
These enemies will show up throughout the regular Sea of Thieves world, not just when out on a Tall Tale that references Pirates of the Caribbean. The team at Rare told Game ZXC during a preview event that "our intent is to keep this in the game for as long as people want it... to enrich Sea of Thieves." This indicates that these new enemies and mechanics are here to stay for good, and aren't limited to this crossover event.
Pirates of the Caribbean Cosmetics Will Be Available In Season 3
One of the most eagerly anticipated aspects of Sea of Thieves: A Pirate's Life is the inclusion of Pirates of the Caribbean-themed cosmetics. According to a preview with creative director Mike Chapman and executive producer Joe Neate, players will be able to do a lot more than just dress up as Captain Jack Sparrow in A Pirate's Life. In the gameplay trailer and extended reveal trailer, a ship that looks just like the Black Pearl is shown. During the preview, Rare confirmed that players are able to pilot this iconic ship in the new expansion.
While Chapman and Neate did not touch on whether cosmetics will be tied to the in-game Plunder Pass, there are a lot of options to choose from if the trailers are anything to go by. New ship designs, new clothing options, weapon designs, and even new shanties will be included in Sea of Thieves: A Pirate's Life, most of it related to the Disney movies and inspired by their aesthetic choices. There's even a secret unlockable song that players can earn by completing every Tall Tale in the expansion – and it's one of the most requested songs in the community.
Sea of Thieves: A Pirate's Life will launch June 22, 2021 on PC, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.