There are a number of things to do in Sea Of Thieves to become one of the Legendary Pirates. The game possesses a variety of interesting mechanics that can make things easier for the aspiring buccaneer and make the game fun to play.
Many players are aware of such hidden features, but there are some that even some veterans may not be aware of. Here are some of the more useful things that many players didn’t know they could do in this multiplayer RPG.
Updated on July 19, 2021 by Ben Baker: Staying alive on the seas is never easy when it is swarming with NPC and PVP threats. With more players trying the game out and more players going solo, it’s important to have an edge both in combat and surviving an ambush. A few more lesser-known combat mechanics have been added to this list to give players some options when things go wrong. Whether it’s surviving while drowning or getting back aboard the ship quickly it pays to know some of these things.
15 Perform A Quick 180 Turn
Often times the player will need to change the direction their ship is traveling very quickly. It could be to bring cannons to bear on an opponent, avoid a Kraken summon, or dodge an incoming barrage. A nice trick is to perform a fast 180 turn using the anchor.
To do this, players need to crank the wheel as far to the side they want to turn. Once in place then they need to drop the anchor. Once the anchor hits the bottom it’ll quickly pivot the ship 180 degrees in the direction the wheel is turned.
14 Swim Dash Across The Water
At times players will quickly want to travel across the water to reach either their ship, land, or an opponent’s ship. The most common need arises when the player is on land and an enemy ship appears on the horizon. At this moment getting back on board is important.
The swim dash technique is a way to quickly traverse the water. Players simply need to charge their sword attack at the edge of a body of water, move forward while releasing the attack and they’ll zoom across the water’s surface. It takes some practice and it has limited range, but it’s a great way to get from point a to point b quickly across the water.
13 Sabotage Other Ships With Gunpowder Barrels
As many players will attest to, gunpowder barrels can be a hazardous liability. Many ships have met their watery graves from a gunpowder barrel going off in the heat of battle. Some players are starting to realize this can be exploited in a player’s favor as an offensive weapon.
The key is to sneak the barrels on board an opponent's ship and shoot them to cause tremendous damage. Another tactic is to dump them overboard while being pursued by another ship. Then when the barrel is close to the opponent’s ship shoot the barrel to blow a hole in their hull.
12 Eat Bananas To Avoid Drowning
Drowning is an annoying method of dying in Sea Of Thieves. Typically players will risk drowning when trying to avoid enemy fire, grab items from a sinking ship, or trying desperately to keep the ship from sinking when it’s taking on water.
A lesser-known way to avoid drowning is to eat bananas while underwater. A single banana will stave off drowning for a few seconds. Considering the player can carry five bananas on them at a time this allows for quite some extra time underwater before succumbing to a lack of oxygen.
11 Shoot Guns Underwater
Speaking of drowning, one reason a player may want to risk spending too much time underwater is to get the drop on enemies. Most players expect the attack to come from enemy ships or the ladders. A great way to get the drop on players watching the ladders is to fire from the water.
For whatever reason, any of the guns work while entirely submerged underwater. It’s a great way to startle an enemy or get a few good hits in before they retaliate. Another potential use is when a player is knocked off the ship during a shark attack. It may not guarantee survival, but getting that last Blunderbuss blast in the face of an oncoming shark can be a last-ditch effort.
10 Flood Crates To Water Plants
Keeping plants watered during delivery runs can be tedious, especially if the player is sailing solo. A somewhat helpful tip is to automate the process by intentionally flooding the ship. If there is enough water on board to cover the tops of the crates the plants will be considered watered.
A player can intentionally flood the ship and not have to worry about them the entire journey through the game’s open world. Granted this does make the ship a little slower and it's risky if the player ends up in a fight as the ship is already partially sunk.
9 Charm Snakes With Music
Gathering snakes is a common request from the Merchant Alliance and can net some helpful rewards. Unfortunately, the slithery buggers can cause problems by spraying venom even when they’re captured in baskets.
While many players will just kill them and sell the meat to the Hunter’s Call it is possible to charm a snake by playing music. Just a few notes on any instrument is enough to pacify them for about 20 seconds. This makes it much easier to capture and transport them.
8 Use Snakes As Loot Traps
Because snakes attack when they’re inside a basket players can use them to booby trap any loot they have onboard. The idea is to stick a few baskets of snakes around the more valuable loot.
It’s a great way to catch enemies off guard and chip away at their health during a fight. At the very least it’s comforting to know that anyone who snuck on board and managed to steal loot is walking away with venom in their eyes.
7 Venom Ball Sinking Opponents
After successfully downing an opponent’s ship players may want to mop up the survivors before they manage to escape or cause further problems. But picking off those swimming sailors can be difficult even with the best aim.
A helpful tactic is to launch a Venom Ball into their midst as they’re treading water. The venom will clog their vision making it harder to see underwater. As a result, these pirates will move around less or in directions they didn’t intend making it easier to pick them off.
6 Outrun Kraken Spawns
Fighting a Kraken in this multiplayer game is a harrowing experience even with a fully prepared crew. For solo players, it can be an absolute nightmare and one that’s best avoided. What many players may not know is it’s possible to outrun a Kraken spawn.
As soon as the water turns black the player can do a 180 turn and hightail it for clear water. If they manage to make it to the edge fast enough they’ll never be attacked by the Kraken. Of course, this only works for Sloops and Brigs as the Galleons are too slow to turn around and must face the horror.
5 Throw Water On A Drunk
Drunk characters can be annoying with their blurry vision and unsteady steps. This makes collecting the Chest of a Thousand Grogs a bit problematic.
One way to nullify the effects of drunkenness is to throw a bucket of water on them. This will immediately sober up the drunk character and remove all the side effects of being drunk. Of course with the Chest of a Thousand Grogs the effect is continual, but this trick has been known to nullify it for a second or two.
4 Throw Vomit On Enemies
Another tip for drunk characters is to weaponize the vomit spewing from their bodies. If the player equips a bucket then the vomit can be collected in the container. The player can then throw the bucket of vomit on an opponent.
Doing so causes them to suffer blurred vision similar to being hit by venom and to start vomiting as well. It’s a dirty tactic but it works surprisingly well in multiplayer against other human players and can turn the tide of battle. Very helpful if the player gets in a fight with the Chest of a Thousand Grogs onboard.
3 Negate A Meg Attack By Holding On
Meg attacks can be tough fights for players that are unprepared. One of the more dangerous parts of the encounter is when the Meg charges into the sides of the boat. This can often cause items and players to go flying off into the water.
To avoid this horrifying experience, players can grab onto stationary items like a cannon or the wheel. Doing so will prevent the player from getting knocked off. So if a Meg begins charging everyone should grab on until the impact and then resume the fight.
2 Dolphin Leap
A helpful mechanic that takes quite some time to master is the dolphin leap. Players can jump from a high point into the water and then pop back up into the air like a dolphin.
In fact, with the right angle, height, and timing, the player can use this method to pop up onto an enemy ship without having to climb the ladder. Admittedly it’s a finicky mechanic that may even be a bug, but it’s a great way to quickly board a ship and take the enemy off guard.
1 Sink Skeleton Ships Using Only Water
One interesting feature of Skeleton Crews is that they repair damage to the hull but they will not bail water. Most players will simply blast holes into the hull until it eventually sinks, but clever players can use another tactic.
With buckets, a player can simply pour water into the Skeleton Ship until there’s enough to sink it. Because this doesn’t require cannonballs it’s a great way to end the fight if a player runs out or wants to save some ammo. Admittedly this takes some time and can be tricky to pull off without losing the player’s own ship, but it is a strategy players can utilize.