Highlights

  • New enemies like sea monsters and ghost ships will shake up Skull and Bones Season 2 gameplay.
  • Player upgrades and fleet management will be key features in the upcoming season.
  • Expect a soft reset on progress at the end of Season 1, with rewards for top players.

Ubisoft has begun to share some information about what Skull and Bones players can expect to see in the game's upcoming Season 2. Plans for the second season of Skull and Bones include upgrades to ships and fleet mechanics along with some new game modes.

After more than a decade in development and seven sets of delays, Skull and Bones finally arrived on consoles and PC on February 16, 2024, but it was met with mixed reviews from professional critics and generally unfavorable ones from players. Envisioned as a fully multiplayer version of the maritime portions of Assassin's Creed 4: Black Flag, the game faltered at launch, but the start of Season 1 in Skull and Bones boosted momentum in its player engagement, with Ubisoft reporting that players were spending roughly four hours a day with the game on average in a report from late February.

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In a Letter from the Producer posted to Ubisoft's website on May 15, the publisher made note of the upswing in player engagement since the launch of the live service elements, as well as promoting improvements planned for Season 2. While the letter doesn't get into specifics about what these changes will be, the general overview states that players can expect to see more ship upgrades, a fleet management system that will allow ships to be assigned to automatically collect Pieces of Eight, and new modes for both Skull and Bones single-player and PvP. There are also plans to adjust the cost for manufactories. Perhaps most importantly, though, the next season will introduce a new primary antagonist, sea monsters, and ghost ships for players to contend with, sticking to the developers' vision of throwing new threats at the player each season.

What's Coming in Skull and Bones Season 2

  • New enemies, including ghost ships and sea monsters
  • New ship upgrades
  • Fleet management system
  • Adjusted cost of manufactories
  • New items: Ship Upgrade Parts and World Helm Leases
  • Cosmetic set for players who reached Diamond Rank in Season 1 leaderboards

No date has been set for the launch of Season 2, but players should expect a soft reset on several elements of the progress they've made at the end of Skull and Bones Season 1, including leaderboard ranks, manufactories, and upgrades. However, most players will get to keep the Pieces of Eight they've collected, as the soft reset in that regard will only affect the small number of players who have more than 300,000 in their wallets, reducing their accumulated Pieces of Eight to match that figure.

Of course, those who performed well during Season 1 are due for rewards, and Ubisoft plans to provide a cosmetic set to help improve the customization of Skull and Bones for any player who reached Diamond Rank in the leaderboards. Additionally, players will be rewarded with new in-game items for the number of territories and manufactories they control. Accumulating territories will grant players World Helm Leases, while having more manufactories will grant Ship Upgrade Parts. While the letter does not specify the exact details of what these items will do, it states that they will help with "growing your fleet of ships, acquiring the manufactories of your choice, and get a head start in shaping your empire to your strategy."