Sea of Thieves season 14 is almost here; Rare has confirmed that it will be bringing a bunch of stealth new features to its multiplayer pirate adventure on October 17.
The last time we heard hints of season 14 was back in March, when Rare unveiled its content plans for 2024. And while today's release date announcement was a little light on details, a breakdown video is scheduled to arrive of the appropriate season. soon, at least we have an idea of what it will bring thanks to that early presentation.
According to the March roadmap, Season 14 is all about introducing a stealthier, more mischievous playstyle to Sea of Thieves, with new additions (assuming plans haven't changed drastically) that will include a crouch ability, plus the power to hang off the side of ships, even sneak into a chest and sneak away undetected.
That's in addition to a new multi-purpose dart that can attract skeletons to specific positions, activate trick sound effects, and more, as well as the ability to place spring traps in the world. Most exciting of all, though, pirates will be able to roam around (or pick things up) using the new grappling gun tool.
The grappling gun is one of the few parts of season 14 that did gets a proper mention during Rare's most recent news presentation, with production director Drew Stevens outlining some of the limitations Rare has implemented to make it fairer for smaller teams.
Basically, pirates will not be able to use the grappling weapon to avoid the side ladders and easily access the sloop or brig (i.e. grab directly on board from the sea or grab on board from above), but can can still be used to reach side ladders and reposition next to ships during a chase. These limitations do not apply to the galleon, however, and grappling cannons now provide larger crews with new points of vulnerability.
An additional adjustment related to PvP combat that crews will need to be aware of is that, starting in Season 14, a ship's arsenal can only be used by its own crew. This means that invading crews will have to plan tactically before entering combat.
Ahead of Season 14's arrival on PlayStation 5, Xbox, and PC on October 17, Sea of Thieves will host another Gilded Voyages event, taking place from October 10 to 17, giving players the opportunity to get “loads” of valuable loot in the name of Gold. Hoarders, Merchant Alliance, Order of Souls and Athena's Fortune. Additionally, a Sea of Thieves Twitch Drops weekend is scheduled for October 17-21, with the Season Sailor Pistols, plus Sage Sea Dog Shovel and Drum, all up for grabs.