In this latest free Seasonal update, pirates will be able to set out on their first ever Voyages for The Reaper’s Bones and work together with the legendary skeletons of the Order of Bone and Blade to uncover Ancient secrets – and that’s just the beginning...
New Crews
First, a note on another milestone: as Season 16 dawns, the Sea of Thieves is set to welcome in a whole host of new players! As you might have heard, Sea of Thieves arrives on Battle.net® on May 22nd to enable a wave of wide-eyed explorers to start their pirate journey on a brand new platform. Some Battle.net players have already been spied out on the seas, either as part of our Closed Beta or, more recently, during Early Access. But it’s Season 16’s launch that marks the official launch of the game on this new platform, and opens the doors for everyone who has purchased the game via Battle.net to set out on their maiden voyage.
Alongside all the permanent free content added to the game since launch, Battle.net players will have access to all the goodies included with their chosen edition of the game, including any pre-purchase bonuses. You can find out more about it all in our announce article or the video below. Be sure to give these fresh-faced freebooters a warm welcome!
Battle.net Announce Trailer: Official Sea of Thieves
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4CVpuA2f0MU
Stronger Bones
With their leader Captain Flameheart returned to full strength and armed with forbidden knowledge thieved from Ancient Temples, The Reaper’s Bones are making their move on the Sea of Thieves! This Season, for the first time, they’ll be offering Voyages for pirates to undertake, beginning with the Search for Ancient Secrets.
In this Voyage, players will need to work with a lost crew of skeletons from the fabled Order of Bone and Blade to unearth long-buried Ancient Sarcophagi. Along the way, Ancient Phantoms will emerge to defend their hidden secrets. You’ll need to fight them off to finish activating the mechanisms and uncover a Skull of the Banished to take back to the Servant of the Flame.
Voyaging for The Reaper’s Bones isn’t quite so simple, however: Flameheart values strength and dominance above all else, so if you want to sail in his name, you’ll have to fly a Reaper’s Mark Flag! The flag will be raised automatically whenever you undertake a Voyage for The Reaper’s Bones, revealing the location of your ship to all other nearby crews and inviting them to come and claim your loot for themselves, if they have what it takes...
Sea of Thieves Season 16: Official Launch Trailer
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D0k4yLqgMd4
Emergent Excitements
The growing influence of The Reaper’s Bones is having an impact on emergent activities too. Their cunning weaponsmiths have devised a way of tapping the raw power of the Chest of Rage to construct a new, devastating weapon: the Cannon of Rage.
This portable armament grants pirates who find it the freedom to fire cannonballs from almost anywhere, then pack up the cannon and carry it on to a new location for redeployment. There’s a risk, however: whenever the Cannon of Rage fires or takes damage, it starts to overheat. Fail to give it time to cool down (or speed up the cooling process with water), and it’ll live up to its name with a violent explosion that’s liable to sink the ship you’re standing on!
Meanwhile, skeletal members of the long-lost Order of Bone and Blade have started clawing their way up towards the sandy surfaces of islands, waiting to be fully unearthed by curious passers-by. Rescue them and you’ll be friends for life – or at least until they fall in battle, as they’ll happily throw in their lot with the next pirate to revive them. You’ll find they’re also unable to leave the island to which their bones are bound! Until then, though, they can lend a hand with whatever needs doing, whether it’s demystifying tricky treasure maps, digging up treasure or helping to carry your haul to safety.
Sea of Thieves Season 16: Official Content Update Video
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ObMDHcinZak
More to Come
The Season 16 additions don’t end with May’s update. Over the next few months, new features will be arriving as part of our staggered Season delivery, including a second Voyage for The Reaper’s Bones and the introduction of breakable seals on Reaper’s Chests! If a crew decides to take the plunge and investigate what’s actually inside these strange glowing boxes, they might just find themselves with a sturdy crew of skeletons ready to defend their new companions to the death.
The Followers of the Flame Voyage also focuses on these mysterious treasures favoured by The Reaper’s Bones. Pirates will be tasked with using an enchanted lantern known as the Follower’s Flame to search for a new kind of Reaper’s Chest in need of recovery, helped along the way by some of Flameheart’s loyal forces.
These further additions will be arriving throughout Season 16, so be sure to keep an eye on our social channels for more news on each update as it approaches!
Sea of Thieves Season 16: Unlockable Cosmetics
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f-_xvhur18I
Flaming Fashions
Any expansion to The Reaper’s Bones wouldn’t be complete without a fresh round of Commendations to work towards and the rewards unlocked by doing so. Season 16 introduces a wealth of new Reaper-inspired cosmetics to personalise your pirate, ensuring you can always show your allegiance via your wardrobe. Pirate Captains will also find that they have new Captaincy Milestones awaiting them to keep track of their contributions to Flameheart’s plans.
Beyond Commendations, Season 16 promises everything you’d expect from a new Sea of Thieves Season, including another 100 levels of Renown to climb through with daring deeds and a rich bounty of cosmetics, gold, Doubloons and Ancient Coins to earn along the way. For pirates who already have some Ancient Coins ready to spend, the Pirate Emporium is ready to light up the night with its latest array of offerings, while the Season 16 Plunder Pass includes the luxurious Oyster’s Prize ship set (including Collector’s items) and matching Oyster’s Prize Eyepatch, Jacket and Belt!
Pirate Emporium Update - May 2025: Official Sea of Thieves
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y4CHwJwJ66s
Find Out More
For more information on the Sea of Thieves Season 16 update, including full release notes, visit the Sea of Thieves website. The update is available for free to all Sea of Thieves players who have bought the game on Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, Windows 10/11 PC, PlayStation®5 or via Steam or Battle.net, and players who have access to it with Xbox Game Pass. Simply download and install the latest update to start playing.
New to Sea of Thieves? Find out about the latest free content updates on our What’s New page, get familiar with Who’s Who or pick up some gameplay tips from our Pirate Academy, which provides invaluable information on topics ranging from sailing to swordplay as you prepare for your maiden voyage. Join the ongoing adventure at www.seaofthieves.com where you can embark on an epic journey with one of gaming’s most welcoming communities!
Links
Sea of Thieves website: https://www.seaofthieves.com
Sea of Thieves Forums: https://www.seaofthieves.com/forum
Sea of Thieves on Discord: https://discord.gg/seaofthieves
Sea of Thieves on Twitter/X: https://twitter.com/SeaOfThieves
Sea of Thieves on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SeaOfThievesGame
Sea of Thieves on TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@seaofthieves_game
Sea of Thieves on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/SeaofThieves
Sea of Thieves on Twitch: https://twitch.tv/SeaofThieves
About Sea of Thieves
A pirate-themed shared world adventure game, Sea of Thieves is available on Xbox Game Pass, Xbox One, Windows 10/11 PC, PlayStation®5, Steam and Battle.net, and optimised for Xbox Series X|S. It offers an unforgettable pirate experience, packed to the seams with sailing and exploring, fighting and plundering, riddle solving and treasure hunting – everything you need to live the pirate life you've always dreamed about. You have complete freedom to approach the world, and other players, however you choose.
About Rare
UK-based developer Rare has been making golden memories and redefining gaming genres since 1985, and exclusively on Microsoft platforms since joining Microsoft Studios in 2002. Following an opportunity to celebrate its heritage with the Rare Replay anniversary collection in 2015, the studio has been forging ahead with shared world adventures in Sea of Thieves and is simultaneously building a brand new experience in Everwild, revealed at X019 in London.
Contact
For all PR inquiries: xboxpress@assemblyinc.com