Editor's Note: I am tired of rewriting similar responses to this 1 regarding the new revive mechanic; the following has been saved on my phone for future reference, and will either be copy-pasted in future threads regarding the subject, or reference back to this 1.
If you decide to comment in this thread, please be respectful towards other pirates and their responses, and try your best to view things from both sides of the divide - not just from your own. Also, please try to respond using logic - evidence, facts, and so on rather than respond based upon a singular personal experience or with your emotions.
Thank you for reading, and GG, from GG. 😉
-Galactic Geek
The new revive mechanic added in Sea of Thieves' April 2020 update, Ships of Fortune, is a controversial one for many. They mistakenly believe that it's a hindrance to smaller crews, when they couldn't be anymore wrong. I'm here to explain why.
First, let me preface this by saying that smaller crews will always be at a disadvantage over larger crews, simply because, well, numbers. In other words, math. But that doesn't mean that smaller crews don't stand a chance - far from it, in fact. With proper planning and execution, skill can and will still win over numbers.
Prior to revive being added, when you died, you were sent to the Ferry. This was unavoidable. This meant that if you were a solo pirate taking on an entire crew, you were at a severe disadvantage in a straight up fight. 1v4 in a straight up fight is going to be hard no matter how you look at it.
This still remains true post-update - if downed pirates ultimately decide to go straight to the Ferry, except for faster respawn times than compared to pre-update, nothing really changes from pre-update gameplay. For example, if a solo pirate gets lucky (or used their skill to outmatch them), and defeats a pirate, the odds are still against them because it would then be 1v3.
However, post-update, if said solo pirate downs an enemy, that enemy's crew is now forced into a difficult decision: either let their crewmate die, in which case, see the above paragraph; or attempt to revive him. If they attempt the revive, it leaves them even more vulnerable, because now their crew is temporarily down 2 pirates. Sure revive is faster than respawning, as it only takes 4 seconds, but it's riskier because it effectively takes another pirate out of the fight. All of a sudden, that 1v3 from pre-update becomes a 1v2 post-update - much better odds.
Think about the things a pirate can't do while reviving:
- Attack
- Move (a lot)
- Defend
- Run away
- Heal
- Sail
- Repair
Etc.
Now think about what their solo enemy can do with those 4 seconds:
- Attack the reviver
- Attack the remaining crew
- Heal
- Run away
- Damage the enemy ship
- Distract the enemy
- Drop anchor
- Steal loot
Etc.
Even if the larger crew gets a successful revive, the gains are minimal - the revived pirate is only at 25% health, and will die in a single shot or sword slash unless they take the time to heal, which again leaves them vulnerable and out of combat for a couple of more seconds
So, in summation, I would say that yes, 1v4 is still a tough fight - there's no doubt about that (and that will never change, sans some drastic redesign decisions). But I would argue that post-update, it's actually become harder for larger crews and easier for smaller crews. The larger crews are forced into an inevitable choice while options open up for the smaller crews based upon their choice. If the larger crew chooses to let them respawn, then essentially nothing changes from pre-update gameplay; it's still hard for the solo pirate. However, if they choose to revive post-update, then it becomes a little bit more manageable for the underdogs.
...and for the record, if you're going into a straight up brawl by yourself against 4 pirates, you're either arrogant beyond measure, or completely clueless - either way, you're likely to end up dead; the odds simply aren't in your favor. Instead, try outsmarting your foes using guerrilla ambush tactics, or strategic, surgical strikes - it'll take a lot of the worry out of being outnumbered.
TL;DR: Revive is a good addition because it affords smaller crews more opportunities to even the odds a bit more, while simultaneously forcing larger crews into a difficult choice.
