This post will serve as an argument as to why Rare absolutely can and should add whales along with other marine life to the game. I will outline some common arguments I've seen against adding whales, as well as some suggestions of different ways they can be implemented.
First off, I think we can all agree when it comes to the ocean in video games, Sea of Thieves is unmatched with its water. But it's always been a shame that its underwater, for the most part, has been sub-par (get it?) with what I think it is capable of. Now, this has improved a bit since the release of the siren shrines and treasuries, which have fantastic underwater areas, but these are only select locations around the map that feel more like instanced zones than a consistent underwater biome.
Now, I'm not suggesting to make the entire sea floor one massive underwater siren shrine type area where people spend more time underwater than above, but rather I'm suggesting to add a bit more life to the areas outside of the shrines and treasuries.
With the Sea of Thieves being the most mysterious, treacherous place in the entire ocean with the baddest pirates who spend most of their lives at sea, what's under its water should tell as much of a story and garner as much excitement as what's above water as well.
One of the primary ways I think excitement and character can be added to the underwater is to add marine life. When it comes to consistent underwater life, we have sharks, sirens, and JPEGs of un-interactable fish. That's it. The Kraken (outside of tall tales) doesn't even have a true underwater model, and Megalodons are an event rather than a consistent form of marine life.
So why shouldn't they add whales and other sea creatures to the game?
Well, because whaling is a horrible practice that Rare doesn't want to promote
I agree. But sharks are also harpooned, and sharkfinned, including endangered species. Why does one type of marine life get precedence over another?
Well, sharks are more aggressive/scary, and we have to kill sharks in-game out of self defense, but a whale in-game wouldn't be as aggressive
Both animals are predators that eat other marine life. Sharks have an incredibly bad stigma due to popular media, and are far less aggressive in real life than in-game. Keep in mind, it was Rare's conscious decision to reinforce the negative stigma of sharks by choosing to make them all aggressive and violent in-game. They didn't have to be always aggressive and Rare could have opted for a more neutral approach. So clearly they were willing to promote and even encourage killing sharks in game for food and other rewards, but are afraid to do so with whales.
Well, the sharks in-game like Megalodons are fantasy sharks so it's not the same, and they can't be compared to real sharks
So by that same logic, why not create a mythical leviathan-like whale creature that exists only within the Sea of Thieves universe, that can be fought and killed for rewards like its counterparts? Then they wouldn't be the same as real whales, right?
Here's several different ways they could implement whales as well as ideas for other marine life:
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Make them friendly, unkillable creatures. Maybe add a gargantuan-sized whale that no cannons or bullets can pierce its skin. Maybe it has barnacled chests stuck to it that you can help remove and keep. You get loot and also help a sea creature. This helps spread a positive message about helping marine life while also having a reward incentive.
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Friendly, unkillable belugas/dolphins that can save you from drowning or carry you back to the surface (similar to mermaids).
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Aggressive, killable giant whales. They could damage or try to capsize your boat, similar to a megalodon fight.
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Neutral, killable whales that only attack when threatened/attacked first.
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Mythical, leviathan-like whales that are distinct enough to where Rare doesn't feel bad about players killing them (megalodons).
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Giant, friendly manta rays that you can hitch an underwater ride on or something.
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Aggressive giant eels. Maybe found more in siren/coral areas that attack you like sharks but have a more hit-and-run approach or an electric attack?
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Sea Monsters Any variety of sea monsters that can be inspired by different folklore, as well as entirely original mythical creatures. Could be highly aggressive monsters that are tracked and hunted for the Hunters Call.
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More fish species. Actual interactable underwater fish that can be caught with a net or cage similar to pigs/chickens/snakes and turned in to Merchants/Hunters, or added to an aquarium in your customizable Captain's Chamber.
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Cute octopi, cuttlefish, or squid. Similar to the catchable fish above, can be caught and turned in to Merchants/Hunters. The squid could ink you (covering your screen similar to vomit) when trying to chase and catch them.
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Crabs (in the Shores of Plenty?)
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Hermit crabs (in The Wilds?)
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Rock crabs (in the Devil's Shroud?)
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Horseshoe crabs (in Ancient Isles?)
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Chest/Skull Hermit crabs - crabs that inhabit a chest or a skull and run around that you have to chase and break them free from the loot (with/without having to kill them).
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Giant crabs
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More crabs
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Giant oysters that can be opened to contain pearls or other small loot.
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Sea turtles (unkillable, serve as ambience?)
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Sea jellies that serve as deep sea/siren area land mines, or can be used as a trampoline-like propulsion.
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Giant anglerfish that use their light to appear as a glint of underwater treasure. As you get closer, they ambush you.
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Flounders or flounder-like creatures that disguise in the sand. Could be caught or just be ambient.
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Sea birds. Actual birds that sit on the water or try to catch fish, land on your ship, and actual mobs that fly around islands. Seagulls, Pelicans, Parrots, etc.
Keep in mind, these are all speculative suggestions for future content, not an all-in-one demand. I understand that this is extra server load, and the server always comes first. But let's not kid ourselves here. Rare is a multi-million dollar company, and if they were able to implement new enemy spawns such as phantoms, sirens, and ocean crawlers, there is no reason why they cannot add more to the sea life spawn pool instead of just primarily sharks. I've worked in the game industry long enough to know that this isn't an unrealistic task, but rather just one Rare deems isn't a priority. But I would wager that for an ocean-venturing game, there should be a lot more to it than just what's on the surface.
