Hi there!
This suggestion is going to focus on the best of both worlds for those with anxiety such as myself, and those who are bold and brave to take on the unknown dangers that prowl the same seas.
Now if anyone knows that this game is called “Sea of Thieves” and not “Sea of Friends” it’s me. Yes yes…the age old argument that Sea of Thieves will never ever have a PvE server and if that’s what I’m looking for, I should go find another game. After all, the game is based around pirates right?
Right! No one is wrong to have that opinion and observation of this marvelous world Rare has created. It really gives the feel of the true peril that a real pirate would face in a world filled to the brim with dangers both environmental and player encounter produced. (Mythical critters and quests aside)
Now a bit of background on me, I’ve been diagnosed with anxiety and depression for many years now. Being in a constant state of fight or flight is truly exhausting along with other unpleasantries. To escape my woes I would turn to video games. Gaming immersed my senses into a world removed from my own. Nothing to worry about aside what next quest to take, and what beast to face! It’s a mental health paradise, at least for me.
When I saw the first preview and announcement of Sea of Thieves I was incredibly excited. A beautiful game based on the life of a pirate where you can sail across gorgeous seas and explore for booty! From spending time with treasure maps that involve riddles and puzzles, to determining the best way to vanquish powerful foes with my friends. Not to mention the ever changing world involving storms and environmental danger! What more could I ask for?
Well unfortunately, what I didn’t realize was this also meant I would have to deal with other players that interrupt and could easily overtake me to steal all my hard earned plunder (Yes I know, it’s what a pirate would do!). I didn’t think that I would have to be constantly worried and looking over my shoulder instead of staying focused on the quests ahead of me. Over time, I played less and less until I found myself not wanting to play anymore.
I was devastated and heart broken that I didn’t have the option to enjoy this game in a PvE setting. It did not mix well with my mental health at all, so to remedy that, I’ve completely stopped playing the game.
Now for the proposal! What if Sea of Thieves produced servers that provided incentive and opportunity? A way to possibly earn MORE rewards? What pirate would say no to that?
My suggestion is this, create two types of environments. PvE and PvP servers.
Now before some of you scurvy scoundrels jump to conclusions, read on!
The PvP servers would have incentive that a greedy pirate lord can’t resist. Double xp, double gold, or both! Everyone knows it’s dangerous to take on a world event that all other players in the server can see. They lie in wait until you finish this venture only to snatch your hard earned loot! Imagine if the stakes were even higher in PvP. Should you succeed in turning in your booty, you get double the reward! Some can see this as a similar experience to Rockstar’s popular Grand Theft Auto Online and how they organized their servers to cater to both player bases.
As for the PvE adventure, rewards are the reduced or kept the same (the vanilla game we all know and love). Nothing increased. Some pirates enjoy an uninterrupted ride to their next treasure hunt, anxiety free, and stress free…if you don’t run into any krakens, ghost ships, or megs! I would even be so bold as to say that PvE could even have the difficulty INCREASED and the rewards REMAIN vanilla. It would be a fair price to pay to not have to feel anxious during your ventures.
Overall, this is just a suggestion. I respect the players that want a true “Sea of Thieves” and those that want a “Sea of Friends”.
In terms of this thread, I will not be replying or responding to any pirates that choose to voice their opinions be it negative or positive to my suggestion. I likely won’t come back to this thread at all after posting since I don’t wish to find any nasty scalawags giving me a hard time. We’re all entitled to our own opinions, beliefs, wants, and further more, needs. If this proposal ever came to light, it may very well bring back those that have a hard time with anxiety and their mental health such as myself. It would be lovely to have an uninterrupted venture and not having to keep my eyes behind me, but rather to the horizon before me.
Thanks so much for reading! Best wishes to the pirate lads and lasses out there~
