I’m writing this because I love Sea of Thieves to death. I’ve been sailing since 2020 and have logged hundreds of days at sea. You’d think I’d be tired by now, but the truth is Sea of Thieves remains the most addictive and original “next-gen” title of the last decade. More importantly, it still holds untapped potential to evolve and captivate both new and veteran pirates alike.
But there’s a problem: the core gameplay loop hasn’t meaningfully changed since launch. Like the extraction shooters that inspired it, it still revolves around a familiar pattern: do some PvE, get some loot, maybe fight, and hand it in. New features like Hourglass or Tall Tales offer small diversions, but even the most recent mechanics reinforce the same loop rather than expand it.
And that’s where Sea of Thieves betrays itself. Rare’s founding ethos — “Players Creating Stories Together” — has been stifled by a system that prefers to reward deceit, theft, and combat over cooperation.
Now, the stories players tell are predictable: two ships spot each other, tension builds, and one sinks the other. Even the most good-natured crews hesitate to talk or trust, because the incentives overwhelmingly favor betrayal. The result? Fewer shared stories, fewer spontaneous friendships, and a shallower social experience.
Rare needs to address this by adding new mechanics that reward conversation and collaboration — not just combat. Players should have reasons to approach one another that don’t end in cannon fire or theft.
A fresh way to do this would be to let Emissaries assist other Trading Companies in unique ways. Imagine a Gold Hoarder crew finding an item that holds no value to them, but great value to the Merchant Alliance or Order of Souls. Likewise, each Company could have rare cross-faction items — encouraging inter-crew trade and diplomacy.
This kind of “exclusive-value” system would make trading across crews a natural generator of novel encounters rather than the soulless alliances we currently have. Each interaction could unfold differently depending on who you meet, what you’re carrying, and which Company you serve. That unpredictability reintroduces a sense of discovery and emergent storytelling that’s been dulled by repetitive combat.
Crucially, value would only emerge through legitimate trade — the act of cooperation itself becomes part of the reward. Certain cross-company items could be rendered worthless if stolen, forcing players to engage with one another authentically if they wish to profit. This restores a sense of agency and intent to each encounter: players choose whether to fight, trade, or negotiate — and each choice has a distinct narrative and mechanical consequence.
I really, really hope to see some acknowledgement of this problem in future dev talks or features reveals.
