Pretty out there pitch I wanted to throw out, but what if there was eventually a colossal Boss battle in Sea of Thieves. One gigantic super boss that would be visible through the whole map as the fight ensues. A giant dark ancient construct that has been kept hidden as a "superweapon" used by the culture.
The boss is made of 3 separate "health pools" - two rock structure like hands, and a humongous mask like head that resembles the mask of the Ancients; perhaps even mimicking the appearance of some kind of god? All 3 of these need to be shot down by cannonballs, Blunderbombs, Curseballs, Kegs, ANYTHING you can get ahold of and explode in damaging distance of it.
While you do not need to destroy the hands to defeat the boss, the hands are significantly weaker than the head. Destroying them should be optional, but helpful for longer fights.
Hands
Two giant hands with similar behavior patterns will float beside the Dreadnought's head. One will attempt to do a devastating downward punch to your ship, dealing decent damage if not avoided by sailing out of its impact zone. The other hand will occasionally slam into the water ahead of you to force you to stop or turn as well. Ramming the hand will do regular ram damage.
Aside from these two unique behaviors, both hands will occasionally attempt to push your boat around and Demast your boat by doing an open hand chop motion towards the mast. If not damaged during these two animations, your ship will be damaged.
These hands will float around while inactive, but remain still for a small period after an unsuccessful attack. This gives Pirates an opening window to make a safe attack on the construct's hands, rewarding good helming. Attack zones can be seen as shadows on the waves.
Head
The "core" of the Dreadnought. The head floats around gently above the Sea, making it much easier to hit compared to the hands. What it lacks in mobility it makes up for in power though. The head has 3 unique attacks that have long charge times, but devastating results if they're left unaccounted for.
The first - A gigantic beam of dark energy that spews from its mouth. When it is charging this attack up, players must begin FULL SAILING as soon as possible. Once the attack begins, the beam will crash into the Sea below, and scorch anything in its path. You will need to keep moving, as the beam will continue to follow behind your boat for a short period of time. Remember to avoid the two hands as well!
The second - The Dreadnought will occasionally make a haunting laugh, and then open it's mouth briefly, gently glowing purple. If during this time it is hit, the cannonball(s) is(are) rebounded back towards your boat, their damage turning into Wraithball damage. This sneaky but brazen counterattack is less common than the other 2 attacks to hopefully keep it more surprising.
The third - The Dreadnought taking a deep inhale is your sign to run to bottom deck. After the inhale is done, the Dreadnought will unleash a horrific call of agony. If you are caught outdoors in the radius, you are downed and your soul is separated from your body temporarily. If not resurrected, your Spirit will return to your body regardless, acting as a temporary stun. When revived, players recover at whatever health they were at beforehand.
