An Underworld Arena

@joda1123 I figured since players can go out into the open-world if they wanted ship combat, having an exclusive place for ground combat would be appreciated by a wide range of players. Also, an area themed place wouldn't really make sense to have ships in since it would be too small, and if it were too big people wouldn't get a detailed view from the spectator seats.

I don't see anything wrong with having a dedicated place for non-ship combat.

@lord-sphinktus Why shouldn't it be an addition to the Sea of Thieves main game?

@frostycrypton players could form there own PvP tournaments, but there is a problem with that. It will be very difficult to find a tournament when you want one. It will also be difficult to organize as you will have to find multiple people willing to do it. People can then always just kill you if they have no interest in it which will make it frustrating to get one going.

Also, I see this as being more than just a limited time event since it has so much potential for things to be added to it over time. It also will give a "breath of fresh air" for people who want to take a break from going on voyages or if they just want to find PvP without having to go out and look for it for countless minutes.

@blam320 I'm pretty sure this arena mode will be a lot different from Blackwake. I don't even see how it will be like Blackwake.

By main lobby I assume you mean an outpost? In any case, all you have to do is go to an outpost and then go to the arena lobby from there. This will also avoid taking up server room if you just wanted to go to the arena since you leave the map.

@lord-sphinktus If you are in a crew, the crew should have to vote for whether they want to go there or not, just like they would vote for a voyage. If one crew member died in the arena, and they couldn't respawn if the rules stated so, then they could spectate their crew until it's over and they wouldn't be separated.
Also, I don't see how it will ruin the flow of the game; it's simply adding new content to the game. I think it will fit the theme of the game. It will be like ghosts in Davy Jones Locker fighting for their freedom.

I quite like the idea but what I would suggest is something I read in another thread ( I forget the OP, so my apologies )

Rather than an arena there, why not allow the spirits to roam? Have a ghost ship where you could volunteer to join the crew and become The Flying Dutchman of Sea of Thieves? You could have it so that it spawns near someone who has been a long time from port, or just randomly in the world and the world notifys people that The Flying Dutchman is hunting. You could tie in ghostly or creepy cosmetics to rank with The Flying Dutchman, gained by pirating the living crews etc

It would give you your combat, both ship and hand to hand, while also affecting the overworld.

Just a thought!

@misterdoomed Adding a"mini-game" can keep the game from getting repetitive. In Call of Duty, people can opt out of the main multiplayer by playing zombies mode. It won't divide up the community since there is already a limit on how many people can be on a server at a time. It won't make it any harder to find people in the main part of the game.

The PvP duels won't be pointless since there will be a reward, and also it opens the possibility for another faction within the game to be added.

@platypuserotica This is a good idea but a completely different idea from mine. Why not add both?

This is a nice idea, but it doesn't fit the direction this game intends to go. Not many are playing this game for an arena feel. They want the sandbox/open-world feel. While I think this may attract a few players, it would not be enjoyed by most of the SoT demographic.

@greyscissors I understand. This is why it would stay a mini-game. In my opinion, it would help keep the game from getting repetitive which was a popular complaint from the betas and alphas. I heard many people talking about how they just look for PvP but often take a long time to find it. This will fill the void of looking for PvP when you can't find it.

@k7-issues How is not being forced to enter a bad thing? How can people just accidentally end up taking part?

@skullj2 I think you're right about that, but I don't think it's worth the dev's time to do something like this. They could instead spend their time making the core game better and more interesting.

@greyscissors I think that it would be nice if this idea eventually found it's way into the game. But you're right that it shouldn't be a priority. Maybe just a few content updates down the road.

@k7-issues Oh, lol. I'm sorry. I horribly misread that lol.

@blam320 there are many people that play Sea of Thieves that enjoy different aspects of it. Some like the socialization, some like the exploration, some like the PvE, some like the PvP, some like the roleplay.

Adding in this mode will please many of SOT's player-base. This mode can also contribute to sharing an experience with your friends since there will be co-op modes and a crew can spectate a match together. Even if some players won't enjoy this mode in any way, I'm sure the majority will find a way to have fun with this mode.

Also, I think joining the lobby from an outpost makes it more immersive and interconnects it with the main aspect of the game.
This will also keep many players from getting a bored feeling of repetitiveness.
It really only adds to the game in a positive way.

@blam320 I also believe the underworld arena will be nothing like Blackwake as Balckwake is mainly massive amounts of players vs. massive amounts of players in ship-combat.

Another reason I think joining the arena from an outpost is a good idea is that a crew or solo player can come back from a voyage and then they can decide they want to do an arena together and if it was a crew they wouldn't have to exit back to the main menu which not only takes time but will make them have to leave their crew.

@dewradley @Blam320 There's nothing wrong with a mini-game. It's something to do when you get bored of the base game. For example, in Call of Duty, they have zombies mode, but I don't hear anyone complain. If someone were to suggest adding board games to outposts would you say it detracts from the base of the game? This is essentially the same thing as adding a board game only more complex, with more work put into it.

This minigame is not totally unnecessary. For example, many MMOs have multiple modes within the base game like PvP battlegrounds and raids, not just questing. They do this so the game doesn't get repetitive and so the game has a variety of content.

Furthermore, I don't see this splitting up the community. There are only so many people that can be on a server at a time so adding this won't make it any harder to find people on a server. The worst thing it will do is slightly slow down queue times to be put with a crew if even that.

Also, I'm not suggesting it due to the success of this idea in the past. This is in no way making the game into a lobby shooter. It does not require any new game or combat mechanics to be added, hence a mini-game that only adds depth to the current game. There is no reason to not expand the playable content in the game. Not everything has to complement the already existing "mode" which is going on voyages. For example in MMOs, not everything has to go on top of questing. Or in Call of Duty, not everything added has to make the main multiplayer experience better since it chose instead to choose an alternative mode known as zombies mode which many people are happy with.

It's like not putting all of your eggs in one basket. Once someone gets bored of the base game they have nowhere to go except leaving the game entirely resulting in a player base drought. If they have alternatives to go to within the game they can be entertained long enough to the point where they are now bored of that mode and now want to go back to the main base of the game. It's healthy.