Hello Rare and Sea of Thieves Community! I'm a die hard fan of sea of thieves, an aspiring game designer, and have loved pirate games my ENTIRE life. I've given a ton of thought about Sea of Thieves and this is a list of ideas I've put together over the last couple months that would be great to have in the game.
Crews
It would be incredibly useful to be able to form a crew in sea of thieves.
To form a crew from scratch a player should have to go to a certain npc on any outpost after having achieved a rank of 30 in each of the three factions. From there they will have to choose a name, emblem, background, and crew colors. This will give the player a charter with all these details. Overtime the player will need to collect 3 signatures from players who wish to join the crew. This will complete the process and the crew will be formed.
The captain is the only one who will have power over the rest of the crew but can still be voted in the brig if all votes are against him/her.
The captain can assigned any pirate in his/her crew the rank of officer. This rank will allow the player to invite players to the crew and kick players from the crew that have a lower rank than them if needed. The captain is the only one who can kick an officer from the crew. Lieutenants can do everything the captain can except elect a new captain.
Ranks: Pirate, Officer, Lieutenant, Captain
Pirate - Anyone who joins the crew starts at the rank of pirate.
Officer - When the player has achieved rank 10 in each of the 3 factions they will be eligible to be promoted to an officer.
Lieutenant - After the player has achieved ranked 20 in each of the three factions they will be eligible to be promoted to an lieutenant. These are the captains most trusted pirates.
Captain - Only the player that makes a crew can become the captain until he/she promotes a new one. Only available after the player has achieved rank 30 in each of the three factions.
Large Bodies of Land
There's so much water and stuff to do out on the sea but land falls short in SoT. There's really only islands in the game.
Large bodies of land are definitely needed and pretty much anything can go on them. Such as: sanctuaries, player housing, player owned stores, dungeons, raids, cities, forests,
PvP arenas, or pretty much anything you can think of.
Voyage Misc.
Being on one mission alone when we have so many can be a let down also its quite annoying when crews disband after a single voyage.
If we could have a side mission to vote on to get done at the same time as our primary voyage I think it could impact the game greatly.
Pirate Statistics and Rankings
Player Stats
There's no real way to tell what a pirate is made of. If only there was some sort of stat system on a players pirate card to look at that would have their stats with the games core mechanics like: navigating, gunning, carpentry, sailing, ranged combat, melee combat.
This would help immensely on giving people purpose while sailing and certain roles can be filled a lot easier when grouping. To score them they could take into account stuff like cannon accuracy, shots fired, shots hit. Sails for example could be how much and often are they aligning the sails for optimal speed/performance.
Rankings
At each of the Inn's there should be a ranking button showing the top 100 players in each of the games core mechanics.
Two sets of rank will be used one called "Experience" for how much someone has done a certain station/role.
The other called "Performance" is how well they perform at a station/role.
The ranks in "Experience" will only go up after the player has spent a certain amount of time on that specific station and this rank cannot go down.
The ranks in "Performance" will go up or down depending on how well the player has just performed at the station they were at. (NOT WHILE USING THE STATION)
Experience ranks could be along the lines of:
Newbie
Novice
Experienced
Expert
Legendary
Performance ranks could be different for each stat and be along the lines of:
Sword fighting - Newbie, Fencer, Duelist, Grand-Duelist, Blade master
Gunning - Newbie, Rifleman, Marksmen/Markswoman, Sharp-shooter, Master Gunner
Cannons - Newbie, Soldier, Cannoneer, Veteran Cannoneer, Artillery Master
Sailing - Newbie, Seafarer, Shipmate, Veteran Seafarer, Wind rider
Carpentry - Newbie, Craftsperson, Laborer, Ship Mason, Ship Artisan
Bilging - Newbie, Bilge Mouse, Bilge Rat, Bilger, Bilge Master
Navigating - Newbie, Helmsman, Navigator, Veteran Helmsman, Master Navigator
Battle Navigation - Newbie, Experienced, Conqueror, Warmonger, Vanquisher
Player Portrait
Players could visit an easel at an outpost to customize their pirate card's portrait. They could choose to alter their stance, change face expression, choose what weapon/item to hold, choose what to wear, choose a pet, and finally choose a background.
Bounty System & Underground Trade
The underground trade & bounty system could be the PvP faction of sea of thieves we need. The more players that a player kills will increase their bounty and when they get killed the players bounty gets decreased by 33%
Pictures of players with a high bounty will appear on the walls of Inn's and other places on an outpost
Underground Trade
This area is another backbone of the bounty system. It will only allow players to enter if they are at a certain bounty level and will consist of NPC's that will give certain cosmetics only available here and sell supplies at a reduced price.
A "total pirates killed counter" and a "ship kill counter" will be displayed here as well.
Grand ship/Sanctuary Area
Everybody wants to show off their stuff in a game especially one like this. Also aside from matchmaking there's no good place to sit and wait for crew to arrive or meet new people for multi-crew activities. There should be sanctuary area's, a no fighting zone for all of this.
There should at least two sanctuaries.
One as an island called Providence.
The other as a giant ship called the Grand-Ship that sails around the map.
On a sanctuary would contain all the normal stuff you find on outposts with the addition of formal duels, drinking contests, a new pirate legend area, card games, betting games, or anything really.
Fishing Reputation
Players could have the option to purchase a fishing pole from outposts and fish from an anchored boat or any island. Players could equip different fishing baits to their fishing poles to catch certain fish. Example: When fishing for sharks use pig meat.
NPC's could hand out voyages for certain fish to be caught and or a certain amount of fish.
The more the player progresses through this reputation the more fishing poles become available as well as different kinds of fish. Different fish could be turned in for different amounts of gold depending on what type of fish it is and how much it weighs.
Pets and Their Usage
Its no secret that pets are making their way into SoT. My only concern is what they will do and how they will impact gameplay if at all.
What if pets could have their own functionality or specializations to choose between. Like a monkey pet could stay on the ship and ring the ships bell if he spots a ship. Pigs could
occasionally dug up a hidden chest. Cats could alert you of nearby foes. Chickens could occasionally drop some food. Dogs could find the nearest enemy or nearby barrels.
Parrots could say stuff to the player as different situations occur. A snake that makes nearby snakes harmless. Etc...
If pets do not impact gameplay at all, I suggest different customization options for them such as different colors for each animal and animal clothing options.
Wildlife & Sea life Ideas
Each of these could become an actual part of the game and not just a visual.
New Island Wildlife: Crabs, Parrots, Wild Cats, Wolves, Turtles, Monkeys, Giant Spiders, Big Rats.
New Sea Life: Conch Snails, Star Fish, Sea Horses, Sea Turtles, Oysters/Clams, Whales, Huge Piranhas, Manta rays.
Island Mechanic Ideas
Quicksand
Quicksand could be a scary mechanic to put in on certain islands to keep players on their toes and make them tread careful when alone.
Note that it's impossible to get out solo after a certain amount of time has passed while standing in one.
If the trapped player is not alone a fellow pirate could save them if they hold a wooden plank out.
Spider Webs
Another mechanic could be spider webs. These could stop players in their tracks and would have to be cut down before proceeding. If the players gets trapped he will then have to wait out the duration of the webs or be struck by an enemy or player.
Snake/Spike Pitfall Trap
A pit of snakes/spikes to trap and kill players. This would make players tread even more carefully on embarking on islands.
Island Temples & Underwater Temples
These would be giant structures hidden underground and on certain islands. A key is needed to enter and inside will present the player with a series of puzzles with the prize hidden at the inner most chamber of the structure. Along with puzzles the entire structure is b***y-trapped.
Island Temples could be higher level gold hoarders quests/voyages or an entirely new reputation.
Chests
New Chest Ideas
Challengers Chest - Makes your ship appear on everyone's ship map.
Krakens Chest - The kraken gets closer and closer and after a certain amount of time has passed the kraken will appear to wreak havoc.
Vexed Wildlife Chest - All wild like will attempt to attack the holder and more sharks will appear around the boat.
Sun Chest - Ship Occasion gets engulfed in fire and the player must act fast to put them out with a bucket.
Diseased Chest - The holder of the chest gets a terrible disease and must keep their health up so they don't die.
Cursed Banana Chest - Players cannot use bananas while have this on their ship. (Excluding outposts)
Cursed Cannon Chest - Players cannot use cannons while this is on their ship. (Excluding outposts)
Cursed Ammo Chest - Players cannot refill their ammo while this is on their ship. (Excluding outposts)
Enemy Types
Fire Skeletons - These are immune to both gun and sword attacks. First the player must douse them with a bucket of water to reveal their physical forms.
Cursed Skeletons - Immune to bullets and cannons must be cut down with steel.
Skilled Skeletons - Blocks everything front the front. Vulnerable to attacks from behind and lunge attacks. Will lunge at blocking players.
Juggernaut Skeletons - Has increased Size, Health, and is immune to cannonballs but they move much slower.
Saboteur Skeletons - Spawns with a small powder keg attached to their backs and will charge players and their ships note that it not as strong as a normal powder keg.
Cooking
Once animals drop loot this could allow players to cook the fish they've caught or the meat they've collected from animals. Different foods will give different amounts of health and certain modifiers.
Players would have the option to make a campfire on any island with wood planks but is not allowed on ships.
With this feature, food should also be able to spoil after a certain duration if it is not stored on the ship.
Grog/Potions
Grog. Right now it's fairly useless. I think there should be different kinds of grog or potions that have different effects on the player that could serve as modifiers. Such as
a spirit brew that when your drunk you see ghosts. A fire brew could make you think your ship is on fire. A storm brew could make you think your in a storm. A high grade grog that makes you pass out for a period of time but heals you. Blinding grog that makes majority of your screen black. Shark Grog that makes you see sharks even though there are none. Riches grog that makes you see a bunch of chests on your ship that don't exist. An underwater potion that lets you breathe underwater much longer.
The possibilities are almost endless.
Gold Hoarders
The Gold Hoarders faction currently have the smallest hub yet they have the most money I'd say their hub deserves a visual overhaul and instead put the merchants guild under the tent or something entirely new.
PvE ship battles
A new NPC could hand out voyages at the Gold Hoarders hub to hunt ghostly crews and npc pirate crews. Players would learn the whereabouts of their target only by knowing which islands they have last been spotted by. Thus forcing players to look at the map to see where the enemy could strike next.
This reputation could be part of the Gold Hoarders faction, both the Gold Hoarders and Order of Souls, or even a completely new faction.
Misc. Combat
Cannons
Cannoneers should have slightly more options. The traditional grape shot and chain shot should be implemented.
Chain Shot
the chain shot slows down the enemy ship if the sails are struck.
Grape Shot
The grape shot would be the shorter range shotgun ammunition that would be best for close combat.
Grappling Hook/Grapple Shot
The grapple would latch onto an enemy ship and slowly reel it in after striking it(while reeling in a ship that cannon cannot be used).
The grapple can be can cut by players after a few swings. If the grapple fails to hit the ship they must wait 30 seconds before trying again.
Parry Mechanic
It's great and probably one of the more underrated parts of the game but if there was a parry mechanic to mix it up even more it would be even better.
Also the downtime after a single swing could be greatly improved.
Player/Misc.
Player Indicators
When I join a crew I cant find them half the time. It would be amazing if we could have player indicators to track them on the ship's map or if we could press a button and have their names show up on our HUD.
Rope Swing
A rope swing mechanic for both ships and land would be an amazing fit in Sea of Thieves. It would give a great alternative to the cannons and could open up many new possibilities.
Cursed Coin
Summons Ghostly crew members to man a few of the ships stations.
Timed Powder Kegs
Kegs than can blow up after a set duration depending on the size of the wick. The wick size can be altered by players.
Depth Reel
A weight with a measuring line that players drop in the water to test how deep their current waters are.
Ship Compass Slot
The option to place the player owned compass in ships compass slot next to the captains wheel.
Weapon Modifications
Weapon mods are always great but everyone feels like they have the same stuff because usually they do. One way to switch that up is with a weapon modification.
Pistol Mod Examples
More Ammo/Ammo Belt, Silencer, Increase Range/Extended Barrel, Knife, Less Recoil/Grip, Scope
Shotgun Mod Examples
More Spread/Fat Barrel, More range/Extended Barrel, Less Recoil, More Ammo/Ammo belt
Sniper Mod Examples
More Ammo/Ammo Belt, Iron Sights, Silencer, Less Recoil/Grip, Increased Range/Extended Barrel
Player Ammo Types
Ammo types for players weapons could give gun fights that much needed diversity.
Iron shot - Cause damage
Steel Shot - Causes more damage than iron shot
Fire shot- Causes the target to take damage over time from fire (Ineffective in water)
Poison shot - Causes the target to take damage or time for a longer duration than fire shot
Needle Shot - Causes the target to bleed for a very short duration but doesn't do much damage and can be loaded quickly
Blunt Shot - Causes increased damage to ships
Holy Shot - Causes increased damage to skeletons and other undead
Curse Shot - Does increased damage to stuff that is alive/living
Legendary shot - Causes increased damage to sea monsters
Melee Weapons
The sword is amazing and I couldn't wait for more melee weapons so here's some I could come up with:
Mace
Knife
Axe
Flail
Giant Hammer
Samurai Sword
Giant Axe
Dual Wield Swords
Dual Wield Axes
Shield & Sword
Flaming Skull Weapons
They could all have the same combat mechanics or be slightly different with different attack-speeds, damage, and block-ability.
Range Weapons
Dual Pistols - faster fire rate and has more ammo
Shield & Pistol - Allows the player to block and shoot
Single Shot Elephant Gun - An enormous shotgun with 1 round that does extreme damage up close
Powder Keg Launcher - launches a powder keg that explodes upon impact
Oil Keg Launcher - launches a keg of oil that splatter oil on contact, once shot or ignited it will cause fire (useless while raining)
Ship Customization Options
More ship customization is definitely needed and some good places to start would be with customizable:
Cannons
Captains Wheel
Captains Compass
Captains Quarters
Vote Table
Ship Map
Crows Nest
Brig
Anchor Wheel
Ship Lights
Dyes for Ship interior
Ship Specialization
What if ships could have their own specialization!? Each ship would have one Specialization Slot and equipping a unit will change what class of ship it is.
Examples would be if you equipped a mortar into the slot then it would become an artillery sloop, equip a ram into the slot to make it become a juggernaut sloop, equip it with a keg dropper that makes it into a saboteur sloop, or equip a storage unit to make the captains quarters slightly larger making it a merchant sloop, etc...
This could be done with any size ship and not just the sloop.
Legendary Ship Specialization
For end game legendary pirates Legendary units will be available such as:
Sun Orb - has the ability to wipe out all nearby skeletons with a flash of light. Usable once every 30 minutes. Making it a Sun Ship.
Shadow Orb - has the ability to turn completely invisible for a period of time. Usable once every 30 minutes. Making it a Shadow Ship.
Kraken Bell - has the ability to summon the kraken once every hour. Making it a Kraken Ship.
Ghostly Trinket - Has the ability to phase the ship in a different dimension to take no damage for a period of time. Usable once every 30 minutes. Making it a Ghostly Ship
Storm Beacon - Has the ability to cause a temporary storm once every hour. Making it a Storm Ship
Pirate Lords Gear - Gives the ship a giant frontal cannon. Usable once every 15 minutes. Making it a Pirate Lords Ship.
Smuggler Lords Gear - Gives the ship a giant rear cannon. Usable once every 15 minutes. Making it a Smuggler Lords Ship.
Racers Gear - Gives the ship a speed burst ability usable once every 10minutes. Making it a Racers Ship.
Holiday Ships could also be added into the game or holidays sets could be sold at the shipwright
Player Specialization
Players could also have specializations if they had a slot for it. This would allow them to gain a trait and become a specialized pirate such as: sailor, carpenter, gunner
cannoneer, swordfighter, tamer, and navigator.
Examples:
Equipping the gaff makes you a sailor letting you raise/lower sails faster.
Equipping the hammer makes you a carpenter allowing you to repair faster.
Equipping the gunners harness makes you a cannoneer allowing you to hold much more cannonballs at a time.
Equipping the shoulder pole allows you to carry 2 buckets of water at a time making you a bilger.
Equipping the navigation pendant lets you turn the ship better making you a navigator.
Equipping the ammo belt makes you a gunner letting you hold more ammo.
Equipping the whetstone allows you to deal more damage to non-player units and makes you a sword fighter.
Equipping the animal pelt makes it so no animals attack this player including sharks making you a tamer
Player Abilities
If players could have a slot to equip one ability at a time it could simply be amazing.
Ability Scrolls
These abilities cannot be purchased and are instead found through out the game on ability scrolls. Equip a scroll into the slot to use a ability.
Once an ability is used all other abilities in storage go on cool-down to prevent usage of a different ability. Each ability has a different length cool-down some short some long depending on the ability.
Some ability examples are:
Flyer ability - Glider and or parachutes could deployed when falling from certain heights or after shooting out of a cannon making it easier to land on an enemy ship or land where needed.
Whirlwind ability - With the sword equipped the player can perform a whirlwind hitting all nearby enemies.
Burning blade ability - With sword equipped the player can set it on fire making it deal extra damage on each swing.
Unload ability - With pistol equipped the player can shoot 3 shoots in a row.
Barrage ability - While on a cannon the player can shoot a barrage of multiple cannon shots simultaneously.
Cartography ability - Player carries a map that can be used on islands additionally all quest/voyage locations are automatically marked on ships map.
Zoom x2 ability - With sniper or spyglass equipped player can zoom in again for even further sight.
Consume ability - With blunderbuss equipped player can consume remaining ammo to release it all in a single shot.
Tenacious ability - The player can still use weapons and items, walk and normal speeds, and run by holding the chest on their back.
Navigators insight ability - While using the captains wheel the player can fix the compass if it spins out of control in storms.
Battle Navigation Ability - while using the captains wheel the player can turn the ship 180 degrees with a sharp turn
Clothing
A few clothing ideas:
Top Hat
Royal Crown
Tiara
Turban
Fez
Tattoos
Bandannas
Masks
Corset
Scarf
Pelt
Shako
Holiday Items
It would be a great idea to put in items for both players and ships for specific holidays.
Easter - Bunny Ears, Easter Bunnies
Halloween - Pumpkin heads and headless pirates
Christmas - Santa hats
Summer - Firework cannon balls
St Patrick's Day - Special Grog
Thanksgiving - Indian and pilgrim hat
Valentines day - Love Boat cosmetic
Instanced Player Housing
It would serve as the starting place for any pirate and could at log in screen. Players could store extra supplies, change all of their equipment, and decorate the interior and exterior of their house.
Players could have an instanced area that they can walk into to take them to their house. Players can also invite other to come into their home.
Different sized houses should be available for purchase.
Starting with a cabin that the player gets for free when discovering this feature.
cabin - 1 room - free
cottage - 3 rooms - 50,000
townhouse - 6 rooms - 110,000
mansion - 11 rooms - 220,000
pirate legend estate - 20 rooms - 1,000,000
With house furniture would also have to become a feature. Another shop could be put in on islands or it could be in the instanced area with the players house.
Some furniture and their use could be:
money chest - To store money
trunk - to store items
Wardrobe - To store and change clothes
Mannequin - To display favorite clothing sets
Gun Rack - To Display favorite guns
Sword Rack - To display favorite swords
Chairs - to sit in
beds - to sleep in
Table - to put stuff on
wall paints - to change the color of the walls
interior lights - to change the color of certain rooms
banana tree - to grow bananas from inside or outside a home
paintings - decoration
potted plants - decoration
rugs - decoration
music boxes - to play music at home
Barrels - to store items
Grog Barrel - To refill grog
Window - To see through an area
table scale - decoration
paper and quill - decoration
tapestry - decoration
Large crate of cannonballs - store cannonballs
Dyes
To give that players that perfect pirate players should also be allowed to dye their armor. Just like clothes different dyes could be sold from a separate vender in the clothing shop. A Dye contains 3 uses and can range from 15,000-40-000 gold depending on the color.
A new Dye chest could be added giving players access to the Dye system on ships and islands
Weather/Sailing
Storms are an amazing feature, but why stop there?
Whirlpools
These could totally wreck a crews ship if not handled properly but if the crew has skill and experience with them they should be able to free themselves of its grasp.
Fog
Having a nice patch of giant fog could be a great way to force players to use their compass, map, and communication to maneuver through.
Ocean Tornado
A giant ocean tornado extending into the sky wiping out any ships that come in contact with it and slowly sucks its surroundings. An obstacle that must be maneuvered around 100% of the time.
Fishman/Sharkmen
Sharkman would be the aquatic superior to skeletons. They only appear deep in the ocean away from islands and they raid in packs of 2-4. They are much faster swimmers in water than a human and have the ability to grab a human and drown a player if they get in too close. They can come equipped with tridents and can throw large amounts of water onto a ship that can sink one if players don't keep a watchful eye out.
Aquatic Fortress Event
More events the better so here's the Aquatic fortresses idea. These could be an event that pops out of the water and will stay their for a period of time.
Players will have to fight their way through the groups of sharkmen that surround the fortress before they can dock and enter it. The Fortresses are b***y-trapped and have enemies all throughout them. At the fortresses inner core chamber is the fortress boss. Players will have to work together to bring the boss down. Once done they will get a treasure key and can unlock the treasure room behind the boss containing the Special Neptune's Chest containing money and exclusive rewards pertaining to the event.
Skeleton Raid event
Skeletons should raid in mass amounts and take over numerous isles in a region and crews will have to work together to clear them all out in time.
Skulls drop all the time from this event.
The Ghost Ship and its purpose
The ghost ship is something that will definitely make an appearance in sea of thieves but no one knows how. I think is should be a deterrent for when big ships attack small ships too much. If a man-o-war or a larger ship consistently goes out of their way more than a few times to kill the smaller ships such as sloops. A massive ghost ship will be sent after them to destroy them.
At this time the ship is not meant to be killed by the players. The only time it should be allowed to be killed by players is if a crew has followed a the ghost ship quest line.
A long quest line around 7 or 8 stops should be implemented for the ghost ship. Some of the quests could be special just for this event.
Sea Monsters/Raid Encounters
Please more giant sea monsters! The Kraken is amazing and more encounters like this are golden here are some ideas:
Giant Deep Sea Crab
Giant Phantasmal Eel/Leviathan
Ghost Ship
Ghost Fleet
Ocean Chimera
Six Headed Sea Hydra
Giant Sea Dragon
Neptune
How Sea Monsters Should Work
You know how you just encounter the kraken while playing and you just fight him off. That should only be half of the fight. Later in the game a quest/voyage should be out there for players to attempt to hunt down and kill the kraken body and all.
This should be the same for every sea creature in my opinion.
You experience half the fight if u randomly encounter a sea monster out in the world but if you have a quest to hunt down and kill the sea monster you do so in a full raid fight by summoning it through the voyage requirements and the slaying it.
After this is implemented we could then have sea monster loots such as exclusive sea monster guns, swords, clothes, and ship options.
Kraken Revamp
It's pretty underwhelming for the kraken to just destroy your hard earned loot and ship then let you swim around until a mermaid comes to the rescue.
After the kraken has won the fight and the players are swimming around in the inky waters. The kraken should reach up with other tentacles, grab each player one by one, and
pull them down to the main body of the kraken where he would eat and dispose of the players. This would only happen if the kraken wins the fight.
Outpost Ownership/Blockades
Once crews are established in sea of thieves crews should be allowed to fight for supremacy in a blockade that will take place at a certain time which is at least a week after it is declared so all parties can plan ahead and be present. A time and ship rules will also be agreed upon by both parties.
1-5 crews on each side can fight in a blockade at a time. Both sides will wait behind a starting line on their ships while they wait for the 5 crew slots to be maxed out.
Once the blockade starts it wont be decided until all the players have been killed on one side and have no ships remaining. For blockades respawn times have been GREATLY increased but they will respawn at the blockade behind their teams starting line.
The crew that owns the outpost will receive 7% of all items that are sold there and reward money from chests/skulls. Additionally The crews colors and flag will show through the outpost on fence posts and flags hanging from different areas.
