Hello Rare team,
First of all, I’d like to say that I love Sea of Thieves and the freedom the game gives players. Solo slooping is one of my favorite experiences in the game, but it can also become overwhelming because one player has to manage steering, sails, repairs, cannons, boarding defense, PvE threats, and navigation all at once.
Because of that, I wanted to share an idea for a possible future mechanic focused on reducing solo frustration without replacing the importance of real crews.
My idea is a cursed relic-type weapon/item that allows players to temporarily summon weak support allies.
Some examples:
- Melee skeleton
- Ranged skeleton
- Siren for water combat
- Repair ghost for ship repairs
The important part is that these summons would intentionally be weak and temporary. The goal would not be to make solo players stronger than crews, but simply to help reduce the “I cannot physically be everywhere at once” problem.
Some balancing ideas:
- Maximum of 2 active summons at a time
- Repair ghost always capped at 1 per crew
- 90-second duration
- Limited charges before needing ammo crate refill
- Fragile AI with slow reaction times
- Repair ghost only works if the crew has empty player slots
For example:
- Solo sloop = repair ghost allowed
- Duo sloop = repair ghost disabled
- Duo brigantine = allowed
- Full crews = disabled
This would stop larger crews from abusing the mechanic while still helping undermanned ships.
I also want to emphasize that the intention is not to overpower solo players or replace real crews. The summons would function more as temporary support or distractions rather than strong combat tools.
The purpose of the mechanic would simply be to give solo players brief moments to breathe during overwhelming situations, especially for players who may not have friends to play with or who are uncomfortable using open crews. I believe this kind of support-focused system could help accessibility and reduce frustration without removing the challenge and danger that make Sea of Thieves special.
I also feel like this kind of system could fit naturally into Sea of Thieves because the game already has phantoms, skeletons, sirens, cursed relics, and supernatural mechanics.
Even if this exact idea never becomes reality, I wanted to share the concept because I think support-oriented mechanics for solo players could be healthy for the game.
Thank you for your work on the game and for continuing to support it.
