One of the ideas I've had is the implementation of an Artic area to Sea of Thieves, here is a description of this area and what features will add to the game.
Physical description: The artic area is called "The Frostbitten Peaks", this area should be located at the north of the map and once a player enters the area the color of the sea's water will change into a light blue tone, similar to the water color of Shores of Plenty, the lighting will also change into a rather pale tone of light, all the islands will be covered of snow and the majority if this islands will have tall mountains on them, others will be small isles covered with snow, also, there are plenty of Icebergs floating across the water, and a massive blizzard that replaces the storm on the three main areas of the map, there is only one outpost on this area, which is located on top of a mountain of an island, caves can also be found on this area.
Features, Threats and Mechanics:
The Torch: The Torch is a brand new item which the player must use while he's on the area of The Frostbitten Peaks, this item can be crafted by putting a stick (which can be found on any island of the three main areas) on a fire source (any lighten torch or camp fire counts as a fire source), the torch will provide a light source and warm up the player when holding it, protecting the player from the extreme cold of the area, the protection against the cold disappears after a period of time if the player stops holding the torch, however the torch haves a limited use, and its fire will extinguish after a long period of time, the durability of the torch can be measured by the size of the flame on it.
Temperature: Due to the cold climate of the area, the player will slowly start freezing to death if he's not near a heat source after a long period of time, the player will start making sounds alerting that soon the cold will start making him take damage, however the player can warm himself with a new item: "The Torch" which will warm up the player, still, the cold will affect the player after a period of time if he stops using The Torch.
Icebergs: As described before, there is a plenty of Icebergs floating across this area, they move slowly on any direction, the player will have to be careful when getting close to an Iceberg as it might go on the same direction of the player's ship, crashing with the Iceberg will cause damage to the ship like when a ship crashes with a rock.
The Blizzard: The Blizzard only appears on The Frostbitten Peaks, it replaces the Storm found on the three main areas of the map and its effects on the player and the ship, when a ship enters The Blizzard, the ship will start going at high speeds, making the player have less time to avoid Icebergs or nearby islands, also, any player who's inside of the blizzard's range, will start to freeze faster, the blizzard also limitates the view of the player like the Storm, but instead of being rain, it will be a white mist with snow falling violently.
Avalanches: Many of the mountains on the islands of this area will have unstable layers of snow, so if a player gets to close with The Torch, or if he strikes or shoots one of this unstable areas with a weapon, it will cause the area to colapse, causing an avalanche, burying the players on the snow and killing them, ustable areas can be identified by listening to crack noises on the walls of the mountains.
The Hunters: Before The Pirate lord came to The Sea of Thieves, there was another group of people who entered the waters of this sea, The Hunters were normal people, who used boats to travel across the ocean, but soon the fell victims of a curse they found on The Frostbitten Peaks, they weren't able to die anymore, they're heartbeat stopped but they were still alive, however, their skin began to fall apart, exposing their bones, which had turned into blue glowing ice, they lost all of their humanity and became beasts, now they wander on the islands of The Frostbitten Peaks, attacking whoever they come across. Their weapons are: A wooden lance with a sharp stone at one of the ends which takes the place of The Eye of Reach, A small wooden axe with a stone blade at one of the ends, which takes place of The Pistol, and a wooden mallet which replaces The Cutlass, they are normally as tought to defeat as a Gold Skeletons, but become weak if they come close to you when you're raising The Torch, however, they become tough again if they remain on the cold for a short period of time.
Hunter Boats: Hunter Boats will randomly appear near a player's ship, this ships ar as big as a Brigantine and they will have normally three to five hunters onboard, the ships will constantly crash with the player's ship to cause damage, and will take any chances to keep you moving towards an Iceberg or any obstacle in general, the hunters onboard will also attack the players with their weapons when they are close enough to the player's ship, if a player manages to sink the ship, he will receive a small amount of special loot which can only be sold on the outpost at The Frostbitten Peaks.
Merchant Companies: The Merchant companies can be found on the Outpost of The Frostbitten Peaks, The Gold Hoarders will send you to find buried artifacts (Not chests) that were left by The Hunters after they got cursed, The Order of Souls will send you to fight Tribes of Hunters on the islands of this area, the rewards recieved from defeating Hunter Chiefs will be their magic talismans instead of skulls, The Merchant Alliance will request you to deliver crystals found on the caves of area before a determined date and hour.
And this my idea for an Artic Area in Sea of Thieves, please, let me know what you think.
