I’d like to share my thoughts on a debate I’ve seen going on for years in Sea of Thieves.
When most people first encounter the game whether through trailers, YouTube videos or community accounts the impression they get is that of a grand pirate adventure. Exploring islands, hunting for treasure, battling skeletons, fishing, sailing with friends and creating your own stories along the way, however, when you actually get into the game, especially in the High Seas, you discover that Sea of Thieves is much more about knowing how to handle the situations that arise during the journey than about the treasures themselves. And I’m not saying this as a criticism. That has always been the game’s premise.
The problem, in my opinion, is that many people go in expecting one experience and find a completely different one. There’s a disconnect between expectations and reality, whilst some players love hunting down ships to sink, stealing loot and living out that outlaw pirate fantasy, others just want to pick up a few missions, explore islands, do a Tall Tale, go fishing or spend a few hours relaxing after a day’s work.
And honestly? Neither of them is playing it wrong.
What I see happening is that many people respond to any complaint with “that’s just how the game is” or “look at the name of the game, it’s Sea of Thieves”.
But does that really answer everything?
Sea of Thieves isn’t a linear game. It’s an open world. And when we talk about an open world, we’re usually talking about the player’s freedom to choose how they want to play.
If another player wants to spend the whole night fishing, doing quests and exploring islands, should they have a more complete way to enjoy that playstyle as well?
That’s precisely why I thought the creation of Safer Seas was one of the best decisions Rare has made. They recognised something: there’s a huge group of people who love the Sea of Thieves universe, but don’t like the constant pressure of PvP.
What bothers me is that Safer Seas seems to have been created with the handbrake on. Fewer resources, less content, fewer possibilities and so you’re left with the feeling that the mode exists, but at the same time the player is being pushed towards the High Seas if they want to experience the game in its entirety. I understand the argument that risk is part of the experience. I agree to a certain extent. Risk creates incredible stories.
But I also think that sometimes the community overlooks a simple reality: losing 2, 3 or even 4 hours of progress in a matter of minutes isn’t fun for everyone.
For some, it’s a rush. For others, it’s just frustration, and neither of these people is wrong.
That’s why I don’t think High Seas needs to change its identity to cater to other types of players. Those who enjoy this experience should continue to have exactly the same game they have today.
What I’d like to see is a more complete Safer Seas, with more events, more systems, more content and more freedom, in my view, if Sea of Thieves really is an open world, then perhaps the best experience is one in which both the player who wants to plunder treasure and the player who just wants to enjoy a peaceful adventure have the freedom to choose how they sail the seas.
