Sea of Thieves Closed Beta: Meet the Gold Hoarders

The Gold Hoarders have arrived in this stretch of the Sea of Thieves. Where one Trading Company goes, others will surely follow, but for now they have these shores – and the invaluable services of passing pirates – to themselves.

The oldest of the known Trading Companies, the Gold Hoarders were formed in the distant past from some of the first fortune hunters to strike it lucky on the Sea of Thieves. In more recent times they've entered into a wary agreement with another Trading Company, through whose mysterious arts they obtain treasure maps – a rich supply of routes and riddles spun from secrets long believed to be lost alongside the pirates who carried them to their graves.

So all the modern-day Gold Hoarders need are voyagers of sharp wit and stout heart to follow the maps, retrieve the chests and bring them back intact for the Hoarders to shatter the seals...

Joining the Gold Hoarders

The Gold Hoarders are the only Trading Company open for business in the Sea of Thieves Closed Beta. You'll be able to come to an arrangement with them to build your reputation and wealth by loaning them your skills in exchange for a cut of their profits.

How do you get started? Simply track down one of the Gold Hoarders' tents emblazoned with the distinctive key emblem. You can find one at each outpost. Knowing the value of your skills, the Company's golden-faced representative will generously offer you a free voyage to secure your services. Accept it and take it to the Captain's table on board your ship – there, your crew must cast a vote and agree to set sail.

If you check your quest wheel, you'll now have a treasure map. Head to your ship's map table and locate the island you need to plunder (cross-referencing it against the map from the Gold Hoarders) before embarking on your maiden voyage. When you've tracked down the treasure, complete the deal by returning it to the Gold Hoarders and claiming your cut. Continue to co-operate with them in this fashion and you can get promoted within their ranks, with all the perks that entails!

While the Sea of Thieves Closed Beta is effectively a trial run and progress won't carry over into the full adventure launching on March 20th, we will be keeping an eye out to see which of our pirates achieve great things with the Gold Hoarders during the Beta phase...