Community Spotlight – PeiRei

Sea of Thieves has always been home to a variety of play styles and pirates, and since the early days there have been several names who dominated the competitive scene, winning multiple tournaments and making a name for themselves. Then, with the launch of Season Eight, many of these fine fighters took to Hourglass dives and climbing the ranks to attain the coveted Curses.

One of those pirates is long overdue a Spotlight, so we sat down with the man, the myth, the legend, to finally find out more about PeiRei!

[Q]: Can you tell us a little about what got you into gaming?

[A]: My introduction to gaming took place when I was about 5 or 6 years old. My father purchased a PlayStation 1, where we would play a game called Space Invaders together. My parents also got me a Game Boy Color where I would play Pokémon Yellow, which was a special edition of the game where Pikachu was my starter and would follow me around.

[Q]: Were you a Rare fan before Sea of Thieves? Do you have any favourite Rare games?

[A]: I was a fan of Rare before Sea of Thieves. Every weekend, I would walk down to my neighbourhood friend Nicholas’ house where we would play on his Nintendo 64. We would spend most of our gaming sessions playing Banjo-Tooie. Later, Nintendo released the GameCube where I played Star Fox Adventures (Fox is my favourite character from Super Smash Bros).

[Q]: What other games are you currently playing? Any favourites?

[A]: When I am not sailing the seas, I will hop onto Hunt: Showdown. It’s a slower-paced PvP bounty-hunting game and is currently my favourite game other than Sea of Thieves. If I am out and about, I’ll play some Pokémon Go when there is an active community event.

[Q]: What brought you over to Sea of Thieves and its community?

[A]: After spending a few years playing Destiny and Destiny 2, I was in search of a new game that was open world, encouraged player interactions and had a weapon combat system. A few friends of mine from the Destiny community had tried Sea of Thieves and persuaded me to try out the game. The rest was history from then on.

[Q]: You’re well known on the Sea of Thieves competitive scene, having won both NAL and Sea of Champions. Which moments from those contests were most memorable for you?

[A]: I have to say that the most significant standout moment was when the team and I won Sea of Champions. It was our first tournament win, which at that moment told us in our heads “we can do this”, and that fuelled us into pushing ourselves to be the best we could be in pursuing a Notorious Arena League grand championship.

[Q]: Since the introduction of Season Eight, many pirates have taken the plunge into PvP for the first time. What tips would you give them?

[A]: My advice to those beginning their journey into PvP on the Sea of Thieves is to focus on (1) team communication and (2) following dedication to roles. Calm and clear communication will make it easier for a crew to work together during the heat of the moment. Having a dedication to roles that are defined by duties will prevent people from doing too many things which could cost a team in a fight.

Trust your teammates to complete their duties and you will achieve a higher success rate in naval combat. Don’t get discouraged by sinking, it’s all part of the process of learning. Try to think back to crucial moments of the fight that led to that ending.

[Q]: As a creator on Twitch you’ve built a solid community around your Sea of Thieves content – what's that journey been like for you?

[A]: My time in the Sea of Thieves community has changed my life positively and has helped me grow as an individual. I had the privilege of attending TwitchCon in San Diego last year where I was able to meet many people who had been a part of my community for years, and various communities within Sea of Thieves that had traveled across the country to meet each other in person to celebrate together.

It was a surreal experience to hear all the stories and experiences that members of the community have gone through while playing and the impact I had on their lives. Knowing that I have made a difference in people’s lives is a feeling that cannot be expressed in words. I have been fortunate to make incredible friends and be part of many unique communities created within Sea of Thieves.

[Q]: Thinking back, are there any standout moments for you in Sea of Thieves since you started playing?

[A]: One standout moment was when a friend and I were sailing the sea and we bumped into an island realtor who helped us with island shopping. We were looking for an island that met our standards, which included features like fishing ponds, the animals that inhabit the area, cannons to defend our island from invaders, shelter and more.

Ultimately, we settled on purchasing Mermaid’s Hideaway for a killer price of 18,000 gold. It was such a good deal that I talked the realtor into including Imperial Crown Fortress for a grand total of 38,000 gold.

[Q]: What are your favourite recent additions to Sea of Thieves?

[A]: Those would have to be the Season Six and Season Eight updates. With Sea of Thieves being an open sandbox, the introduction of Sea Forts in Season Six allowed me to create Fortress Wars, which is a Capture the Flag mini-game that focuses on naval and weapon combat. Season Eight brought an on-demand naval combat system with Hourglass PvP and was a much-needed pick-me-up after the removal of The Arena, which rekindled my passion for naval battles.

[Q]: What are your greatest achievements in a game, Sea of Thieves or otherwise?

[A]: I believe that the most significant achievements I have accomplished in Sea of Thieves are the friendships and bonds that I made with my teammates and friends while competing. They are some of the most generous individuals I know, and I consider them family. We rode together on the highest of highs and the lowest of lows and supported each other every step of the way. That to me is worth more than any trophy.

[Q]: If you had to choose a pirate and ship name, what would they be?

[A]: I named my vessel Light ’Em Up, after my catchphrase from when I competed in the Notorious Arena League. Whenever I wanted my teammates to shoot cannons at opposing crews, I’d yell “Light ’Em Up!!!”

If I had to bestow a name upon my pirate, I would name him Pei.

[Q]: What kind of other hobbies do you enjoy outside of gaming?

[A]: Outside of gaming, I enjoy going to live concerts, swimming and bowling!

[Q]: Share a fun fact about yourself. Anything is fair game!

[A]: A fun fact about myself is that I have bowled a perfect game!

We’ll wrap up yet another Community Spotlight there. A huge thank you to PeiRei for taking the time to talk to us, and we look forward to seeing what the future has in store for him – and of course we anticipate many more pirate antics and dramatic battles!

If you can’t wait to hear more from our community, you can check out our previous Community, Creator and Legend Spotlights. Or to see what else our players have been up to and some of the wonderful creations they’ve been making recently, head over to our Community Hub. Until next time!