Legend Spotlight - Hull Lariash

When setting sail on the Sea of Thieves, many pirates aim to reach the ranks of Pirate Legend, setting their sights on that purple fashion and access to the coveted Athena’s Fortune items that can then be sought. But it’s important to remember that your journey doesn’t stop at Pirate Legend, and what you do afterwards with your time on the seas continues to shape your pirate’s story.

There are now more than a million Legends out there deserving of having their stories told, and for our very first Legend Spotlight we caught up with Hull Lariash – a popular player now known for his wild ways of climbing to level 100 in each Sea of Thieves Season – on his journey to Pirate Legend and beyond.

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

[A]: When I was in school, I was probably the only kid in class who didn’t have a Game Boy or gaming console at home. So, whenever school was over, I would often go to my friends’ houses and we would play games together on PlayStation, Xbox or Nintendo 64. We had many play dates where we would just go play video games all day and afterwards re-enact them in the backyard. Oh, to be a kid again and blast imaginary fireballs at your friends!

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

[A]: I remember playing a few Rare games like Banjo-Kazooie and Conker’s Bad Fur Day at my friend’s birthday party. We were a little too young to fully understand the English lyrics of the Great Mighty Poo song but that didn’t stop us from trying to sing along (much to our parents’ frustration, haha)!

My all-time favourite is still Donkey Kong Country for the Game Boy. I still have a copy of that game and I replay it from time to time, like when I’m waiting for my order from Pizza Hut to arrive.

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

[A]: Recently I’ve been replaying all the God of War games. Those games were my childhood and, oh BOY, I can’t wait to see what God of War: Ragnarök will have in store for us!

When I’m not playing Sea of Thieves, I often jump in on an Overwatch match, sometimes playing with my brother-in-law who introduced me to the game.

[Q]: When did you first set sail on the Sea of Thieves, and what was it that attracted you to the pirate life?

[A]: I first set sail on November 21st, 2019 and to this day I still wish I’d played it sooner! I remember watching the trailers and some gameplay videos back in 2018, and what caught my attention was of course the pirate theme as well as the art style of the game. But back then, I didn’t think it would be my kind of game because it looked very hard to play solo. It wasn’t until a few months later when I found the Sea of Thieves art book on Amazon that I looked up the game again and realized how much was added in those few months’ time, like Tall Tales, new challenges, expanded areas, etc. and I wanted to give it a try.

So, funnily enough, if I hadn’t found that art book, I probably never would have given the game a chance. On that note, is there a chance we’ll see an art book for Sea of Thieves: A Pirate’s Life somewhere in the future?

[Q]: How did you go about becoming a Pirate Legend? What were the main challenges and highlights of your journey?

[A]: I could never focus on the Voyages from the Trading Companies. Whenever I saw a Fort active or a shipwreck, I would just abandon those Voyages and head on over there to see what I could find. Which immediately became my kind of play style to get to Pirate Legend: just go wherever the wind takes you and the loot will come to you.

My highlights were pretty much every time I managed to finish a Fort in nothing but a Rowboat without dying. On one hand, no other pirate can see that you are doing a Fort because they don’t see a parked ship. On the other, you can’t respawn on Rowboats, so you have to make sure that you don’t die during the battle. Which was a challenge in the beginning but the more you practice, the better it gets.

[Q]: Can you remember the moment when you became a Pirate Legend and how you celebrated?

[A]: Like it was yesterday! That feeling when you finally play that shanty and you hear the voices singing ‘We Shall Sail Together’ whilst the trapdoor below you opens… I got goosebumps! I actually had a special beer ready for the occasion, which I drank whilst exploring the Athena’s Fortune shops and almost choking on said drink when I read some of Blind Bob’s jokes!

[Q]: Do you have any advice for other players currently on the path to Pirate Legend?

[A]: Something I wish I knew earlier on my journey: Mermaid Gems and Siren Hearts can be sold to any of the Trading Companies. These will help you get there big time!

Also, sell your loot. As much as you can, as quickly as you can. It’s okay to sell your loot when you’re not a Grade 5 Emissary yet. Better to be safe than sorry.

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

[A]: CANNON ROWBOATS!!! I was so hyped when Sea of Thieves actually tagged me on Twitter when they released the announcement video of the Cannon Rowboats before Season Five arrived. I had so much fun tackling all the world events and other players in this tiny vessel of doom!

Another more recent addition that I enjoy is the introduction of Adventures. I love that these are short stories providing a lot of lore about the Sea of Thieves and that they are always announced with a new animated trailer!

[Q]: What sort of content would you like to see added in future for Pirate Legends?

[A]: I’m a lore fanatic, so anything that’s about storytelling and exploring for clues is intriguing. Now that Adventures have been introduced, maybe a new form of Adventure that can be unlocked by Pirate Legends only that will tell the tales from the Athena’s Fortune novel? I think it would be amazing to see these events in game mode.

Or maybe a new Pirate Legend-exclusive owl pet? *wink wink*

[Q]: Legend status aside, what are your greatest achievements in a game, Sea of Thieves or otherwise?

[A]: Does being part of this amazing community count? ‘Cause, to me, this is really what it’s all about. I don’t think there is any other community that’s this supportive or inspiring. To see people showing their love for the game by creating songs, artwork, charity streams or in-game world records, the entire community, from players to the actual developers, show their appreciation for these creative souls by highlighting their work in tags like #BeMorePirate, and that’s just amazing to see.

[Q]: What made you decide to climb the ranks of each Season’s progression levels in such weird and wonderful ways, as we see on Twitter, and how do you decide what to focus on in each Season?

[A]: It all started when Season One was introduced and it was clear that, whatever you do in-game, it will add to your Renown progress. At some point, I was fighting an Ashen Lord and after killing a lot of summoned skellies, I got up another level and I thought “Imagine how many skellies it would take to get to level 100!” – and when Season Two arrived, I actually put it to the test and kept counting them on a sheet of paper. Which somehow became a sort of personal challenge for Seasons to come.

Whenever a new Season is around the corner, I try to see if there is anything new or time-limited, like Events or Adventures, before deciding which I’m going to focus on to build my Renown. I have experimented a bit beforehand to see which gives a lot of Renown and which doesn’t. So, depending on how much time I have to complete this Season, I can choose which one to go with.

For Season Seven I’m going to try and get to level 100 by cooking and eating fish and meat. Wish me luck!

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

[A]: I’m a bit of an artist and I like to draw comics or funny images that might make people laugh. I also love drawing Sea of Thieves-inspired fan art, like new Cursed Chests, musical instruments and NPCs. I’m even working on a Rowboat Adventure Guide where I’ll share my experiences with Rowboats on the seas. I hope to get the hang of drawing digitally and prop building as well.

I like to go to conventions where I do a lot of cosplaying and I’m hoping to get a Sea of Thieves cosplay done in the future!

I also enjoy doing obstacle course races and marathons.

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

[A]: I have a full-size Skeleton Throne in my living room with an actual skeleton sitting on it staring at a wall full of runes... Always fun to see the reactions of people when they first see it!

And so the first of our Legend Spotlights comes to an end. A big thank you to Hull for taking the time to chat to us and give us a little insight into his Pirate Legend story. It's great to see how the passion for Sea of Thieves in the community manifests itself in such wonderful ways, and we’re looking forward to seeing what else Hull gets up to while raising his Renown in future Seasons.

We’ll be back with more Spotlights soon, but until then you can check out dozens of previous Community and Creator Spotlights, and stay up to date with everything else going on in Sea of Thieves by keeping an eye on our many social channels!