⚓ Season 20 Concept: Reforged Ships
Introduction
Season 17’s Smugglers’ Tide added some fun, but Sea of Thieves needs a larger, permanent system to keep pirates engaged long-term. What if outposts offered true shipyard/drydock refits, where crews spend gold to modify their ships for specialized roles?
These wouldn’t just be cosmetic tweaks—they would fundamentally change how a crew sails, fights, and survives on the seas.
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Setting Expectations – This is a Season 20 Vision
I understand this isn’t a “plug and play” feature. Reworking ship models, balance, and progression would be a massive effort. That’s why I’m not pitching this for Season 18 or 19.
This is a big, three-seasons-away milestone for Season 20—the kind of expansion that feels worthy of celebration.
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Ship Refit Archetypes
- Fishing Vessels 🐟
• Mods: Pulley systems, nets, troll lines in place of a cannon.
• Loop: Drop baited pots with buoy markers.
• Reward: If left long enough, pots yield massive hauls of rare fish, crabs, or sea creatures.
• Risk: Other players can steal your pots before you return—making fishing a risky, high-reward venture. Even other fishers can steal hauls, turning fishing into a competitive profession.
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- Fighting Ships ⚔️
• Mods: Reinforced hull, spikes, extra cannons.
• Loop: Built purely for combat longevity and domination.
• Reward: Designed to increase sea battles and decrease runaway fights. If both sides have combat refits, you’ve got a no-run situation—neither crew is set up to flee, making engagements more decisive and satisfying.
• Risk: Locked into combat—these ships can’t escape, sneak or fish profitably.
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- Speed Runners ⛵
• Mods: Extra sails, lighter hull, stripped-down design.
• Loop: Outrun pursuers, ferry loot quickly, perfect for couriers or small crews.
• Reward: Unmatched speed—the escape artists of the seas.
• Risk: Reduced cargo space, sink faster if forced into a fight.
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- Stealth Raiders 🕶️
• Mods: Shorter sails, slimmer hull, lower horizon profile.
• Loop: Ambush prey, stalk unnoticed, slip into harbors undetected.
• Reward: Ideal for thieves who want to sneak, steal, and vanish.
• Risk: Sacrifices speed and durability—if caught, escape is difficult.
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Expanding the Idea: A Second Drydock 🌋
To spread activity across the map, add a second drydock at Morrow’s Peak Outpost in The Devil’s Roar.
• Revives one of the least-used regions.
• Adds risk/reward flavor—refitting ships in volcanic waters carries danger.
• Creates two hubs at opposite ends of the map for balance.
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Why This Works
✅ Player Choice – Fishers, fighters, runners, raiders.
✅ True Risk/Reward – Fishers risk pots to other pirates; fighters commit to all-out battles.
✅ Emergent Gameplay – More reasons for crews to clash naturally.
✅ Gold Sink – Permanent, meaningful gold use.
✅ Revitalized Regions – The Devil’s Roar becomes strategically relevant again.
✅ Longevity – A system beyond one season.
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This isn’t a small feature—it’s a grand vision. Ship refits would require Rare to rework ships from the ground up, balance tradeoffs, and design new loops.
But as a Season 20 concept, this could be the type of permanent, game-defining update that excites veterans, pulls back lapsed players, and attracts new ones.
And importantly, this isn’t about giving players raw power or breaking the level playing field. Every refit comes with strengths and clear weaknesses: fishers give up combat ability, fighters trade speed for durability, speed ships sacrifice loot space, and stealth ships give up escape options. No one setup is “better” — just different.
Whether you’re a fisher, a fighter, a speed runner, or a stealth raider, the seas would finally feel alive with different pirate archetypes chasing different goals. With refits available at both Port Merrick and Morrow’s Peak, the world itself would feel richer and more alive — while keeping the skill-based balance that makes Sea of Thieves special.
