Silly and somewhat foolish idea maybe, but I’ve been having this idea constantly.
We have sharks in the game, and not much else to join us in the water. We should have a slight chance to encounter a dolphin that we can tame with a raw fish in our inventory. The dolphin would stay in proximity to the crew’s boat, directly preventing boarders and sharks around the boat (or at least giving them some damage/disturbance instead of completely keeping them away). The dolphin would have the same 2/3-shot health as a shark, and upon approaching the tamed dolphin in the water, you should be able to grab around the top fin of the dolphin and hitch a ride. Swimming in the seas is slow and painfully boring, and a dolphin feels like the next best mini jet ski-esque water boost that could still fit in the game.
An anchored or stationary boat would have the dolphin circling the ship until it gets moving again and the dolphin picks a side to follow alongside. The dolphin should still actively help defend the boat too, damaging or harassing enemy swimmers and sharks that get too close while also making clicking/splashing noises whenever something is nearby in the water.
Idk if anyone else would like this idea, but imagine island hopping to get to an enemy ship thanks to your trusty dolphin zipping you from island to island (at least faster than rowboating and more stealthy). The dolphin should obviously be pretty noisy when being used by a player.
It could also help stranded players who lose their ship or get left behind by their crew, giving them a more fun way to travel between nearby islands instead of just slowly swimming or waiting on a mermaid.
Obviously there would only be 1 dolphin per crew, and it would obviously be disabled in Hourglass/competitive PvP gameplay. just a little bodyguard companion to further help your boat in the normal Adventure map without becoming some overpowered defense mechanic.
I just think the oceans in Sea of Thieves could use a little more life in them sometimes, and this feels like something goofy enough to actually fit the game pretty well.
