Do You Really Like PvP? Or Are You Helping Kill the Game You Love?

First of all, I would like to thank everyone at Rare for creating such an incredible game. Sea of Thieves has one of the most immersive worlds I have ever experienced. The atmosphere, exploration, art direction, sailing mechanics, and progression systems are all fantastic. I genuinely love the game and want to spend more time in it.

However, I would like to respectfully ask you to reconsider the possibility of a full PvE option for Sea of Thieves.

Across YouTube comments, Reddit discussions, Steam forums, social media, and many other community spaces, I constantly see players asking for a PvE experience. This request has existed for years and continues to appear in almost every major discussion about the game.

For me personally, this issue is especially important. I have a disability that makes highly frenetic and fast-paced PvP encounters very difficult. Because of this, a large part of Sea of Thieves becomes inaccessible to me, even though I greatly enjoy the exploration, quests, trading, world events, and cooperative aspects of the game.

A full PvE server would allow players like me to experience the game in a way that is enjoyable and accessible. It would not take anything away from players who enjoy PvP, as they would still have dedicated PvP-enabled servers available.

I have also seen many friends give up on the game because of negative PvP experiences. In my own group, eight different friends tried Sea of Thieves and eventually quit after frustrating encounters that made them feel that their time and effort were being wasted. None of them disliked the world, the sailing, or the gameplay itself. Their frustration came specifically from the mandatory PvP aspect.

This leads me to a sincere question: why not expand Safe Seas or create a true full-progression PvE environment?

Many players wonder whether Rare is concerned that a full PvE option would reduce the PvP population or create backlash from the PvP community. However, if a PvE server were introduced, it would not automatically mean the end of PvP servers. Both experiences could coexist and serve different audiences.

In fact, a PvE option could potentially bring back former players, attract new players who currently avoid the game, improve accessibility for players with disabilities, and allow more casual players to enjoy the content they already purchased.

I am not asking for the removal of PvP. I simply hope there can be room for both playstyles. Sea of Thieves has such a beautiful world, and I believe many players who currently stay away from the game would happily return if they had the choice.

@burnbacon

You are proving my point without realizing it.

First, nobody is asking Sea of Thieves to stop being a pirate game. Sailing, exploration, treasure hunting, world events, Tall Tales, fishing, trading, and cooperative adventures are all pirate activities. Reducing piracy to "attacking other players" is an extremely narrow interpretation of what a pirate game can be.

Second, saying "you have cargo, so I want it" is exactly why a PvE option would not hurt PvP. If there are enough players who enjoy that gameplay loop, they will continue playing on PvP servers. The existence of a PvE alternative does not force anyone to leave PvP.

The contradiction is that PvP supporters often claim that most players prefer PvP, while simultaneously arguing that PvP would die if PvE servers were introduced. Both statements cannot be true. If PvP is genuinely popular, then it has nothing to fear from player choice.

As for Safer Seas, it is not a full PvE mode. It was designed as a restricted beginner experience with reduced progression and rewards. Rare introduced it because they recognized that many players were leaving the game due to the mandatory PvP experience. Yet despite that, player numbers have continued to decline.

You mention disabilities as if every disability affects people in the same way. They do not. The fact that one disabled player can do something does not mean every disabled player can. Different people face different limitations. Pointing to exceptional cases does not invalidate the experiences of others.

@burnbacon

Your experience doesn't invalidate mine, just as mine doesn't invalidate yours.

You had a 5-hour session without any problems. That's great. But that tells us absolutely nothing about how you play, who you play with, what ship you're using, what regions you're on, or even how often you actually engage with other crews.

For all I know, you could be playing in a highly organized group, running a brigantine or galleon with experienced players. That's a completely different experience from someone playing solo or with just one friend on a sloop.

The reality is that Sea of Thieves is not experienced equally by everyone. A duo sloop being chased by a brigantine or galleon is not dealing with the same situation as a larger crew. When you're outnumbered, every task takes longer, every mistake is punished harder, and escaping or defending yourself requires significantly more effort.

And again, not everyone has 5 hours available for a session. Some of us have an hour, maybe an hour and a half. If half of that time is spent in a chase that neither side gains anything from, then most of that play session has effectively been wasted.

That's why personal anecdotes aren't very convincing arguments. I can say I've been chased for 40 minutes by larger crews. You can say you weren't attacked once in 5 hours. Both things can be true at the same time.

The real question isn't whether you had a good session. The question is whether the current design is helping the game attract and retain players. Looking at the game's population compared to its own peak, that's a question worth asking.