So, I've seen this idea floating around the forums as a kind of half-formed thing. I wanted to put it together as a more cohesive and detailed post for everyone to reference.
Basically, people have been talking about Pirate Legends getting their own islands, or people being able to bury their own treasure. Both mechanics would be well and truly fitting for the game, but as many pointed out could ruin the game in some cases. I'll do my best to address both sides of the subject, and explain a way that could see personal islands enter the game, and still not interfere with it overmuch.
Once we reach the status of Pirate Legend, Rare has let us know about the hideout where only said Legends (and their crews) can hang out. But, all that is, is a shared space where you can socialize and maybe pick up voyages from the ghost captain. Beyond that we don't know much about the Pirate Legend's Hideout. The Hideout has a physical entrance in the world of Sea of Thieves. So, I seized upon that idea for personal islands as well.
Many have said that we should be able to build on islands, but let's face it. If that were implemented all the islands would be built on and fortified to high heaven in no time at all and the game would soon turn into all out assaults 24/7 on islands just to get at the single treasure box for a voyage you picked up.
The fix to this is instances. Have a closed off instance (a small bubble of space) where the island would be located. It is not in the world, but certain locations could act as "portals" to said place.
The Pirate Legend would have to go on a very long and arduous voyage themselves to obtain the island, but once they got it, it would be theirs forever. Upon receiving the island, they would be able to choose between several island types created by the Devs. Once the island shape was decided they could spawn, some skeleton towers, mobs of skeleton infantry to patrol, and maybe some other defenses. At a location on the island with some natural defenses such as a cliff, or maybe some cannons mounted on a defensive position, a treasure vault would be placed. This treasure vault would have a central room near the bottom, that can only be opened by a key. Now the key would be very similar to how skeleton forts work. If the Pirate Legend has sailed to defend his treasure then you have to kill him to get it, and if not then a powerful skeleton captain is spawned to take his place. Now for the treasure part.
The treasure could be as small as one chest to a maximum of 10. The Pirate Legend could visit his own island, and bury any chests he brings there. Now the locations the chests could be buried would be restricted, so the devs could make riddles, or other types of maps hidden on the island for people to find them, all the while more and more skeletons are spawning. But, the main advantage of burying treasure for the Pirate Legend would be to earn interest on what they bury. Only treasure buried in the treasure vault would earn interest over time, but smaller less valuable chests could be buried and the points mentioned before as a distraction for crews invading the island.
How to get there? A Pirate Legend can always visit his island with his crew by equipping a magical compass, that is awarded to the Pirate Legend when they take ownership of the island.
The compass would not point north, but towards the nearest portal that takes a crew to a personal island. For others to find their way there, a randomly spawned message in a bottle will be able to be found in the world. This bottle contains a voyage to find the Treasure of (insert Pirate Legend's Name) The voyage will take you to multiple islands to find the keys (magic skulls) to open a portal to the Pirate Legend's Fortress Island. The voyage will spawn a maximum of 3 times a week for each Pirate Legend, and only when they are online and playing. If the voyage is embarked upon by the crew, then the Pirate Legend is notified that someone is swiggity swooty, coming after their sweet sweet booty. They can either follow their compass to find their island portal and then wait in ambush, try to find the crew out at see who is on the voyage, or quit. The island will still retain its defenses and be raidable until the voyage is canceled or the ship on said voyage is sunk.
Once the invaders find all the keys and the portal entrance (which could be land locked, or capable of fitting ship based on the portal's location), they will have to assault the island, and bring the chests back to the portal which will spawn somewhere around the island if the portal was land locked, or out to sea a little, if they came in via ship. With both mobs, and possibly other players to contend with this could be one of the most challenging things in the game which opens the possibility of inviting other crews along with you to help.
That's what I got. Please feel free to comment any ideas/add-ons you think would make this better, or more realistic to implement.
