There are also references to more instruments beyond the hurdy-gurdy and accordion, which have become massive hits among players. Each of the two existing instruments has a lead and backing track (along with their drunk variants), but a fifth track for drums also appears to be on the cards. Many players have also wished for larger galleons allowing for crews of 5 or 6, but the datamine has revealed no fruits in that regard – just more pomegrana

It’s in no way surprising that the mantra of "…but what do I do?" or variations thereupon, has lingered over Sea of Thieves like a pungent-but-irremovable odor. While there was always a strong case that there’d already been a fair amount of intrigue built up for what Rare — proper Rare that is, not Kinect Sports-shackled "Rare" — was cooking-up, prior to and since its reveal back at E3 2015 (which admittedly garnered somewhat of a deflated "eeeeeehhhhhh" reaction from yours truly), details pertaining to its content, its progression, its finer details outside of an odd sample of footage and some rather unfunny plodding through voluntary player commentary, have been somewhat conserved. For what purpose though; after all, you and I both know Microsoft need all the good marketing they can get their hands on if they’re to give Xbox a reasonable chance in 2018.

Noah: We dug up the chest, fought off some skeletons with our muskets, and made our way back to the ship. Opening the chest would require us to sail to an outpost nearby: all the while remaining in danger from other pirates or the chest its

In summary, we want each of the Sea of Thieves weapons to be the right tool in the right circumstances, allowing players to get into cannon exchanges, gun battles and tense sword fights when the right moment stri

While the infamous bananas are the only healing factor in the beta, the full game will also feature coconuts, pineapples, pomegranates, and rum. It's not clear what the difference between grog and rum will be, though it's likely pirates will make haste of their own supply. Those who have played the beta also know it has a few gaps in the equipment wheel, and while the full inventory hasn't yet been discovered, there was an entry here for dice, which is a solid indication that players will be able to gamble with one another. There will also be a variety of at least three usable potions which seem to be health restoration, resurrection, and poison. If there's a chance to poison the grog supply on an enemy ship, we imagine impromptu stealth missions will be a joy to beh

For those who are excited about sailing the open seas, there looks to be plenty of hostile waters, as fellow players will attack and board players' ships in an effort to plunder and thieve their goods. There will also be plenty of opportunities to fight AI enemies throughout the wo

"One of the things we’re very aware of is the need for the balancing to be right. After running some recent tests, we found that PC players were 4.5% more efficient at killing skeletons than Xbox players, and this feels close enough that it’s something we’ll continue to monitor. However, PvP between platforms, or more importantly device input, is the big focus point for us as a Design team, and already we’ve been working closely with the Game Experience team to change the way the guns work to be better balanced for cross play. We’ve put in a bunch of telemetry around this, and with the change to guns it’s made them feel tonally so much more fitting, as previously they felt more like laser weapons than ancient plundered-and-pillaged gunpowder-driven blunderbuss

How far will the trading concept go, will the cosmetic and customization sides be pushed, will the jolly and co-operative nature of fulfilling objectives flourish when it comes to buddying up with fellow players? That is, when the match-making is (and hopefully will be) better fortified. Without question, there’s a pull in Sea of Thieves that will win even the most jaded of lone wolves over, but is life at sea (and just the sea) enough of a justification? I commend Sea of Thieves for its attractive proposal, but with such a lacking world and over-reliance on random encounters, let’s just say Rare haven’t quite convinced me wholeheartedly on this concept just yet.

The Sea of Thieves closed beta has only been active for a handful of days, but that hasn't stopped hungry gamers from turning over every rock (in-game or otherwise) in the quest to uncover as much about the game as possible. The upcoming multiplayer seafaring experience will see pirates voyaging from island to island in search of treasure, contracts, and glory, but the closed beta only offers a sample-sized portion of the full picture. Now, sea of thieves dlc of Thieves fans have datamined the closed beta in order to get a better glimpse of what is to c

_During E3 2017, DualShockers' staff writers Azario Lopez, Logan Moore, Tomas Franzese, and Noah Buttner went hands-on with Rare's upcoming Sea of Thieves. The four-person crew suited up and took to the open seas in hopes of finding treasure and excitement. What they discovered is that they might in fact be the worst pirates ever, but that didn't stop them from having an amazing time in this open-watery worl