Season Eight of Sea of Thieves is coming tomorrow, and one of the major changes on the way is opt-in on-demand PvP via ship battles.
There will be much coming with the update, the first after the most recent Adventure determined whether Captain Flameheart would indeed be back. He is, since the community supported this, so with the new ship battles, you can opt in to compete. There are two factions to choose from, the Guardians of Fortune or the Servants of the Flame. The latter, of course, pledges to serve Flameheart and the Reaper’s Bones, while the first is loyal to the Pirate Lord and allies.
There will be an hourglass in the Captain’s quarters of each ship to pick a faction if you want to. Doing this will flag your crew for PvP. Once you do that, the War Map on the table will show you enemy ships you can go and hunt.
Entering the battle will be in an instanced arena. Your wins will begin to earn you Allegiance, and if you start building streaks, earn more gold too. Wind for your faction will be noted by the hourglass, which gets stronger. Build up a streak and earn your reputation as a champion, and your ship will be visible to others and you’ll likely be a target for the increased rewards defeating you will bring.
While you can actively sail and try to hunt the other side’s ships, you can also represent them during regular activities. Even bringing treasure on board will earn you more reward.
Factions will be important for more reasons too, with new Milestones, and with enough Allegiance earned, special access to faction areas, and their rare rewards. Some of these special rewards even include some distinct customization. For those who reach this elite level for the Servants of the Flame, you might get to turn your crew into skeletons and customize them.
Sea of Thieves will enter its new season, including all this PvP action, tomorrow.
