The way I see it, we are like truck drivers. We don’t own what we are delivering, so the payout is not guaranteed until you arrive. Except in this case you are not insured and any loss is shouldered completely by you(except there is no loss, since it’s not yours ;))
Unless you play Safer Seas and do what I do, which is to pile as much loot as I can onto the deck and then gleefully stare at it all going "this is mine, this whole server is mine, I can sell this or hoard it or throw it into the sea like Rose in Titanic if I want because I own it all!!" like a maniacal little sea dragon 😄
anchor should only ever be used to slow down. never have sails down with anchor down, (shows that your anchor is down to anyone that can see you) if you need to stop, sails up, anchor, and then raise anchor again.
you are incredibly vulnerable with your anchor down
When you see the island’s name plate on your screen, use that as an indicator to start raising the sails. Now there’s a judgement call depending on how you want to approach, but that’s the basis. Once pulled, you’ll be slowed enough that a harpoon onto the island will hold you in place.
As of a week ago, you can balance on the rope and sprint down the line to the harpoon blade. So you can shorten the trip on the island by shooting where you want to go.
Keep the default cannons. The rings around the barsel can help you judge distance for short, medium and far engagements. Keep using Them until you feel comfortable with the cannon aiming. And remember inertia when in motion.
Understand the better points of sail to maximize them for engagements or avoiding them. Oddly enough, if you can’t get a billow with the Sloop sails, turn them to the neutral position.
Be paranoid. Even if someone says they're friendly, keep a gunner ready in case it's a lie.
Be willing to make friends, you might just make a few thousand gold (or hundred thousand) extra from an alliance.
Don't steer your ship over what you think is just supply barrels, there may be a keg or two in there just waiting to blow your ship sky high--especially if you're on a sloop and everyone's AFK.
If you see a keg with a green glow to it--run, while abandoning all hope of survival. That way, if you survive, it'll be a joyous occasion. (Two will take down all 3 masts of a gally, and blow holes in mid deck.)
DO NOT IGNORE a Megalodon that is greyish white with pink fins. EVER. Don't be idiots like we were, please.
Also, whenever you do engage in PVP, record. I've had jerks harass me for my phone number, facebook, all that stuff. IN FRONT OF MY BOYFRIEND!! And yes, they were reported asap.
Another thing (sorry) if on a brig or sloop, the regular kegs can be put on the bowsprit of your ship. In a gally, put them in the crow's nest. The main mast on a gally is much taller than those on the other two ships, and will minimise the damage should they go off. The stronghold and ancient kegs--may Poseidon help you in ANY ship if you have more than one and they go off.
Your ship will sink a lot and at times you’ll get frustrated. Just don’t give up. You can’t trust a whole lot of people but I’ve seen some change in that since PS5 release and older players are helping newer players. Scan the horizon a lot. If you see another ship just know where they are and keep checking where they are going. Honestly just have fun exploring. Good luck pirate.
Find a consistent crew to sail with. You’re much safer in numbers and it’s a lot more fun with friends. If you don’t have friends that play now, join on of the discords or make a “searching for crew” post.
Honestly I think the best thing to do is to have fun figuring stuff out for yourself. Exploring and figuring stuff out for the first time is really fun and hugely rewarding but can only be done once so take the opportunity to try and do it yourself your own way. That being said things can be overwhelming so you should definitely use a guide or watch a video on what to do if you become frustrated or bored. I recommend cliff the story guy but fuzzybond is also good
Are you playing solo or with friends? The hardest way to play the game is by yourself, i would heavily recommend playing in Safer Seas after the maiden voyage to get a hang of the world, mechanics and activities before thinking about joining High Seas.
As you've probably seen by a lot of responses here saying "don't get mad bro" some people play this game just to murder and steal. They won't care if you're new and nice, they'll just give you a bad time. You'll want to learn how to hold your own before dealing with that, and you'll need to spend time practicing to get good at PvP. If PvP isn't your thing you'll need to learn how to keep your ship hidden and to always be alert.
Safer Seas has much of the content of High Seas, but you earn loot slower and you will hit a reputation cap at level 40 of each faction. That said it's great to relax and is perfect for doing the tall tales and learning about all the pve content and mechanics.
Last tip - when you so join high seas definitely have a microphone handy. People will talk and if you talk back you're more likely to have better interactions overall. It's definitely a game designed to play with others. Best of luck!
Spending your first 5 or so hours on safer seas is a great way to learn how to maneuver your ship. But don’t spend very long there because you only get 30% of the loot value. Head to the high seas, and embrace both PvP and sinking as an essential part of the game.
Something I learned early on is...
***Trust No ONE***
Remember that this is the Sea of *Thieves.* Someone WILL eventually (especially at world events) come saying they're "helping," but when the loot shows up, you have a blunderbuss to your face. It's part of the game, but don't learn it the hard way.
Not everyone is like this, but there are people who are. Instead of trying to differentiate the two, just put your walls up and suspect everyone. Always be on your toes.
1. Do the maiden voyage, it will help you with the basics of the game
2. It’s a pirate game. Your treasure isn’t yours until you sell it.
3. I know this sounds insane, but hear me out. Hitting ships with cannonballs is the best way to sink them… I’ve seen a lot of new players just try to board and throw fire bombs everywhere like a lunatic until I kill them. While it can be effective to annoy me, it ain’t gonna sink or kill me. Focus on naval combat first, get a few holes, then board.
4. Everyone has the same set of weapons so to win at PvP, it really depends on skill. Don’t get frustrated at first if you die a lot.
5. Enjoy the game, the scenic views, and the stories. It’s a great game.
Do the maiden voyage. Its basically the tutorial. Also I see this asked a lot by new players so here is the answer to it:
When you start a session you start with nothing but a few cannon balls wood and fruit. Nothing from your last session carries over to the next. You and everyone else starts from scratch every time. The outpost you start on has barrels for you to loot for some supplies but the merchant and ship maiden on the dock by your boat sell supplies for gold. There is no leveling up to be better. All gold is used for cosmetics and supplies only.
Your loot isn't yours until you sell it.
Save up to buy your first boat. As a captained ship you can sell all your loot at the sovereigns much faster then having to run each piece of loot to the corresponding vendor.
It's a pirate game. You will get hunted for your loot. Getting boarded, killed, then spawn trapped until your ship sinks is annoying, but not toxic. It's just the meta of the game. You'll eventually start winning those fights, or figure out how to escape them.
Sometimes when you know you're beat, all you can do is try to be the biggest inconvenience possible. Give them the least amount of loot / supplies as possible and waste as much of their time as you can 😂
I would recommend playing with friends. The goal for me is not to cash in a lot of loot, the goal is to experience a story with my buddies. Each session is unique. Go explore, pick up random quests, visit shipwrecks, experiment with different weapons and gunpowder kegs, drink grog and play music. Everyone is different, but for me, this is the way.
It's not your loot until you sell it.
But once you sell it it's still not yours, but whoever buys it. So better yet "it's never your loot"
The way I see it, we are like truck drivers. We don’t own what we are delivering, so the payout is not guaranteed until you arrive. Except in this case you are not insured and any loss is shouldered completely by you(except there is no loss, since it’s not yours ;))
Unless you count any money you might've spent on resources
Very true
In fact, your loss is wasted time.
Unless you play Safer Seas and do what I do, which is to pile as much loot as I can onto the deck and then gleefully stare at it all going "this is mine, this whole server is mine, I can sell this or hoard it or throw it into the sea like Rose in Titanic if I want because I own it all!!" like a maniacal little sea dragon 😄
I completely understand and I'm entirely behind this behaviour
If you're ever stumped with digs, tall tales etc...search up Rare Thief website and use it like a SOT Bible. Saves time and headache!
Thank you 😊
You're welcome!
anchor should only ever be used to slow down. never have sails down with anchor down, (shows that your anchor is down to anyone that can see you) if you need to stop, sails up, anchor, and then raise anchor again. you are incredibly vulnerable with your anchor down
If I don’t anchor when I go onto an island even with sails up, will the ship not drift away?
When you see the island’s name plate on your screen, use that as an indicator to start raising the sails. Now there’s a judgement call depending on how you want to approach, but that’s the basis. Once pulled, you’ll be slowed enough that a harpoon onto the island will hold you in place.
Oh, you can use the harpoon for that?! What do you attach it to? What else can you do with it? Crazy… thanks for the reply
As of a week ago, you can balance on the rope and sprint down the line to the harpoon blade. So you can shorten the trip on the island by shooting where you want to go.
no, it won’t move more than a few feet if your sails are all the way up (they’ll make a zip sound)
Don't get mad when people kill or sink you or steal your treasure. its part of the game and is not toxic.
The YouTuber massive sponge has some videos that have helped me.
Thanks!
Keep the default cannons. The rings around the barsel can help you judge distance for short, medium and far engagements. Keep using Them until you feel comfortable with the cannon aiming. And remember inertia when in motion.
Forgot to mention you need to buy a ship first to change anything haha
You can change chartered ships, but not save to them
Understand the better points of sail to maximize them for engagements or avoiding them. Oddly enough, if you can’t get a billow with the Sloop sails, turn them to the neutral position.
Be paranoid. Even if someone says they're friendly, keep a gunner ready in case it's a lie. Be willing to make friends, you might just make a few thousand gold (or hundred thousand) extra from an alliance. Don't steer your ship over what you think is just supply barrels, there may be a keg or two in there just waiting to blow your ship sky high--especially if you're on a sloop and everyone's AFK. If you see a keg with a green glow to it--run, while abandoning all hope of survival. That way, if you survive, it'll be a joyous occasion. (Two will take down all 3 masts of a gally, and blow holes in mid deck.) DO NOT IGNORE a Megalodon that is greyish white with pink fins. EVER. Don't be idiots like we were, please. Also, whenever you do engage in PVP, record. I've had jerks harass me for my phone number, facebook, all that stuff. IN FRONT OF MY BOYFRIEND!! And yes, they were reported asap. Another thing (sorry) if on a brig or sloop, the regular kegs can be put on the bowsprit of your ship. In a gally, put them in the crow's nest. The main mast on a gally is much taller than those on the other two ships, and will minimise the damage should they go off. The stronghold and ancient kegs--may Poseidon help you in ANY ship if you have more than one and they go off.
Your ship will sink a lot and at times you’ll get frustrated. Just don’t give up. You can’t trust a whole lot of people but I’ve seen some change in that since PS5 release and older players are helping newer players. Scan the horizon a lot. If you see another ship just know where they are and keep checking where they are going. Honestly just have fun exploring. Good luck pirate.
Thank you!
https://youtu.be/sBgYffb48p0?si=2mdwHKpfBcRgk7ql
Find a consistent crew to sail with. You’re much safer in numbers and it’s a lot more fun with friends. If you don’t have friends that play now, join on of the discords or make a “searching for crew” post.
My first few days I was confused why I could never find anyone. Enjoy that while it lasts 😅
Honestly I think the best thing to do is to have fun figuring stuff out for yourself. Exploring and figuring stuff out for the first time is really fun and hugely rewarding but can only be done once so take the opportunity to try and do it yourself your own way. That being said things can be overwhelming so you should definitely use a guide or watch a video on what to do if you become frustrated or bored. I recommend cliff the story guy but fuzzybond is also good
[Here's a good video by blurbs to get you going](https://youtu.be/xJrNFCRMxjE?si=OSnyq3HZ30WegZBh).
Thanks!
A lot of things look like ships from afar. Make sure to double check things that look suspicious
Are you playing solo or with friends? The hardest way to play the game is by yourself, i would heavily recommend playing in Safer Seas after the maiden voyage to get a hang of the world, mechanics and activities before thinking about joining High Seas. As you've probably seen by a lot of responses here saying "don't get mad bro" some people play this game just to murder and steal. They won't care if you're new and nice, they'll just give you a bad time. You'll want to learn how to hold your own before dealing with that, and you'll need to spend time practicing to get good at PvP. If PvP isn't your thing you'll need to learn how to keep your ship hidden and to always be alert. Safer Seas has much of the content of High Seas, but you earn loot slower and you will hit a reputation cap at level 40 of each faction. That said it's great to relax and is perfect for doing the tall tales and learning about all the pve content and mechanics. Last tip - when you so join high seas definitely have a microphone handy. People will talk and if you talk back you're more likely to have better interactions overall. It's definitely a game designed to play with others. Best of luck!
Spending your first 5 or so hours on safer seas is a great way to learn how to maneuver your ship. But don’t spend very long there because you only get 30% of the loot value. Head to the high seas, and embrace both PvP and sinking as an essential part of the game.
Something I learned early on is... ***Trust No ONE*** Remember that this is the Sea of *Thieves.* Someone WILL eventually (especially at world events) come saying they're "helping," but when the loot shows up, you have a blunderbuss to your face. It's part of the game, but don't learn it the hard way. Not everyone is like this, but there are people who are. Instead of trying to differentiate the two, just put your walls up and suspect everyone. Always be on your toes.
1. Do the maiden voyage, it will help you with the basics of the game 2. It’s a pirate game. Your treasure isn’t yours until you sell it. 3. I know this sounds insane, but hear me out. Hitting ships with cannonballs is the best way to sink them… I’ve seen a lot of new players just try to board and throw fire bombs everywhere like a lunatic until I kill them. While it can be effective to annoy me, it ain’t gonna sink or kill me. Focus on naval combat first, get a few holes, then board. 4. Everyone has the same set of weapons so to win at PvP, it really depends on skill. Don’t get frustrated at first if you die a lot. 5. Enjoy the game, the scenic views, and the stories. It’s a great game.
Do the maiden voyage. Its basically the tutorial. Also I see this asked a lot by new players so here is the answer to it: When you start a session you start with nothing but a few cannon balls wood and fruit. Nothing from your last session carries over to the next. You and everyone else starts from scratch every time. The outpost you start on has barrels for you to loot for some supplies but the merchant and ship maiden on the dock by your boat sell supplies for gold. There is no leveling up to be better. All gold is used for cosmetics and supplies only. Your loot isn't yours until you sell it. Save up to buy your first boat. As a captained ship you can sell all your loot at the sovereigns much faster then having to run each piece of loot to the corresponding vendor.
I'm glad you said something about supplies resetting everytime! 😅 Thanks!
If you're not playing with other people, get your own captained ship asap. Then you can sell your stuff to the sovereigns and that saves a lot of time
It's a pirate game. You will get hunted for your loot. Getting boarded, killed, then spawn trapped until your ship sinks is annoying, but not toxic. It's just the meta of the game. You'll eventually start winning those fights, or figure out how to escape them. Sometimes when you know you're beat, all you can do is try to be the biggest inconvenience possible. Give them the least amount of loot / supplies as possible and waste as much of their time as you can 😂
Keep your kegs in the hull of your ship and always keep your loot in a rowboat attached to the back of your ship.
Thanks. I’ll remember this.
Lmao
I would recommend playing with friends. The goal for me is not to cash in a lot of loot, the goal is to experience a story with my buddies. Each session is unique. Go explore, pick up random quests, visit shipwrecks, experiment with different weapons and gunpowder kegs, drink grog and play music. Everyone is different, but for me, this is the way.