If the sound of distant – and not-so-distant – cannon fire hadn’t tipped you off, Season 19 has begun! That means a few things, including a host of improvements to Faction Battles, but most importantly of all: it’s nearly time for our next Community Weekend. It’s so very nearly time for it, in fact, that by the time you read this it may well have begun, so let’s not take up any more time with pleasantries and get straight to the details…

Starting with everyone’s favourite bit: free stuff! Anyone who sets sail during this Event will add the latest luxurious Community Weekend Flag to their collection, while also unlocking the rhythmic Arm Wave Emote for some synchronised celebrations. No need for any purchases or challenge completion here – both items will be waiting for you when you jump into the game.

A slight step up on the challenge front comes in the form of the Community Spirit Goal, which tasks pirates with fishing up Bronze Pondies (for Sea of Thieves’ bronze anniversary!) and delivering them to The Hunter’s Call during this Event. If the community collectively catch and cash in enough fish by the end of Community Weekend, everyone who participated will earn the Meridian Hunter Double Barrel Pistol to acknowledge their angling accomplishments.

As an extra bonus, the commemorative Golden Sailor Figurehead is still available as a free anniversary gift while Community Weekend is live – and to tie things off with a bow, it’ll also be possible to unlock new Titles before the weekend is out. But to get to those, we have to talk about cakes…

As Sea of Thieves has just turned eight, we’re adding a little extra sidequest this Community Weekend to mark the occasion. And sticking with the celebratory theme, it involves cakes. That’s right, a selection of baked goods will be hidden around the Sea of Thieves for eager pirates to find – eight of them, in fact. See, it all makes sense.

Finding these cakes won’t be easy, but there’s a tantalising reward on offer for any pirates who manage it: an exclusive Sweet Sailor Title to wear with pride! There might even be a second Title waiting for pirates who notice a strange pattern[www.seaofthieves.com], but we wouldn’t know anything about that…

If you’ve sailed these seas before then you likely already know how this works, but for those who don’t: Community Weekends are the perfect time to head out in search of treasure due to the shared Community Emissary Grade, a reward multiplier available to all sailors from the time it’s triggered to the end of this Event. The higher the Grade, the higher the multiplier – up to a whopping two-and-a-half times the usual rewards at Grade 5! – but like all Emissary Grades, it has to be earned.

Rather than completing Voyages or finding loot, the Community Emissary Grade tasks viewers with spending time on Twitch watching any streamer in the Sea of Thieves[www.twitch.tv] category[www.twitch.tv]. All are welcome, of course, but if you need any suggestions of who to watch, you can always browse our Community Stream Team[www.seaofthieves.com] and Partner Directory[www.seaofthieves.com].

As those cumulative watch hours tick up, so too will the Community Emissary Grade and that all-important multiplier. This will remain active throughout Community Weekend, increasing the amount of gold, reputation, Seasonal Renown, Allegiance and Guild Reputation you can earn! Just make sure it’s the High Seas you’re sailing on if you want to enjoy the boosts on this special anniversary-themed Community Weekend.

We can’t imagine needing even more incentive to set your eyes on some streams and help boost those gains, but we’ve gone ahead and triggered the latest set of Twitch Drops all the same! Linking your accounts[www.seaofthieves.com] and watching any participating Sea of Thieves streamer between March 27th and March 31st will give you the chance to earn gold, Renown and a Voyage of Luck – ideal for when we hit Community Emissary Grade 5 – as well as a raft of free cosmetics.

This time, these include the Speak No Evil Emote, Eastern Winds Ruby Pirate Title, Gilded Phoenix Hurdy-Gurdy and Lionfish Sails and Pistol. All that for just watching some streamers doing their thing? Got to be a pretty good deal.

Cakes aren’t the only mysteries to contend with this weekend: Pop-Up Plunder is making its return too, promising a bounty of extremely desirable items to crews who can track down the dig spot in time. All you have to do is follow the clues shared regularly on Sea of Thieves social channels, work out the location, hightail it over there and unearth the loot before any other crews beat you to it or the one-hour timer runs out. Better not tarry!

As always, the maps shared won’t be entirely straightforward – where’s the fun if the prize is too easy to find? But if you’re having trouble, try delving into spaces like the Sea of Thieves Discord or Reddit to see if anyone else has seen something you haven’t…

If the name wasn’t enough of a clue, Community Weekends are, at their heart, all about our fantastic community, sharing stories and giving back some good vibes for your ongoing support. We love seeing the endless inspiring ways that players engage with Sea of Thieves, from in-game hijinks to out-of-game craft projects and cosplays, and that’s where the Hat of Unfeasibly Glorious Fame comes in.

The Hat, as it’s more succinctly known – capital H – is a rare reward given out in recognition of creativity, special effort or simply for being an inspiration to other players. Alongside awarding it to folks who feature in the Community Hub[www.seaofthieves.com], we traditionally like to hand out a few more on Community Weekends. So if you’re up to anything you think might fit the bill this weekend or just want to tag in someone as yet Hatless who you think deserves consideration, let us know on Instagram[www.instagram.com], Bluesky[bsky.app], Facebook[www.facebook.com] or Twitter/X, tagging us and using the #BeMorePirate[www.seaofthieves.com] tag to ensure we see it!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VPcjqnPnuSM

Now there’s one question still hanging over us: what’s the point in picking up all these new cosmetics unless there’s a good opportunity to show them off? Well, that’s what the Picture Walls are for. These snazzy backdrops can be found at every Outpost and The Reaper’s Hideout too, flying the Community Weekend Flag and decked out in a matching colour scheme. They’re the perfect place to get a shot of your crew to commemorate the occasion – and then to share said masterpiece on social channels for all to enjoy.

Don’t forget you can also grab a free Community Spirit Firework Crate from the Merchant Alliance this weekend, if you want to liven up your Picture Wall backdrop even further…

Now you’ve got all the details, there’s one last thing to know. The timings for Season 19 Community Weekend are a little different to what you’re used to, but never fear – it’s a good thing, offering even more time to get involved in this Event. We’ll be kicking things off on Friday, March 27th at 10am UTC, rather than the historical Saturday start. Community Weekend will then run all the way through to the morning of Monday, March 30th, giving you 72 hours to set sail, pursue plunder, chase cakes and raise the Community Emissary Grade. We hope to see you there!

The fires of battle are being stoked once again in Season 19 of Sea of Thieves, even as a brand new recurring Event promises fresh ways of earning Doubloons. Yes, in this latest free Season, players engaging in the exhilarating action of Faction Battles will find themselves entering fairer fights faster and more easily, while shrinking Battle Bounds ensure no encounter outstays its welcome. In Act 2, players will get to undertake exciting challenges to earn more of those shiny blue coins, while Act 3 invites Sloop crews to try out a whole new format for sea-based skirmishing…

Act 1 of Season 19 focuses on refreshing these on-demand PvP sea battles, and the ways in which players can use their Hourglass of Fate to seek out clashes with other crews. The first change to get acquainted with is the introduction of Battle Bounds, as the battlefield constricts over time to force warring crews closer together and push the fight towards a nail-biting conclusion.

Further, the downtime between battles is set to be drastically reduced with three new mechanics: a Faction Storage Crate delivered to your deck that saves crews from having to manually resupply; the automatic raising of an Emissary Flag, removing the need to return to an Outpost before getting back to the action; and the option to vote on diving straight back into battle following a defeat without needing to surface. All together, these changes should ensure that players never have to wait long between encounters and can spend more time doing what they love: fighting to the death.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K3_fjcBuELY

As an extra bonus for PvP-minded pirates, the highly anticipated Fight Nights Event will return more than once throughout Season 19. During these windows, any crews engaging in Faction battles will find themselves earning twice as much Allegiance as usual, as well as double the standard amount of gold when cashing in their Hourglass.

The first of these returning Events will be live from March 20th until March 23rd, so don’t miss out! If the increased rewards weren’t enough of an incentive, winning three battles during the Event – for either Faction – will reward players with the enviable Fallen Sea Dog Jacket to wear with pride.

As has been previously announced, some sweeping changes are coming to Doubloons during Season 19. Firstly, players have the opportunity to pick up the commemorative Doubloon Hoarder Title, Eyepatch, Belt and Sails from Larinna, before the Doubloon count of all pirates is reset on April 16th. Any player who amassed more than 50,000 Doubloons during their time with the game will also be awarded the Doubloon Hoarder Cutlass as a testament to their dedication, to be delivered at a later date.

Following the reset, Doubloons will only be earnable from specific sources such as the Seasonal Renown track and a special recurring live Event – more on that shortly – and can be spent in two distinct new markets: Larinna’s Bilge Rats Black Market featuring returning Seasonal items, and Duke’s Smugglers’ Market that mixes new, exclusive goods with some sought-after specials. These Doubloon changes are intended not only to ensure that the currency feels valuable again, but to more effectively reward players’ time in earning it.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6SwSbbCPSu4

The first Bilge Rats Weekender will arrive in Act 2 of the Season, tasking players with completing themed challenges and taking on high-risk Voyages in return for a bounty of those newly refreshed Doubloons. The debut Event will take place in April with a focus on fishing, but don’t worry, there’s no risk of missing out: Bilge Rats Weekenders will be a recurring Event and feel fresh each time, so players will always have the opportunity to earn more Doubloons throughout the Season.

Later in Season 19, Faction Battles will receive further attention with the addition of Last Ship Standing. This time-limited mode introduces Sloop-only battles that pit six crews against one another in a battlefield within the Sea of the Damned! Contending crews will have to best all others to take victory and sail away with a hefty Allegiance bonus. This new mode will be available for all Sloop crews to try out in Act 3, and is set to return as a future live Event beyond Season 19.

As if all that wasn’t enough to be getting on with, Sea of Thieves marks its eighth anniversary this March! We’ve lined up a host of freebies and rewards for the occasion and, as always, we want to send our huge and heartfelt thanks to players for sailing with us all these years.

First up, an Xbox Free Play Weekend will open the floodgates for new pirates to set sail between March 19th and March 24th, whether they own the game or not, while anyone taking to the seas between March 19th and March 30th will unlock the exclusive Golden Sailor Figurehead as a special anniversary gift. Further Lustrous Legend items will be on offer through Microsoft Rewards and Xbox Game Pass In-Game Benefits, before Season 19 Community Weekend kicks off on March 27th with its own set of gifts and boosts to really get the celebrations going!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VPcjqnPnuSM

Alongside all this, Season 19 will of course include a host of new rewards and challenges for players to explore. New Deeds in each Act will test pirates’ mettle in a range of ways, while a fresh Seasonal Renown track promises another 100 levels of rewards to be earned by simply playing and progressing through the game.

At the same time, players who pick up a Season 19 Plunder Pass will be able to unlock the Kraken’s Ruin collection, including a ship set with Collector’s items and the Kraken’s Ruin Mask, Jacket and Hook. The Pass also includes, as always, 750 Ancient Coins on top of the 250 available via the Seasonal Renown track, ready to be deployed in a Pirate Emporium shopping session.

There’s much more to be said about Season 19, especially with regard to what players can expect in Acts 2 and 3, all of which will be detailed nearer the time. If you want a more in-depth look at what’s new and improved in-game with March’s update, take a look at our dedicated Season 19 page[www.seaofthieves.com] or browse the latest release notes[www.seaofthieves.com]. For the rest of the upcoming excitement, be sure to follow along with our social channels so that you don’t miss a thing. For now, enjoy exploring Act 1’s improved Faction Battles, and may the fiercest fighters win!