4. How to Enjoy Season 8

Some pirates will remember Sea of Thieves Season 8 as that season they spent an eternity in underwater purgatory waiting in queue for battle. But constantly diving underwater to attack other pirates is not the only way to experience Season 8. You can also use Season 8's PVP tools to add some zest to your organic adventures on the Sea of Thieves.

Jimi thinks, "1-2 minutes? More like 1-2 hours..."

1. Seamless Server Hopping

Whenever you emerge from the waves to attack another ship using Season 8's matchmaking system, you are loading onto a new server. When the queue times are quick (and Rare is continuing to make improvements), you will sometimes find yourself on a new server in a matter of seconds. 

Nevertheless, in their quest for the coveted ghost and skeleton curses, many pirates have been slow to notice this huge development in the game. I've even seen pirates choose to dive down for another fight rather than join the fray over an active Fort of the Damned. I think that is unbelievable! The same crews used to spend hours server-hopping to find a fort to battle over!

My advice: When you emerge on a new server and win your fight, don't be in a hurry to dive again. Check your horizons. It might be your lucky day!

Season 8 offers an effective new way to server hop. That means Captain Barbossa might finally be able to fix that mizzenmast!

2. Defend a Fort

When Season 6 brought phantom fortresses to the Sea of Thieves, many YouTubers gathered and stored untold riches in the fortresses and waited for other crews to attack. Sadly, in most of these videos, the hoped-for invasion never came.

Personally, I had long dreamed about defending Lost Gold Fort. Since my earliest days on the Sea of Thieves, it has been one of my favorite islands. There are hidden passages that allow knowledgeable defenders to move about quickly and beneath notice. There are well-placed cannons and supply barrels all over the island. There are countless places to hide with an Eye of Reach to snipe your enemies. But like the YouTubers and their fortresses, I rarely found any opportunities to defend this island in my years on the Sea of Thieves.

Season 8's PVP tools have finally helped me to become the defender of Lost Gold Fort. You don't have to dive to be matched with other ships. If you use the hourglass on your ship to join one of the PVP factions, ships from the opposing faction will occasionally burst from the sea and attack you.

Is there an island you enjoy fighting at or would like to fight at? Join a faction, set up your defenses, and wait for the attack. Be sure to stack a bit of treasure, too! You will get a bonus for successfully defending treasure, and it will make the battle more interesting and rewarding for your opponents, too!

Jimi had long dreamed of defending Lost Gold Fort from an attack. Thanks to Season 8, his dream has become a reality!

3. High-stakes Gambling

In Season 5, Rare gave us DICE emotes. Since then, the community has found many creative ways to use dice. Once, I rolled with another crew to decide who would get the Chest of Legends at a Fort of Fortune. We won the chest, but my greedy crewmate may have betrayed our allies once we arrived at port anyway in order to get the other half of the treasure... Ah, pirates! 😅 Anyway, even if you missed Season 5, you can buy the dice emotes from Larinna for doubloons!

Season 8 PVP matchmaking has brought dice rolling to a new level. Instead of fighting, some players are raising the white flag and deciding the winner by rolling the dice. The loser has to scuttle their ship. 

A Closer Inspection. Jimi explains, "He says it's a 4. I says it's a 7." Pirates don't always see eye to eye about the results of a dice game.

But can you trust your opponent? Is it a trick? Are they just trying to lure you onto their ship so they can kill you? If your opponents lose the dice roll, will they honor the results, or will they try to fight you anyway? You never know what will happen in a sandbox pirate game whose mottos are "Be More Pirate" and "Tools Not Rules"! 

Whatever the case, this showcases the potential for alternative resolutions to conflict on the Sea of Thieves. It is surprising how many people are willing to cooperate! Why not think of other creative ways to compete for the win? For example, who can land a deck shot on the enemy ship first? Grab a powder keg and play some keg roulette. Or sail off the edge of the map and see who flinches (anchors) first! Duel with swords or pistols only. Set up a race course between two islands. The possibilities are endless!