9. The Skeleton Curse

Two weeks ago, I wrote about the new Ghost Curse in Sea of Thieves. Along with the Skeleton Curse, this was one of the two new curses introduced in Season 8.

It is a lot of work to get these two new curses, and I thought I'd be lucky to get even one of them during Season 8. However, thanks to the Double Rewards Week, which I covered in last week's post, I managed to get both of the curses before the season ended! 

Today, I will share my thoughts on the long-awaited Skeleton Curse.

Jimi drinks from the chalice that will grant him immortality as a skeleton!

1. Skeleton Teeth!

I'd like to start by saying that I like the skeleton curse very much. In fact, the more I use it, the more it grows on me! 

Many have complained that we cannot equip our old clothes or cosmetics to our skeleton form. It would be great if we could use our hats, jackets, and hair with the skeleton curse, but I am sure this is easier said than done!

That is not to say that all skeletons are the same. Your pirate's size will affect the size of your skeleton. Large pirates will be large skeletons, and small pirates will be small skeletons. Also, Jimi seems to have a larger nose socket than other skeletons I've seen. Perhaps his large nose affected this?

What I found disappointing was that skeletons do not have unique teeth. As I pointed out in the very first post in this blog, Jimi has no teeth. Nevertheless, when he transforms into a skeleton, he suddenly has a full set of chompers!

Flameheart and his cronies say that "The curse is a gift." Jimi finally understands what they mean. Flameheart takes our flesh but gives us our teeth back!

I noticed there is a skeleton in the Reaper's Lair who is missing many a tooth. The game already has toothless skeletons, so I hope in the future the design team will make our skeletons resemble our pirates a little more in this regard.

Player skeletons all have full mouths of teeth, even though there are NPC skeletons in the game who are missing teeth. In future updates, will our pirates' dental history transfer over to the skeleton curse form?

2. The Skeleton Curse's Potential

While I hope that the skeleton curse becomes a better reflection of our pirates in the future, if you think about the curse as a highly customizable costume, it is quite wonderful!

You start out as the most basic white skeleton model in the game. You look just like the weak skeleton NPCs that we meet all over the Sea of Thieves. In my Ghost Curse article, I already introduced Blurbs' YouTube video where he tricks other players into thinking he is a skeleton NPC.

Jimi tried to intimidate Pendragon and the crew of the Blackwyche with his new skeleton curse... but they look more amused than terrified!

By completing various commendations, you can unlock new cosmetics for your skeleton. For example, if you blow up another pirate with a powder keg while wearing the skeleton curse, you can acquire a new skull that has a bomb stuck in it! (It's one of the first skeleton commendations I completed... It was a complete accident, I promise!)

As you play your skeleton and unlock cosmetics, you can create an increasingly unique and even intimidating skeleton. While these options are still relatively limited, I am certain that Rare will continue to add new skeleton cosmetic options in future Season and Emporium updates. Perhaps one day, dedicated skeleton players will look as fearsome as the Ashen Lords or even Captain Flameheart himself!

Now that he's purchased some upgrades, Jimi will have to re-visit Pendragon and crew to see if they are intimidated by his skeleton's new look!

3. Reaper's Hideout & Ritual

Even more than the skeleton curse, Jimi was excited to finally see what was underneath the trapdoor at Reapers, and WOW. What an amazing experience!

After years of waiting, pirates can now see what the Reapers have been up to. But first, you will have to engage in a bit of PVP. 

It's not easy to reach level 100 in the Servants of Flame faction, but don't give up! Take your time. Keep plodding along. Sprinkle hourglass PVP into your regular play style. It is not a race. Enjoy the journey and the rewards will be even sweeter!

If you are not confident in PVP, you will get better at it after a few hundred battles. I used to break out into a cold sweat during PVP encounters, but after Season 8 I feel much more relaxed in battle. I still lose a lot, but I am able to win more than I used to (or at least put up a better fight!). Experience is everything, but don't tire yourself out or let it get too frustrating!

Just as the Pirate Legends have their own hideout at Athena's Fortune, there is a secret Reaper's Lair waiting for Flameheart's most loyal followers. 

The Reaper's Lair is amazing. But there is something conspicuously missing. Back in November, during the "Return of the Damned" adventure, the Sea of Thieves community fought a war over whether Flameheart would return to the Sea of Thieves in physical form. When the event ended, the whole world witnessed Flameheart's resurrection in this livestream:

It's been almost four months since Flameheart's resurrection... but he is still nowhere to be found in the Reaper's Lair! 

Jimi and his crew visit the room where Flameheart supposedly returned in November. But where is he? Everyone down here seems to just be waiting around for their king's return. We're told he's already back... but where is he, then?

While I think it would have been nice if we could visit Flameheart already (since he is supposedly already resurrected), I think we just have to be patient a little longer. It took a whole season for the construction at Golden Sands to finally get underway. Perhaps Flameheart's return to the game world will finally happen in Season 9—only two weeks away!