Sea of Theives is in a giving mood

Another year is almost over, both here and on the shores of the Sea of Thieves, where the Festival of Giving is about to get underway! Everyone’s invited to join the festivities in the latest free Sea of Thieves update, available today to all players with Xbox Game Pass and across Xbox Series XS, Xbox One, Windows 10 PC and Steam.

Brand new Events and fan-favorite Voyages mingle with incentives such as login gifts and Twitch Drops as the festive season sweeps across the seas, from The Shores of Plenty to The Devil’s Roar. And before getting started, you can grab some stats on your piratical performance in 2020 by checking out Your Story So Far!

Holiday Happenings

During the inevitable end-of-year visits to the tavern, Sea of Thieves’ pirates will find Larinna offering two more Voyage options, both returning favorites. Reserved for special occasions, Gilded Voyages come with the promise of seriously boosted bounty, while the explosive Black Powder Stashes have widened their scope to include more recent toys like the Chest of Rage and Ashen Winds Skull.

Meanwhile, in true Festival of Giving spirit, a line-up of time-limited Events will let pirates rake in the riches and a range of cosmetic prizes. In the 12 Deeds of Giving Event running through to January 20, beating Challenges based on a familiar festive song (with a Sea of Thieves twist) grants goodies with a new and effortlessly elegant Eastern Winds Jade theme.

Alongside this, pirates are encouraged to give generosity a go in Plundered Presents, which brings bonus payouts and Gold Hoarder goods in return for gifting treasure to other crews. On December 30 this makes way for Grogmanay, a fiery line-up of half a dozen new Challenges with their own rewards to send pirates roaring into the new year!

Cold Store

Players expecting the Pirate Emporium to be full of wintry wonders this December will be in their element. The latest livery is the Frozen Horizon Ship Collection, with matching weapons also available to buy – so if you claim the Twitch Drops clothing rewards throughout the month and the free Frozen Horizon Tankard just for logging in and playing, you’ll have all the glacial gear you could need!

Glacial also applies to the Curse now afflicting the Inu and Ragamuffin pets in the Emporium, but they don’t seem too bothered by the drop in body temperature and are perfectly cool with being pirate sidekicks. There are Festival of Giving outfits for pets of all shapes and sizes – a seasonal collection that also includes weapons and emotes – while the Bonechiller Costume offers a much darker twist with the chance to cosplay as a creepy, crimson-clothed Skeleton Lord. And as the end of the year approaches, you can light up the seas with fireworks courtesy of the brand new Cannon Flare options!