Though Sea of Thieves has improved greatly since its original version launched in 2018, Season 5 adds many quality-of-life improvements that will make your overall pirating experience easier than ever. It’s essentially the cozy update; there’s no overarching questline like with the Pirate’s Life expansion, but all the little things have been addressed to give pirates a bit of reprieve. Here are all the major quality-of-life improvements in Sea of Thieves Season 5.
Ammo Pouches
The days of running back and forth to a ship or ammo crate to refill your five shots per weapon are over (or, at least, limited). You will now find that Skeletons and Phantoms will sometimes drop Ammo Pouches upon death, completely refilling all of your equipped weapons. This is a random drop, however, so while combat flow will certainly be improved, it’s possible you get an unlucky run and still have to travel a way to refill your ammo.
Sleeping in Beds
Even pirates get tired sometimes, which is why it’s appropriate that you can now sleep in your ship’s bed. To sleep in a bed, walk up to one, hold X, and your character will drift into a deep slumber. You can wake up at any time, but if you wait a short while, you will start to regenerate any health you’ve lost. This is useful for damaged pirates who ran out of food after an epic battle. If you have any mischievous crewmates, though, they can wake you up at any time by throwing a bucket of water on you.
Instantly Fill Storage Crates
At long last, Season 5 lets players transfer items between Storage Crates and Barrels using a single action (hold X to Take, hold Y to Store). This works when holding a Storage Crate and looking at either a Barrel or Rowboat Chest, and the mechanic should save an inordinate amount of your time if you continue to play Sea of Thieves. Be warned, however, that transferring more resources takes more time, as well as stealing from an enemy crew’s ship Barrels.
Mouths Move with Voice Chat
While this is a smaller improvement within a list of small improvements, the mouths of player characters will now animate when speaking via in-game voice chat. Though it has no major function beyond acting as a visual indicator that someone is speaking, it adds a layer of immersion that was severely lacking. Pirates will no longer stare at you with blank expressions as they yell vociferously over the mic for you to get on the Cannons. We imagine it’ll be hard to go back after getting used to this feature.
Rats on Ships
The feature was teased some time ago, but you will now find Rats scurrying aboard your ship. Although they might seem like a nuisance, players should watch for them. Rats will run up from the bottom deck of your ship to indicate a leak, meaning it’s time to run down and repair. If the idea of Rats at your feet and near your Food Barrels is just too much to handle, however, feel free to turn the feature off in the Settings menu.
Kraken and Meg Loot Indicators
For those who often find themselves in a riveting battle with the creatures of the deep, Kraken and Megalodon loot is now easier to spot among the rolling waves. Before, these pieces of potentially high-value loot could be lost at sea during an extended fight. You can now keep track of the floating resources more easily, thanks to the flock of Seagulls that will circle overhead. What’s more, Kraken loot that spawns after destroying tentacles will no longer sink before the end of the fight, giving you time to recover your reward.
