Can You Play Sea of Thieves Solo?

Pirates traveled in crews because a large shipping vessel simply can’t be operated by a single person alone. One person needs to be at the helm, two people have to furl and unfurl the sails, one person has to be in the crow’s nest, and so on; it’s a very synergy-focused profession. That being said, pirates were nothing if not adventurous, and what’s more adventurous than sailing into the ocean completely alone? So, can you play Sea of Thieves solo?

Technically speaking, you can play Sea of Thieves solo, it’s just not super-advisable. As I said, managing a ship is typically a multi-man task. This can be mitigated by sailing a smaller vessel like a sloop, but you still need to act as a one-man maintenance and navigation crew. You need to keep the helm steady and straight, all while managing various factors like anchor length, sail angle, and map-making.

Speaking of which, you can’t check the map and hold the wheel at the same time, so whenever you need to check your heading, you need to do it very quickly. You can only peek at the map for a couple of seconds before you need to take the wheel again. You’re also the only one who can patch any leaks in the boat, and that’s assuming you even catch them. If you don’t keep an ear out, no one else will for you. The only thing you don’t have to worry about is falling overboard, surprisingly, as if you’re sailing solo, a helpful merman will fling you back onto your ship if you fall in the drink.

Can You Play Sea of Thieves Solo?

Even if all that doesn’t bother you, sailing alone is also kind of… boring. Your ship likely won’t move especially fast, which means you’ll be stuck on the water micromanaging everything for hours on end. Plus, unless you’re some kind of combat genius, attempting to attack fully crewed vessels and take their stuff is pretty much doomed from the get-go. 

It should also be noted that even if you can play solo, you can’t play offline, so there’s no way to avoid crossing paths with other players’ vessels. If you’re lucky, they won’t bother you, but then again, well, pirates. Pirates aren’t known for being especially discerning. Considering all these factors, there really isn’t any reason to sail solo unless you like really lengthy, tedious tasks and being weaker than everyone else.