When Does Sea of Thieves Season 5 Start?

Part of the appeal of piracy (besides the whole seafaring criminal thing, obviously) is the promise of theoretically endless exploration and adventure. After all, in a time before the whole world was mapped out, there were always new islands to uncover and booty to loot. Speaking of looting booty, there’ll be plenty of that to go around once the new season of Sea of Thieves gets under way. But when does Sea of Thieves season 5 start?

When Does Sea of Thieves Season 5 Start?

Sea of Thieves season 5 starts on Thursday, December 2nd, 2021. The update will be available for download the morning of that day on all platforms, including Xbox Consoles and PC via Game Pass and Steam. The update will be completely free to download, and there’ll be a brand new Plunder Pass to sink your teeth into with both free and paid tracks.

So, what do we have to look forward to in this new update? Why, all sorts of fun things!

• Buried Treasure
• Fireworks and Flares
• New Emotes
• Animated Mouths
• Cannon Rowboats
• Pirates of the Caribbean Stuff
• New Sea Shanties

Buried Treasure

First and foremost, you’ll finally be able to do the thing that pirates are most well-known for: burying treasure! You can dig a hole just about anywhere in the world and leave your booty (ill-gotten or otherwise) in it as a form of long-term storage. Burying treasure will automatically create a treasure map to remind you where you hid it, though if you want to engage in some classic pirate shenanigans, you can pass out copies of the map or nail them to bulletin boards and challenge other players to find the X that marks the spot.

Fireworks and Flares

If cannonballs aren’t festive enough for you, load the broadsiders with fireworks instead! This colorful ammunition doesn’t deal any damage, lighting up in a harmless show of sparks and color that are perfect for livening up an evening at sea. Of course, if it’s too dark for your taste, you can also fire off flares designed to shed light on dark terrain or send an SOS to nearby allies. They’re like fireworks, but less “wee, fun party” and more “oh no, we’re all gonna die.”

New Emotes and Animated Mouths

If you want your pirating adventure to feel a little more true to life, there are a few new emotes coming, along with some little feature tweaks. On the emote side of things, you can take a seat and put your feet up just about anywhere, whether it’s on a log at a campfire or over the ledge of your vessel. You can also have your character engage in a bout of dice rolling, though it’s just for show rather than an actual game of dice. For tweaks, going to sleep will cause your screen to darken rather than just leave you staring at your dozing character. For those who play with microphones, your character’s mouth will now move in time with your chatter. You’ll also be able to use the Speaking Trumpet backwards to have private conversations with your crew that other nearby players can’t hear.

Cannon Rowboats

If you’re in a particularly aggressive mood and want to attack a vessel with everything you have and then some, you’ll want to invest in some of the new cannon rowboats. These little jollies are exactly what they sound like: rowboats with big cannons mounted on the front. They’re a bit on the fragile side, but the extra firepower may come in handy for more crafty, coordinated attacks.

Pirates of the Caribbean Crossover

If you enjoyed the crossover with Pirates of the Caribbean last season, there’s some extra good news for you: if you check out the Pirate Emporium, you’ll find some new additions to the line of crossover-themed items. This includes new character cosmetics, new ship cosmetics, and a new pet!

New Sea Shanties

Finally, no pirate adventure is complete without a spot of music, which is why the game is adding three brand new sea shanties inspired by the legends of the merfolk. You can bring them up on the radial menu to sing yourself, or enjoy a jolly ruckus with your mates.