Good day! It’s Librarian Husky. In the midst of the current discourse over cheaters and the pirate Emporium, now is probably the best time for us to look back on CFU’s most magical update of all time. As it’s been 3 years since it released, I wanted to jump ahead in the update retrospective series. If you haven’t worked out, I’m going to talk about why season 3’s Buildup, marketing, and content cemented itself as one of the best updates we’ve had and easily the most magical update of all time.

The Run-Up to Season 3

But before we get into it, let me tell you a little story of the run up to Season 3. 2021 hits, we’re coming out of the worst of the coronavirus pandemic, but we’re still in lockdown. Rare had moved to working from home at the start of 2020 and did a pretty good job of releasing 11 monthly updates in 2020. But as the year wound down with some underwhelming offerings, things were changing. However, hope remained on the horizon as it was announced that the game would be changing to Seasons as an update cadence.

Introduction of Paid Battle Passes

It also allowed Rare to release Paid battle passes. Sea of Thieves, at the end of 2020, was entering a trough era. Sea of Thieves has always been a game of peaks and troughs. It was a trough when it launched, then it began to improve quickly, dipped after the anniversary, began to recover again in October 2019 with Fort of the Damned, and began the downturn again after Vaults of the Ancients in 2020.

Season 1 and Its Reception

Season 1 launched in January 2021 with a somewhat mixed response. Looking back, it was somewhat exciting, but it featured the Lost Shipment Voyage. While fine in itself, it felt leftover from the monthly updates, as the Gold Hoarders and Order of Souls had their much-needed new voyages in those monthly updates.

Launch of Season 2

Then season 2 launched on the 15th of April 2021 and was much the same. The Commodities had clearly been left over from the monthly updates and really should have launched in season 1 as part of a Merchant Alliance update. While great for gold, they were nerfed pretty quickly and essentially killed the feature. Season 2 also featured the Fort of Fortune and peaked the interest of the fan base, only for them to discover it was a bunch of reused bosses and enemies. People did enjoy fighting over them; there was carnage, but the PVE just wasn’t there.

Season 2 Teasers and Speculation

That being said, something strange began occurring in the promo images for season 2. People could see a strange building on Plunder Outpost which was not in the game, and as season 2 released, some debris appeared at each of the outposts. This is something that has been a little lost as of recently, with little teases like this being absent from the game.

Community Speculation

This led community members and content creators to speculate wildly. Was it a new Mermaid faction as seen in the concept art? Was it leading up to a new potion shop at the outposts? And this wasn’t the only thing that was afoot.

Duke’s Journey and Discoveries

Duke had previously been kicked out of the Bilge Rats for helping bring back Captain Flameheart by mistake. This led him to take refuge at Lagoon of Whispers following Vault of the Ancients in September 2020. As of season 1, Duke began to talk about heading out on the water to piece together what’s happening in the forgotten corners of the sea.

Further Adventures

A month later, with season 1’s second patch, Duke kept his word and moved to Mermaid’s Hideaway. In this little cave hidden underwater, he said he was looking for treasure to help him find the answers he was seeking. This fueled speculation even more. The very next month, he was on Kraken’s Fall, but this time he spoke about some rune tablets he had discovered. These were found on Kraken’s Fall, Mermaid’s Hideaway, the unmarked island at K9, and one that he didn’t mention was found in the Pirate Legend Hideout.

The Mystery of the Tablets

These tablets spelled, with Skeleton runes, the phrase “song waking below.” As you can imagine, this excited the community immensely. In season 2, Duke moves again, this time to a cave in Wanderer’s Refuge where the burning blade figurehead used to reside. Duke’s going a bit mad, thinking the skeletons know what he’s up to, and divulges the information on more tablets.

Duke’s Final Position

Duke’s final position was on Old Salt Atoll, and the poor chap has clearly lost his mind. He begins mumbling a bunch of nonsense about someone swimming close to a statue and the call of the sea. The final runes were found: one at N13 underwater shrine, one on Plunder Valley, one in the Heart of Fire, and the final one next to the burning blade figurehead. The runes spelled out “stone,” “trapped,” “blade,” and “cursed,” respectively.

Anticipation and Theories

For keys to open chests, runes being hidden in pictures, and rune parchments being revealed before we knew what was coming, players theorized the runes were hinting towards the Silver Blade, the former ship of the Servant of the Flame, and something to do with the merfolk. Both of which made sense given the context of his origin story.

Season 3: The Unveiling

Keeping all of this in mind, Season 3 had not been leaked, announced, or tested on insiders, so everyone was in the dark. Fans awaited Xbox’s E3 2021 show with bated breath, hoping to see their theories finally come to fruition. Around halfway into the show, Rare dropped the trailer for Season 3.

The Trailer Reveal

An ominous sea shanty played in the background in front of a coral fortress. A mysterious stranger talked about an ill wind that blew from far beyond the horizon and one person who can save the pirates whose lives need saving. Accompanied by spellbinding shots of the Sea of the Damned, nine cat Nura and crew crept into the bowels of the Fort of the Damned to find the hidden prisoner and a dog holding the keys to his freedom.

A Surprising Crossover

Then he appears: Captain Jack Sparrow. Rare had been teasing a crossover with Pirates of the Caribbean for the best part of six months, and absolutely nobody knew about it. “A Pirate’s Life” would feature five brand new Tall Tales with a brand new original story mixing.

Sea of Thieves and Pirates of the Caribbean Collaboration

The worlds of Sea of Thieves and Pirates of the Caribbean were not only colliding, but it would also feature three new enemy types: the Ocean Crawlers, Phantoms, and Sirens. With no new small AI threats added outside of skeletons since launch, and the Trident of Dark Tides coming as a brand new pickup weapon both inside and outside the Tall Tales, it was all coming in Season 3 on the 22nd of June 2021.

Fan Excitement and Anticipation

That was around 12 days after the reveal. It’s safe to say that fans were ecstatic, excited to have all this content in the coming two weeks. This was an unreal feeling. It was an extremely special time to be a Sea of Thieves fan. The 22nd of June rolled around to much anticipation. My crew and I hopped on to dive into the Tall Tales and browse the Pirate Emporium.

Launch Day Content

Rare obtained the licenses to release various premium cosmetics in the Emporium, with the Black Pearl costumes, the prison dog, weapons, and emotes all being available on day one. This, to me, is the true purpose of the Emporium, and each item was lovingly crafted, fitting perfectly into the Sea of Thieves universe. The season pass was excellent too, where Rare began offering a complete set in the paid tier and fantastic items like the Ferryman figurehead and Siren’s jacket.

The Mission to Rescue Jack

The crew meets up with a mysterious castaway on the beach, where she sends you on a mission to rescue Jack from the Sea of the Damned. We head to the Dead Man’s Grotto via a portal to the Sea of the Damned, and we soon realize references to both the ride and film will be abundant. Dead Man’s Grotto has set pieces recreated from the ride and is essentially a recreation from the first half.

Exploring Dead Man’s Grotto

Even as someone who hasn’t ridden the ride, this was dripping in atmosphere and was a visual treat. After making our way through the grotto, we get to head down a water slide into Sailor’s Grave, the first open-ended section in the Tall Tales. It’s here that we meet the cursed captain.

Sailor’s Grave and Its Mysteries

In order to board the ferry, we need to help him light the lighthouse and reunite his head with his body. Sailor’s Grave is an astounding location. It’s got this awesome rendition of “A Pirate’s Life for Me” in the background that frames the entire area. It’s also one of the first locations with side quests leading to a nice Easter egg and a possible hint to where Rare wanted to take their next crossover endeavors.

Climactic Battle

The Tall Tale ends with us rescuing Jack and having a fight with Davy Jones aboard the Ferry of the Damned.

Battle with the Flying Dutchman

We fight the Flying Dutchman and his ocean crawlers. Jack falls overboard at the end of the struggle, and we head out to rescue him. The story picks up with Tall Tale 2, “The Sunken Pearl.” The mysterious castaway sends us to the southwest of the map near Old Salts Atoll to find some flotsam.

Exploration of the Sunken Pearl

We dive deep down, following the trail of rubble and are haunted by a beautiful rendition of “Heart’s Desire,” serenaded by the Siren Queen herself. We are met with this eye-watering vista, seeing two giant spires and the wreck of the Black Pearl in chains, waiting to be destroyed by the sirens.

Rescuing the Crew of The Black Pearl

The Siren Queen reveals she has captured the crew of the Black Pearl, and we need to save them. We make our way through various puzzles into the spire, reaching the top and coming face to face with The Kraken. Keep in mind that this is the first time we see The Kraken‘s face in the game. It’s time to head to the Citadel.

Encounter with the Kraken

After fighting with some sirens outside using the new Trident, heading into the Citadel reveals the Silver Blade, one of the most famous ships on the waves, has become a lift for us. It’s where we fight The Kraken as it spits ink at us and whacks us with its tentacles.

Victory and the Throne Room

It’s still a visual spectacle. Our victory secures us access to the throne room where we face off against the Siren Queen. She’s an amped-up siren leader and is taken down just as easily. Once defeated, we can rescue the crew of the Black Pearl, including Master Gibbs, Scrum, and Anamaria.

Retracing Jack’s Memories

Gibbs asks for Jack’s compass back and tells us to head back into the Sea of the Damned to retrace his memories. This is where Tall Tale 3, “Captains of the Damned,” comes in. I don’t want to retrace the rest of the story beats, but I will cover the references and amazing elements in the rest of the story.

Captains of the Damned

“Captains of the Damned” has several references, such as the Bayou of Whispers and the Blue Bayou ship being a reference to the film and the ride. The Fort of Lost Souls is so bloody creepy and chills me to this day. The whole Tall Tale is really creepy, but I think this is the peak for me.

El Loro and Treasure Island

El Loro or Treasure Island is an almost one-to-one reimagining of the ride, featuring set pieces like Barbossa, the auction, the donkey, and Jack in the barrel.

Faithful Adaptation and Eerie Atmosphere

It’s very clear Rare poured so much love into this and wanted to adapt this part as faithfully as possible. It’s a spellbinding location and somehow retains that eerie vibe that the animatronics bring on the ride. It’s all very unsettling, and I love it.

Tall Tale 4: Journey to the Coral Fortress

Tall Tale 4 is probably my overall favorite. It’s not anything super special and retreads much of the same ground. However, the journey to the Coral Fortress is enchanting. Once inside, we’re gifted a gorgeous shot of the Flying Dutchman, allowing us to explore almost the entire ship and even play Jones’s organ.

The Dark Brethren

The true spectacle of the tale is when we arrive at the peak. We get to see Davy Jones and his newly formed Dark Brethren, featuring a returned Gold Hoarder, one of the Warsmiths, and Duke. This brings the teasing full circle and was so bloody satisfying for me. I think this is excellent fan service, especially when you open the Dead Man’s Chest and find out this has all been orchestrated by the Captain, a mysterious figure with ties to Captain Flameheart.

Excitement for Future Storylines

It excited me so much for the Captain Flameheart storyline. Anyway, Tall Tale 5 has us stopping Jones’s ritual to become the Ferryman.

A Critical View

I won’t talk about this since it’s just repeat glazing. There are so many references and Easter eggs in this Tall Tale, but my only criticism is that this part is a bit flat compared to the rest of it, partially because the boss fight with the Dutchman is underwhelming aside from the presentation.

Visual Design and Atmosphere

It’s clear Rare poured their lifeblood into this, and it shows. The Tall Tales are an excellent example of Visual design and showing rather than telling, since the designs really carry these Tall Tales as well as the atmosphere. Mixed in with new enemies, they feel even more fresh.

New Enemies and Future Expansions

All compounded by the fact this was a complete surprise to us, they also added the new enemies to the sandbox in the open world. Both spawns were too frequent on day one, and Sirens appeared in the Arena. These were minor gripes. The new enemies did set future expansions of content, such as Season 4’s Sunken Kingdom and Season 6’s Sea Forts.

The Trident and Future Expectations

The Trident is also an excellent tool for PVE that we still use today. It’s extremely effective against most enemies and is a must when taking on a Fort of Fortune. I can sit here and wax lyrical all day about how great this update was, but the important thing to take away from this is that Jack intends to return one day, and I believe that one day will be next summer. Do yourself a favor, play these Tall Tales. It’s one of the highlights of this game and is a reminder of this awesome world and game that has been created by Rare.

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