Typically, pirating is a team experience inSea Of Thieves, but many players are finding the solo life can be a fun, if challenging experience. It comes with its own strategies, and precautions, and can bemuch more hands-on than a multiplayer experience is.
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For players who either lack the connections or time to commit to team play solo is a perfectly viable way to enjoy this game. It is important to keep certain things in mind to be competent on the high seas and avoid drowning or falling prey to others. Here are some important tips if players plan on going the lone wolf route of pirating.
Updated on July 16th, 2022, by Jeff Drake:Sea of Thieves is a lot less of a chore when played with friends; on the high seas there is definitely safety in numbers. With that in mind, many new players might ask if they can play Sea of Thieves solo. It is possible, though players choosing this path should be prepared for a steep learning curve, at the bottom of which is a pitfall of frustration. To help overcome this curve this update will add even more solo tips for players who want to put the “private” in “privateer”.
17Turn Off Those Lanterns
When playing solo it is often safer to travel at night, so that the gloom of night prevents the player’s ship from being easily spotted. However, the additional security provided by traveling at night is completely negated if the player forgets to douse the lanterns on their ship.
With the lanterns burning,the ship is essentially a beacon in the darkness- a beacon that says, “I’m by myself, please come and attack me.” Alternatively, turning the lanterns off will help the playersneak-up on an unsuspecting target, or to shroud the group’s true numbers.
16Long Range Rifles
Without allies, the player will want to thin out an enemy group as much as possible before trying to engage in a melee. One of the best ways to do this is to get a powerful rifle with a scope. With this loadout, the player canmake a large enemy group much more manageablefrom afar.
There are many choices for long-range weapons; some great options available fairly early into the game are the Eye of Reach of The Wailing Barnacle and the Forsaken Ashes Eye of Reach. Just remember to switch to a blunderbuss if raiding another ship, or defending yours.
15Don’t Carry Too Much Cargo
The old saying, “don’t carry all your eggs in one basket”, should be kept in mind when traveling around inSea of Thieves. The more a player has in their cargo hold, the more they risk losing if they encounter rival pirates ora hostile creature, like a megalodon.
Solo players shouldreduce risk of loss as much as possible, and the first step towards this goal is to minimize how much can be lost at one time. Players should go for a more spartan loadout for their ship; less cargo also lessens the upkeep, such as watering plant cargo.
14Know When To Use Certain Cannonballs
For certain tasks, it is important to use the proper tools. This is true whenselecting which cannonballs to use.Some situations demand a specific type of cannonball. A prime example is the use of Chain Shot if the goal is to immobilize another ship.
There are also Cursed, and Purple Cursed, and Ghostly Cannonballs. Each of these types of cannonballs has multiple subtypes. The Anchorball is a type of Purple Cursed Cannonball that forces the target ship to drop its anchor. The Wraith Cannonballs produce a powerful explosion on impact; this explosion can quickly destroy smaller vessels.
13Take It Slow As A Solo Player
A lot of players are in a hurry to get in, make as much Gold as possible, and progress to the endgame. But when sailing solo it pays to take your time and progress carefully. As a solo player, you’re more at risk of being attacking by teams so taking a second when docking, setting sail, or approaching a destination is important.
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Obviously, this doesn’t mean you should always take things slow. If you’re in the middle of a fight with a Galleon speed is important. Butdon’t be in such a rush that you stumble into dangeror miss easier methods for getting by.
12Give Your Ship A Once Over Before Leaving
It’s easy to get into a rhythm as a solo player when pulling into port and taking off. If players aren’t careful they may find themselves overlooking something obvious like a leak. There are few feelings as terrible as leaving your ship at port and coming back to find it at the bottom of the ocean.
Any time the player is about to leave the ship it’s important to give it a once over.Checking the interior and exterior before walking awaycan prevent everything from sinking ships to stowaways walking away with the goods.
11Make Shorter Trips When Sailing Solo
When the player is looking to make money operating solo it’s important to act as efficiently as possible. Part of this includesmaking shorter trips when chasing down treasure or running goodsacross the Caribbean.
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Longer trips or destinations may be more profitable, but only if the player survives the trip. The longer the travel time the more chances to become ambushed and lose everything. From a profitability and risk standpoint it makes much more sense to embark on shorter journeys.
10Learn All Aspects Of The Ship
Because the player will be solothey will need to do everything when sailing a ship. This means they’ll need to steer, manage the sails, check the horizons, raise and lower the anchor, and other activities. This can get complicated, especially in stressful situations like a storm or being attacked, so knowing what to do is invaluable.
Taking some time to understand the various parts of the ship is important for solo players. Once they understand each of the parts then they can learn the order of things for various scenarios. It’s a bit of a learning curve that takes some planning and careful timing, but it becomes second nature with some practice.
9Sail Straight When Flying Solo
One helpful tip for players learning to pilot a Sloop solo is to verify the ship is sailing as straight as possible before walking away from the wheel. It will take some time to unfurl or raise sails, climb the crow’s nest and other activities. During that time the ship can veer off course towards dangerous waters.
To avoid hitting rocks or having to do a serious course correction and losing time the player shouldmake sure the ship is heading as straight as possible. The rule of thumb is to line up the gold handle with the center of the mast.
8Dock In The Shadows
Playing as a solo player in thismultiplayer gamecan be fraught with danger asteams will take note of solo players and hound themfor an easy kill. As a result it pays to be extra cautious in deciding where to dock and leave the boat behind.
There will be no one to guard it whilethe player is running errands, fishing, and making repairs, so it pays to be somewhere out of the way. Tucked behind some rocks and on the edge of an island are great spots to take a breather and avoid being attacked. This solo tip isn’t foolproof, but it minimizes encounters.
