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Sea of Thieves
Sea of Thieves
3.6.1|Jan 22, 2026
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Sea of Thieves Release Notes - 3.6.1

4/5 Significant

Molten Sands Fortress becomes a major battleground for Act 2, featuring the Chest of Fortune, new Emissary Quests, and significant ladder movement fixes.

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Key Changes

  • 1Molten Sands Fortress overhauled with new waves and Ashen Lord encounters for Act 2
  • 2Chest of Fortune moved to the Molten Sands Fortress Vault
  • 3New Emissary Quests added for Grade 5 crews to hunt Eternal Guards
  • 4Major fixes to ladder movement and interaction consistency
  • 5Cross-region matchmaking enabled between Australia and Southeast Asia
  • 6Season 18 Community Weekend scheduled for Jan 31st – Feb 2nd
  • 7New Lone Night Wulf cosmetic collection added to the Pirate Emporium
  • 8Time-limited Exiled Ship Crest rewards added for all major Trading Companies
  • 9Fixed Sloop lower deck barrel exploit where players were immune to sword damage
  • 10Server stability improvements to reduce random disconnections

All Changes

🌋World Events(8)

  • newMolten Sands Fortress: Molten Sands Fortress now hosts a fierce encounter with Flameheart’s forces for the duration of Act 2.
  • newEmissary Quest: Emissary Grade 5 crews can now claim a unique Emissary Quest leading to an Eternal Guard encounter.
  • buffEmissary Grade: Emissary Grade progress is now accelerated during the Act 2 event period.
  • newMolten Sands Key: Defeating the Eternal Guard now awards the Molten Sands Key, used to sell or unlock the Fortress battle.
  • changeMolten Sands Fortress: The Molten Sands Fortress battle now features waves of Banished, Shadow, and Gold Skeletons, plus Skeleton and Ashen Lords.
  • changeChest of Fortune: The Chest of Fortune has been moved to the Molten Sands Fortress Vault for the duration of Act 2.
  • newOrb of the Banished: The Orb of the Banished and Ashen Treasures are now guaranteed loot within the Molten Sands Vault.
  • newShip's Crests: Added time-limited Exiled Ship Crests for Gold Hoarders, Merchant Alliance, Order of Souls, Hunter's Call, Athena's Fortune, and Reaper’s Bones.

💰Pirate Emporium(5)

  • newLone Night Wulf Ship Collection: Added the Lone Night Wulf Ship Collection.
  • newLone Night Wulf Weapon Bundle: Added the Lone Night Wulf Weapon Bundle.
  • newLone Night Wulf Costume: Added the Lone Night Wulf Costume.
  • newLodestar Cabin Bundle: Added the Lodestar Cabin Bundle.
  • newTankard Scalding Emote: Added the Tankard Scalding Emote as a free item.

👕Outpost Cosmetics(1)

  • newPalm Resolute Set: Added Palm Resolute Sails, Hull, and Flag to Outpost shipwright stock.

⚙️Gameplay Systems(3)

  • changeCross-Region Matchmaking: Australian players will now have matchmaking extended to Southeast Asia for Faction Battles to improve queue times.
  • newMatchmaking Settings: Added a toggle in Game Settings to opt out of Cross-Region Matchmaking.
  • changeUI Menu: Moved the Text Chat option below Crew Management in the menu for faster access to common settings.

📅Events(1)

  • newCommunity Weekend: Season 18 Community Weekend announced for January 31st – February 2nd, featuring Pop-Up Plunder and reward boosts.

🐛Bug Fixes(37)

  • fixLadders: Fixed ladder mechanics to prevent slow movement and ensure consistent grabbing/releasing.
  • fixSmugglers’ Chronicles: Corrected instructions for the hidden mystery in Smugglers’ Chronicles at Wanderers Refuge.
  • fixSloop: Fixed an issue where players sitting on the Sloop lower deck barrel were immune to sword damage.
  • fixCrates of Plants: Wilting Crates of Plants can now be refreshed by bucketing water directly onto them.
  • fixCrates of Cloth: Crates of Cloth now correctly become sodden when bucketing water directly onto them.
  • fixTall Tales: Fixed the Castaway's cutscene trigger for 'Captains of the Damned' at Morrow’s Peak.
  • fixEternal Guard: Items on the Eternal Guard’s sarcophagus now fall to the ground instead of floating when it disappears.
  • fixEternal Guard: Deeds for defeating Eternal Guards now progress if the Guard is killed by player-thrown spears detonating kegs.
  • fixEternal Guard: Fixed Eternal Guard spawning in unexpected locations when players ran away during the summon.
  • fixShrine of Ocean’s Fortune: Fixed ladder traversal issues within the Shrine of Ocean’s Fortune.
  • fixJournals: Repositioned Journals on Kraken’s Fall, Devil’s Ridge, and Old Faithful Isle to ensure they are interactable.
  • fixPirate Legend Hideout: Fixed environment gaps in the Pirate Legend Hideout that allowed players to fall into the sea.
  • fixSanctuary of the Banished: Fixed a map-hole in the Sanctuary of the Banished on Cinder Islet.
  • fixEnvironment: Fixed stuck spots at Shores of Gold and Fetcher’s Rest.
  • fixTall Tales: Disabled Grapple Gun access to unintended areas in 'The Lair of LeChuck'.
  • fixPhantoms: Fixed Phantoms at Sea Forts popping in/out of existence when viewed through spyglasses.
  • fixDisguises: Disguises now consistently appear to other players.
  • fixTrident of the Banished: Poison effects from the Trident of the Banished now clear properly upon revival.
  • fixBonechiller Hull: Fixed interior colors for the Bonechiller Hull on Sloops.
  • fixStone Islehopper Outlaw Flag: Fixed the Stone Islehopper Outlaw Flag visual appearance.
  • fixVisuals: Fixed water surface visual effects in Siren Shrines.
  • fixConcertina: Fixed concertina animations for all pirate sizes.
  • fixVisuals: Fixed LOD (distance) rendering for the Castaway at Outposts.
  • fixWeapons: Fixed holding and firing animations for Regal Hound and Tundra Wanderer weapons.
  • fixGrapple Gun: Fixed Tundra Wanderer Grapple Gun reload visuals.
  • fixVisuals: Improved visual quality of lift chains in The Reaper’s Hideout.
  • fixBaleful Bloom Costume: Fixed Baleful Bloom Costume appearance for all pirate sizes.
  • fixBleakheart Banshee Costume: Fixed Double Barrel Pistol firing animations while wearing the Bleakheart Banshee Costume.
  • fixGrapple Gun: Fixed Weapon Pose Emotes while wielding the False King’s Ransom Grapple Gun.
  • fixUI: Fixed pirate animations in the Vanity Chest preview when browsing Disguises.
  • fixUI: Removed incorrect 'wrong direction' warnings for Tutorial Voyages at Morrow’s Peak.
  • fixUI: Fixed empty Company slots display on the Reputation screen.
  • fixPirate Emporium: Corrected Bonechiller Weapon Bundle artwork in the Emporium.
  • fixWild Rose Eye of Reach: Fixed Wild Rose Eye of Reach appearance in Armoury and shops.
  • fixUI: Fixed matchmaking messaging for PC players joining controller-only console crews.
  • fixLocalization: Improved localization for Acts, Deeds, and rewards across multiple languages.
  • fixLocalization: Improved Turkish, Korean, Polish, and Japanese localization for Tall Tales and UI.

🚀Performance(1)

  • fixServers: Improved server stability to reduce session disconnections.

Summary

Secrets of the Banished: Act 2

Sea of Thieves enters the second act of Season 18, centering activity around The Devil's Roar. Molten Sands Fortress has been overhauled into a high-stakes encounter featuring waves of Banished Skeletons and Ashen Lords. To access the full rewards, including the Chest of Fortune, players must reach Emissary Grade 5 to obtain a unique quest and defeat an Eternal Guard for the Molten Sands Key.

Gameplay & Quality of Life

Significant improvements have been made to ladder mechanics to ensure consistent climbing and grabbing. Oceanic players, specifically in Australia, will now benefit from cross-region matchmaking with Southeast Asia to reduce queue times. Additionally, several long-standing visual bugs with costumes and weapons have been resolved, alongside server stability enhancements.

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