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Sea of Thieves
Sea of Thieves
3.8.1|Jul 23, 2026
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Sea of Thieves Release Notes – 3.8.1

4/5 Significant

Bone Caller skeletons now scale based on ship size, while Custom Seas adds a Free Camera mode for emotes and a new Pirate Practice preset.

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Key Changes

  • 1Bone Caller summons now scale based on ship size (1 for Sloop, 2 for Brig, 3 for Galleon)
  • 2New Free Camera mode added for use while emoting in Custom Seas
  • 3Legacy Commendations for Merchant Alliance and Trading Companies have been significantly eased
  • 4New weekly 'Emissaries of Fortune' event adds reward multipliers every Wednesday
  • 5Rowboats now correctly persist between sessions on Captained ships
  • 6Last Ship Standing battle bounds now shrink dynamically in the final phase
  • 7Mass Invite Protection added for PC players to prevent streamer harassment
  • 8Merchant supply redemption improved by placing items directly on the ground
  • 9Fixed major issues with ship interactions becoming unusable after diving
  • 10Significant stability fixes for high-framerate play and game-breaking crashes

All Changes

🛠️Custom Seas(3)

  • newFree Camera: Added Free Camera mode while emoting, allowing full camera control during animations.
  • newPirate Practice Preset: Introduced the Pirate Practice Preset for quick access to World Events and naval battle practice.
  • changeSession Join Code: Join Codes are now hidden by default when entered to prevent accidental sharing during streams.

⚔️Gameplay(7)

  • nerfBone Caller: Bone Callers used against rival ships now scale summons: 1 skeleton for Sloops, 2 for Brigantines, and 3 for Galleons.
  • changeBone Caller: Bone Callers used defensively on your own ship or on land still summon 3 skeletons regardless of ship size.
  • changeWater Splash: Added visual and audible splash effects when firing ranged weapons into water.
  • changeLast Ship Standing: Last Ship Standing battle bounds now slowly shrink over 10 minutes starting at the 25-minute mark.
  • changeLast Ship Standing: Seagulls now circle above jettisoned resource barrels and flags in Last Ship Standing for easier retrieval.
  • changeLast Ship Standing: Winners of Last Ship Standing now remain in the area until they sail away or 10 minutes pass.
  • buffEmissary Flags: Victorious crews can now carry rival Emissary Flags as trophies when diving into subsequent matches.

🏆Commendations(5)

  • buffMerchant Alliance Commendations: Added 4 new Commodities (Fruit, Wood, Cannonball, and Gunpowder variants) to progress Merchant Alliance commendations.
  • buffMiles Sailed Commendations: Miles Sailed commendations now progress while sailing as an Emissary, not just during active Voyages.
  • buffFaction Battle Commendations: Faction Battle commendations now progress by winning battles while maintaining a Champion streak.
  • buffBurning Blade Commendations: Reduced 'Playing the Part' requirement to returning a single Burning Blade with 8+ Rituals (down from 10).
  • buffBurning Blade Commendations: Reworked 'Feeding the Fire' to progress by completing Rituals after reaching a streak of 4.

📅Events(2)

  • newBilge Rats Weekender: Bilge Rats Weekender (Aug 14–17) features new challenges and the return of Reaper Gunpowder Runs.
  • newEmissaries of Fortune: Emissaries of Fortune event starts August 5, providing a reward multiplier every Wednesday for Emissaries.

👕Cosmetics(3)

  • newSilver Coin Set: Added remaining Silver Coin clothing set items, Lantern, and Spyglass to Outpost shops for gold.
  • newSmouldering Pegasus: Added Smouldering Pegasus Ship Collection, Weapons, and Costume to the Pirate Emporium.
  • changePalm Tree Wave Emote: The Palm Tree Wave emote has returned to the Emporium for free.

🐞Bug Fixes(7)

  • fixMerchant Alliance: Purchased supplies from Merchants are now placed on the ground nearby for more consistent redemption.
  • fixGameplay: Fixed an issue where ship interactions (cannons, barrels) became unusable after diving.
  • fixRowboats: Rowboats now correctly persist between sessions when attached to a Captained ship.
  • fixTreasure: Treasure sink timers now reset properly when dropped back into the sea.
  • fixVisuals: Fixed invisible pirate models in menus and missing cosmetics in-game.
  • fixStability: Resolved Cashewbeard errors occurring for crews with members on the Ferry of the Damned after a loss.
  • fixAncient Megalodon: Fixed an issue where Ancient Megalodons failed to drop rewards if defeated during a bite attack.

🚀Performance(2)

  • fixPerformance: Improved high-framerate play by addressing hitches and smoothing gameplay.
  • fixStability: Fixed a severe crash that could corrupt graphics settings and prevent game access.

Summary

Update 3.8.1 introduces significant balance changes to the Bone Caller, ensuring skeleton summons scale fairly against different ship sizes. Custom Seas receives a major functionality boost with the addition of a Free Camera mode for emoting and a dedicated Pirate Practice preset for training. Additionally, a massive overhaul of legacy Commendations makes long-term goals more achievable by adding new progression methods for Merchant Alliance, Trading Company mileage, and Faction Battles.

← OlderSea of Thieves Release Notes – Hotfix 3.7.2.1May 29, 2026

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