As the first anniversary of Sea of Thieves private servers, known as Safer Seas, approaches, developer Rare has announced significant updates to enhance the gameplay experience. These changes respond to player feedback and aim to make Safer Seas a more rewarding option for players while maintaining its intended role as a safer space.
For those unfamiliar, Safer Seas allows a single crew of up to four players to explore the entirety of Sea of Thieves’ vast open-world map without the threat of PvP encounters, unlike the High Seas mode. While Safer Seas does limit PvP content, players can still engage in various PvE activities, such as dynamic events, Trading Company voyages, and immersive narrative quests. Until now, however, there has been a significant trade-off for the tranquility of Safer Seas: reduced rewards. Players only earned 30 percent of the gold and reputation compared to High Seas mode, which proved frustrating for those wanting to collect gold and boost their Trading Company standings without the chaos of PvP.
In a recent developer update, Rare acknowledged the limitations of Safer Seas’ reward structure, admitting that it had been too restrictive and counterproductive to its aim of offering a welcoming space for new players. To address this, Rare is increasing the payout rate for gold and reputation in Safer Seas to 100 percent—equivalent to that of High Seas mode. This change will allow players to enjoy the entire reward system while adventuring in a low-risk environment. However, Rare has also announced that the level cap in Safer Seas will be reduced from 40 to 25.
This adjustment means that while players can earn total rewards, they must switch to High Seas to progress beyond level 25 and work toward Pirate Legend status. This change ensures that Safer Seas remains an entry point for new players and a relaxed option for those looking to accumulate gold or Seasonal Renown, which remains awarded at 100 percent in both modes. The reduced level cap may disappoint some players, particularly those who enjoy fishing under the Hunter’s Call Trading Company—a slow-progressing activity that fits perfectly with Safer Seas’ laid-back nature. Still, Rare might revisit this aspect in future updates, perhaps as a holiday-season enhancement.
In addition to these changes, Rare has confirmed that features initially slated for the start of Season 14—which faced delays after an October launch setback—will finally be introduced in the upcoming patch on November 14. Players will gain access to new stealth mechanics, such as trap-setting, ledge-hanging, and costume disguises. The patch will also include critical quality-of-life updates aimed at curbing exploits. These include preventing players from using crouching to increase their fire rate and stopping them from collecting supplies from barrels after moving out of range. Measures to avoid treasure theft from the Fort of the Damned vault via underwater glitches will also be implemented.
Rare emphasized that this update underwent additional testing, which is part of the studio’s broader commitment to improved quality assurance. The company has hinted at further quality enhancements, with more details to be shared soon.
Finally, players participating during the first week of the update’s release will be rewarded with bonus gold and doubloons, along with either a Lucky Voyage or a Legendary Lucky Voyage for Pirate Legends. Rare plans to include these rewards as a regular feature in future monthly updates, giving players even more incentive to dive into Sea of Thieves world.