Note: I’ve skipped the last few release weeks of releases as they’ve mostly been fixes only – but you can read them here: 2.0.1, 2.0.2, 2.0.3.  [Link] Updates The Arena Matchmaking Update – Some changes have been made to matchmaking in The Arena and players are now more likely to be pitted against a new rival crew after each contest. Your own crew will remain the same, and this change will only affect who you face in The Arena. Producer Jason Cross goes into more detail in this Forum post. The Hunter’s Call and Sea Dogs Letters of Recommendation – Duke now offers…

Come and join us as we celebrate Sea of Thieves’ first anniversary with a treasure trove of gifts for you all! While the full-sized Anniversary Update is coming a little further down the line, today’s build brings some special time-limited items to mark one year since launch. Whether you’ve been sailing with us since day one or since yesterday, there’s something special here to help you enjoy the festivities. [Link] MERCENARY VOYAGES Reaper’s Run of Shipwreck Bay – Duke offers another treacherous Reaper’s Run Voyage costing 5 Doubloons to challenge daring pirates. Any crew willing to accept this challenge must brave the waters surrounding Shipwreck…

[Link] MERCENARY VOYAGES Reaper’s Run of the Wanderer’s Refuge – Duke’s shop now holds a treacherous new ‘Reaper’s Run Voyage’ costing 5 Doubloons. Any crew willing to accept this challenge must brave the waters surrounding Wanderers Refuge – with multiple crews all heading to the same location, prepare to do battle! Reaper’s Mark Challenge – Looking for more of a challenge? Equip your Reapers Mark Flag before you set sail in order to warn rival crews of your presence. Pirates who complete The Reaper’s Run of Wanderers Refuge with their Reaper’s Mark raised high will unlock progress towards a Legendary Commendation ‘Legendary…

[Link] MERCENARY VOYAGE OF THE RUM RUNNER Duke’s in the tavern, offering a lucrative voyage for would-be mercenaries. Recruit some new pirates for your crew and start grabbing loot! New Mercenary Voyage – Purchaseable from Duke for the low price of five Doubloons, this voyage challenges pirates to seek out the stash of a notorious Rum Runner, collecting rewards valuable to all the Trading Companies. This voyage can be repeated to your heart’s content once completed, just purchase another from Duke! Loyal to the Coin – A new ‘Mercenary Voyage’ section has been added to the Reputation tab along with our first…

[Link] In Patch 1.2.5, we see the first of our quality of life improvements to the barrel system. These improvements to empty barrel identification and resource level increases are the first of many improvements we have planned for future updates. Updates Bilge Rat Doubloons – To reward pirates who keep the skeleton scourge at bay, Doubloons for Cursed Crews Commendations will remain available to earn even after the Cursed Crews Bilge Rat Adventure ends. Empty Barrel Tooltip – Barrels now display a tooltip to indicate they are empty. Players will no longer need to interact with a barrel in order to discover…

[Link] Thank you to everyone who reported an issue with The Fleet Protector of the Ancient Isles Commendation during Week 2 of Cursed Sails. We’ve issued a fix for this and from now on there’ll be no issue in receiving the Commendation after completing the battle in Week 3. Those of you who met the requirements for the Commendation during Week 2 of Cursed Sails but didn’t receive it, we’ve got your data logged and we’re working on a system to deliver you your rewards! So that you can use those rewards towards the exclusive cosmetics, we’ll be extending Cursed…

[Link] Updates Cursed Sails Battle Times – Players who can only play during fixed times will be able to battle for a different region each week. For example, if this week your fixed playtime only allows you to encounter The Battle for the Shores of Plenty, next week you will encounter The Great Battle of the Ancient Isles during the same fixed playtime. This change was made in response to community feedback. Cursed Sails Battle Encounter Indicator – Battle music can now be heard from greater distances. Additionally, the flow when UI banners appear and music plays has been improved. Cursed Sails Resources – Treasure items and…