Sea of Thieves Season 8: On-demand PvP combat, rare curses, fresh locations and more await players

A fresh new season awaits pirates in Sea of Thieves and this one brings a plethora of new things for players to wrap their heads around and engage in. Be it on-demand faction-based PvP combat, making Allegiance, finding rare curses or unlocking new locations, Season 8 is choc-a-bloc with new content and it is finally live for players to check out.

Developed by Rare, Sea of Thieves was released in 2018 to rocky seas. Instead of smooth sailing, the action-adventure game was met with mixed reviews. Since then, the developers have done a commendable job in steering their ships around and making the title one of the most enjoyable co-op pirate games of all time.

The latest major update unveils Season 8 and this article provides the major highlights from the same.

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Season 8 is live on Sea of Thieves with on-demand PvP combat, search for rare curses and plenty more

The crown jewel of the latest update is the on-demand PvP, which stems from the raging conflict between the Guardians of Fortune, who are loyal to the Pirate Lord and his allies, and the Servants of the Flame, who follow Captain Flameheart. Players can choose to align themselves with either faction by engaging with the Hourglass of Fate at the captain's table.

Once each member of the crew has voted and the decision is final, their ship will dive beneath the ocean as they look for a worthy foe. Upon finding one, they will be breaking apart the waves and re-emerging in a pre-determined battle area visible on the ship's map where they will find their foe.

Straying out of that area will result in the Hourglass of Fate becoming unstable and finally shattering while sinking your ship. Winning the duel will reward players by making their Hourglass of Fate more valuable and thus earn more in the end when they vote to end fighting for their faction. Players will earn Allegiances representing the deeds and tasks they have done for either faction.

Players can also build Allegiance streaks by winning multiple battles in a row, without themselves sinking. They can take down Faction Champions for more rewards. Faction Champions can also choose to hunt ships larger than their own.

Having chests and treasures on a faction ship and then sinking others aligned with a faction will award players more Allegiance. Players can also choose to sail as emissaries while representing one faction, which will result in ever more lucrative sailing.

Building allegiance (Image via Sea of Thieves)

Season 8 also brings two new alignments for Captains to complete and unlock more cosmetic content. Building up Allegiance also nets players faction-themed cosmetics. Having a level 100 Allegiance will give players access to faction-only parts of the Athena's Fortune Tavern (provided you are a Pirate Legend) or the Reaper's Lair (provided you have Level 75 of the Reaper's Bones) with exclusive rewards.

The former grants the blessing of Athena's Fortune, which allows players to take on the looks of the apparitions of Sea of Thieves while the latter lets players go through a ritual to become a skeleton. There are also new characters to find in Reaper's Lair.

Taking on foes (Image via Sea of Thieves)

Season 8 also brings a new Plunder Pass for Sea of Thieves players to complete and 100 free levels filled with Seasonal rewards. There are also new emissary rewards and pirate emporium items for players to get a hold of.