Recent reviews by Zemixy

After roughly 130 hours, I finally earned my Pirate Legend today. I feel that I have enough experience in this game from the perspective of a fairly new player to give this game an honest review.

First, I'll give you a once-over. Then, if you're interested, I'll tell you about my experience.

==[The Once-Over]:
For many? Sea of Thieves is a fun PvP-based game with some cool and interesting PvE content. Plenty to do with a group of friends up to four players. Definitely a game you can boot up with some friends and have hours just 'disappear.' Sailing your ship feels authentic. Battling with other ships, sailing with friends, and digging up cool treasure definitely sells the 'pirate' experience.

PvP is balanced in that all the in-game weapons, clothing and ship parts are purely cosmetic. The only thing that separates you in power from your opponents is purely skill and experience playing the game. There is no in-game options built into anyone's characters that gives them an unfair advantage. All weapons and character features are purely cosmetic. (As a balanced game with a focus on PvP should be.)

If you purely want 'just' the experience of battling other ships, right out the gate you have access to the Arena Mode off of the main menu.

As PvE content goes? You have in-game factions that will send you on a variety of quests. (As well as in-game story based adventures called 'Tall Tales' that are narratively driven.)

Some voyages will send you hunting for lost gold across islands all over the sea. Some will even have you hunting for sunken ships to retrieve submerged treasure lost in the depths. Some you will play the role of a merchant maritime sailor and they'll have you delivering goods for the merchant alliance. Some will send you to hunt down ghost ships, skeleton captains and creatures of legend to collect cursed skulls and magical artifacts. All these quests are designed to supply yourself, your ship, and are there for the sake of earning yourself a name as a pirate. (And to earn a fat stack of gold for your cool cosmetics and titles.) There are even rewards for sinking other players.

Avoiding battle with other players is possible? (If PvE content is more your thing, and you want to play it more like Windwaker?) But there is no option to 'opt out' of PvP. You're in a huge lobby with other players all sharing the same ocean. And it's up to you to defend your vessel while you quest. (Or sink other players and plunder their treasure.) There's a pretty significant chance that another player needs treasure from the same island that you do, (or a vessel may sail by readying their cannons to aim at you) and you may find yourself in a position of having to decide whether you want to stay and fight to defend your loot? Or you pick up your stuff and run. Either path is equally viable. Either playstyle is commonly anticipated. It's your ship, your loot, you decide how you run things.

To the passionate PvE player that wants to avoid battle with other players at all costs: The heart of the game lies hand-and-hand with the spirit of piracy. People will take notice that you've quested hard for shiny stuff. They'll surmise that you've probably dug up some cool treasure. They'll survey you and will probably try and sink you to take your stuff. As someone who's choosing not to PvP, you need to mentally prepare yourself for the fact that this is indeed a sea with pirates in it. And pirates have never been known throughout all of history to fight fair or be merciful. Almost no one out there is your friend. Prepare to shoot at most anyone who sails by you.

All of these ingredients, however, are what sell the authenticity of the 'pirate' experience. This is the Sea of "Thieves" after all. Being able to sink people and take their stuff are what pirates are renown for. You won't get more 'pirate' than this.

==[The Experience]:

I've been playing for about 130 hours as of this review. In the beginning? I didn't wanna' battle with anybody. I wanted to put up my white flag, hope no one shoots me, and I just wanted to dig up gold and roleplay the treasure hunter experience.

And I mean, it's cool. I had a lot of fun that way. Made some really awesome friends and had fun experiences. And there's a huge portion of the Sea of Thieves community that enjoys the game purely for that side of the content and you can absolutely get by just being a passive player.

Round up your treasure, play through the super dope Tall Tales, earn some cool cosmetics. The PvE content of the game is absolutely integral. (Without it, there'd be little to no reward to PvP players, or even a way to supply their ships! So even PvP folks have to take part in 'some' PvE!)

You're going to get sunk, though. It's going to happen. You're probably going to get knocked down. A lot. And it's going to suck almost every single time. You might have some dope stuff that you worked hard for that you don't want to lose, and when that enemy player ship rolls up? Your heart is probably going to sink just at the sight of it at first. But Sea of Thieves is a game about getting back up.

Each time you get in a scrap with another player? You get a 'little' bit more experienced. You'll start to notice which parts of your strategies work, and which don't. You'll start to catch yourself scanning the horizon for the bobbing vessels of enemy players. You'll notice yourself squinting to see if it's an enemy's lantern off in the distance. You'll start to catch yourself turning into a true pirate. And that one occasion when someone comes to raid you for your stuff and you WIN the skirmish?! -- That's when you'll feel it. That's when it'll all click together and start to make sense.

Just the pure satisfaction, fulfillment and emotional liberation that you finally did it. You won. You successfully defended yourself, your ship and your treasure. 'That' is when the game 'really' starts to get fun.

That rush? That emotional high of finally beating somebody after you've lost so many times before? That VICTORY? Yeah. 'That' is what got me hooked on Sea of Thieves.

Once you get passed the PvP of the game, Sea of Thieves is about learning from your mistakes.

Seeing my friends become more experienced, and feeling the personal willpower rush through me when I finally had confidence to land cannon shots on enemies and win some sword fights has been indescribably fun. The joy you get when you finally learn how to defend yourself and start sinking attackers and other enemy vessels? There's no way to describe it. And there's no other way to sell the value of that experience other than to earn it. Through the trial by fire that is just 'playing' the game,.

Give PvP a chance. Learn from your mistakes. There might be times when you get frustrated and want to give up. But it's worth it. Every single penny. Every single minute. The hours of torture, loss and frustration all build up to that moment when you're able to win. And there's nothing like it. Let yourself become a pirate. Let yourself enjoy Sea of Thieves to the fullest. Make some friends who are also stoked to play the game, and you'll have one of the most memorable video game experiences.

(As a personal suggestion to new players, definitely check out PhuzzyBond's guides on YouTube, and definitely check out players on YouTube like MixelPlx for some inspiration. If a man can take down a three galleon alliance in a sloop? You can do it, too. <3)

Thank you for reading my review!

I hope this helped you make a decision on whether or not you wanted to give the game a chance! If it's not for you, I hope this review helped you make a more educated decision. And if you feel like it is for you, and you've never played before? I hope this helped provide some insight.

Definitely try to play with friends in a closed crew before playing with randoms. It'll make all the difference. Trust me.