Sea of Thieves 'Skull of Siren Song' update is now live, new upcoming PvE-only mode detailed

Promotional screenshot of Sea of Thieves
(Image credit: Xbox Game Studios)

What you need to know

  • The second major update patch for Season 10 of Sea of Thieves has just gone live.
  • The update will introduce a PvP-focused World Event where players must compete in a race to capture the legendary Skull of Siren Song before anyone else does.
  • This content update will also add cosmetic outfits, weapons, ships, and more items from previous seasons for players to obtain.
  • Rare also provided some additional information on the upcoming "Safer Seas" update that will let players create private servers.

Rare just rolled out a massive update for its massively popular, open-world pirate adventure game, Sea of Thieves. This content patch is the second major update for Sea of Thieves' ongoing 10th Season and is titled "Skull of Siren Song".

It is titled as such because this update is focused on the introduction of a new PvP-focused World Event that will pit player crews against one another in a race to claim the titular Skull of Siren Song.

To begin the quest, players will need to find a ghostly note pinned to their ship's mast once a Voyage begins. If players accept the note's quest to find the Skull of Siren's Call, they will receive two maps that will lead them to a chest containing the skull and the key to open it. The drawback here is that every player crew joining this quest will receive the same maps.

Players will need to sail as fast as they can while fending off their rivals to grab the key to the chest hiding the skull. To make matters worse, if a player manages to grab the key and chest, their location will be broadcast to all players on the server via map markers and beacons. So, if a player crew gets to their objective first, they better be prepared to defend themselves while opening the chest as all their rivals will be rushing toward them.

Once a player team manages to obtain the Skull of Siren Song, they will need to take it to Captain Briggsy to collect their rewards. However, that is easier said than done, as the cursed Skull of Siren Song will be inflicting all kinds of random curses to make the journey home chaotic. 

Some of these detrimental curses include summoning an army of Coral Skeletons to slaughter your team or slowing your ship to a crawl, allowing rival players to catch up and steal the Skull of Siren Song from you. There are, however, some beneficial curses that can aid you like conjuring devastating soundwaves that will send enemies flying.

Rewards for claiming the Skull of Siren Song

Prepare to fend off all players as you search for the Skull of Siren Song. (Image credit: Xbox Game Studios)

Beyond receiving a huge pot of gold for your efforts, the rewards for completing the World Event are numerous:

  • Commendations that track how many times you dig up treasure or keys, how many treasure chests you unlock, and more
  • New Flags, Figureheads, Sails and Trinkets for your ship
  • Captain Briggsy's Jacket and Mask
  • The Composer of Siren Song Title for completing all Siren Song Commendations.

Miscellaneous updates

Bountiful rewards await those who manage to bring back the Skull of Siren Song alive. (Image credit: Xbox Game Studios)

In addition to the new PvP World Event, this content patch includes other goodies. For starters, the Pirate Emporium has received new stock. The new items are as follows:

  • The Ravenwood Ship set, Ravenwood Spyglass, and Ravenwood Weapons which were previously only available during Season Eight's Plunder Pass update
  • The Festival of Plenty musical instruments and pet outfits are also back in stock for a limited time
  • A free Angry Scribe Emote

Meanwhile, over at the Outpost shops, the Gold Leaf set has been expanded to include matching clothing. In addition, this update has introduced some new cosmetic rewards for completing the three Tall Tales of The Legend of Monkey Island.

For further information regarding balance changes and quality-of-life changes, you can refer to the full patch notes at the official Sea of Thieves website.

The third major update of Season 10 is coming soon

Soon players will be able to travel on safer waters in the next update for Sea of Thieves (Image credit: Xbox Game Studios)

Rare isn't done yet; it has announced a new game mode for Sea of Thieves that will be implemented in the third major update of Season Ten — Safer Seas. To put it simply, Safer Seas disables all forms of PvP by letting players host a private server where they can travel the seas alone or with a group of friends they've personally invited.

Safer Seas is designed to provide a more peaceful gameplay experience that will help new players learn how to play and enjoy the game's PvE features like Tall Tales and fishing without getting attacked by rival players. The catch of Safer Seas is that progression will be slower and you will receive reduced rewards compared to normal mode as you will have fewer dangers to deal with.

The release date for this game mode along with the third update hasn't been announced as of yet. We will be sure to keep an eye out for this upcoming update as Safer Sea sounds like it could be one of the best new game modes it may ever receive. Not only will it help draw in new players to one of the best Xbox games on Xbox Game Pass, but it will also allow players who personally don't like the game's PvP aspects to finally relax and play Sea of Thieves with their friends without fear of getting robbed by other players.

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Alexander Cope
Contributor — Gaming

Alexander Cope is a gaming veteran of 30-plus years, primarily covering PC and Xbox games here on Windows Central. Gaming since the 8-bit era, Alexander's expertise revolves around gaming guides and news, with a particular focus on Japanese titles from the likes of Elden Ring to Final Fantasy. Alexander is always on deck to help our readers conquer the industry's most difficult games — when he can pry himself away from Monster Hunter that is!