As spring progresses ever onward outside the windows, things haven’t slowed down for a moment inside Rare HQ! April was absolutely jam-packed with news and updates, including a PlayStation®5 launch for the very first time in our studio history, so let’s not waste time with any more preamble. From the top, here’s everything you might have missed last month!

Our main update wasn’t due until the very end of April, so we aimed to tide everyone over in the meantime with a Gold & Glory Weekend. What better way to make sure you all had a chance to get your hands on those last Season 11 rewards?

After that, it was just a hop, skip and jump into the launch of PlayStation 5 Early Access! We’d welcomed in a few players on this new platform towards the beginning of April with our Closed Beta, with a whole host of questions answered in an accompanying PS5® FAQ[www.seaofthieves.com], but Early Access marked the first time that these players could take to the seas alongside everyone else. It was a fine sight to see so many crews rolling out a suitable welcome by flying the New Dawn Sails.

With the floodgates open, it was finally time for everyone to take the plunge into Season 12[www.seaofthieves.com]. Bringing new weapons, mechanics and the all-important owls to the seas for the first time, this update marked a major refresh[www.seaofthieves.com] for Sea of Thieves’ sandbox. Have you had a chance to dive in yet? How many times have you been sent to the brig for using the Horn of Fair Winds on your crewmates? Don’t worry, they’ll probably forgive you soon.

There was another milestone awaiting Sea of Thieves in April: the announcement that the game has now welcomed 40 million players[www.seaofthieves.com] since launch! In the six years since our shared pirate haven opened its doors, the team has delivered over 100 free updates to bring you the best experience possible – and it’s been a delight to watch so many pirates find their sea legs, make connections and chase that horizon. Thank you all so much for joining us, whether you’ve been here from the beginning or you’re just setting out on your Maiden Voyage.

Back in the here and now, as the team cooked up a storm of new features for Season 12, it seemed like a good time to share something else that was in the works: the Sea of Thieves cookbook[www.seaofthieves.com]! After giving everyone a little while to properly salivate over all the delightful dishes they’d be able to make, we came back with our latest From Concept to Cosmetic investigative article – this time dedicated to the mighty Frorb[www.seaofthieves.com] – offering everyone a little extra encouragement to complete Season 11 while they still could.

Around then, we realised it was about time for another Community Spotlight[www.seaofthieves.com]. This month, that meant catching up with lauded loot artist Cap’n Axe[www.seaofthieves.com] and finding out how he grew from streaming his pirate-themed Animal Crossing island into a renowned digital artist within the Sea of Thieves community. Give it a read!

As always, we couldn’t let the month go by without a fresh instalment of Sea of Thieves News, this time unveiling what players could expect from Season 12, the reintroduction of six-ship servers and, perhaps most notably of all, Daryl’s new haircut. Production Director Drew also stopped by for another quick chat about game health, which he followed up on later with an expanded State of Play[www.seaofthieves.com] Forum post to answer any lingering questions.

After that, it was full speed ahead into the release of Season 12 and, of course, the accompanying trailers. First, we had the Content Update trailer to lay out all the core features coming with the update, before the more condensed launch trailer landed to make sure even players who didn’t have a full minute to spare could get the highlights. And, for the fashionistas with an eye on the Emporium, we couldn’t forget our usual catwalk of new cosmetics to peruse.

And, in case that wasn’t quite enough trailer content to be getting on with, our PlayStation 5 launch felt like the perfect opportunity for a new overall trailer to show a new generation of players what they were about to get themselves into. Delightful sea-based chaos, mainly.

We really did try to start the month off calmly, but a rare fish sighting and the reveal of the latest Style of Thieves winners put a rapid end to that. We tried to claw it back with some lovely Fairy Tale[www.instagram.com] vibes in the first monthly round of #SoTShot, and even the calm Fancy Fishing screenshots we explored with the next[www.instagram.com], but the chaos simply could not be stopped. Even the swabbies were getting in on it.

Some questionable parking[www.tiktok.com] aside, we did manage to get things back on track eventually with two Community Hub[www.instagram.com] updates to celebrate some fabulous community creations[www.instagram.com]. We even threw in two rounds of Twitch Drops help you earn a few extra goodies through the month, before said questionable parking forced us to make a quick PSA lest we completely drain the Outpost budget.

As you might have expected, we also spent a lot of April getting excited[www.tiktok.com] for the imminent arrival of owl sidekicks and how eager we were to pet them[www.tiktok.com], but that wasn’t all we got up to. Our neverending hunt for loot started poorly[www.tiktok.com] and didn’t improve much from there[www.tiktok.com], so we resorted to elaborate thievery[www.tiktok.com] instead. You’d think we’d have learned in six years. Maybe it’s all the lionfish’s fault[www.tiktok.com]…

And that was April! It’s been a really momentous time for Sea of Thieves lately and we’re endlessly thankful to have you experiencing it with us. Here’s to many more years together. For now, though, remember that you can always find us on the usual channels: Twitter, Facebook[www.facebook.com], Instagram[www.instagram.com], TikTok[www.tiktok.com], YouTube, Twitch[twitch.tv], and the official Forums[www.seaofthieves.com] and Discord[www.discord.gg]. For now, it’s about time we returned to the seas[www.tiktok.com]…

Sea of Thieves’ Seasons keep on turning, and the arrival of Season 12 on April 30th is a real milestone, coinciding with a huge wave of players sailing in on PlayStation®5 for the first time. This alone would mix up the everyday interactions that take place out there on the waves, but we haven’t even begun to describe the game-changing features delivered by Season 12 itself!

Every pirate’s choice of arms to carry into battle is about to be expanded, as the Double Barrel Pistol and throwing knives become available to drop into weapon slots. The Double Barrel Pistol requires a closer range and deals less damage per shot than the standard pistol, but makes up for it with rate of fire and the ability to charge and unleash both shots at once.

Throwing knives, meanwhile, offer even more options: quick, light attacks in a brawl, a heavy stabbing sneak attack or, of course, a gratifying throw at a target of your choosing. If you miss, you can retrieve your knife and return it to your stash – and if someone else misses, you can grab theirs and throw it right back!

Even ship-to-ship battles now offer more choice with the introduction of scattershot. This new cannonball type breaks into smaller projectiles when fired, inflicting multiple hull breaches if you’ve manoeuvred close enough to the enemy ship to make full use of its effects.

Two new tools with multiple uses also make their debut in Season 12. The first of these is the Bone Caller, a throwable item that has the effect of summoning skeletons who’ll rally to your defence. Like many other throwables, the Bone Caller can also be fired from a cannon to cause chaos on enemy decks! Just save it until you need it, as these friendly skellies are only active for a limited time before reverting to inanimate bones.

The Horn of Fair Winds, meanwhile, proves handy in a wide variety of situations. A sailor’s first instinct would be to use it to fill their ship’s sails, and it can certainly do that – but it can also put out fires, push back attacking enemies, boost your swimming speed and even break your fall. Its charge is limited, but even drained of power it’s still worth a decent pile of gold!

All these things will help a crew greatly in their pursuit of gold and glory, and a further two additions will contribute to the dual aim of seizing treasure and getting it safely back to the ship.

Harpoons have been helping treasure hunters fill their decks for some time now, but only with the arrival of Season 12 can pirates flex their agility and walk the lines like tightrope gymnasts. Whether you’re boarding enemy ships or just seeking an easier route to an awkward spot, a whole new world of traversal awaits!

And these aren’t the only lines that will help you get around, as Season 12 sees ziplines installed at key points on a number of islands, spreading outwards from their first appearance in The Legend of Monkey Island Tall Tales. Hop on for a thrilling ride and handy transport of loot from the scene of a heist…

A new Season brings 100 more levels of Seasonal Renown to be climbed. Unique cosmetic rewards along with caches of gold, Doubloons and Ancient Coins are all up for grabs as you progress, and an optional Plunder Pass adds extra prizes to the pool: for Season 12 this allows you to earn the complete Gorgon ship set including Collector’s items, a two-stage Stone Curse, the Gorgon Headband and 750 additional Ancient Coins to help recoup the price of the Pass.

It's a bumper month of new stock in the Pirate Emporium too! Owl pets have finally landed, in five different varieties, for all your non-parrot flying sidekick needs. The Checkmate ship set, costume, weapons and Ship’s Crest will help fashionable pirates raise their game, while the new throwing knives get their first makeover to match some popular existing sets. And coming to the shelves after their exclusivity to a previous Plunder Pass, the Sting Tide ship set and costume are joined by a freshly fashioned lantern.

If you’re seeking an outlet for your gold and Doubloons rather than Ancient Coins, you’ll find the Outpost shops restocked with treasures such as new Seared Forsaken Ashes ship parts and clothing, and the Refined Gold rewards from a previous globetrotting Event!

For more information on the Sea of Thieves Season 12 update, including full release notes[www.seaofthieves.com], visit the Sea of Thieves website[www.seaofthieves.com]. The update is available for free to all Sea of Thieves players on Steam. Simply download and install the latest Sea of Thieves update to get access.

New to Sea of Thieves? Find out about the latest free content updates on our What’s New[www.seaofthieves.com] page, get familiar with Who’s Who[www.seaofthieves.com] or pick up some gameplay tips from our Pirate Academy[www.seaofthieves.com], which provides invaluable information on topics ranging from sailing to swordplay as you prepare for your maiden voyage. Join the ongoing adventure at https://www.seaofthieves.com/ where you can embark on an epic journey with one of gaming’s most welcoming communities!