So you’re (almost) a seasoned pirate in Sea of Thieves. You’ve got a Voyage planned, and now all you need to do is get out there and get ‘er done. One problem, though: you don’t know how to sail. Don’t worry — we’ve got you covered!
If you want to learn how to sail, you’d best start practicing. We’ve got all the tips you need to get started.
With most journeys, here’s what you’ll need to do to sail with determination:
- Go and pick a Voyage and figure out where you’re going, first of all.
- Raise Anchor.
- Drop sail.
- Position sail.
- Steer.
- Check your progress on the Map Table.
- Repeat steps 4-6 as needed.
Simple, right? That list can be done solo on a sloop, but will take a proper crew of 4 people on a gigantic galleon.
Raise anchor
Once you’re on your ship, find the steering wheel. Don’t use it though; instead, turn directly behind you to find your anchor. You’ll need to raise it before you travel and lower it when you’re at your objective. Easy stuff, eh?
On a sloop, the anchor is right behind the steering wheel at the back of the ship (below). On a galleon, the anchor is near the front of the boat, near the frontmost sail.
Drop sail
Your boat travels with the wind, but you need a way to harness said power. Your sail does that.
It can be put to half- or full-mast, making you slower or faster depending. For now, drop that sail all the way down and sail like a pro.
Look to the left or the right of your steering wheel to find where to drop your sail (Set Sail Length). One option on either side is for this function and the other is to position your sail.
A sloop has one sail while a galleon has three. This applies to as many sails as you have.
Position sail
To make the most of the wind, you need to move your sail’s angle so that it’s catching it. You can basically position your sail in a 180 degree arch, either hard left or right or somewhere in the middle.
To figure out where to put your sail, look up at the wind. The telltale white lines represent gusts of wind — you’ll be able to use that to determine the direction the wind is travelling. Move your sail to catch the gusts (Set Sail Angle), and voila, you’re done.
You can also use the sail itself to see if you’re doing it right — the sail will puff out when hit with wind.
A sloop has one sail while a galleon has three. This applies to as many sails as you have.
Steer
This is almost self-explanatory. Use the steering to move the rudder underneath your ship. Move left or right to start sending your ship in that direction, and remember that you’ll need to go back to centre if you want your ship to travel in a straight line.
To pull an ’emergency turn’ as per Sea of Thieves‘ own tooltips (and also gain an Achievement), try cranking the wheel to the left or right and then dropping your anchor.
Located to the right of your steering wheel is a compass; use that to figure out the direction you’re travelling.
What other tips do you have for new sailors?
Sea of Thieves is available now on Windows PC and Xbox One.
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