You want to play Sea of Thieves solo? It’s not that hard. Stick to our survival and control tricks and get rewarded.
There are many reasons why someone might want to play Sea of Thieves solo. Some players see themselves as a lone wolf, wanting to achieve their adventures and successes on their own. But there are also moments when one simply doesn’t feel like playing with a group. It’s better to just float along alone, perhaps listening to music or watching a stream.
As a solo player, you are outnumbered by enemy ship crews. However, with these tips, you can still navigate the game successfully.
Let’s go! – Preparation and sailing
Before each adventure, it’s helpful to take as much material as possible from the starting outpost. Bananas, planks, and cannonballs are extremely important and can be stored on your ship. Having a handful more planks in the hold can save your ship from sinking.
It’s best to load your cannons with ammunition on board right away. This way, you are prepared in case a fight occurs.
Set sail and stay on course
Once you’ve made all the preparations and are on your way to your first treasure, it’s important to handle your ship well.
- Sail length
- With the sails fully deployed, you can reach high speeds, but you maneuver more slowly.
- If the sails are retracted, you can make particularly tight turns, but you have little speed
- Reading the map while sailing
- Position the overview map in the captain’s cabin so that you can see the ship and your target at a glance.
- There’s no need to run below deck to see if you’re on course. Just look at the deck behind the anchor; you’ll see the map there. If that is too imprecise for you, the telescope can help.
Land in sight – Approach slowly and loot
On your journeys, you must always dock at new islands to search for the desired loot. However, approach the islands with caution so that your ship does not take damage. As you approach the island, it’s best to pull the sails up to half or a quarter mast. You need to calculate about two seconds before the boat stops for the anchor throw.
For a particularly cool stop, turn the rudder all the way to the right or all the way to the left and then drop the anchor. Your boat will make a 180° turn. There’s even an achievement for such a turn-around maneuver. You can see all achievements in Sea of Thieves in our overview
After your ship has come to a stop, hoist the sails completely and raise the anchor again. Use the rudder to turn your boat into the right position for a quick escape.
Before stepping onto the island, make sure to check the ammunition chest again for safety and look with the telescope for enemy ships in the vicinity. If everything is clear, you can go loot.
Ship against ship – Against groups, you are faster
The disadvantage in combat as a solo player becomes apparent against large crews of 3 or 4 people. Therefore, many solo players completely avoid combat here and try to flee. To make this work, keep the following tips in mind:
- If a galleon is chasing you, steer your boat directly into the wind so that the wind comes against you. Fully swing your sail to one side, either all the way left or all the way right. This way, you’ll be faster than the galleon and can easily escape.
- Against other sloops, it’s best to take cover behind islands with mountains so the opponents lose sight of you.
If you love excitement and want to test your luck against a galleon, it’s best to circle around it. While you’re making circles, shoot at them with the cannons.
In combat against other sloops, try to maintain distance so that neither of the two persons can board you. You would recognize that by the splashing of the water when a player jumps into the sea.
General tips for Sea of Thieves
In close combat, a sword is often the better choice because you can strike more quickly without having to wait for reloads. In fights against other players and skeletons, it is always important to keep moving. This way, skeletons can’t surround you, and players have a harder time aiming at you.
Try not to fight in the water, but stay on land (or on the ship). If you are wounded, try to hide to eat bananas and heal yourself.
If you are docking at an island, it’s usually a good idea to raise the anchor again. One exception exists when you are in the middle of a storm and the ship could drift away. To escape, it is always faster to drop the sails than to haul in the anchor.
Don’t worry if you fall overboard while your ship continues to sail calmly. A friendly mermaid (or merman) will quickly appear nearby and teleport you back to the ship. You can recognize this supportive swimmer by a sound and a distinctive torch.
With these tips, you should also do well as a solo player in Sea of Thieves. Do you have more tips? Feel free to share them with us in the comments.
