Whoever says “Parley” or raises their cannons to the sky sends clear signals to the pirates in Sea of Thieves. But what are they? The community is developing its own code of conduct for the online pirate adventure. Those who do not adhere to it must face harsh consequences.
In March, the pirate adventure Sea of Thieves launched on PC and Xbox One, and the launch was quite successful. At its core, it’s about many players taking on the role of pirates in a session and going on treasure hunts. Along the way, you will often encounter other pirates, and as is common in a PvP game, they are not always friendly.
To recognize from a distance whether the opposing pirate is friendly towards you, the community has already developed rules. Because in Sea of Thieves, you cannot simply disable PvP and sail invisibly over the sea:
- How do you show opponents that you are willing to help each other peacefully?
- And how do you negotiate deals with stronger opponents?
Parley! You have the right to talk
Not every encounter has to end with explosive battles at sea. If you notice that an opponent is closing in on you and apparently has bad intentions, you call “Parley!” This is the rule that emerged in the Sea of Thieves community. It is meant to ensure that any pirate who calls Parley is temporarily protected and brought to the captain to negotiate. Until the Parley is concluded, the player may not be attacked.
This proposal was spread at the launch of Sea of Thieves on Reddit and found great resonance. In the first days after the launch, hardly anyone followed this community rule. Now, however, more pirates adhere to this rule, leading to negotiations.
What do the negotiations bring? Instead of immediately sinking the opposing ship, pirates can strike a deal. For example: You give us 6 of your 10 chests, and we let you sail away.
Parley also helps with skeleton fort raids. For a single crew, it is very difficult to defeat the waves of skeletons there, secure the loot, and simultaneously eliminate an opposing crew. If you call Parley and team up with another crew, the game becomes significantly easier. You can negotiate beforehand on how much loot each should receive and then get back to your own game.
New opponents? Parley can help. With the update in May, Sea of Thieves brings the first content update that introduces new PvE threats. It will likely be advantageous for multiple crews to work together.
Cannons in the air or flickering with the light?
The galleons in Sea of Thieves are powerful ships with three sails and eight strong cannons. It makes quite an impression when such a ship approaches on the horizon while you’re sailing in your one-man dinghy. But not every crew on a galleon is hostile. Some are also looking for teammates.
If the cannons are aimed at the sky, that is the white flag. This rule applies in a large part of the community for all ships. Aim your cannons towards the sky and keep them aimed like that while you sail across the sea. Other crews can easily recognize this with a spyglass. In the community, it symbolizes: They do not want to fight. Keep in mind that this white flag can also be exploited by malicious pirates – so it’s not a get-out-of-jail-free card.
If you encounter crews that follow these rules and your cannons are not aimed at the sky, you immediately appear as “aggressive”. Anyone who does not adhere to the rules can quickly become a victim.
A dark ship wants nothing to do with others. On your ships, there are lamps that you can turn on and off. A ship that has all its lights turned off usually wants nothing to do with other players. If a ship approaches you and turns the lights on and off wildly, the player is usually seeking communication with you.
The authors take the rules seriously – Be warned
Disregarding these rules does not lead to any problems with the developers and does not cause a ban. After all, they come from the community and are not official terms and conditions.
Players who adhere to the rules expect the same from others. So, if your cannons do not point to the sky, it may indicate to some pirates that you are seeking a fight.
If you sail with glowing lamps through the night, you might be wishing for company. And if you call Parley loudly during skeleton raids, you may have the chance to negotiate with another crew instead of finding a new enemy in them right away.
The more players participate in these rules, the easier communication becomes in Sea of Thieves. Why not give it a try and share your experiences with us.
