Key Terms & Definitions

Master Sea of Thieves lingo. Understand key terms like Voyage, Trading Company, Tall Tale, Emissary, and common treasure and enemy names.

Navigating the Sea of Thieves requires understanding its unique lexicon. From the names of treasures and enemies to the mechanics of sailing and combat, a solid grasp of key terms will enhance your pirate experience and help you communicate effectively with your crew.

This glossary aims to demystify the jargon, providing clear definitions for the most common and important terms you'll encounter. Whether you're a fresh-faced recruit or a seasoned buccaneer, familiarizing yourself with these terms will ensure smoother voyages and more successful adventures.

Core Game Mechanics

• Voyage: A quest or mission obtained from Trading Companies, guiding players to specific objectives like finding treasure, hunting targets, or delivering cargo.
• Trading Company: Factions like the Gold Hoarders, Order of Souls, and Merchant Alliance that offer voyages and purchase loot.
• Reputation: The progression system within each Trading Company, earned by selling them loot and completing their voyages. Reaching higher reputation levels unlocks new voyages and cosmetic rewards.
• Doubloons: A special currency earned through various activities, used to purchase certain items and voyages from Trading Companies.
• Ancient Coins: Premium currency purchased with real money, used to buy cosmetic items from the Pirate Emporium.
• Tall Tale: Story-driven, multi-part quests that delve into the lore of Sea of Thieves, often featuring unique puzzles and boss encounters.
• Emissary: A status granted by Trading Companies that allows players to earn bonus reputation and gold for selling loot related to that company. Flying an Emissary flag increases risk but also reward.

Items and Treasures

• Quest Items: Items specifically required for a voyage or Tall Tale, such as maps, keys, or artifacts. These often cannot be sold for gold but are essential for quest progression.
• Treasure Chests: The primary form of loot, ranging from common chests to rare and valuable ones like the Athena's Chest.
• Artifacts: Various valuable items found during voyages, such as skulls, statues, and trinkets.
• Reaper's Chest / Reaper's Bounty: Rare and highly valuable treasures that can only be sold to the Reaper's Bones. They emit a red glow and are often contested.
• Ashen Chest / Ashen Key: Found in the Devil's Roar, these chests require a specific key to open and contain valuable loot.

Enemies and Threats

• Skeletons: The undead inhabitants of the Sea of Thieves, appearing in various forms like standard skeletons, armored skeletons, shadow skeletons, and skeleton captains.
• Phantoms: Ethereal enemies that appear primarily at night.
• Ocean Crawlers: Amphibious creatures that can inflict status effects.
• Megaldon: A colossal shark that can attack ships.
• Kraken: A massive sea monster that can attack ships with its tentacles.
• Skeleton Ships: Spectral vessels that engage in naval combat.

Ship and Sailing Terms

• Sloop, Brigantine, Galleon: The three main types of player ships, varying in size and crew capacity.
• Capstan: Used to raise and lower the anchor.
• Wheel: Used to steer the ship.
• Sails: Used to catch the wind and propel the ship. Adjusting sail angle is crucial for speed and maneuverability.
• Cannons: The primary offensive weapon on a ship.
• Harpoon: Used to grab loot, attach to other ships, or pull yourself towards islands.

Understanding these terms will significantly improve your ability to communicate with your crew and navigate the many challenges and opportunities the Sea of Thieves presents.