Yesterday we got our first look at pirate sim Skull and Bones and what the game will offer come its release on 8 November.
Below we’ve detailed the key takeaways from the trailer.
Hub areas, combat and other players
In the gameplay trailer, we saw the player character walking around hub areas, interacting with other players and, of course, sailing their ship.
The game promises that you will be able to socialise with other players in these hub areas, purchase resources and supplies, craft and upgrade gear, and attend to your ship.
The core gameplay loop of Skull and Bones seems to be purely naval-based in a similar fashion to what was offered in Assassin’s Creed: Black Flag, with the player controlling their vessel from a first-person view from the ship’s wheel on the command deck.
While sailing you will also encounter numerous hazards, such as storms, NPC vessels, and other players.
When you are attacked and killed, you’ll watch your ship explode and sink before respawning at the closet hub area — losing some of the cargo your ship was carrying at the time.
This lost loot can be recovered from the destruction site, but other players can also take it if you’re not quick enough.
It is also unclear whether or not you’ll lose your ship or respawn with it upon death, such as what you find in Eve Online for the former and Sea of Thieves for the latter.
Crafting and customisation
Regarding your ship, it has also been revealed that you will have many customisation options allowing you to craft your ideal vessel, choose what base ship you’d like, craft its equipment, and select its appearance.
Similarly, players can customise their characters as they plunder and loot for new equipment — although this equipment is likely only cosmetic.
As you play, the trailer also indicated that you’d have to manage the morale of your pirate crew (with a chance of mutiny if it drops too low) and gain infamy over time through playing the game.
While exploring the world of Skull and Bones, you’ll also be able to harvest resources from islands you encounter, such as ore and wood that can be used for crafting.
Crafting was stated to be an essential aspect of the game, with players finding and using blueprints with the resources they acquire to craft new ships, weapons, and armours.
Skull and Bones also promised dynamic events players would be able to engage in either solo or with friends, such as:
- Sacking forts and settlements
- Hunting animals
- Attacking trade convoys
- Treasure hunting
Multiplayer
In terms of multiplayer, players can easily invite other pirates they encounter while sailing to a group to engage in the content.
What we don’t know is mainly centred around how the game’s multiplayer will function – such as how PvP will work in terms of servers and players who may wish to opt-out in favour of solo content.
Likewise, if Skull and Bones presents a fully open sandbox with players able to pirate and plunder as they like, there is the issue of new players in weaker ships being preyed upon by veteran players with high-tier vessels and weapons.
These concerns, however, will no doubt be addressed as we get closer to the November release and more information about the game is shown and shared.
It was also confirmed that there will be no non-naval combat in Skull and Bones, with only player-specific actions being walking around hub areas and commanding their ship – although this included firing the cannons.
Skull and Bones will release on PS5, Xbox Series X/S, Stadia, Luna, PC (Epic Games Store), and Ubisoft Connect.
Below you can watch the full gameplay trailer.
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