Skull and Bones launches on February 16, 2024, bringing open-sea exploration and naval fight to Xbox Series X|S gamers. For these desirous to set sail throughout the huge Indian Ocean and get a style of the pirate life, you possibly can register now for an opportunity to play within the closed beta from December 15-18, 2023.
Your aim in Skull and Bones is to change into a pirate kingpin, amassing riches, a fearsome fleet of ships, and an notorious repute alongside the best way. Doing so, nevertheless, is less complicated mentioned than finished. When the sport kicks off, you’ll be caught on the mistaken aspect of a devastating sea battle. Shipwrecked, you’ll collect what assets you possibly can to make your solution to the pirate den of Sainte-Anne, the place your rags-to-riches story begins in earnest.
The very first thing it’s essential perceive about Skull and Bones is Infamy. Infamy is a measure of your development, and a pirate’s most necessary useful resource in Skull and Bones. It determines what contracts can be found to you, what ships you possibly can construct, what assets you possibly can harvest, what weapons you possibly can craft, and a lot extra. Doing absolutely anything in Skull and Bones will grant you Infamy, from searching crocodiles and smuggling rum to monitoring down bounties and unearthing hidden treasures.
Get to Know Sainte-Anne
If you wish to rule the seas, step one is getting snug on land. The pirate den of Sainte-Anne is the place you’ll purchase contracts, construct new ships, and purchase and promote your items. It’s additionally the place you’ll craft the weapons, attachments, and furnishings you’ll must outfit your ships. You’ll additionally have the ability to get your pirate’s look simply the best way you prefer it, handle your cargo to maximise revenue, restore your ships, and customise them with the appropriate instruments for the job at hand. Sainte-Anne can be the place you’ll meet John Scurlock, a pirate kingpin who will set you on missions to pursue the golden path of Skull and Bones (which is able to web you the most effective rewards and probably the most Infamy).
Grab some contracts and any accessible missions, pack in a couple of restore kits, and set sail! Your journeys will carry you again to the pirate haven quickly sufficient, hopefully with extra cargo than whenever you left and never too many holes in your hull. Your actions on the open ocean will usually web you worthwhile loot, however additionally they come at the price of assets that you just’ll must replenish, like ammunition and restore kits. Upon your return to port, full your contracts, money in your loot, craft an improve, stash additional provides for later, tackle extra contracts, high off your survival assets, and head again out. This is Skull and Bones’ early gameplay loop, and it’s the way you’ll begin to construct Infamy and a reputation for your self.
Build Your Fleet
Of course, a pirate is nothing with out a ship, and your first correct vessel, the Bedar, will allow you to discover the Red Isle, the realm round Sainte-Anne the place hazard and alternative await. Before you set sail, you’ll must get your Bedar prepared to have interaction in Skull and Bones’ bread and butter: naval fight.
All ships in Skull and Bones have weapon slots for the numerous cannons and different artillery you’ll unlock. The Bedar has three slots – one on the left, proper, and entrance of the ship (port, starboard, and bow respectively, for the nautically inclined). Eventually you’ll unlock ships which have 4 attachment slots, which is able to permit you to add weapons to all 4 sides of a ship. Many of your early contracts will deal with sinking a sure variety of a particular ship kind or plundering settlements, so that you’ll have to be well-armed.
The beginning cannons are equal to the duty early on, however quickly sufficient, you’ll wish to specialize your armaments. Long weapons are good for hitting targets from a (comparatively) safer distance and pinpointing enemy weak factors, whereas demi-cannons act as ship-mounted shotguns with a large, short-range space of impact. As you develop your fleet, extra unique weapons like bombards, torpedoes, sea fireplace, and extra can dramatically alter the best way you struggle at sea. Similarly, the armor plates you select in your ships boast completely different resistances. Metal armor protects you from piercing harm, whereas wetted hides will protect you from fire-based assaults. If you’re having bother with a very troublesome struggle, scout the enemy ships together with your spyglass to disclose what sort of harm they’re dealing and what they’re weak to, then return to the closest pirate den to vary your ship’s loadout to fulfill the problem.
As you search to improve your weapons, armor, or buff-granting furnishings, you’ll want to succeed in sure Infamy ranges and discover the right blueprints, which can very nicely be situated removed from Sainte-Anne. Luckily, every vendor will make it clear what degree it’s essential be, and the place you could find the particular blueprint you’re searching for.
Sail With a Cutthroat Crew
While contracts will provide you with devoted aims to finish, there’s loads of alternative out on the open sea. Hunt service provider vessels, plunder settlements, commerce items, collect crafting assets, monitor down blueprints, and uncover the map to see what else awaits you. You’ll usually encounter different gamers as you discover, and in Skull and Bones, you possibly can work together with them in two methods. The first is by taking part in collectively in co-op: method their vessel or ship up a flare to name for assist, and you may take part a celebration to tackle harder challenges for higher loot. Teaming up is essential for tougher aims, like timed world occasions. As the identify suggests, these occasions expire if not accomplished rapidly. For instance, chances are you’ll encounter a wealthy service provider convoy carrying uncommon and worthwhile items, however their closely armored ships received’t go down simply – and in the event you don’t sink them earlier than they end their route, their rewards can be misplaced. Team up with close by gamers or mates to take them down in a coordinated assault and reap the advantages.
Co-op can be useful for these pirates who maintain an ear open for rumors and gossip at Sainte-Anne. Conversations you overhear would possibly lead you to a mysterious ghost ship that solely seems at night time, or a vicious sea monster. These occasions are among the hardest challenges Skull and Bones has to supply, however with the assistance of a fleet of mates, anybody can overcome even the supernatural.
If you’re feeling a bit extra cutthroat in your quest for riches, PvP challenges are additionally accessible. All you must do is discover a legendary treasure map. These will lead you to some extremely worthwhile loot; the one catch is that it’ll mark your location for all close by gamers and permit them to assault you. If they get the higher of you, they are going to steal your cargo and declare the legendary map’s treasure for themselves. With nice threat comes nice reward, and it’s as much as you to determine if you wish to chase the treasure, or hunt those that do.
Becoming a Kingpin
As your Infamy grows, so too does the world of Skull and Bones. More superior contracts will take you to far-flung corners of the Indian Ocean, and larger ships and higher weapons make sure you’ll have the ability to survive in these corners.
Infamy is available in tiers, and when you attain the Brigand tier, you’ll be part of The Helm, a secret smuggling community, and unlock your individual pirate liar. At this level, you received’t be finishing duties for others, however operating your individual operation as you purchase unique supplies and refine them into unlawful items to promote on the black market. Upgrade The Helm, seize key territories, and broaden your operation to remain in enterprise and dominate the seas.
Play Your Way
Ultimately, the way you play Skull and Bones is as much as you. Will you journey on the on the excessive seas alone in the hunt for treasure? Will you band along with a gaggle of mates to wage naval warfare and hunt different gamers? Will you chase down each blueprint and hidden secret throughout the Indian Ocean? And maybe most significantly, will you could have a pet lemur or a pet cat on board your ship? There’s no mistaken solution to play Skull and Bones, so get able to change into a pirate Kingpin when the sport launches on February 16, 2024, and you may stand up to a few days of early entry by pre-ordering the Premium Edition now on the Microsoft Store for Xbox.
SKULL AND BONES™
UBISOFT
Enter the perilous paradise of Skull and Bones™ impressed by the Indian Ocean throughout the Golden Age of Piracy, as you overcome the chances and rise from an outcast to an notorious pirate.
– Grow your infamy to realize entry to extra assets and alternatives as you tackle riskier contracts to realize probably the most loot.
– Craft as much as 10 ships and customise them with quite a lot of weapons and armor to maximise your probabilities for fulfillment.
– Be cautious on this untamed open world impressed by the Indian Ocean. There are predators lurking round each nook.
– Choose the way you wish to tackle the seas. Sail solo or staff up with two mates to observe your again in both PvE or PvEvP.
