# Sea of Thieves: 2026 Edition Sea of Thieves Release Notes - 3.5.3 - Product: Sea of Thieves: 2026 Edition (https://whatsnew.fyi/product/sea-of-thieves-2026-edition) - Vendor: Rare Ltd - Date: 2025-11-13 - Original notes: https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/1172620/view/600795065086902310 - Permalink: https://whatsnew.fyi/product/sea-of-thieves-2026-edition/releases/2025-11-13-sea-of-thieves-release-notes-3.5.3 What's New is an index, not a publisher: every entry below links to the vendor's own release notes, which are the authoritative source. Entries are labelled where they are hand-curated sample data, pre-releases, or drawn from a secondary source such as a developer blog. Reuse: the summaries, labels and curation here are © What's New. Quote freely with attribution and a link back; wholesale republication of the corpus is not permitted — terms: https://whatsnew.fyi/terms. The vendors' own release notes remain their publishers'. --- - **changed** — Reduced weapon switching animation and times when switching between ranged weapons, with one second now between firing two ranged weapons - **changed** — Removed guards that forced players to observe full duration of weapon wield animations when switching between ranged weapons - **changed** — Increased speed of wielding any ranged weapon from stowed state - **fixed** — Fixed weapon wield animation speed when jumping or falling to display at correct speed - **changed** — Improved speed of aiming down sights while crouched - **fixed** — Improved loading times when returning to ship after leaving the Ferry of the Damned or using a mermaid - **fixed** — Addressed loading screens becoming stuck and reduced frequency of glowing green skeletons appearing after returning to ship - **changed** — Introduced loading optimisations targeting lower-spec hardware on console, PC and handheld devices - **fixed** — Reaper's Chests now appear within the treasure hoard when unlocking the Vault at the Fort of the Damned - **added** — Integrated Immerse Spatial Audio providing enhanced depth and precision for headphone players - **added** — Added free Enhanced Headphone Mode with Generic Profile in game settings - **added** — Added option to purchase Immerse Gamepack from Pirate Emporium to create Personalised Profile and unlock Coconut Headband cosmetic - **added** — Provided 14-day free trial of personalised audio experience from Enhanced Headphone Mode - **added** — Added ability for players to delete their facial scan from Embody page after completing setup - **added** — Added Purple Resolute Hull, Sails and Flag at shipwright outposts - **added** — Added Regal Hound equipment and instruments at Outpost shops - **fixed** — Fixed Midnight Blades Hat appearing invisible in front-end menu or without clothing in the world - **fixed** — Fixed swimming players not appearing consistently orientated in correct position and improved hit detection for swimming players - **fixed** — Improved water effects visual transition when diving or surfacing - **fixed** — Fixed Sea Fort cannons not consistently firing at player ships when approaching a defended fort ##### Gameplay Improvements **Improved Weapon Switching** - When players switch between ranged weapons, the animation and switching times have been reduced, providing a snappier and more responsive experience when firing two shots. The time between firing two ranged weapons is now one second. - Previous guards that forced players to observe the full duration of weapon wield animations when switching between ranged weapons have now been removed, allowing players the freedom to cancel animations when moving through the world. While players can once again cancel these animations, they will still experience a one-second gap between firing two weapons. **Weapon Animation Improvements** - Wielding any ranged weapon from stowed is now faster, allowing players to react more quickly in combat. - Players wielding a weapon while jumping or falling will now see the wield animation at the correct speed. The result is a more consistent visual read for when a weapon is ready to fire. - Players attempting to aim down sights while crouched will now stand with their weapon able to fire much more quickly. **Addressing Extended Loading Times** - Improvements have been made to how players load back onto their ship after leaving the Ferry of the Damned or when travelling large distances using a mermaid. - These improvements should provide a much more consistent experience when returning to the ship, and address the common causes of loading screens becoming stuck. This should also reduce the frequency of seeing glowing green skeletons for an extended duration after returning to the ship. - Loading optimisations have been introduced, targeting lower-spec hardware. These should improve the loading times experienced on lower-spec console, PC and handheld devices. **Reaper’s Chest** - Crews unlocking the Vault at the Fort of the Damned will once again discover Reaper’s Chests within the treasure hoard. ## Updates **Immerse Spatial Audio Integration** - Immerse Spatial Audio has now been integrated into _Sea of Thieves_, providing enhanced depth and precision to the world when playing with headphones. This experience has been fine-tuned by the teams at Rare and Embody for the _Sea of Thieves_ soundscape. - Players can enable Enhanced Headphone Mode with a Generic Profile for free within the game settings. - To enable a personalised audio experience, players can purchase the Immerse Gamepack from the Pirate Emporium or from Enhanced Headphone Mode in the game settings to create a Personalised Profile. Purchasing the Immerse Gamepack will also unlock the Coconut Headband in-game cosmetic. - All players are offered a 14-day free trial of the personalised audio experience from Enhanced Headphone Mode in the game settings. After the free trial has expired, players can still choose to enable the free Generic Profile. - Players who create a Personalised Profile can now choose to have their facial scan deleted directly from the Embody page after completing setup. ##### Pirate Emporium Show off your personal style with purchases from the Pirate Emporium! Pick up exclusive cosmetics such as ship liveries, costumes, weapons, pets and emotes using your Ancient Coins, purchasable with real money. Head to the [Pirate Emporium](https://www.seaofthieves.com/pirate-emporium) to browse and buy the latest additions! **New Items – Now in Stock!** - False King’s Ransom Ship Collection and Ship’s Crest - False King’s Ransom Weapon Bundle - False King’s Ransom Crown, Jacket and Boots - King’s Ransom Jacket and Boots - Inner Sanctum Ship’s Crest - Hear No Evil Emote (free!) - Highborn Variety Ship Bundle (mixed bundle of existing items) ##### Outpost Cosmetics **New Outpost Stock!** - The shipwrights have restocked with the new Purple Resolute Hull, Sails and Flag. - The Outpost shops now offer the Regal Hound equipment and instruments. ##### Fixed Issues **Gameplay** - Players with the Midnight Blades Hat equipped should no longer find they _[Truncated at 4000 characters — full notes: https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/1172620/view/600795065086902310]_