# Sea of Thieves: 2026 Edition Sea of Thieves Release Notes - 3.6.1 - Product: Sea of Thieves: 2026 Edition (https://whatsnew.fyi/product/sea-of-thieves-2026-edition) - Vendor: Rare Ltd - Date: 2026-01-22 - Original notes: https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/1172620/view/509603414731130311 - Permalink: https://whatsnew.fyi/product/sea-of-thieves-2026-edition/releases/2026-01-22-sea-of-thieves-release-notes-3.6.1 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'. --- - **added** — Molten Sands Fortress becomes available as a fierce encounter with Flameheart's forces during Act 2, requiring crews to reach Emissary Grade 5 and claim a unique Emissary Quest to face the Eternal Guard and obtain the Molten Sands Key - **added** — Molten Sands Fortress battle in The Devil's Roar pits crews against waves of Banished Skeletons, Shadow and Gold Skeletons, Skeleton Lords and Ashen Lords guarding a Vault with Ashen Treasures and the Orb of the Banished - **added** — Chest of Fortune is now located in the Vault at Molten Sands Fortress during Act 2 - **added** — Time-limited Trading Company-themed Ship's Crests can be unlocked during Act 2 by representing Trading Companies as an Emissary, including the Hoarders', Merchants', Order's, Hunter's, Fortune's and Reaper's Exiled Ship Crests - **added** — Emissary Grade progress is accelerated during Act 2 - **added** — Lone Night Wulf Ship Collection, Weapon Bundle and Costume are now available in the Pirate Emporium - **added** — Lodestar Cabin Bundle is now available in the Pirate Emporium - **added** — Tankard Scalding Emote is now available free in the Pirate Emporium - **added** — Palm Resolute Sails, Hull and Flag are now in stock at the shipwrights - **added** — Season 18 Community Weekend will run January 31st to February 2nd featuring free gifts, Picture Walls, Ashen Message in a Bottle Voyages, Pop-Up Plunder puzzles and Community Emissary Grade reward boosts - **changed** — Players in Australia now have their matchmaking search extended to include crews in Southeast Asia when diving to Faction Battles if worthy opponents are not found in their home region - **changed** — Text Chat option in the Game Options menu has been moved below Crew Management to improve access to more commonly used options - **fixed** — Improved how players attach to, release and climb ladders to eliminate unintentionally slow movement and ensure consistent grabbing and releasing - **fixed** — Smugglers' Chronicles in the Hideout at Wanderers Refuge now offer accurate instructions on finding a hidden mystery - **fixed** — Players sitting on the barrel on the lower deck of the Sloop can now consistently be damaged by sword attacks - **fixed** — Wilting Crates of Plants can now be refreshed by bucketing water directly onto them - **fixed** — Crates of Cloth now become sodden when water is bucketed directly onto them - **fixed** — Castaway's cutscene in Captains of the Damned now plays correctly when starting the Tall Tale at Morrow's Peak Outpost ##### Secrets of the Banished: Act 2 Take on the Eternal Guard, raid Sanctuaries of the Banished and generally risk life and limb returning to The Devil's Roar! To learn more about this Season’s headline features, head over to our [dedicated Season 18 page](https://www.seaofthieves.com/season-18). **Molten Sands Fortress** - For the duration of Act 2, Molten Sands Fortress will be the site of a fierce encounter with Flameheart’s forces, and highly sought-after treasure can be seized by crews who dare to take on the challenge. - Crews must first prove their worth to their preferred Trading Company and reach Emissary Grade 5, then claim a unique Emissary Quest from that Company. Emissary Grade progress is accelerated during Act 2 – but crews can still be targeted by prowling Reapers! - This Emissary Quest will lead to a showdown with a formidable Eternal Guard. Valiant crews who defeat the Guard will be awarded the Molten Sands Key, which can either be sold for gold and reputation or taken into The Devil’s Roar to activate the Molten Sands Fortress battle for even greater spoils. - The Fortress battle will be fierce, pitting crews against an army hell-bent on protecting the Vault, including waves of Banished Skeletons, Shadow and Gold Skeletons, imposing Skeleton Lords and even deadly Ashen Lords. - Crews who survive this encounter will uncover a wealth of loot within the Vault, such as Ashen Treasures and the all-important Orb of the Banished. For the duration of Act 2, the Vault at Molten Sands is also the home of the Chest of Fortune. **Act 2 Time-Limited Rewards** - Crews taking on Molten Sands Fortress during Act 2 can unlock a variety of time-limited Trading Company-themed Ship’s Crests for representing them as an Emissary. This includes the Hoarders’, Merchants’, Order’s, Hunter’s, Fortune’s and Reaper’s Exiled Ship Crests. ##### 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!** - Lone Night Wulf Ship Collection - Lone Night Wulf Weapon Bundle - Lone Night Wulf Costume - Lodestar Cabin Bundle - Tankard Scalding Emote – Free! ##### Outpost Cosmetics **New Outpost Stock!** - The shipwrights have restocked this month with the tropically themed Palm Resolute Sails, Hull and Flag. ##### Updates **Cross-Region Matchmaking Improvements** - To improve matchmaking times in Oceanic regions when diving to Faction Battles and other experiences, players in Australia will now have their search extended to include crews in Southeast Asia should worthy opponents not be found in their home region. - Players wishing to wait for a match in their home region can opt out of Cross-Region Matchmaking from the Game Settings at any point. **Text Chat in Game Options** - The Text Chat option within the Game Options menu has been moved down below Crew Management to improve speed of access to more commonly used options. ##### Events **Season 18 Community Weekend (January 31st – February 2nd)** - Your favourite 48-hour Event is back for Season 18! Enjoy free gifts, pose at Picture Walls, embark on Ashen Message in a Bottle Voyages, solve puzzles as you seek Pop-Up Plunder, and make use of reward boosts thanks to the Community Emissary Grade raised by watching _Sea of Thieves_ streamers on Twitch. - Find out more in January’s [This Month in _Sea of Thieves_](https://www.seaofthieves.com/news/this-month-january-2026) article, and stay tuned for a full rundown closer to the date! ##### Fixed Issues **Gameplay** - Improvements have been made to how players attach to, release and climb ladders. Players should therefore no longer experience unintentionally slow movement on ladders and should now consistentl _[Truncated at 4000 characters — full notes: https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/1172620/view/509603414731130311]_