# Sea of Thieves: 2026 Edition Sea of Thieves Release Notes – 3.8.1 - Product: Sea of Thieves: 2026 Edition (https://whatsnew.fyi/product/sea-of-thieves-2026-edition) - Vendor: Rare Ltd - Date: 2026-07-23 - Original notes: https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/1172620/view/714533682400985668 - Permalink: https://whatsnew.fyi/product/sea-of-thieves-2026-edition/releases/2026-07-23-sea-of-thieves-release-notes-3.8.1 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** — Players can now choose an emote and enter Free Camera mode to perform the emote while accessing full camera controls - **added** — A new official Pirate Practice Preset has been added for quick access to practice runs through World Events and naval battles - **added** — Session Join Code digits are now hidden when entering a custom session code to prevent sharing - **added** — Jettisoned resource barrels, Storage Crates, and Emissary Flags from sunken ships now have seagulls circling above them in Last Ship Standing for easier location - **changed** — Bone Callers used to attack other crews now summon one skeleton on a Sloop, two on a Brigantine, and three on a Galleon instead of always summoning three - **changed** — Firing ranged weapons into water now produces a visual and audible splash effect - **changed** — Last Ship Standing final battle area now slowly shrinks over 10 minutes starting at the 25-minute mark instead of remaining static - **changed** — Last Ship Standing portal will not appear until winners sail away from the final combat area - **changed** — Victorious crews in Last Ship Standing can now carry Emissary Flags as trophies into subsequent matches - **changed** — Merchant Alliance Commendations for recovering Resource Crates now accept additional new Commodities including Fruit Crates, Wood Crates, Cannonball Crates, and Gunpowder Barrels - **changed** — Miles Sailed Commendations now progress when sailing with an active Emissary Flag in addition to active Voyages - **changed** — Faction Battle Commendations now progress when crews win battles with active Streak instead of only when cashing in the Streak - **changed** — The Playing the Part Commendation now requires a single Burning Blade returned with 8 or more Rituals down from 10 Burning Blades returned - **changed** — The Feeding the Fire Commendation now progresses when crews retrieve Rituals while maintaining their active streak ##### Custom Seas Build new game modes to challenge your friends, record unrivalled cinematics and experience the Sea of Thieves like never before! To learn more about this Season’s headline features, head over to our [dedicated Season 20 page](https://www.seaofthieves.com/season-20). **Emoting with Free Camera** - Players are now able to choose an emote and enter Free Camera mode, allowing them to perform the emote while accessing the full camera controls. **Pirate Practice Preset** - A new official Preset has been added, providing players with quick access to an experience set up for swift practice runs through World Events, naval battles and more. **Session Join Code Protection** - When entering a Join Code to access a custom session, the digits will now remain hidden to prevent the code from being shared with others potentially viewing. The code can also be revealed and hidden at any time while being entered. ##### Gameplay Improvements **Bone Caller Balancing** - Bone Callers used to attack other crews’ ships have been rebalanced and are now dynamic based on ship size. When thrown, each will now summon one skeleton on a Sloop, two on a Brigantine and three on a Galleon. - No changes have been made to Bone Callers used defensively on the crew’s own ship, and they will continue to summon three skeletons on all ship sizes or when used on land. **Water Splash Improvements** - Firing ranged weapons into the water now results in a satisfying visual and audible splash. **Last Ship Standing – Shrinking Battle Bounds** - While the Battle Bounds will continue to shrink in stages early in the battle, the final area will no longer remain static during the final phases of the fight. - Crews will now find that at the 25-minute mark, the final area between the rocks will slowly shrink over the course of 10 minutes, forcing the battle towards an explosive close. **Last Ship Standing – Retrieving the Spoils of Battle** - Any jettisoned resource barrels, Storage Crates or Emissary Flags released from sunken ships now have seagulls circling above them, to make them easier to locate during the fight. **Last Ship Standing – Winners’ Grace Period** - After besting their rivals to become the Last Ship Standing, winners will now find that the portal will not appear until they sail away from the final combat area. This change has been implemented to address crews being prematurely removed from the area. - Winners are still returned to the High Seas after 10 minutes, giving them plenty of time to collect their spoils. **Last Ship Standing – Diving with Emissary Flags** - Victorious crews claiming the Emissary Flags of their rivals will now be able to return to the High Seas and dive again into their next battle, and continue to carry their Flags as trophies into subsequent matches. ##### Commendation Improvements A range of legacy Commendations have become increasingly difficult to achieve over time as the game has evolved. As part of this update, these Commendations are being extended to support additional methods of progression. **Merchant Alliance Commendation Improvements** - Merchant Alliance Commendations that task pirates with recovering various Resource Crates and resources have been reworked to provide a more predictable way for players to progress. - Four new Commodities introduced to Merchant Trade Routes give players new ways to progress the following Commendations in addition to the original requirements: Merchant Forager – Fruit Crates or Crates of Unprepared Ingredients Merchant Shipwright – Wood Crates or Crates of Crude Repair Materials Cast Iron Merchant – Cannonball Crates or Crates of Unwrought Munitions Black Powder Merchant – Gunpowder Barrels or Crates of Unprocessed Gunpowder **Miles Sailed Commendation Improvements** - Trading Company Commendations that require players to sail with an active Voyage have been updated, and will now also progress when the crew is sailing on behalf _[Truncated at 4000 characters — full notes: https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/1172620/view/714533682400985668]_