Jumping into the world of Sea of Thieves can be overwhelming and intimidating, especially with other players roaming around looking for a ship to sink. Luckily, there's an option for players to load into a private game by themselves without worrying about other pirates stealing their treasure.

This guide outlines what players need to know about private servers in Sea of Thieves, how to start them, and the limitations that come with playing on them.

Sea-Of-Thieves-Offline
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How to Start a Private Sea of Thieves Server

Safer Seas in Sea of Thieves
Safer Seas experience option in Sea of Thieves

In Season 10, Sea of Thieves introduced a feature called Safer Seas. Safer Seas is a private mode where players can play solo or with their friends without random crews.

To launch a game in Safer Seas players should:

  1. Launch Sea of Thieves and select "Play."
  2. Choose the mode.
  3. Select Safer Seas mode.
  4. Choose a ship and assemble the crew.
  5. Set sail.

Just like in High Seas, which is the classic Sea of Thieves experience, players can invite up to three other players and set sail on a sloop, brigantine, or galleon, depending on the crew size.

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Limitations of the Private Server in Sea of Thieves

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A pirate laying on a hammock surrounded by treasure in Sea of Thieves

Because Safer Seas aren't as dangerous, the rewards players can earn are also lower. Playing on Safer Seas comes with multiple limitations that only allow players to progress until a certain point.

Here are all the limitations players will face on Safer Seas in Sea of Thieves:

  1. Players earn 30% of the Gold that they would've earned in High Seas.
  2. Players earn 30% of the Reputation that they would've earned in High Seas.
  3. Players can't earn Reputation for Athena’s Fortune or Reaper’s Bones.
  4. Players can't earn Allegiance for Guardians of Fortune or Servants of the Flame.
  5. Players can only reach Reputation level 40 with Gold Hoarders, Order of Souls, and Merchant Alliance.
  6. Players can't buy Letters of Recommendation.
  7. There are fewer ways to earn Doubloons.
  8. Live events, like Gold and Glory and Community Weekend, aren't active.
  9. Players can't become Emissaries.
  10. Fort of Fortune and Fort of the Damned aren't available.
  11. Capitancy, which includes Sovereign's and Captained Ships, isn't available.
  12. Guilds aren't available.

The main difference is significantly decreased Gold and Reputation rewards, making farming either of them way less efficient in the Safer Seas. The cap on Reputation levels with the core trading companies also means that players can't become Pirate Legends by playing only in Safer Seas.

On top of that, players can't complete some Voyages, earn Commendations, or find treasures that involve other crews or unavailable features. While the list of limitations is extensive, Safer Seas is still a great way for players to learn the game and get used to its mechanics before venturing into the High Seas.

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Sea of Thieves
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Released
March 20, 2018
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WHERE TO PLAY

SUBSCRIPTION
DIGITAL
PHYSICAL
Checkbox: control the expandable behavior of the extra info

Developer(s)
Rare
Genre(s)
Adventure