Secrets of the Devil’s Shroud
In the lore, every pirate in the Sea of Thieves is intimately familiar with the Devil’s Shroud and how the dangerous mist seems to twist as if alive. With the introduction of the Maiden Voyage, players are having the nature of this fog explained in game for the first time. But many players are unaware of the fluid nature the Shroud has upon the cartography of the Sea of Thieves on a regular basis.
The novel and art book indicate that the Shores of Plenty are the newest region to be revealed by the Shroud (prior to the Devil’s Roar). There are islands that are revealed from the fog, if only briefly, to be swallowed again in short time. The nature of this “limited time” ability to visit an island fills it with mystery, and lends a hand to weighing the Sea of Thieves with the ancient magic that runs through it.
In 2019, Rare added Molten Sands Fortress to the Devil’s Roar, marking the first entire mapped island inserted into the existing map after the region had been uncovered. What I am suggesting is something very similar, but more heavily tied to the canonical nature of the Devil’s Shroud.
Abstract
I propose the addition of 10-15 islands along the edge of the map in the Sea of Thieves. The Devil’s Shroud would move on a regular basis, my thought was monthly, to cover and uncover 2-3 islands at a time. Any changes to islands could be made between their appearances on the seas. This rotation of islands could be used alongside or in conjunction with monthly voyages, and even be used to subtly complement the driving narrative in the game. Each month the island(s) would appear at the edge of the map (still technically within bounds perhaps, to avoid having to change the map substantially) but cloaked in fog and mist. Umbra could potentially be used as a point of contact in the access of these islands, to drive further player interaction past the Legends of the Sea of Theives update, as well as tying back into her roots as a “Cartographer”.
Details
Each island could have unique environmental mechanics similar to Old Sailor Isle. Players particularly enjoyed the exploration driven, interactable mechanics found there, and the cyclical nature of the Shrouded Isles would keep players from becoming overly familiar with the environment, such as what happened with the Tall Tale environments. They could contain mechanics similar to existing Tales, such as vaults, but the length of time between appearances could allow for significant time to make updates to the procedure of the puzzle, even introducing new aspects or entirely new solutions.
Islands could have unique entity spawns, such as a coral skeleton captain and coral skeleton crews. This would be a way to implement new enemies and creatures into the game without having to implement them globally across all islands. In addition to unique entities, there could be the opportunity to have unique treasure spawn at these islands that is not found anywhere else in the Seas. These would drive players to go to the islands to encounter new content across various different play styles, and PvP driven players would be drawn to increased traffic at these islands as well, driving further player interactions.
On the note of unique treasure, this could also be a way to implement further curses in game via cursed treasures. Many players have asked for additional curses to be added into the game, and this could be a viable way to add smaller curses without adding in a system as expansive as another Tall Tale. By introducing further cursed treasures, you also open the ability to show players more about the Ancients and their magic. Cave paintings could show Ancients bestowing magical properties upon their treasures via rituals, and use indirect storytelling to explain why players become “cursed”. This could also be used as a way to tell further stories about the nature and origin of the Skeleton Curse.
Ancient architecture could also be teased more heavily, and players could be indirectly driven towards asking more questions about those that came before. This could be used as a way to build further story content in the future, laying groundwork for certain events without having to significantly change existing environments in the main regions.
Umbra could serve a similar purpose as the Shroudbreaker, perhaps providing a physical “map” that allows access to the new island. This could potentially be justified as the island not being charted on your ship’s map, forcing players to seek out the new island intentionally as opposed to simply sailing to a place on your map.
These islands would also allow for the usage of more fantastical environments and geography for islands. Many of the concepts in the art book depict islands that would not work in the current environments, however given the magical nature of the Devil’s Shroud as well as the Ancients, it is feasible that islands hidden by the Shroud might have some mystical aspects of their own. This could be used to introduce players to the underlying magical current in the Sea of Thieves.
Island Ideas
Merfolk Lair (art book, pg 63. Potentially teasing future content relating to Merfolk, could be used to explain the Curse of the Drowned as well as introduce the threat of Merfolk retaliation or conflict. Conversely, could explain the ancient pact the Merfolk continue to uphold in gratitude to the Pirate Lord following his actions in “Athena’s Fortune”.
Reef/Underwater Island (A large reef or island with significant underwater exploration, despite what might appear to be a very small island above the surface of the waves. Could be used in conjunction with the above idea or standalone. Opportunity to lean into the beauty of the underwater environments and give players an expansive underwater area to explore. A similar concept could be used as a location to fight the Ocean Crawler, a large crustacean boss entity.)
Skeleton Hideout/Skeleton Lord’s Hideout (central organization place for skeleton forces, such as the skeleton ships and Flameheart’s forces. Considering Flameheart is returning and he has threatened the seas, it is feasible that skeleton forces will begin to amass, and this could be a location to show those skeletons coordinating in front of players. The incentive for this island/instance could be a stealth mission to obtain information (via dialogue and/or physical plans) regarding skeleton moves against the outposts, to return to Umbra/Duke to help the outposts defend themselves.)
Ferryman’s Island (Potentially explain the nature/origin of the Ferryman’s duty/punishment. Why did he have to take up the mantle? Could potentially include a wreck of the Ferry in our world, to explain how the ship came to exist in the Sea of the Damned? Instance could be used to further explain the existence of the Sea of the Damned as well.)
Old Mother’s Remains (“Athena’s Fortune” specifically says that the remains of Old Mother are in the Wilds, if memory serves me. Players would be absolutely amazed to sail through her rib cage and see that the kraken we fight is nowhere near its true full size despite its age. This could be used to introduce the cursed chest from “Tales from the Sea of Thieves”. This item could then be used on this island or another in the Wilds to instigate the face-to-face fight with Old One-Eye that players have been wanting. The island could serve as a static arena, the chest being a proper “trigger” for the event, allowing for a controlled environment for the fight.)
The Needles (art book, pg 127. Could be used in conjunction with the above idea.)
Ruins of the Forgotten (art book, pgs 140-141. Further information about the Ancients.)
Dragon’s Breath (art book, pg 142. Information regarding Flameheart, his past, the original Captain Flameheart vs. the additional iterations, “the Captain”, etc.)
Skull Island (art book, pg 153.)
Islands taking inspiration from the Sea of Five Winds as well as the Sea of Sorrow.
Conclusion
Players have been becoming frustrated with what they consider to be recycled content, in the form of slightly re-worked voyages that are too similar to existing voyages. Implementation of these new islands alongside and/or in conjunction with these voyages would give a significant amount of fresh content for players to encounter, and once the islands are constructed they can be re-introduced throughout the game’s lifespan without feeling stale, as the time between appearances will be at least several months. Cosmetics gained through these campaigns would remain limited, as it would take potentially half a year for newer players to have the ability to obtain them, but would eventually be able to, appeasing to both sides of that particular fence.
I feel this idea not only brings the lore of the Sea of Thieves into plain view for players, but it would also significantly enrich their experiences. The excitement of feeling as if you are charting your own course to a mysterious new island every month would drive player attachment and engagement. It would encourage players to login every month to explore these new islands, as well as whatever content was introduced in addition to the islands. Small changes between appearances would subvert player expectations, and re-invigorate their curiosity for their environment.
Thank you for your time!
KatLikesTacos
