So I think everyone can agree, that the Athena's Fortune faction is in need of a bit of a rework. Overly long but otherwise unspectacular voyages that at the same time reward little that can be given to the faction itself. And with Pirate Legend being the end game for a lot of players, it's disappointing to grind to Pirate Legend just to find that the voyages themselves are also a grind, without anything unique to them. But I have an idea for how the Athena's Fortune could get that unique spark, encourage both new and veteran players to engage with content that's maybe under utilized, and make it both more fun and rewarding.
Because each Trading Company engages with specific content in the game. Gold Hoarders are the treasure hunters (digs, puzzles, x marks the spot). Order of Souls are the PvE faction ( Skeletal Captain's, Phantom Fleets) Merchant Alliance is navigation and travel (Cargo runs, Lost Shipments). Reapers Bones is might makes right (Open World PvP). Sea Dogs is chivalrous dueling (Arena PvP). Hunters Call is about the hunt (fishing, hunting, cooking). but what is Athena's Fortune about? It's about being legendary, right? Amazing pirates pursuing glory. What if Athena's Fortune was in a sense an evolution of the Bilge Rats. It's about the great things you do.Its about the stories you make, and the stories you tell. or as the Pirate Lord himself put it, " You'll have quite the Tall Tale to tell when you get back home."
That's right. I'm talking about making Athena voyages about doing talltales. Typically you've done some at least by the time you've made it to Pirate Legend, But you could perhaps also make completing the original Tall Tales 1-9 a requirement for Pirate Legend as well. By all means keep the existing means of leveling Athena emissary flags, but make it where you can also level the flag by doing tall tales, and make the voyages special versions of the tall tale that awards bonus Athena loot. It would make tall tales replayable beyond doing the tale specific commendations, and make them more rewarding for players in the end game. Make it where Athena Emissaries can opt into special modifiers that increase the difficulty, but reward better loot in the process. An example: Hard mode Briggsy Tall Tale Voyage. Hard mode modifier, tale specific enemy packs are accompanied by fated skeletons and must be killed to proceed. Fated Skeletons drop Athena skulls when killed. In the case of the Briggsy tale, this would be the Captain's and Briggsy herself. The Voyage specific challenge, Completing the tale without dying rewards a Chest of Legend. you can reattempt on a failure. Maybe make it where from the Pirate Legend Tavern you can adjust what modifiers you're using, and which tale you're doing. More challenges means more rewards. Make it where Emissaries can only do these special Tall Tales, the same way that only Merchant Emissaries can purchase cargo for Transport. There's even lore that supports the idea that magically different Tall Tales is within the realm of possibility.
Spoilers ahead!
The Pirate Lord is the leader of the Athena's Fortune, is the one that sells the voyages, and incidentally has also displayed amazing power.
In the Maiden Voyage, the Pirate Lord parts the Devil's Shroud to allow you to enter the Sea of Thieves just by banging his cane on the ground. Those who know the lore know this is by no means a small feat.
At the end of the Shores of Gold, the Pirate Lord appears in the Gold Hoarder's throne room with amazing stars and visuals behind him, cheering on your bravery. He says two things, one being along the lines of " I'll put the shroudbreaker back in its hiding place for another crew to test their mettle." and the other being. " I imagine we haven't seen the last of the gold hoarder." both can be used as a means of explaining being able to replay the tales, but the Pirate lord being present and his line about the shroudbreaker suggests it's more than simply just putting stuff back. he's resetting time, so crews can go on those adventures again and again.
so if he's resetting time in the tall tales, and altering space in the Maiden Voyage... Could not the Pirate Lord find it within his capability to create special, more powerful versions of these events for Pirate Legends to, as he himself (may) have put it, to "test their mettle"? So they can have "quite the tall tale when they get back home?" it never made much sense that a faction comprised mostly of ghosts had much value for material things, at that point Athena loot coming out of tall tales would be proof of their accomplishments, and that is why they are rewarded in gold and reputation. Because as the Pirate Lord himself also said:
" It's not about the gold. It's about the glory!"
I think this would make the faction unique and rewarding without making it too easy since you control the difficulty and would be rewarded more for harder attempts. Could also use this mechanic to maybe replay other events from the Sea of Thieves history.
