Sloppy men with dumb smiles and obvious goofy dispositions, you and your crew venture out to the local posts such as the Gold Hoarder's Post, and figure you can make a few promises in return for a shimmering prize. Every barrel on this vast island is filled to the brim with cannonballs to load on deck, so it's time to figure how to manage this massive vessel and set sail.

The wind is blowing west, and your friend Kevin is breathing heavily into the microphone as he figures out how to change the direction of the sails. Hanging off the mast staring into the lens of your spyglass, it emphasizes not only a ship with their anchor resting below but Sanctuary Outpost right beside it, meaning they are most likely transporting gold to the Gold Hoarders, leaving their ship vulnerable to branded thieves.

For the last few years, Rare has been working on completing the most anticipated action-packed MMORPG (massive multiplayer online role-playing game) of 2018, with key aspects of an RPG (role-playing game). "Sea Of Thieves" is not only a goldmine for the introvert gamer seeking an exciting solo expedition, but also to those looking to wreak havoc on ships with a crew and talk smack with the proximity chat function. This X-Box and Microsoft exclusive game is gaining a passionate following as it dominates all other competing games on streaming sites like Twitch and Mixer, and also on more casual social media sites such as Youtube, Twitter, and Reddit.

Although this game is ridiculously popular, the average person who has yet to play still asks themselves, "What do you actually do in the game?" Well, considering this game requires your focus to be in many different places at once, it is hard to get a grasp on what your actual motive in the game is, other than the obvious pirating activities, like murdering other players and seizing all their chests for mountains of gold.

While players may want to jump in the action right away, there is no feasible way to become victorious in this game unless players take the time to figure out all aspects of the basic necessities to simply sail.

Necessities for a great raid

Vital supplies in this game include bananas, planks, cannons, as well as a bucket, shovel, compass, lantern, and spyglass.

These supplies are so vital, that Rare made sure of each character having an accessible inventory by pressing LB, and using the right analog stick to pick a particular item. For those craving the multiplayer experience, a gaming headset and microphone are extremely important, as well as the directional pad's ability to chat with non-microphone users.

For each banana you eat, 25 percent of your health will be restored, so keep as many handy as you possibly can. Your health does not naturally regenerate like most games, so this becomes extremely important as time goes on. The bucket and planks are used in conjunction when the ship is damaged in any way, as the planks repair the ruptured body of the ship, and the bucket will scoop up any water on deck. The lantern is extremely useful when on land, seeking out treasure late at night. Your shovel is only necessary when digging up gold, however, you won't be able to find treasure without it.

There is an overabundance of supplies that you may need on the third, bottom-most deck of your ship when initially setting off, as well storage for any additions you may bring to your ship’s inventory.

Conveniently, these will be accessible through barrels lining the walls below, next to the brig. Should you run out of any supplies, innumerable amounts of barrels on each island are waiting to be ransacked to replace anything you might need - such as more planks to fix that giant, gaping hole you created once you collided with the random formation of rocks in the water.

Players can also loot a floating school of barrels, shipwrecks below or above water, or destroy an enemy ship and loot items from their whole crew. Using the spyglass, you can keep a close eye on all surrounding areas of the sea to prepare for any possible collisions, attacks, and surprise loot. Every few moments while sailing you’ll be using your compass to make sure the ship is headed in the right direction.

Knowing your ship

Before you set off to sea, players will need to vote on a voyage to set out on. Going on a voyage simply means players will retrieve a treasure chest and bring it back to the Gold Hoarders who sent you on this expedition. This haggard middle aged shopkeeper residing in a black tent rubs his hands together with a sly grin each moment you run up to him. He awaits your giant chest to be pick-locked, only to reward you with gold and a new quest to get even more. The earnings are the same amount for each member the courageous crew, creating a small source of affluence for those craving superficial upgrades for every major aspect of the game.

In order to vote on a voyage, each player huddles around a table designated for these proposals right below deck.

Players choose the voyage they wish to set out on, and each proposal will be visible on the table. From here, the crew must vote on a quest to move forward, simply to set off on a journey the majority of the crew agrees on. Once the quest is initiated, everyone will be given the specific portion of the map in which the treasure is located, or "treasure map," which can be referenced by pressing RB.

Unfortunately, simply having the treasure map does not ensure you will get to where you need to go. The treasure map will be unlabeled, meaning players need to switch back and forth between this and the world map in order to find where the treasure actually is. The map isn't procedurally generated, meaning the entire world is crafted here, and labeled before you board the ship.

Once the island is identified, place a marker on the world map to keep track of where the treasure is located. The map itself is an obvious staple in this game as this is how players direct the ship towards the desired destination by navigating its location by the moving ship symbol. This facet of gameplay is also highly valuable to those looking to tag team the open waters with another ship.

Now that the inside of your ship is no mystery, the deck of the ship will be a piece of cake. There are four main aspects to this level - the anchor, steering wheel, sails, and cannons. The anchor and steering wheel are obvious and simple to navigate. The sails are as well, except they must be maintained regularly if you wish to keep your ship in one piece.

Since the wind changes direction frequently, it does make the gameplay much more realistic, and that much more tedious.

Players must navigate the ships' direction while making sure sails are dropped and facing the wind at all times. Ships will only have one sail to look after, with the exception of the multiplayer Galleon ship, holding three huge sails. In addition to the sails, the Galleon also has a mast so players can navigate the ship directly by using the steering wheel, and indirectly due to keeping an eye on the sea from an aerial point of view, with a spyglass handy to seek out enemy ships. Lastly, the deck will have cannons lining the gunwales, and a barrel near the ladder leading you below the deck used for storing cannons.

Each player has the choice between two weapons out of a set of four - a sword, pistol, blunderbuss, and sniper rifle. The sword is fantastic for slashing up skeletons on shore, or the blunderbuss, since these guys aren’t hard to attack up close. The pistol is a perfect medium, as it can be used in both short-range attacks and the occasional long-range shot. The sniper rifle is a little more challenging as the scope has a little crack in it, but is great for those who prefer a long-range weapon.

Below deck lies a chest full of ammunition if you should need more at any point - there is little ammunition one will be able to carry in their inventory. All weapons besides the sword have horrible aim, and the only way to improve accuracy on any firearm is with a clearer scope.

Few upgrades offer any real benefits for actual gameplay on the Closed Beta other than the Admiral Spyglass and Compass, solely due to them both having much more accuracy and resiliency against a storm's influence.

The most recent addition to the ship's features is the brig, where players can vote to lock a crew member in the bottom-most deck. The brig can be used either spitefully to punish members, or more famously, to prank your crewmember and laugh at them with the rest of the party. Either way, the brig is a very satisfying portion of the ship for goofballs looking to pass the time between voyages.

Bon Voyage!

Now that you have the necessities figured out, it's time to experience what the actual pirate's life is like.

From here, the game is completely yours for the taking. So long as you maintain your ship's condition, eat bananas like no other, make sure to puke in your bucket when you drink too much grog, and learn how to aim your gun somewhat accurately, you will have an awesome experience playing this game.

By completing quests, your character gains more experience and perks along the way, such as hideaways to park your ship and more adventurous islands to explore with unique caves of all sizes. Ransacking ships is much more laborious when playing alone, however, not impossible to achieve once the player understands the basic functionality of the ship. Reflective of the classic pirate's life, you will need to figure this out with experience rather than tutorials inside the game.

Luckily after this wonderful little guide, you will have the chance to tackle this game with much more common sense.

"Sea of Thieves" is a major game-changer (pun completely intended), for the excessive plead for a MMORPG grows. Not only does Rare deliver on every promise to blow the modern player away with the realistic, multi-faceted gameplay, such as a starry night sky, crisp waves, and gorgeous underwater forests, but also creates a sense of community through a huge emphasis on PvP interaction.

As an introvertive, anxious individual, I can vouch this game definitely tests the patience of those looking for an easy victory. The Closed Beta world hardly has everything the extensive map has to offer, so this weekend was only a preview of what ridiculous hi-jinks players all over the world will get into.

With the full game being released, in less than a month on March 20, the online community has been updating us with much more detail on what this most recent Beta has to offer. Even with so many spoilers and rumors of the full game on the rise, "Sea of Thieves" is bursting with surprises for even the most experienced gamer. With X-Box offering this game on X-Box Game Pass, thousands more will be able to experience this game for a while without the full amount. Now that you have the basics, it's time to get online before the Beta closes!
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