Fans of Halo and Sea of Thieves have the chance to earn special loot during Europe’s big gaming convention, Gamescom, next week.

Yesterday on Twitter, Sea of Thieves developer Rare announced the return of the Halo themed ship for the multiplayer pirate adventure. To earn the Master Chief inspired sailing ship players only need to play Sea of Thieves during Gamescom next week, August 20 - 24. The ship was previously available for logging on during E3 this year, July 10 - 12.

https://support.seaofthieves.com/hc/en-gb/articles/360024467234-How-do-I-get-the-Halo-inspired-Spartan-ship-set-

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In case some haven’t heard of the game, Sea of Thieves is an online only pirate-themed action game for PC and XBOX One. Players create a pirate from relatively limited character creation options, then take to the high seas to explore, and fight to their heart’s content. The game has a fairly goofy tone which helps to take some of the edge off the intensity that comes with being always online and always multiplayer.

For an online only, live game like Sea of Thieves, loot is a major motivator for retaining players. Ships and pirates can be tricked out with all kinds of clothes, sails, weapons, figure heads, and various other accouterments. These cosmetic upgrades allow players to add individuality to their pirates that the stock characters lack somewhat. Halo isn’t the only property to tie in to Sea of Thieves, Banjo Kazooie and Perfect Dark items are also available in the game. The fact that Sea of Thieves is willing to just give out loot sets for logging on at a specific time could be a sign of flagging daily user numbers or it could be a reward for the dedication of a stalwart fan base.

Flagging numbers or not, Rare is supporting Sea of Thieves with regular updates. The most recent update, Dark Relics added new quests, enemies and treasure for pirates to unravel, fight, and steal. The update also added new harpoon row boats making the small ships much more useful for players. Planned updates intend to add pets and micro-transactions to the game as well.

So who’s logging on next week to get their Halo boat?