Sea Of Thieves features many pirate encounters between different players that will have you in a battle for treasure and honor. Most pirates wish to win these battles with ease and, as such, are seeking the best tips to obliterate their opponent without much effort. There are many different mechanics that you can use to your advantage during PVP combat.
These Sea Of Thieves PVP tips will ensure that every pirate, beginner or seasoned, can defeat their enemies during combat and help you become skilled with the most powerful pirate weapons. Here are the best ways to defeat other players in the game of Sea Of Thieves.
Updated May 8, 2022, by Michael Caruso: PVP in Sea Of Thieves is one of its most interesting attributes. Fighting with cannons on the open sea is one of the most unique things you can do in a video game, and the competitive nature of Sea Of Thieves creates the perfect combination. There are lots of weapons to use to defeat your enemies in Sea Of Thieves, including special cannonballs that offer unique effects. Here are a few extra tips that you can use to fight other ships on the open sea.
20 Collect Supplies From Outposts Before Entering Combat
Having ample supplies on your ship is essential if you plan to engage in a fight with an enemy ship. You can collect supplies from barrels on outposts and islands, but outposts usually have more barrels to loot.
Food, cannonballs, planks, and other supplies are available inside barrels, and you can place them in the supply barrels on your ship after looting them off an island. You can't go wrong with collecting some supplies, especially since your boat will spawn at an outpost.
19 Use A Sloop To Maneuver Around Brigantines And Galleons
Sloops are famous for their maneuverability, which makes them a perfect candidate to take on the larger Brigantine and Galleon ships. Both of these boats are more difficult to sink than a Sloop, but it often doesn't matter since Sloops can easily avoid their attacks altogether.
You can select a Sloop before entering a server each time you launch Sea Of Thieves, and it's not much different to control from other ship types, except for the fact that it turns quickly. Sloops are the perfect option for playing stealthily as well since they're easy to hide behind objects due to their small size.
18 Lure Enemy Ships Into Environmental Hazards
There are many environmental hazards throughout the ocean in Sea Of Thieves. From Volcanoes to Skeleton Ships to terrifying Krakens, each of these hazards has its own set of unique properties that make them dangerous for a player ship to sail through or near.
If you're fighting an enemy ship and spot an environmental hazard in the open world, then you can sail towards it, luring your enemy there as well. If done properly, you can try to get them stuck in the world event while you use your cannons to sink their ship. If nothing else, environmental hazards are great for distracting an enemy long enough to regroup and grab more supplies.
17 Form Alliances With Other Player Ships
A feature about Sea Of Thieves that isn't initially obvious is that you can form alliances with other ships. This can make you more powerful in a battle against another player ship since it'll become a two ship versus one ship battle. Alliances can even form between many ships at once, which is also useful for completing PVE content.
You can form an alliance between two ships by raising the Alliance Flag on both of the ships while they're within a close radius of each other.
16 Sneak Up On Enemies Using A Rowboat
Rowboats are more useful than you may initially assume. While they're great for loading supplies onto your ship, you can also use these tiny boats to sneak up on your opponents because it's difficult to see them coming since they're so small.
Enemy players will barely be capable of seeing rowboats coming, so it's a great option if you need to carry some Gunpowder Barrels across the sea. If you want to sabotage your enemies or play stealthily in general, then using a rowboat is a fantastic option that's also a lot of fun.
15 Use The Cannons To Launch Yourself Onto The Enemy Ship
Cannons are useful for a variety of reasons; however, one of the less common uses for cannons is to use them to launch yourself and your teammates onto other players' ships.
You can launch yourself onto an enemy ship so that you can throw firebombs, steal supplies, and kill the enemy players. Doing this before starting a fight is also a good idea so that you can scope out what kinds of supplies they have and how experienced the players are.
14 Hide On The Enemy Ship With The Barrel Emote
The barrel emote was added in Season 2, and it's arguably the most useful emote in all of Sea of Thieves. The barrel emote hides you from other players by placing you inside what appears to be a regular barrel.
With this emote, you can easily hide on an enemy's ship and ambush them when they least expect it. Not only is this strategy effective, but it is also really fun.
13 Carry The Maximum Amount Of Food Before Initiating A Fight
You can keep five pieces of food in your inventory at all times, and you need to make sure to have all five pieces before starting a battle. PVP is tough in Sea of Thieves, and you will most likely take a lot of damage, so it is important to have food to heal yourself in challenging situations.
The best foods to eat are pomegranates, mangos, and pineapples. Cooked meat and fish also offer high HP regeneration and are easily obtainable.
12 Turn Off Your Ship's Lanterns So The Enemy Can't See You
While you are sailing on your ship, you should always keep your lantern lights turned off. The reason for this is that if you keep them on, then other players will be able to easily spot your ship from a distance.
If your lanterns are off, then other players won't have a clear view of your ship when you are near them. Overall, it's a good idea to keep lanterns off at all times, and it will save you from fights that you may not have been ready to enter.
11 Watch The Ladders In Case Enemies Try To Board Your Ship
During PVP combat, enemies will constantly try to board your ship. Watching the ladders is a surefire way to keep enemies from boarding your ship, and you can use the blunderbuss to shoot them back into the water.
If you are on a galleon or brigantine, then you can have one person watch the ladders while the other crew members focus on other stations. Ladders are incredibly vital to your ship's survival.
10 Block Frequently
Pirates often forget to block while they are in combat with enemies because it's a feature that is easy to dismiss as useless. However, every pirate should remember to use their Cutlass to block whenever they get the chance since it will allow them to take less damage when hit by a sword.
The best thing about remembering to block is that the enemy may forget to block, and as such, you'll take much less damage during the fight than the enemy does.
9 Equip The Blunderbuss
The Blunderbuss is a very powerful weapon, and it is basically the pirate version of a shotgun. This means a wider spread for the bullets that are shot out of the Blunderbuss in comparison to the sniper or pistol.
The pistol may be better for players that have incredible aim; however, the Blunderbuss will be much more useful for the average player when fighting an enemy pirate. You can't go wrong with the powerful Blunderbuss weapon.
8 Steal Supplies Off Other Ships
When video game pirates are battling their enemies on a foreign ship, they should be attempting to steal all the supplies they can while they have the chance. You can steal food, cannonballs, and wooden planks to take back to your ship.
The most important thing to remember for this tip is that you can steal the enemy's food and then eat it to heal their health back up while in the heat of combat. Stealing from other pirates is essential because it allows you to sabotage your enemies in even more ways than just sinking them. Wooden planks should be prioritized since the enemy can't repair their ship without them.
7 Beware Of Sloops And Take Caution While Approaching Them
Sloops would appear to be the weaker type of ship because they are smaller and house fewer players than a Brigantine or Galleon. However, this thought process could not be further from the truth because Sloops usually contain powerful solo players that have trained their skills over the past few years.
These players are usually experts in terms of combat and can take on multiple enemies at once, so even if there is just one enemy on the ship, it could be a tough one to defeat. You should use caution when approaching a Sloop and avoid them altogether if you have lots of treasure on board because you never know what will be waiting for you on that tiny ship.
6 Use The Sniper To Attack Enemies From The Shadows
The sniper, or Eye Of Reach, may not be the best weapon for close combat encounters; however, it is useful when sneaking up on pirates that don't see the ship coming. Snipers can be used while sneaking around to allow for you to take out your enemies in a few swift shots.
You will have to be very careful when sneaking up on enemies. It's often easy to be detected, especially when your ship is in the middle of the open water. Snipers are great while trying to defeat unsuspecting enemies, and you can utilize them best when the enemy is unaware of your presence.
5 Aim For The Bottom Of An Enemy's Ship With The Cannons
Cannons can be tricky to use for beginners because they are very different weapons from what most pirates are used to in most video games. The most advantageous way to use cannons is to aim for the bottom of the ship while aiming at other weak points, such as the steering wheel or anchor.
Shooting at these locations will allow the ship to be taken down much more easily and will create holes in the ship for water to pour in from. Don't aim for the middle of the ship because it will usually result in holes that will not bring on water. However, you should aim for the middle of a galleon once the bottom of the ship is full of water.
4 Use Firebombs Before Initiating Combat
Firebombs are powerful weapons, and they can burn a ship and create a hazard for enemies that are sailing on the boat. When a ship is on fire, you will need to maneuver around this burning hazard so that the ship doesn't take damage.
This will allow you to take the enemy by surprise because they will be so concerned about putting the fire out and not stepping in it. You should always remember to utilize firebombs to their full extent and, more importantly, use them before ever entering combat with another player and their ship.
3 Sneak Up On Players While They Are Selling Loot
One of the most fun things in Sea Of Thieves is destroying the enemy's chance of turning in their loot. Although this can be somewhat of a rotten thing to do, this is a game about pirates, after all.
You can sneak up on enemies that are about to turn their loot in and, as mentioned previously, use a sniper to shoot at unsuspecting enemies from far away. Then you can obtain the enemy's loot and turn it in for your crew to gain the gold instead.
2 Use The Sword Dash Whenever The Chance Is Given
The Sword Dash is a universal trick that most pirates are aware of, and it allows them to dive off of a ship, getting to their destination much quicker. However, this sword attack can also be used during combat to damage enemies and launch at them with swift speed.
You should utilize this when the enemy is standing still or seems to be moving in a straight line. This will be a surprise attack that the enemy won't expect and will probably deal a massive amount of damage, perhaps even defeating the enemy entirely.
1 While Boarding An Enemy Ship, Mess With Their Steering Wheel And Anchor
When a pirate is in combat with an enemy ship, they should be sure to attack the ship's vital functions, such as the anchor and the steering wheel. Hijacking these mechanisms will allow you to take full control of the enemy ship and perhaps even steer them into a rock or anchor them in the middle of the sea.
This tip will make defeating enemies much easier and will allow your ship to catch up with the enemy if there is only one player from the crew on board the enemy ship. This tip should always be kept in mind, as sabotaging the enemy's steering wheel and the anchor is essential for defeating them.