Ubisoft’s pirate-themed live service game, Skull and Bones, is finally setting sail. As previewed in a leak last week, Skull and Bones arrives on November 8, 2022.
Today’s Ubisoft Forwrard Spotlight showcase focused entirely on Skull and Bones, previewing the game’s story, gameplay, and plans for post-launch content. In Skull and Bones, you start out shipwrecked somewhere in the Indian Ocean during the Golden Age of Piracy. You first start out with a Dhow constructed of the flotsam and jetsam of the wrecked ship, but by acquiring resources from the environment and pulling off ever more dangerous jobs for your pirate friends, you’ll eventually be able to construct a ship worthy of any navy.
Ubisoft expects Skull and Bones to have “best in class naval combat,” and much of today’s gameplay footage focused on that. Players will take aim at enemy ships for plunder, using a variety of weapons to defang vessels before sending boarding parties. Weapons can include mortars, bombards, rocket launchers, Greek fire (a sort of napalm-like substance), and of course, cannons.
Ships, meanwhile, will come in just as much variety as weapons. Each ship falls under three categories--Cargo, Navigation, or Firepower--with each offering unique playstyles and stats. Firepower vessels offer significant damage potential at the cost of maneuverability, while Navigation vessels are quick and nimble at the cost of armaments. Cargo vessels can be heavily laden with booty and armor, but lack the firepower or speed of the other ship types.
Upgrading your ship and your gear requires gaining Infamy, which you mostly get by completing contracts for various parties represented at Pirate Dens. You can also gain infamy from exploration, plunder merchant ships, completing dynamic events, and more. Resources can be gathered by going ashore, such as wood, ore, and animal skins, all of which will be necessary for improving your arsenal.
Although everything in Skull and Bones can be done solo, Ubisoft says the game is best played with a friend. Especially on the opt-in PvP servers, where it’ll be handy to have someone you can trust watch your back.
Skull and Bones will have post-launch content that includes in-game events and additional challenges for aspiring Pirate captains. It all gets started with Skull and Bones’ launch on PC, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and Google Stadia, on November 8.