Piracy lives on with Rare’s biggest pirate adventure game Sea Of Thieves, now with a new season that’s coming soon this month focusing on online ship combat against real-life players.

Launching November 22, Sea of Thieves Season 8 brings a number of updates and rewards to the game, chief among them the ability to engage in PVP ship battles vs other eager crews on demand. By interacting with the new Hourglass of Fate in a ship’s Captain’s Quarters, crews can pledge Allegiance to either the Guardians of Fortune or the Servants of the Flame and engage in PVP battles with crews pledged to the opposing faction.

Choosing to seek out combat vs a rival faction’s crew will see the player’s ship submerge under the sea to prepare for battle, before re-emerging within sight of an enemy ship to do battle. Sinking rival ships and engaging in other activities across the Sea of Thieves while pledged to a faction will increase your Allegiance, unlocking exclusive rewards and hidden secrets.

One does wonder if this is a zing at the delayed Ubisoft pirate game Skull & Bones, which has yet to set sail as it’s been delayed to March 2023. Sea Of Thieves Season 8 will go live on 22 November for PC and Xbox consoles. It’s also on Xbox Game Pass, but you don’t need me to tell you that.