Sea of Thieves Season 19 adds PvP changes, monthly events, and anniversary freebies

Sea of Thieves kicks off Season 19, Fights & Festivals, on March 19, and most of the big changes are aimed at PvP. Rare is updating Hourglass battles with smaller combat zones, a rematch-style option to queue straight into another ship fight, and automatic supply crates so crews start with ammo and essentials already onboard.

The season is split into three acts. The first focuses on Hourglass, including new cosmetic rewards and the return of limited-time Fight Nights. After that, Rare will roll out the Bilge Rat Weekender as a monthly event with rotating challenges, returning activities, fireworks, and extra doubloons to spend on rewards.

The third act adds Last Ship Standing, a six-sloop free-for-all mode. Players will earn increased faction reputation while fighting it out, and Rare says the mode will return monthly with fresh rewards each time.

Outside the seasonal updates, Sea of Thieves is also marking its eighth anniversary with a batch of limited-time bonuses. Xbox players can jump in during a free play weekend from March 19 to March 24. Anyone who logs in between March 19 and March 30 will get a free figurehead cosmetic.

There are a couple more anniversary beats after that: a Microsoft Rewards contest begins March 20, Twitch Drops start March 27, and a Community Weekend runs from March 27 through March 30.

Sea of Thieves first launched in 2018 and has gradually expanded with new PvP and PvE activities, though Hourglass has remained its dedicated opt-in ship combat system. Season 19 looks like a pretty direct attempt to make that side of the game faster to jump into and easier to keep playing once a fight ends.