Skull and Bones will take gamers to the Golden Age of Piracy where they will create their own unique pirate captains and sail through the beautiful yet treacherous Indian Ocean filled with rich merchant trade routes to loot. Whether it is on their own or as part of a pirate gang, gamers will take the helm of their powerful warship and lead their crew into the endless battle to rule the seas and become the deadliest pirate kingpin.

In Skull and Bones, you are an insatiable, upstart pirate captain who has refused the king’s pardon. Having nothing to lose, you sailed from the Caribbean to the Indian Ocean, an exotic and untamed frontier full of lavish riches.

However, these rich and idyllic waters are also a battleground where far-reaching colonial empires, powerful trading corporations, and ruthless pirate gangs are fiercely competing for their share of these valuable treasures.

During your journey to become the ultimate pirate kingpin, you will build a fleet of ships you can customize, prey upon lucrative trade routes, and take down rival pirate captains, memorable characters, or other players. In order to survive in this ruthless ocean, you will have to ally with other pirate captains to form the most influential pirate gang, becoming too big to fail and joining the endless struggle for supremacy of the Indian Ocean.

Skull and Bones is an online naval game that will take players across a dynamic, shared open-ocean that reacts to their actions and evolves to continuously challenge them. Building upon the studio’s naval gameplay expertise, Skull & Bones introduces an innovative wind system that gives gamers tactical opportunities to navigate more quickly, shoot further, hit harder, escape deadly blows, and position themselves to decimate their victims. Gamers will also be able to build their own fleet of ships, which can specialize in different battle conditions using the game’s extensive customization options.

Skull and Bones Year 3 Season 2: Crimson Waters has arrived, bringing new threats to confront and new ways to build your power across the Indian Ocean. Unlock the Junk, a new large ship that helps you take on enemies with a fiery passion; fight the invading Abyssal Fleet to earn exciting rewards; and take control of your gear customization with the new Modification Transfer feature, new Adept mods, and new Seasonal Perks.

Large Ship: The Junk

The Junk, nicknamed The Relentless, is the perfect vessel for Captains who keep the pressure on their targets with unrelenting force.  As the fourth large ship in Skull and Bones, it uses escalating Fire damage to weaking enemy defenses and increase its offensive power throughout the fight. Here’s what you need to know about this DPS ship: 

• Hull Health: 85,000
• 38 gun ports
• Top Speed: 21 knots
• Signature Perk - Infernal Embers: Applies a stacking debuff that reduces the target’s Fire and Armor resistance. Once fully stacked, hits increase The Junk’s reload speed and weapon damage. Nearby allies also receive part of this perk.
• Infernal Seas: The upgraded version of Infernal Embers, this ability gives the Junk a bonus buff – after reaching the maximum stack, the next hit triggers an explosion that deals heavy Fire damage, with cooldowns between explosions.

Modification Transfer

The new Modification Transfer feature gives you even more freedom in how equipment can be customized. At the Blacksmith, you can use Ascension Flux to extract a specific mod from an item in your inventory (as a note: doing so will destroy that item), and transfer the mod to different gear. This feature will allow more intentionality in your builds as you customize your gear, and will prevent hoarding Ascended items. 

The Abyssal Fleet

The Abyssal Fleet has inivaded the Indian Ocean. Hostile to every Captain and faction, these unpredictable new enemies bring distinct ships, tactics, and threats that demand a different approach to every encounter. Here’s what you need to know: 

• Abyssal Fleet ships are hostile to all players and factions
• The Abyssal Fleet features distinct ship archetypes, meaning different encounters will feature different strengths and weaknesses, so you’ll need to read the battlefield and adjust your loadout to emerge victorious

Confront the Heralds of The Abyss in World Tier 4 An exclusive World Event for players in the toughest World Tier, Heralds of the Abyss hurls players into conflict with an Abyssal invasion. A full-scale fleet battle, you’ll need to fend off waves of specialized Abyssal forces. If you can make it through, you’ll face off against the Abyssal Herald, a new elite boss crafted just for this challenge. If you manage to emerge unscathed (or, at least still afloat), you’ll receive: 

• Exclusive mods
• Abyssal Essence, which can be redeemed with Blackwood for cosmetics and Adept-Mod items

New Adept Mods New Adept Basic Mods and new Adept Advanced Mods are now available in Skull and Bones. This season, Adept Mods are available for: 

• Culverins
• Demi-Cannons
• Long Guns
• Ballistas

The Adept Mods are stronger versions of existing mods, letting you power up your favorite build, and can be acquired primarily from the Heralds of the Abyss event or through Blackwood with Abyssal Essence. 

New Seasonal Perks

Crimson Waters introduces Impetus, a new combat resource generated through specific actions in battle. Build Impetus to activate Seasonal Perks that can increase your damage, sustain your ship, or support nearby allies. These perks include:

• Relentless Force: Rewards accuracy by boosting weapon damage when loading rapid shots
• Unstoppable Force: Transforms sailing speed into healing and bonus damage
• Mending Order: Consumes Impetus to unleash a massive healing area of effect for nearby allies
• Firepower Order: Consumes Impetus to allow every shot to deal weakpoint damage for a short period

Faction War: Phoenix’s Talon Joins the Fight

Li Tian Ning is back, and she’s leading the Phoenix’s Talon into the faction war against the Compagnie Royale. These ships bring a distinct look and an ascendant elite ship with a new perk. Defeat Phoenix’s Talon ships to earn new end-of-war rewards, including a new firework. 

Limited-Time Events: Darktide Lullaby and Requiem of the Lost Two fan-favorite events are making their way back to the Indian Ocean for a limited time during Year 3 Season 2: 

• Darktide Lullaby: Introduces Drakon’s Jaws, a Burning Torpedo weapon, as well as the Reaper’s Revel Set ship bundle. To keep the challenge fresh, bosses will have new elite affixes 
• Requiem of the Lost: Introduces the Drowning Hellion, a Flooding Demi-Cannon weapon, as well as the Soul Harvest Set and the Rogue Stringer Set ship bundles.

New Ship Campaign: The Brig Later this season, a ship campaign for the Brig will kick off. For a limited time, you can complete challenges to progress along a dedicated reward track, which will net you valuable progression and upgrade materials and, ultimately, a Brig Ship Deed. You can exchange the deed at the Shipwright to add a Brig to your fleet.

Key Features:

• Choose your own pirate captain and grow into the fierce legend that you have always wanted to be.Select your pirate ship class based on your preferred playstyle, evolving it with a rich RPG system. From the safe harbor of your hideout, recruit your crew, customize the ship of your dreams, and pick up on the latest rumors before you set sail to leave your mark on the world. With each successful heist, as your wealth and reputation increases, the world and other players begin to challenge your ascension. Sailing alone becomes a dangerous gamble. Your long-term survival depends on your ability to form the most powerful pirate gang in the Indian Ocean.
• Experience unparalleled naval gameplay delivered by the studio who pioneered and designed naval combat for the Assassin’s Creed franchise. Live the thrills, brutality, and intensity of naval combat as you fight for domination of the seas. Harness the innovative wind system in order to navigate more quickly, shoot further, hit harder, escape deadly blows, and position yourself to decimate your victims. Stalk your enemies and use your spyglass to identify weaknesses. Rally your gang to hunt and overpower large merchant ships and outsmart powerful rivals. Approach combat your own way with a wide number of tactical options at your disposal.
• Explore a systemic shared world that reacts to your actions and challenge your ascension across multiple parts of the Indian Ocean. Choose your path: engage in combat solo, or team up with other players to take down vicious predatory factions and well-defended convoys. The rewards are yours to share, or steal, if you are willing to face the consequences of betrayal and become a target for other players. There are even rumors of horrifying dangers lurking beneath the surface…
• Treacherous disputed waters separate the unique regions of the Indian Ocean, where pirate gangs compete for riches in explosive naval battles. Confront rival players in competitive 5v5 matches, and experience the ultimate pirate fantasy in a variety of game modes while you plunder the most valuable loot from the Indian Ocean’s richest trade routes and grow your influence.
• Fighting your way to the top will attract greater challenges for you and your gang. As the world evolves, Skull & Bones will continuously test the heights of your skill, the depths of your greed, and the resolve of your alliances. Vast new regions to explore, powerful ships, devastating weapons, and daring enemies, along with greater rewards, will tempt you from across the four corners of the Indian Ocean. Every victory will bring you closer to glory and raises the price on your head.

Skull and Bones is available for PS5, Xbox Series X|S and PC.