Sea of Thieves The Ashen Winds: Patch notes, flamethrowers and more

The Ashen Winds is the next monthly update for Sea of Thieves
The Ashen Winds update is live now
Rare Ltd

Sea of Thieves' latest update the Ashen Winds is now live, adding flamethrowers and no small amount of skeletons.

This game is all about online play as you and your friends pilot a ship and sail the seas in search of treasure, fame and other pirates to murder. It's extremely fun and is truly rewarding co-op experience.

The Ashen Lords update is the next monthly patch from developers Rare Ltd, which is adding a chunk of new content.

Ashen Lords are a new type of skeleton just added and they like to throw flaming skulls at you, but if you can finally put them back to rest you'll be able to throw some fire yourself.

Disposing of these skeletal Ashen Lords allows you to turn their skulls into flamethrowers which, frankly, look incredibly cool.

This enemy type will be randomly appearing on islands you navigate and, as you see in the trailer below, they are recognisable by an accompanying tornado of fire.

Each one of these walking bones looks something akin to an MMO raid boss and aren't easy to put down, mind you, and your trusty crewmates will have to watch out for their devastating attacks.

If you manage to defeat one, you and everyone who helped will be rewarded with its precious treasures and you'll receive and Ashen Skull.

This can be used to trade as normal or you can turn it into a weapon which lets you spew flames out in a cone. Perfect for roasting another player's ship and crew, for instance...

The Ashen Winds update also brought in a bunch of gameplay changes and Black Market updates, which we'll go into below.

Sea of Thieves Ashen Winds patch notes:

Ashen Winds

  • Through the treachery of Stitcher Jim and the efforts of all those pirates duped into helping him, Captain Flameheart has amassed the Tomes, Jewels and other ritual ingredients needed to raise up his most loyal followers as fiery Ashen Lords.
  • Ashen Lords have been added to the game.
  • They will randomly appear on islands, which you'll clearly be able to see as a huge firenado stretches into the sky.
  • Kill them to collect treasure and Ashen Skulls.
  • Ashen Skulls can be traded with the Order or you can use them as a flamethrower – but beware, they have limited uses.

Ashen Winds Commendations and achievements

New Commendations have been added which will grant players rewards such as new Titles, the Ashen Winds Skull Sail and a range of Ashen tattoos.

New Xbox and Steam achievements can be unlocked by progressing through the new in-game Commendations.

Ashen Winds Events

If Daily Bounties and the Gold Rush multiplier aren’t enough to fill your nautical calendar, head to the dedicated Events Hub for more information on the live events included in this update – including Skull Sweep!

Please note that the Ashen Expeditions event has now been retired to the vault.

Black Market update:

The black market has new items for you to purchase in the form of the Fearless Bone Crusher equipment and the Nightshine Parrot equipment.

Fearless Bone Crusher Equipment

  • Strike fear into the hearts of your enemies this month with the Fearless Bone Crusher Bucket, Compass, Fishing Rod, Lantern, Pocket Watch, Shovel, Speaking Trumpet, Spyglass and Tankard, all purchasable with Doubloons.

Nightshine Parrot Equipment

  • Spend some gold to acquire the Nightshine Parrot Bucket, Compass, Fishing Rod, Lantern, Pocket Watch, Shovel, Speaking Trumpet, Spyglass and Tankard.

Gameplay Improvements:

Dealing Damage Through the Environment

All melee and ranged weapons are now prevented from dealing damage through the solid surfaces of the ship.

This means players can take shelter behind a ship mast during ranged encounters, or run and hide below deck for shelter.

Shots from ranged weapons can still pass through ship railings, stairs and decking grates.

Inactive Ships in The Arena

  • If a rival crew leave an active contest, their ship now begins to sink instantly, preventing any further silver gain from damaging it.

World Event Encounters

  • The frequency of Ashen Lord encounters is increased for the duration of the Ashen Winds update.

Skeleton Ship Restocking

  • Defeating a Skeleton Ship will now reward players with a storage crate containing food, wood and cannonballs.

Skeleton Fort Waves

  • New waves of skeletons appear much more quickly after the horn is sounded.

The Ashen Winds update also brought in some accessibility changes and other bug fixes, which you can read about here on the official website.