From May 28th you can set sail on the virtual seas with Season 2 of Skull and Bones.
Ubisoft’s seafaring simulation Skull and Bones got off to a rough start. Described as a AAAA game by the publisher itself, the pirate game was released last year to struggle with some problems.
While player numbers in early 2024 fell short of Ubisoft’s expectations, Assassin’s Creed: Black Flag, which is comparable to Skull and Bones, celebrated its highest Steam player count in years in February 2024. So it’s not just a matter of pirate fatigue.
But now Ubisoft wants to make up for lost ground. Season 2 will start on May 28, 2024 under the title Chorus of Havoc and the developers have published the planned innovations. We have looked at them and will tell you what awaits you on the high seas in the future.
Link to Twitter content
Fleet management is being further developed
Fleet management: The new system is designed to automate the collection of Pieces of Eight from factories. You can use the Pieces of Eight to buy more valuable goods from traders later in the game.
Once your factories have reached level 4, you will have access to this feature. You can currently assign one ship to a factory.
However, the developers themselves point out that the feature is still in its infancy. More fleet management functions will be added in the following seasons.
Ship Upgrades: As the name suggests, you can improve your ship in the future. As soon as you reach the rank of Pirate Prince (Kingpin), you will improve your stats and unlock new perks.
Helmet leases: These are exclusive certificates that give you control over a manufacturer of your choice. This should give you a greater influence on the expansion of your pirate empire, write the developers.
The new ship upgrades improve your boat.
Two new PvE game modes
In addition, Season 2 will feature two new PvE modes, which are intended to make the endgame more exciting.
Buyout: The new mode provides another way to get manufactories. Previously, this was only possible via legendary raid or enemy takeover. With Season 2, corrupt officials now appear all over the map and trigger an event (the buyout).
You can join this event and bribe the officials. However, you will only see the potential reward you will receive beforehand, not the items you need for the bribe.
They only become visible when the event starts. Then you have to bring the items, such as materials or equipment, to a specified point within a certain time. If you are successful, you will receive the factory.
You can find out what we thought of Skull and Bones at release in our review video:
14:11
Skull and Bones – test video for Ubisoft’s pirate open world
Defence of the manufactory: In this PvE mode, you have to defend one of your factories. It will be attacked by enemies in several waves, each stronger than the previous one. If you manage to defeat the enemies without the factory being destroyed, you will receive a reward.
However, if you fail or arrive too late for the fight, the factory will be damaged and will need to be repaired over a period of time. During this time she does not generate any pieces of eight.
New opponents: You can also expect an enemy duo, the Hubac twins, who want to make life difficult for you in the Indian Ocean.
It remains to be seen whether Season 2 will get more people excited about Skull and Bones again. In Ubisoft’s latest financial report, which was published a few days ago, the game is at least mentioned and explicitly praised.
At launch, the game has the second best daily playing time of all games in the entire portfolio, with an average playing time of four hours, it says. According to Ubisoft, these values will now be expanded with Season 2.
