Before we get the ghost, though, developers Rare expressed their ongoing support for Black Lives Matter. The devs are looking for ways to improve their efforts going forwards, reiterating their “zero-tolerance” stance on discrimination and explaining how to effectively report it in-game. In Rare producer Joe Neate’s words, “there’s no place on the seas for people who discriminate”.
Alright then, onto the ghost pirates. Ghost Ships are described as a deadly sailing challenge, a step up from the broadside brawls you may have fought with the game’s existing skeleton fleets. They’ll occasionally appear as part of a new voyage type from the sinister Order Of Souls, emerging from the ocean in a haze of green mist and otherworldly gates. They are wonderfully spooky, with parts of their own hulls evaporating in wispy puffs when breached by your own iron armaments. That’s if you land a hit first, though. For the most part, they’ll be firing meandering ghosts-turned-cannonballs, but may occasionally let loose a devastating wraith shot. These screaming rascals hit like a truck, shattering your hull and dealing massive knockback to your vessel. If you figure yourself a particularly clever pirate by flanking behind the spectral galleons, take heed - ghost ships will start dumping explosive barrels into the oceans, dealing significant damage if not popped by a skilled sharpshooter. Dastardly galleons from beyond the grave aren’t the only additions in Haunted Shores, mind. Sea Of Thieves will soon let you choose with shanty you’d like to play, making spontaneous ocean concerts easier to pull off than ever. In service of that, next week’s update also adds eight new toe-tapping ditties. These new jams, along with Haunted Shores’ ghastly fleets, drop anchor when the update arrives next Wednesday, June 17th.
