Viewers in the Chat Q&A Session:

How will voice chat work in Arena?

Voice chat works the same in Adventure and in Arena- other crew mics are proximity based

All boats or just galleons?

We’re starting with just galleons, and making it as balanced as possible. In the future they’ll look at adding in other concepts like megalodons, cursed cannonballs, and other ship types. Four player coordination is the core Arena experience that they wanted to iterate on for launch, but will expand the platform in the future

Matchmaking?

Just as in Adventure you can go in with a closed or open crew

Is the Sea Dogs rep gonna take away from Pirate Legends?

Sea Dogs and The Hunter’s call are two new trading companies, bringing the total to 5. To become Pirate Legend, you still need to max out 3 companies, but any 3 out of the 5 that you wish. The reputation goes to level 50 like the existing companies.

Will we see 8 players on a galleon ever?

At launch, no. In the future nothing is off the table and there is room for experimentation.

Can we enter and leave the Sea Dog tavern from Adventure?

No you can’t. In Adventure you can see the exterior of the tavern and interact with NPCs outside it, but you only enter The Arena from the main screen menu. The tavern being visible in Adventure mode is meant to make The Arena feel integrated in the game lore. The tavern in Arena mode is like a social space for players between matches.

Are the new ship damage changes only in Arena?

The new changes are in both The Arena and Adventure mode. Things that enrich Adventure will also enrich Arena, and vice versa.

How big are Arena maps compared to the usual map?

There are different sized Arenas. Some are really small and some are bigger. The biggest encompasses 7 or 8 islands, but each circles a cluster of some islands. Essentially the Devil’s Shroud has closed in on a much smaller circle of the total map.

If your ship sinks are you out?

No, every ship is in for all 24 minutes, but if you sink you will lose a lot of points. You can still come back from that. Every crew gets rewards for completing a match, but you get more rewards the better you place

Will you be able to duel your crew mates?

No

How relaxing is the hot tub in the tavern?

Extremely. Unless someone is bucketing water and splashing it on you

Will there be world leaderboards?

Not at launch. We’re having conversations around what stats we want to make public because in a competitive mode players are interested in their stats. In Adventure mode we never wanted to share that info because it would make players play certain ways.

Can you explain the scoring?

You get points for digging up chests, a larger amount for cashing in chests (at one of two sea dog cash in points), and you also get points for killing other players and hitting other ships with cannonballs. The focus is on treasure selling and ship combat

Will you be adding new achievements?

Yes there’s a ton of new ones, around Tall Tales, The Arena, and the Hunter’s Call

Can you fish in The Arena?

Yes

Will there be gunpowder barrels in The Arena?

At launch there will not be gun powder barrels. In Adventure, gun powder causes big holes and can take down a mast or even multiple masts. For The Arena, it will take time to test the balance to make sure gun powder barrels are fair

Can you see other ships on your map table?

Yes, you can see every other ship on your table and know where they are going. To win, you need to also focus on what other ships are doing. Pop ups on screen tell you when other crews dig up chests

Will there be Devil’s Roar arenas?

We tried them but the Volcanoes felt unbalanced, so they won’t be in at launch but we want to balance the volcanoes better for the Arena before bringing them in.

Will Storms and Fog be in Arena?

Yes. It’s quite infrequent but very cool variety when it happens

How many supplies do you start with in The Arena?

Loads and loads and loads. The combat focus is not about attrition and the focus is less on resource gathering

Now that some of these things have been revealed are we allowed to talk about them?

The NDA is still in effect until the 30th. If in doubt about what you’re allowed to discuss, exercise caution

Can we use Rowboats in Arena?

At launch no, possibly in the future

How long are matches timed for?

24 minutes. One in-game day. You can see a timer on the screen and the audio changes as the match goes on.

Will nameplates be visible in Arena?

They work the same as in Adventure.