Sea of Thieves adds Cargo Runs and loads of bug fixes in latest patch

Sea of Thieves is shipping its latest patch today, bumping up to version 1.3.1. This patch introduces the usual slew of bug fixes and quality of life improvements, but it also brings a new type of voyage to check out: Cargo Runs.

Cargo Runs will be available as contracts from the game's merchants, and you'll essentially be tasked with grabbing some goods and delivering them to their destination. But you'll have to be very careful not to damage the goods along the way if you want to receive the full reward for your efforts.

Here's a look at all of what's new and what's been fixed in Sea of Thieves patch 1.3.1:

  • Cargo Runs - These voyages offer an alternative way to climb the ranks of the Merchant Alliance. Obtain a contract, find out who's waiting with the cargo, grab it and go! Don't dawdle or damage the goods if you want the full reward when you reach your destination. The Merchants have standards...
  • Skeleton Ship Rewards - Skeleton Captain-led ships at the end of ship battles now give four Skeleton Captain Chests and four Skeleton Captain Skulls instead of two each.
  • Rowboat Damage - Increased damage now taken by Rowboats from Gunpowder Barrels.
  • Stuck Rowboats - You can now push Rowboats that are stuck underneath things such as piers.
  • Athena's Fortune Voyages - Cargo Runs are now always included as part of Athena's Fortune voyages.
  • Rowboats now cast appropriate reflections in water.
  • Rowboats no longer get damaged when detaching from a ship.
  • Player sitting in the middle of the Rowboat can now see players sitting at the back of the Rowboat.
  • Removed overlapping audio when rowing.
  • Damaged Rowboats no longer appear pristine upon returning to them after venturing far away.
  • Rowboats no longer inherit damage decals from other sources (such as damaged ships or shipwrecks) when in close vicinity.
  • Looking as far left/right as possible whilst rowing a Rowboat will no longer result in the camera becoming occasionally unlocked and rotating 360 degrees.
  • When placing larger items on the Rowboat, water splash VFX will no longer occur.
  • Audio when rowing a Rowboat over large distances (especially the squeaking) is now less repetitive.
  • Fixed issue with horizontal water planes being cut off whilst a ship is sinking. Players no longer get permanently drunk when migrating servers whilst holding the Chest of a Thousand Grogs.
  • Players should no longer get an unfinishable riddle quest on Fetcher's Rest. Audio will no longer drop out when climbing the ladder onto a Brigantine. View Gamer Card option under Crew Settings will now respond correctly to a left mouse click.
  • Geysers will no longer appear on top of chests.
  • Flooding at the back of a Sloop will appear visually correct when sinking.
  • The ocean will appear completely black when a Kraken encounter begins.
  • Looking through the scope of an Eye of Reach will no longer trigger the sound effect multiple times.
  • Upon loading into a session, the loading music will now commence as soon as the loading screen appears.
  • Sailing away from your ship on a Rowboat will no longer cause a mermaid to spawn.
  • The ocean will no longer appear separated from the sky when viewing the horizon from within a storm.
  • The glow of the Kraken lantern will no longer appear too bright in HDR. Sail ropes will no longer appear disjointed from the sails when a player returns from the Ferry.
  • There is no longer a gap at the bottom of the volcano on Devil's Thirst. Collision has been corrected on the Devil's Thirst volcano so players can no longer fall into the model.
  • Player will no longer temporarily lose access to some ship barrels if their first banana, plank or cannonball of the session is washed up or given to them.
  • Available titles now correctly appear in the clothing shop on Morrow's Peak Outpost.
  • Titles will no longer incorrectly appear on Seaposts.

The patch is rolling out now and comes in at 1.37GB large on Xbox One. If you're playing on Windows 10, expect the download to come in at 502MB.

Sea of Thieves normally costs $60, but it's currently discounted to $39. You can also access the game by signing up for Microsoft's Xbox Game Pass service at $9.99 per month.

Dan Thorp-Lancaster

Dan Thorp-Lancaster is the former Editor-in-Chief of Windows Central. He began working with Windows Central, Android Central, and iMore as a news writer in 2014 and is obsessed with tech of all sorts. You can follow Dan on Twitter @DthorpL and Instagram @heyitsdtl