Sea of Thieves brings cursed mermaid statues to its murky depths

Sea of Thieves is pressing forward with its onslaught of in-game events, and the latest focuses on mysterious cursed mermaid statues. Rolling out with the game's latest patch, version 1.1.6, the statues can be found in the shallows around island shores, and players can embark on a mission to destroy every last one of them.

Not every statue is afflicted with the same curse, and they'll take some creative teamwork to take down, as they al regenerate health over time. If you're successful, the Bilge Rats will have plenty of rewards for you to pick up throughout the event.

What's new

  • Sunken Curse Event – Cursed Mermaid Statues are the latest addition to Sea of Thieves. Hidden in the shallows around island shores, they radiate, cursed with ancient magic. For this adventure, the Bilge Rats are challenging all brave pirates to seek out and destroy the statues. Not all statues are bound by the same curse but they all regenerate health over time and while some will require more firepower than others to destroy, no more than four players will be required to destroy even the toughest statue. Sunken Items - It's not all malevolent curses in the shallows! Eagle-eyed pirates can also find artefacts, skulls and treasure chests hidden on the seabed ready to be plundered.
  • The Wailing Barnacle Cosmetics - The Hat, Dress and Jacket of The Wailing Barnacle have been added to the Bilge Rat shop. These items are time-limited and only purchasable with Bilge Rat Doubloons, so get them before they sink back to the depths on the 25th July.
  • Bilge Rat Titles - Earn three unique titles, introduced with The Sunken Curse event and equip them straight from the Vanity Chest!
  • Bilge Rat Doubloons - There are 100 Bilge Rat Doubloons available for the standard Commendations, and an additional 50 Bilge Rat Doubloons available for completing the Legendary Commendation and becoming a Legendary Curse Breaker. Each of The Sunken Curse Commendations in the Bilge Rat progress screen detail the amount of Bilge Rat Doubloons it rewards. You have until the 25th of July to earn Bilge Rat Doubloons by completing these Commendations.
  • Bilge Rat Flag - A new flag has been added to all pirates' flag inventory! This new flag can be used to show other pirates that they're on the hunt for Bilge Rat Doubloons.
  • The Wailing Barnacle Tattoo Set - Now available in the clothing shop on all Outposts, this tattoo set is purchasable with gold and here to stay!
  • Legendary Skeleton Exploder Title - We heard feedback from our community that Legendary Commendations are deserving of a Legendary Title, so we have now introduced the 'Legendary Skeleton Exploder' Title. Existing players who have met the criteria can grab it in the Bilge Rat shop for free. If players unlock the Legendary Commendations required for Gunpowder Skeletons in the future, they will automatically be awarded this Title.
  • Loading Screens - Now give players information about the latest goings on and what's new in Sea of Thieves.
  • Front End Animations - Pirate animations have been updated when entering the game through the front end.
  • UI Update - A small banner is shown on Commendations within the Bilge Rat progress screen when there are Bilge Rat Doubloons to be earned.

This patch also brings an end to the previous Gunpowder Skeletons event, but you'll still find some exploding skeletons out in the wild. There are also a number of bug fixes included with the update, all of which you can read up on in the full patch notes.

Following The Sunken Curse event, Sea of Thieves has a major DLC pack just on the horizon, called Cursed Sails. Set to release later in July, Cursed Sails will bring more skeleton threats to the seas.

Sea of Thieves is available as part of Microsoft's $9.99 per month Xbox Game Pass subscription, or on its own for a standard price of $59.99. However, if you opt for the physical version, you can currently pick the game up for $36 at Amazon.

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