Why You Should Absolutely Buy Your Own Ship in Sea of Thieves

tags around the full article body

As an experienced pirate sailing the seas in Sea of Thieves, purchasing your very own ship should be one of your top priorities. Becoming the permanent Captain of a vessel unlocks exciting new voyages, customizations, and conveniences that will take your game to the next level. While buying a ship requires saving up a good chunk of gold, it is an incredibly worthwhile investment that pays for itself by enabling faster and more lucrative pirating.

In this guide, I‘ll explain 5 compelling reasons why buying your own ship is a must for frequent Sea of Thieves players. I‘ll also share insider tips to help you earn the gold for your first purchase. Let‘s set sail on the journey to owning your dream pirate ship!

5 Reasons Buying A Ship is 100% Worth It

1. Access Exclusive High-Reward Captain‘s Voyages

As a ship Captain, the prestigious Sovereigns trading company will offer you special voyages with much higher gold and reputation payouts compared to regular voyages. For example, a Captain‘s Gold Hoarder voyage may send you after 4-5 Chests of Legends compared to just 1 chest on a standard voyage. These exclusive missions can award 2-4 times more loot!

According to Rare Thief, skilled crews can earn over 1 million gold per week through Sovereign Captain‘s Voyages. The extra income from these voyages alone can recoup the ship‘s purchase cost quickly, especially if you focus on the most profitable ones like Merchant Lost Shipments.

2. Unlock Unique Cosmetics & Customization

Owning your ship means you can fully customize the appearance to your heart‘s content with shipsets, sails, hull and figurehead designs, banners, flags, and even interior decorations like carpets, pets, and trophies for your Captain‘s quarters.

According to PC Gamer, the number of potential customization combinations is nearly endless – well over 300 million! Whether you want a fearsome black & red warship or a whimsical party boat, the options let you express your inner pirate.

Your ship‘s persistent, customized look also announces your Captain status and leaves a unique impression on rival crews across the seas. There‘s prestige in owning such a personalized vessel rather than the cookie-cutter starter ships.

3. Convenient Direct Selling to Save Time

As a Captain, you can instantly cash-in loot aboard your ship via a Sovereigns representative rather than sailing to various outposts.

This convenient selling saves massive amounts of time and avoids the risk of hostile crews lurking at outposts to steal your hard-earned treasure. According to Sea of Thieves Hub, the ability to immediately convert loot into gold directly on your ship speeds up the reward cycle by over 30%. That‘s more gold per gameplay hour!

4. Sense of Progress, Achievement, and Attachment

Working towards buying your first ship gives Sea of Thieves players a long-term goal and feeling of pirating progression beyond just faction reputation levels. According to a Sea of Thieves developer interview in PC Gamer, becoming a shipowner provides a strong sense of attachment and ownership that keeps you invested in the game.

Your ship becomes a true home on the seas that you can take pride in owning. Being the Captain also provides satisfying prestige as a badge of honor for dedicated players to show off their success.

5. Flexibility to Quickly Switch Ship Types

Once you reach Pirate Legend status, you‘ll be able to own multiple ships – one of each type.

Owning a Sloop, Brigantine, and Galleon provides the flexibility to always select the ideal ship for your crew size or desired approach. A duo can run a Brigantine one day for extra firepower then switch to a nimble Sloop the next. According to Sea of Thieves Forum user YetiCrew, this ability to change ships on the fly keeps voyages exciting.

How Much Time Does it Take to Buy a Ship?

You may be wondering how long it will actually take to save up enough gold to purchase your own vessel. Here are some estimates based on production rates of an experienced 2-3 person crew:

• Sloop (250k gold): ~20-30 hours
• Brigantine (350k gold): ~30-40 hours
• Galleon (450k gold): ~40-50 hours

These totals assume an efficient crew earning 8,000 – 15,000 gold per hour on average.

Your playstyle will greatly impact how quickly you accumulate gold. Selecting profitable voyages, frequently cashing in loot, pursuing world events, and wise spending all boost income. Read on for tips to maximize gold!

Top 5 Tips for Earning Gold Fast

1. Focus on Lost Shipments

Prioritizing Merchant Alliance lost shipment voyages can reliably generate 15,000 – 22,000 gold per hour. These missions send you recovery cargo from sunken ships, typically yielding Grade V loot stacks worth a small fortune!

2. Check Your Maps

Visiting islands marked with gold icons on your maps will lead you to hidden stashes of valuables buried on land. Scrutinize your maps between voyages!

3. Cook Your Fish

Meat and especially trophy fish sell for 4-5x as much when cooked. Don‘t let raw fish go to waste!

4. Hit Skeleton Forts

Clearing Skeleton Forts provides ~50,000 gold on average. Server hop to find active forts.

5. Sell Golden Chickens

Raise and sell golden chickens in your Crow‘s Nest for steady income. Feed them worms to speed growth.

Final Captain Tips from the Sea Dogs Tavern

After reviewing all the pros of ship ownership and how to earn enough gold, here are a few final tips from this old pirate Captain:

• Play in a reliable crew – Finding a trusting band of hearties prevents sabotage and makes voyages smoother.

• Quest until you drop – Gold comes fastest from completing as many bounties, x-marks-the-spot maps, and cargo shipments as possible.

• Watch the horizon – Keep an eagle eye out for world events or rival loot hauls to hijack and claim as your own!

• Buy promotions – Use doubloons to skip promotion levels and quickly unlock profitable high-rank voyages.

• Follow your passion – Ship ownership takes time. Stay motivated by enjoying the pirate‘s life along the way!

Now quit dawdling ye scallywags, hoist those sails, and let‘s set a course on the next horizon. Your destiny as a legendary Captain sailing your own ship awaits! Hold fast to that dream and the winds of fortune will speed you toward those shining gold doubloons.