Skull and Bones’ disastrous development cycle has been morbidly fascinating to witness. The game’s been struck by everything from countless delays to multiple mid-production reboots to controversies with the studio’s leadership to any number of other issues. Ubisoft, for some reason, seems unwilling to just let the project go, but according to a recent leak, Skull and Bones’ core systems actually seem to be taking up solid shape.
In a series of tweets recently published by noted leaker Tom Henderson, potential details on Skull and Bones’ open world, ships, progression, customization, and more have emerged. The game will apparently have five tiers (based on size) and three categories (Cargo, Combat, and Exploration) of ships, with each different ship being unlocked via blueprints, which can be purchased at various settlements, and then using collected resources to actually build the ship.
Each ship has unique advantages and disadvantages, like a smaller boat being more useful than, say, a war galley if you want to sail up a narrow stream or river. As Skull and Bones kicks off though, players won’t have a ship of their own. You will start with a raft, eventually move up to a fishing boat, and after doing quests and building up your reputation as a pirate, finally get your hands on your own ship.
Each ship will apparently have various options where weaponry is concerned, with various ammo types, canons, mortar, flame throwers, and more being available as options. Other ship customizations include armour layers, additional storage, adding smelteries, and more. Meanwhile, your sails, wheels, sea shanties, and more can also be customized.
As far as progression is concerned, Henderson states that in its current form, Skull and Bones has various activities that contribute to progression, including raiding others ships and fortresses, doing cargo runs and jobs, plundering settlements, and more, with the money that you’re making as a pirate being directly tied to how powerful you become.
Finally, there’s the open world. Henderson says that the get is set in the Indian Ocean (the Coast of Azania in Mozambique is a location on the map), while your pirate hub will be located in Madagascar. Players will also be able to explore land on foot when not sailing, though according to Henderson, there will be no combat or stealth in these sections, and will instead be focused on seeking out and talking to NPCs.
These are all unverified details, of course, so for now, don’t take these as official reveals of what to expect in the game, even if Henderson’s track record with leaks has been largely solid. We’ll keep an eye out for new details though, so stay tuned.
Buying a blueprint isn't the only hurdle though, as you'll need the right amount of resources such as wood, metal and fibre to build your ship.
A bigger ship doesn't mean a better ship either, as smaller ships are more nimble and can go where bigger ships can't.
— Tom Henderson (@_Tom_Henderson_) September 15, 2021
Every ship has a pre-determined amount of cannons, but other weaponry can be added/upgraded to put on your ship. Cannons, Ballistas, Flame Throwers, Mortars and more can be attached to your ship in addition to different ammo types (chain-linked cannon balls for example). pic.twitter.com/T2bjGtV4uc
— Tom Henderson (@_Tom_Henderson_) September 15, 2021
The game is open world and seems to be set in the Indian Ocean with the fictional pirate haven being based on Madagascar.
The "Coast of Azania" (Mozambique) is a location on the map. pic.twitter.com/tC4VgL7TmM
— Tom Henderson (@_Tom_Henderson_) September 15, 2021
Player progression is currently tracked by the amount of money you earn via doing jobs, raiding other ships, plundering settlements, raiding fortresses, and doing cargo runs.
The more money you make as a pirate, the more powerful you become. pic.twitter.com/MuUCGpi6wt
— Tom Henderson (@_Tom_Henderson_) September 15, 2021
Overall, the game isn't "near completion" but is reported to be in a decent spot with a lot of good combat.
The middle of the map is a big open sea and it can take some "good afk time" to sail across – I'll try and get specifics as to how long that actually is.
— Tom Henderson (@_Tom_Henderson_) September 15, 2021
