As August draws to a close, we’re delighted to share with you a more in-depth look at the shenanigans scheduled to land for Season 17 Community Weekend, taking place from Saturday, August 30th to Monday, September 1st (11am UTC). This Event comes delightfully themed to our studio’s 40th anniversary; the good ship Rare has been sailing for four whole decades, so this particular Community Weekend commemorates our history, as well as offering a couple of cute cosmetics that reflect the ruby-red shine to our celebrations.
For those of you confused about where Season 16’s Community Weekend went, here’s your reminder that as we wrangled the transition to a more predictable Seasonal rhythm of content releases and Events, we had to sadly skip that one to get this Weekend into your hands so early in Season 17. The good news is, this one is here with some extra lovely stuff to make up for the missing Event!
Log In to Win
It wouldn’t be a Community Weekend without a suite of goodies shuffled into your inventory, all for the pleasure of popping in for a sail. Log in after 11am UTC on Saturday, August 30th and you’ll bag yourself a beautiful white, red and gold Community Weekend Flag, plus the glorious Rare-themed Paper Cutout Emote. That’s not all on offer, though: if players complete at least 100,000 World Events over the Weekend, all participants will earn the extra-special Ruby Legend Figurehead. Completion of that Community Spirit Goal will also unlock a couple of additional Twitch Drops – but more on that later!
Streams Can Come True
Hopefully most of you know the drill by now, but just in case: to raise the Community Emissary Grade and influence the in-game generosity, pirates just need to watch Sea of Thieves streamers on Twitch, with the total watch time powering Grade progress. So all you need to do is watch any of your favourite content creators within the Sea of Thieves category during the Event period. You can tune into Sea of Thieves Partners, wave hello to our Stream Team, watch a friend or even find a random creator. It doesn’t matter where you watch, as long as you’re watching Sea of Thieves!
Every time the Community Emissary Grade increases, so does the boost to gold, reputation, Seasonal Renown, Allegiance and Guild Reputation for everyone – with the top Grade offering two-and-a-half times the rewards for your work. These multipliers affect High Seas sailors only, so make sure you plan accordingly and prepare to defend your loot from potential pirates looking to steal the fruits of your labour.
Twitch Perfect
Although the real reward from watching our wonderful streamers is the fun you have along the way, you can also swipe a stunning set of Twitch Drops just for tuning in! On offer during the Event will be the Eastern Winds Ruby Pistol and Cutlass, Gilded Phoenix Pocket Watch, Mandrake Sails, a Voyage of Luck, A Legendary Search for Cursed Treasure Voyage, bonus Renown and 75,000 gold.
And going back to that Community Spirit Goal: if a total of 100,000 World Events can be smashed during Community Weekend, then for the following week, the Obsidian Captain’s Table and Obsidian Captain’s Logbook will be made available as bonus Twitch Drops to be unlocked! That’s a serious hoard of lovely, shiny free stuff for players prepared to tune in and watch their fellow pirates sail the seas.
Pop-Up Plunder Evolves
We’ve been crunching some numbers here, and we’re thrilled to see that Pop-Up Plunder remains one of the most popular features introduced in recent times! However, we do like to keep you on your toes, so we’re ready to mix it up a bit and see how you all rise to the challenge. Enter this Community Weekend’s fresh take on Pop-Up Plunder, now featuring – drumroll please – starting islands.
That’s right: for Season 17 Community Weekend, we’re taking the unprecedented step of publishing the Pop-Up Plunder times and accompanying starting locations ahead of the day to support your crews getting closer to the shenanigans once a new dig spot drops. Just scroll down right now to see for yourself!
We will of course still be dropping clues on social media channels at these scheduled times to ensure you've all got a way to work out the specific spot you need to stick your shovel in, although the actual dig may not be on the island mentioned below (it'll make sense on the day). Think of the islands more like the starting grid of a race. Our hope is that more fun will follow if we can push you all a little bit closer together.
The loot’s absolutely worth fighting for too, with a pool of high-value goodies on offer to those who brave the challenge – so start your Pop-Up Plunder strategising now, because things are about to get a little more chaotic!
Smells Like Community Spirit
Alongside Pop-Up Plunder, pirates who set sail over Community Weekend will find Picture Walls at every Outpost, with The Reaper’s Hideout Picture Wall returning too. We want to see all your lovely crew moments captured at these special posing points, so please share them on social and tag us in – not much makes us happier than seeing you and your crews in pride of place in front of our Picture Walls, so we’re counting on you to deliver the goods.
Sailors can also expect to swipe a Community Spirit Firework Crate, free of charge, from their local Merchant Alliance representative over the Weekend. Nothing says “we’re friendly!!” quite like some of these beautiful community-themed fireworks, so make sure you have the box ready for when you bump into other crews. Or not, if you’re planning on sinking them.
Bonnet Blue
If you think you or one of your crewmates are deserving of fame and a particularly fetching blue hat, look no further as our usual #BeMorePirate giveaway gets amped up over Community Weekend! This is an occasion to celebrate amazing artists, players, creators and community MVPs – so as is customary, we’ll be scouring our channels and the #BeMorePirate hashtag for suitably special Sea of Thieves stories, from now until the end of the Event. Worthy winners will be awarded the Hat of Unfeasibly Glorious Fame, so get your submissions in ASAP to see if your antics warrant your pirate’s bonce being crowned with such a special bonnet.
Beyond the Sail
While a lot of these celebratory activities centre around setting sail, at its heart this Event is designed to honour and excite you, our amazing players. So this Community Weekend, we would love for you to share your favourite clips, creators, screenshots and crewmates in celebration of the stories you’ve all experienced on our shores. Sea of Thieves has already accounted for a seven-year slice of Rare’s amazing 40-year history, and we’re proud to be here in 2025 feeling just as excited for its future as we were when it was just a glint in the studio’s eye.
Whether you’re new to Sea of Thieves or thinking about diving in for the very first time, Community Weekend – with its gifts, goals and impeccable vibes – is the perfect opportunity not just to set sail, but to dip your toes in the lovely warm waters of our online community. So come on in! We’re a friendly bunch, promise. Alliance?
