Dark Seas Full Launch

The Dread Ringer crew is happy to announce that today we’re launching the Dark Seas ship! We’ve battened down the hatches and are sailin’ out of Early Access. Join us in raisin' a mug o' rum to our fine crew and ye mates. What are ye waiting for, dust off yer puzzlin' skills and hit the high seas!

Parrrrty Like a Pirate

In celebration of our Full Release Launch we're going to have a series of blue grey tournaments and competitions. These festivities will culminate in the opening of the first large island, Melanaster, for blockade on July 14th. We suggest you start recruiting mates and making plans in Parley. As part of our celebration, we're making the following update to Dark Seas:

• Final preparation for today's Dark Seas release.
• Brigand Kings that have been scuttled will not attack islands that were previously blockaded by a Brigand King in the past 5 weeks.
• Shoppes that have been shut down by the governor will now be destroyed after 14 days, rather than 30.
• Adding a slider to the Voyage Configuration panel that allows reducing the number of swabbies that should be hired.
• Bugfix for a situation where Brigand King expeditions could create a target vessel weak enough to trigger the Black Ship.

Along with the changes above, there have been quite a few changes during early access including new servers, the new War Galleon ship type, and rewards for PvP. You can see all the changes here.

New DLC - Shadow Raider Pack

We've released a new DLC package to help celebrate our launch. With the Shadow Raider Pack, ye’ll pillage exclusive items to help gain a nocturnal advantage while explorin’ the Dark Seas. This special pack contains exclusive items suitable for any pirate lookin’ fer a fightin’ edge. With this pack ye will obtain the following items:

• Shadow War Galleon. A special limited edition War Galleon ship with a Shadow theme.
• Permanent Shovel bludgeon. This bludgeon comes in random colors and is exclusive to this DLC. It will never dust.
• Permanent Rogue Hat. This black hat is exclusive to this DLC and will never dust. The bandana will be selected at random between gold, red, maroon, white, or blue.
• Black Vampire Raiment coat. The secondary color will match the color of the bandana on the Rogue Hat.
• 30 day Parlor Badge. Play cards and carousing puzzles at yer local inn.
• 10 Rogue Marks. Rename yer ship using Rogue Marks.
• 3 Shadow Chromas and 3 Crimson Chromas. These allow you to dye one of the colors on a piece of clothing.
• 1 sanguine amulet. Temporarily turn your pirate into a vampire!

As with all DLC, items can only be accepted by one Pirate on the account, so choose wisely matey. Permanent hats and Shovel Bludgeons will bind to the pirate that accepts the items. A hearty thanks for everyone who has sailed the Early Access seas and provided feedback. We’ve made a lot of changes based off of that feedback and hope to continue to do so in the future. So today we raise a mug o' rum to all ye fine mates who've stuck with us through the years!

[ 2018-07-06 21:55:44 CET ] [ Original post ]

Full Release

Ahoy! As we mentioned in our last post, we're sailing towards full launch. Barring any unforeseen circumstances, full launch will be July 6th. We'd like to thank all of you who helped us improve the ocean for everyone.

Updates

We've made a large number of changes to Dark Seas over these past months which you can review here . Many of these changes are thanks to your feedback in Game Design.

Blockades

We will be opening new islands on Dark Seas after the game is fully released. The first island to be opened will be our first large, Melanaster on July 14th. By waiting for a week after the launch, we'll give our new players a chance to be able to participate in the action. We are planning other island openings this summer, however we will open them as competition demands and as we see how some changes affect blockades. As always, additional openings will be announced in advance in the Announcements forum thread. As noted here and in the Announcements forum thread: Islands on the classic oceans will be closed to blockades on the weekend of July 14th. You will still be able to scuttle brigand kings. For those who have been sailing the Early Access seas, we do not foresee us needing to wipe the server, so you'll retain all of your progress Thank you all for the passion you have shown for this game these past few months. Please help us get ready to welcome new mates aboard!

[ 2018-06-29 16:56:58 CET ] [ Original post ]

Full Release

We're battening down the hatches as we near the end of Early Access. This doesn't mean we're done developing the game or making improvements, far from it. It just means that we're ready to welcome new mates aboard. One of our largest projects during Early Access was moving our servers to something newer and more stable. This process is now complete. Huzzah! For those who have been sailing the Early Access seas, we do not foresee us needing to wipe the server, so you'll retain all of your progress. We do not have any additional details for you (just yet) except to say that ye should keep yer eyes open here and on our announcements forum .

Steam Summer Sale

In celebration of this exciting news, we scurvy pirates are participating in our first Steam Summer Sale. Ye can find our Defiant Armada and Shadow Fleet packs at 33% off. The sale will continue the entire duration of the summer sale.

Limited Edition Ships

Consider this a quick reminder that ye only have until the end of the month to purchase any of these fine vessels: Alice Class Sloop
Inferno Class Warbrig
Quest Class War Galleon. Ye can find more information on our War Glleon here.

[ 2018-06-21 22:00:23 CET ] [ Original post ]

Seal and Monthly Reward:

Own a subscription that runs through March, or make a purchase of $9.99 or more this month to receive a Cat Plushie to pet. These purrrrfect critters make great friends, or enemies, depending on their mood. Feelin’ lucky? Why not test yer skills in a few tournaments? Earn the March Seal o'Piracy by participatin’ in 4 tournaments! Please Note: It looks like the cats colors are the reverse of the image shown here. Fitting that the cats would have a mind of their own.

March Limited Edition Box:

Spring Green Mystery Boxes arrive as a sign that warm seas and favorable winds arrrrr headed this way! Ye have a green light to celebrate the thaw n’ get ready to set sail! This be yer chance to uncover Spring Simian and Vernal Parrot familiars, Emerald Tigers, Brown Sea Otters, Pot of Gold (chest furniture), spring green ships, and limited edition furniture. That’s not all, these boxes are also chock-full of spring green and emerald, clothing, chromas, 'n more! From now until 3:00 PM PDT on March 19, 2018 you'll receive a free Spring Green Mystery Box for every $9.99 you spend on doubloons. For more information about the full contents of the 2018 Spring Green Mystery Box, as well as the official rules, please click here. The Spring Green Mystery Boxes are only available for a limited time, so may the luck o’ the pirates be with ye!

March Limited Edition Ship:

The season be right for all things green me buckos, and it be high time for a new Limited Edition Ship to ride the waves! So here she is: the Bardic Class Sloop! What a thing o' beauty she is, with her elegant lines, intricate knotwork carvings and shades o' brilliant green!
A finer ship ye'd be hard-pressed to find, but alas: the Bardic Class Sloop is only available until 3 PM PST on Monday, the 2nd of April. So head to the shipwright and place yer order afore the banshee comes a callin' for ye!

Additional Patch Notes: Thar be a new ship sailin' These Seas!

• Behind-the-scenes setup and preparation for the new War Galleon vessel type which will soon be added to the Ice ocean for testing and feedback.
• The Trading Post has been updated with a new Wolverine Pet that can be purchased in exchange for Faction PvP trinkets. The special Crimson/Shadow colors have an increased cost.
• From this point forward, faction trinkets will only be awarded in PvP sinkings if both vessels have an active bounty on them.
• There is now a cool down period after a pirate receives a Faction PvP trinket, before they can receive more. This limit should very rarely affect pirates who are participating in legitimate PvP battles that require meaningful time and effort.
• The vessel bounty icon will now appear in the voyages jobbing panel for vessels that are being hunted by the opposing faction.
• Messages related to faction bounties will now be recorded in the vessel logs.
• Island building records will now show when a shop is forced to close or allowed to reopen by the governor.
• Bugfix for the text descriptions of the new PvP bounty trophies.
• Bugfix to allow flagless vessels to pay the bribe in order to port at enemy faction islands.
• Fixed a bug that would allow a sinking vessel to be repeatedly engaged before the sinking process completed.
• Correcting the amount of labor required in the gold class war frigate and dark class war frigate recipes.
• Added seasonal content for March.

Ye can always find the most recent patch notes here.

[ 2018-03-09 19:47:57 CET ] [ Original post ]

Seal and Monthly Reward:

Own a subscription that runs through March, or make a purchase of $9.99 or more this month to receive a Cat Plushie to pet. These purrrrfect critters make great friends, or enemies, depending on their mood. Feelin lucky? Why not test yer skills in a few tournaments? Earn the March Seal o'Piracy by participatin in 4 tournaments! Please Note: It looks like the cats colors are the reverse of the image shown here. Fitting that the cats would have a mind of their own.

March Limited Edition Box:

Spring Green Mystery Boxes arrive as a sign that warm seas and favorable winds arrrrr headed this way! Ye have a green light to celebrate the thaw n get ready to set sail! This be yer chance to uncover Spring Simian and Vernal Parrot familiars, Emerald Tigers, Brown Sea Otters, Pot of Gold (chest furniture), spring green ships, and limited edition furniture. Thats not all, these boxes are also chock-full of spring green and emerald, clothing, chromas, 'n more! From now until 3:00 PM PDT on March 19, 2018 you'll receive a free Spring Green Mystery Box for every $9.99 you spend on doubloons. For more information about the full contents of the 2018 Spring Green Mystery Box, as well as the official rules, please click here. The Spring Green Mystery Boxes are only available for a limited time, so may the luck o the pirates be with ye!

March Limited Edition Ship:

The season be right for all things green me buckos, and it be high time for a new Limited Edition Ship to ride the waves! So here she is: the Bardic Class Sloop! What a thing o' beauty she is, with her elegant lines, intricate knotwork carvings and shades o' brilliant green!
A finer ship ye'd be hard-pressed to find, but alas: the Bardic Class Sloop is only available until 3 PM PST on Monday, the 2nd of April. So head to the shipwright and place yer order afore the banshee comes a callin' for ye!

Additional Patch Notes: Thar be a new ship sailin' These Seas!

• Behind-the-scenes setup and preparation for the new War Galleon vessel type which will soon be added to the Ice ocean for testing and feedback.
• The Trading Post has been updated with a new Wolverine Pet that can be purchased in exchange for Faction PvP trinkets. The special Crimson/Shadow colors have an increased cost.
• From this point forward, faction trinkets will only be awarded in PvP sinkings if both vessels have an active bounty on them.
• There is now a cool down period after a pirate receives a Faction PvP trinket, before they can receive more. This limit should very rarely affect pirates who are participating in legitimate PvP battles that require meaningful time and effort.
• The vessel bounty icon will now appear in the voyages jobbing panel for vessels that are being hunted by the opposing faction.
• Messages related to faction bounties will now be recorded in the vessel logs.
• Island building records will now show when a shop is forced to close or allowed to reopen by the governor.
• Bugfix for the text descriptions of the new PvP bounty trophies.
• Bugfix to allow flagless vessels to pay the bribe in order to port at enemy faction islands.
• Fixed a bug that would allow a sinking vessel to be repeatedly engaged before the sinking process completed.
• Correcting the amount of labor required in the gold class war frigate and dark class war frigate recipes.
• Added seasonal content for March.

Ye can always find the most recent patch notes here.

[ 2018-03-09 19:47:57 CET ] [ Original post ]

Seal and Monthly Reward:

Own a subscription that runs through February, or make a purchase of $9.99 or more this month to receive a Spider Statue to creep about yer ship. Consider yerself warned, if ye don’t swab those decks, they’ll be covered in webs. X marks the spot this month. Earn the February seal by completin’ 2 different expeditions. So dust off the spyglass and set sail into uncharted waters.

February Gold Box:

Looks like this month's gold box is overloaded with lovely finds to impress the lass or lad in yer life! Sure, ye could buy a box of chocolates or a barrel of rum, but that’s hardly original. What says “I hearty ye” more than a rose colored creature? Ye'll find heart-swelling treasures including Passion Parrots, Love Monkies, Be Mine Canines and Felines. Pirates may also stumble on golden pandas, furniture, ice blue chromas, and more. Find Gold Boxes at yer island bank until February 12th at 3 PM PDT. Get the full list o' goods right here. Best act fast before yer ye forget the special day and are forced to walk the plank!

February Limited Edition Ship:

Looking for the perfect gift for that special someone* this February? Well, if that special someone happens to be a pirate, then the Cupid Class Sloop will melt their heart like chocolate left in the Caribbean sun! The Cupid Class Sloop is only available until 3 PM PST Tuesday, March 1st, so grab one for you and your best hearty today! * "That special someone" can be yourself. It's OK, we won't tell.

Additional Patch Notes:

• Ships that have a faction bounty placed on them will now have a special icon shown in the sailing view, making them easier to identify (and pursue). There are 3 tiers of icon, based on how large the bounty on the vessel has become.
• From this point forward, only vessels that have a faction bounty on them will be able to win faction trinkets for sinking enemy vessels. All sailors aboard the victorious ship will receive between 1 to 3 faction trinkets, based on how large their ship's bounty has become. This provides incentive for jobbing on a ship that has a bounty, despite the increased risk of being attacked by the other faction.
• Adding new "Owl Eggs" that can be purchased at the trading post in exchange for Faction PvP trinkets (under the artifacts section). Opening the eggs will grant a non-tradeable Owl amiliar with a randomly chosen color.
• In exchange for a larger number of trinkets, pirates can purchase a Crimson or Shadow owl egg, which will grant an owl familiar in the respective color (rather than one of the randomly chosen colors).
• Adding 3 new "Dark" vessel designs at the Trading Post in exchange for faction PvP trinkets.
• Faction bounties that have been placed on vessels will now slowly decrease over time, so that inactive vessels will eventually fall off of the bounties board.
• Faction icons will now appear on the island overview page in YoWeb.
• Exploit fix: greedy brigands will now only appear on brigand vessels that were targeting your own vessel.
• Bugfix: clear any pending transfers for a vessel if the deed changes hands.
• The "Slithery Keepsake" trophy will now be retroactively awarded to players who attacked the white Kraken head during the December team competition.

[ 2018-02-03 01:43:18 CET ] [ Original post ]

Seal and Monthly Reward:

Own a subscription that runs through February, or make a purchase of $9.99 or more this month to receive a Spider Statue to creep about yer ship. Consider yerself warned, if ye dont swab those decks, theyll be covered in webs. X marks the spot this month. Earn the February seal by completin 2 different expeditions. So dust off the spyglass and set sail into uncharted waters.

February Gold Box:

Looks like this month's gold box is overloaded with lovely finds to impress the lass or lad in yer life! Sure, ye could buy a box of chocolates or a barrel of rum, but thats hardly original. What says I hearty ye more than a rose colored creature? Ye'll find heart-swelling treasures including Passion Parrots, Love Monkies, Be Mine Canines and Felines. Pirates may also stumble on golden pandas, furniture, ice blue chromas, and more. Find Gold Boxes at yer island bank until February 12th at 3 PM PDT. Get the full list o' goods right here. Best act fast before yer ye forget the special day and are forced to walk the plank!

February Limited Edition Ship:

Looking for the perfect gift for that special someone* this February? Well, if that special someone happens to be a pirate, then the Cupid Class Sloop will melt their heart like chocolate left in the Caribbean sun! The Cupid Class Sloop is only available until 3 PM PST Tuesday, March 1st, so grab one for you and your best hearty today! * "That special someone" can be yourself. It's OK, we won't tell.

Additional Patch Notes:

• Ships that have a faction bounty placed on them will now have a special icon shown in the sailing view, making them easier to identify (and pursue). There are 3 tiers of icon, based on how large the bounty on the vessel has become.
• From this point forward, only vessels that have a faction bounty on them will be able to win faction trinkets for sinking enemy vessels. All sailors aboard the victorious ship will receive between 1 to 3 faction trinkets, based on how large their ship's bounty has become. This provides incentive for jobbing on a ship that has a bounty, despite the increased risk of being attacked by the other faction.
• Adding new "Owl Eggs" that can be purchased at the trading post in exchange for Faction PvP trinkets (under the artifacts section). Opening the eggs will grant a non-tradeable Owl amiliar with a randomly chosen color.
• In exchange for a larger number of trinkets, pirates can purchase a Crimson or Shadow owl egg, which will grant an owl familiar in the respective color (rather than one of the randomly chosen colors).
• Adding 3 new "Dark" vessel designs at the Trading Post in exchange for faction PvP trinkets.
• Faction bounties that have been placed on vessels will now slowly decrease over time, so that inactive vessels will eventually fall off of the bounties board.
• Faction icons will now appear on the island overview page in YoWeb.
• Exploit fix: greedy brigands will now only appear on brigand vessels that were targeting your own vessel.
• Bugfix: clear any pending transfers for a vessel if the deed changes hands.
• The "Slithery Keepsake" trophy will now be retroactively awarded to players who attacked the white Kraken head during the December team competition.

[ 2018-02-03 01:43:18 CET ] [ Original post ]

This month the air is cooling and the colors are changing. As we recently announced, we're preparing for blockades! There are a couple of event blockades that will happen before we open islands up for ownership. This is so we can test blockades before we have something as valuable as island ownership on the line. Check out the announcement linked above for more information. Stock up now mates and start talking with the other flags in your faction. It's time to determine how much are you willing to risk.
This month we're making the Harvest Class Cutter available the entire month of November. Hop into a shipyard today to order your very own floating feast. Additionally we have recently made the following changes:

• You will no longer see the change log on the notice board when you log in. The wall of text is now gone. Don't worry, you can still access it by clicking on the change log image on the front tab of the notice board.
• Winning PvP battles against the opposing faction will now award everyone aboard the vessel an untradeable faction trinket. These trinkets will be used to purchase faction-related equipment at the Trading Post in the future, so start stockpiling now!
• Added and initial set of trophies related to Faction PvP. The conditions will need to be discovered by players!
• A black market was added to Point Venture. There you can purchase specialized items. Black Boxes will not award Sea Monster maps for currently disabled Sea Monster zones.
• Small decrease to the average value of Greedy Purses in preparation for Trading Posts.

This November, savor the bounty of the Puzzle Pirates Vineyard in the Wine Mystery Box! As yer well aware, only the finest libations come in box form. Sailin' the high seas, ye need to pack yer hold with efficiency so as to maximize yer trade profits. Ye also want to make certain yer cargo is secure in the event ye encounter flying cannonballs, whirlpools or rocks on yer journey. Just tip it and discern Wine Sea Otters, Merlot Macaws, Syrah Snake, and more. From now until 3:00 PM PST on November 20, 2017, you'll earn a free Wine Mystery Box for every $9.99 you spend on doubloons, or every month of subscription time you purchase! For more information about the full contents of the 2017 Wine Mystery Box, as well as the official rules, please click here. Tip the box back and make the best of wine time, before it's gone for the season!

[ 2017-11-10 23:16:37 CET ] [ Original post ]

This month the air is cooling and the colors are changing. As we recently announced, we're preparing for blockades! There are a couple of event blockades that will happen before we open islands up for ownership. This is so we can test blockades before we have something as valuable as island ownership on the line. Check out the announcement linked above for more information. Stock up now mates and start talking with the other flags in your faction. It's time to determine how much are you willing to risk.
This month we're making the Harvest Class Cutter available the entire month of November. Hop into a shipyard today to order your very own floating feast. Additionally we have recently made the following changes:

• You will no longer see the change log on the notice board when you log in. The wall of text is now gone. Don't worry, you can still access it by clicking on the change log image on the front tab of the notice board.
• Winning PvP battles against the opposing faction will now award everyone aboard the vessel an untradeable faction trinket. These trinkets will be used to purchase faction-related equipment at the Trading Post in the future, so start stockpiling now!
• Added and initial set of trophies related to Faction PvP. The conditions will need to be discovered by players!
• A black market was added to Point Venture. There you can purchase specialized items. Black Boxes will not award Sea Monster maps for currently disabled Sea Monster zones.
• Small decrease to the average value of Greedy Purses in preparation for Trading Posts.

This November, savor the bounty of the Puzzle Pirates Vineyard in the Wine Mystery Box! As yer well aware, only the finest libations come in box form. Sailin' the high seas, ye need to pack yer hold with efficiency so as to maximize yer trade profits. Ye also want to make certain yer cargo is secure in the event ye encounter flying cannonballs, whirlpools or rocks on yer journey. Just tip it and discern Wine Sea Otters, Merlot Macaws, Syrah Snake, and more. From now until 3:00 PM PST on November 20, 2017, you'll earn a free Wine Mystery Box for every $9.99 you spend on doubloons, or every month of subscription time you purchase! For more information about the full contents of the 2017 Wine Mystery Box, as well as the official rules, please click here. Tip the box back and make the best of wine time, before it's gone for the season!

[ 2017-11-10 23:16:37 CET ] [ Original post ]

Ahoy mates! Blockades are looming so ye best be ready to sail! Unlike openings in the past, you pirates will chart the course for the first island openings. Which island will open first will be based on the results of an event blockade. It's up to factions and flags to decide how much they're willing to risk to determine with which island opens first. Please be aware that once the first island is opened we will be opening the 3 shipyard shoppes for player orders of larger ships. This gives other players an opportunity to order larger ships for looming battles. Every blockade is sinking unless otherwise stated. Ye can find the discussion thread in Parley, here . 11/18/2017 - Event

• Type: Non Sinking
• Time: Noon game time.
• Rounds: 3
• Prizes: Charm items! 1st - Sleeping Cat with a Sleeping kitten - Grey with white paws 2nd - Sleeping Cat - Grey with white paws 3rd - Maroon jeweled chest The top 3 flags will also receive a modest flag hall to place them in (if the flag already has a hall we will give the monarch 10,000 PoE and 10 doubloons). The charm item(s) will be placed where the monarch chooses in the flag hall (as long as it's possible to place an item there).
• Details: Given we're still in early access, this event will allow us to test blockades before we open islands. It's also possible we need to run additional event blockades.
• Note: It's possible (but not currently intended) that the charm prizes may appear in the future on LE ships or as furniture in promo boxes.

12/16/2017 - Event

• Type: Sinking
• Time: Noon game time.
• Rounds: 3
• Prize: The winning faction will determine which island will open first, Magpie Island or Loggerhead Island. If the Defiant side wins, Loggerhead Island will open first. If Shadow wins, Magpie Island will be the first to open. The winning faction is determined by the winning flag. Thus, it's in a faction's best interest to work together to ensure the faction is the winner.

01/06/2018 - Island Opening

• Type: Sinking
• Time: Noon game time.
• Rounds: 3
• Note: Opening of Magpie Island or Loggerhead Island depending on who won the event blockade. The island will be placed under BK control and the two flags must not only contend with each other, but also a brigand king. Winning flag will claim ownership of the island.

01/20/2018 - Island Opening

• Type: Sinking
• Time: Noon game time.
• Rounds: 3
• Note: Opening of the remaining island, Magpie Island or Loggerhead Island. As above, the island will be placed under BK control. The winning flag will claim ownership of the island.

**Due to the nature of this ocean's Beta status, details may change. When possible, we will provide advance notice of changes.**

[ 2017-11-01 21:59:54 CET ] [ Original post ]

Ahoy mates! Blockades are looming so ye best be ready to sail! Unlike openings in the past, you pirates will chart the course for the first island openings. Which island will open first will be based on the results of an event blockade. It's up to factions and flags to decide how much they're willing to risk to determine with which island opens first. Please be aware that once the first island is opened we will be opening the 3 shipyard shoppes for player orders of larger ships. This gives other players an opportunity to order larger ships for looming battles. Every blockade is sinking unless otherwise stated. Ye can find the discussion thread in Parley, here . 11/18/2017 - Event

• Type: Non Sinking
• Time: Noon game time.
• Rounds: 3
• Prizes: Charm items! 1st - Sleeping Cat with a Sleeping kitten - Grey with white paws 2nd - Sleeping Cat - Grey with white paws 3rd - Maroon jeweled chest The top 3 flags will also receive a modest flag hall to place them in (if the flag already has a hall we will give the monarch 10,000 PoE and 10 doubloons). The charm item(s) will be placed where the monarch chooses in the flag hall (as long as it's possible to place an item there).
• Details: Given we're still in early access, this event will allow us to test blockades before we open islands. It's also possible we need to run additional event blockades.
• Note: It's possible (but not currently intended) that the charm prizes may appear in the future on LE ships or as furniture in promo boxes.

12/16/2017 - Event

• Type: Sinking
• Time: Noon game time.
• Rounds: 3
• Prize: The winning faction will determine which island will open first, Magpie Island or Loggerhead Island. If the Defiant side wins, Loggerhead Island will open first. If Shadow wins, Magpie Island will be the first to open. The winning faction is determined by the winning flag. Thus, it's in a faction's best interest to work together to ensure the faction is the winner.

01/06/2018 - Island Opening

• Type: Sinking
• Time: Noon game time.
• Rounds: 3
• Note: Opening of Magpie Island or Loggerhead Island depending on who won the event blockade. The island will be placed under BK control and the two flags must not only contend with each other, but also a brigand king. Winning flag will claim ownership of the island.

01/20/2018 - Island Opening

• Type: Sinking
• Time: Noon game time.
• Rounds: 3
• Note: Opening of the remaining island, Magpie Island or Loggerhead Island. As above, the island will be placed under BK control. The winning flag will claim ownership of the island.

**Due to the nature of this ocean's Beta status, details may change. When possible, we will provide advance notice of changes.**

[ 2017-11-01 21:59:54 CET ] [ Original post ]

Are ye ready fer Halloween, mates? To get ye in practice, we have a fine competition prepared for ye: Starting October 20th, Pirates will be invited to participate in the great Trick ARRR! Treat event of 2017. That's right: "Arr!" We're pirates, after all. And how do ye win this competition: Sail with yer crew and retrieve candy from the unwilling hands of brigands! A boon fer the Pirate with a sweet tooth! Along with the competition, pirates might find hordes of monsters washing up on shore at an alarming rate. If yer scared, don’t worry, ye can hide behind one of the masks available at the palace shop. Since our last post, we've implemented the following changes:

• Fixed the building arrows which had disappeared.
• Allowing the "Blockades" tab of the Notice Board to be accessed even when not on an island.
• Added an in-game Doubloon History link on the doubloons panel.
• Increasing the maximum number of free accounts that can be created by an account. This should help people who were unable to set up their Steam account the first time.
• Experimental update to allow shoppe inventory data to be exported to a text file in JSON format by double-clicking the "Inventory" tab in the client. If tools are created to parse and manage this sort of exported data, the functionality can be expanded to other panels in the future.
• Displaying faction icons next to job applicant notices in the Dark Seas client.

Ye can find the change log here. We have a few items we're currently working on. This is by no means a complete list:

• Plans for blockade openings. Expect an announcement next week regarding these plans.
• Issues with the Steam Overlay not working correctly. Most of these have been corrected. A few related to Mac OS are likely a Steam issue and outside our control. We're still investigating.
• Issues installing the game the first time. Most of these have already been fixed, though a few are lingering.
• The new "War" tab of the Notice Board is still being constructed and redesigned. Let us know if there's certain info you'd like to see here.
• Additional Steam achievements.

[ 2017-10-20 19:26:40 CET ] [ Original post ]

Are ye ready fer Halloween, mates? To get ye in practice, we have a fine competition prepared for ye: Starting October 20th, Pirates will be invited to participate in the great Trick ARRR! Treat event of 2017. That's right: "Arr!" We're pirates, after all. And how do ye win this competition: Sail with yer crew and retrieve candy from the unwilling hands of brigands! A boon fer the Pirate with a sweet tooth! Along with the competition, pirates might find hordes of monsters washing up on shore at an alarming rate. If yer scared, dont worry, ye can hide behind one of the masks available at the palace shop. Since our last post, we've implemented the following changes:

• Fixed the building arrows which had disappeared.
• Allowing the "Blockades" tab of the Notice Board to be accessed even when not on an island.
• Added an in-game Doubloon History link on the doubloons panel.
• Increasing the maximum number of free accounts that can be created by an account. This should help people who were unable to set up their Steam account the first time.
• Experimental update to allow shoppe inventory data to be exported to a text file in JSON format by double-clicking the "Inventory" tab in the client. If tools are created to parse and manage this sort of exported data, the functionality can be expanded to other panels in the future.
• Displaying faction icons next to job applicant notices in the Dark Seas client.

Ye can find the change log here. We have a few items we're currently working on. This is by no means a complete list:

• Plans for blockade openings. Expect an announcement next week or two regarding these plans.
• Issues with the Steam Overlay not working correctly. Most of these have been corrected. A few related to Mac OS are likely a Steam issue and outside our control. We're still investigating.
• Issues installing the game the first time. Most of these have already been fixed, though a few are lingering.
• The new "War" tab of the Notice Board is still being constructed and redesigned. Let us know if there's certain info you'd like to see here.
• Additional Steam achievements.

[ 2017-10-20 19:26:40 CET ] [ Original post ]

Phantom Class Sloop

We're starting the month off fright, with a Limited Edition ship: the Phantom Class Sloop! Limited edition ships are only available fer a limited time, but tend to have some surprises for ye. LE ships are available at yer local shipyard. Below ye'll find a sneak peek at this ghostly sloop.
Don't let appearances fool ye, the ship is more than seaworthy! It even has a full-sized captain's cabin, though mind the cobwebs as you enter...
Be warned of an unearthly wailin' coming from the belly of the ship.
Each Phantom Class Sloop will also come with its own wanderin' ghost! Don't ye worry: they won't be part of the crew count and aren't able to grab a mug to partake in yer rum. This limited edition sloop is now available fer sale from yer local shipyard, but only until the end of October. Be sure and grab one now and get to know your new spectral roommate!

October's Gold Box

Summer is over and the leaves be changin. Pirates in the inn are tellin tales of a spooky howl when thar be no wind fillin the sails. Rest easy mates, tis just the sound a Spooky Spider makes when descendin from the crowsnest. Tis no trick mates, the Department o' Treasury has created a Gold Box with items designed to haunt ye pirates. Tis no trick, these here boxes are filled with treats including Autumn Ravens, Jack o Tigers, Spooky Spiders, and Pumpkin Pooches! Visit the Gold Safe at your island bank to *buy gold boxes today*! Find Gold Boxes at yer island bank until October 16th at 3 PM PDT. Get the full list o' goods right here.

[ 2017-10-06 17:14:43 CET ] [ Original post ]

Phantom Class Sloop

We're starting the month off fright, with a Limited Edition ship: the Phantom Class Sloop! Limited edition ships are only available fer a limited time, but tend to have some surprises for ye. LE ships are available at yer local shipyard. Below ye'll find a sneak peek at this ghostly sloop.
Don't let appearances fool ye, the ship is more than seaworthy! It even has a full-sized captain's cabin, though mind the cobwebs as you enter...
Be warned of an unearthly wailin' coming from the belly of the ship.
Each Phantom Class Sloop will also come with its own wanderin' ghost! Don't ye worry: they won't be part of the crew count and aren't able to grab a mug to partake in yer rum. This limited edition sloop is now available fer sale from yer local shipyard, but only until the end of October. Be sure and grab one now and get to know your new spectral roommate!

October's Gold Box

Summer is over and the leaves be changin’. Pirates in the inn are tellin’ tales of a spooky howl when thar be no wind fillin’ the sails. Rest easy mates, tis just the sound a Spooky Spider makes when descendin’ from the crowsnest. Tis no trick mates, the Department o' Treasury has created a Gold Box with items designed to haunt ye pirates. ‘Tis no trick, these here boxes are filled with treats including Autumn Ravens, Jack o’ Tigers, Spooky Spiders, and Pumpkin Pooches! Visit the Gold Safe at your island bank to *buy gold boxes today*! Find Gold Boxes at yer island bank until October 16th at 3 PM PDT. Get the full list o' goods right here.

[ 2017-10-06 17:14:43 CET ] [ Original post ]

Ahoy mates! We're please to announce that our fine arrrtists have created Dark Seas trading cards and they're now available. Sets of cards can be turned into game badges and tradable Steam community items.
Since release last week, we've implemented the following changes:

• Fixed the building arrows which had disappeared.
• Fix for labor bug in situation where a pirate holds a permanent labor badge and also a deluxe labor badge.
• Fix for bug that prevented some players' trophies from correctly exporting to Steam achievements. Starting tomorrow evening, trophies will be resent to Steam when players log in to their pirates.
• Greenies will no longer spawn on Night Harbour or Lionhaven. As before, all new pirates will begin on Port Venture.
• Update to the "CPU Bugfix" checkbox in Options, to allow the Steam Overlay to continue working even while this option is checked.
• Adding debug logging to narrow down the cause of the Steam client auto-closing when a pirate idles out.
• Pressing Shift+Escape will now close the client without logging out. This can be useful in situations where a player wants to reclient without leaving a vessel, for example.

Ye can find the change log here. We have a few items we're currently working on. This is by no means a complete list:

• Plans for blockade openings.
• Issues with the Steam Overlay not working correctly. Most of these have been corrected. A few related to Mac OS are likely a Steam issue and outside our control. We're still investigating.
• Issues installing the game the first time. Most of these have already been fixed, though a few are lingering.
• The new "War" tab of the Notice Board is still being constructed and redesigned. Let us know if there's certain info you'd like to see here.
• Additional Steam achievements.

[ 2017-10-03 14:49:58 CET ] [ Original post ]

Ahoy mates! We're please to announce that our fine arrrtists have created Dark Seas trading cards and they're now available. Sets of cards can be turned into game badges and tradable Steam community items.
Since release last week, we've implemented the following changes:

• Fixed the building arrows which had disappeared.
• Fix for labor bug in situation where a pirate holds a permanent labor badge and also a deluxe labor badge.
• Fix for bug that prevented some players' trophies from correctly exporting to Steam achievements. Starting tomorrow evening, trophies will be resent to Steam when players log in to their pirates.
• Greenies will no longer spawn on Night Harbour or Lionhaven. As before, all new pirates will begin on Port Venture.
• Update to the "CPU Bugfix" checkbox in Options, to allow the Steam Overlay to continue working even while this option is checked.
• Adding debug logging to narrow down the cause of the Steam client auto-closing when a pirate idles out.
• Pressing Shift+Escape will now close the client without logging out. This can be useful in situations where a player wants to reclient without leaving a vessel, for example.

Ye can find the change log here. We have a few items we're currently working on. This is by no means a complete list:

• Plans for blockade openings.
• Issues with the Steam Overlay not working correctly. Most of these have been corrected. A few related to Mac OS are likely a Steam issue and outside our control. We're still investigating.
• Issues installing the game the first time. Most of these have already been fixed, though a few are lingering.
• The new "War" tab of the Notice Board is still being constructed and redesigned. Let us know if there's certain info you'd like to see here.
• Additional Steam achievements.

[ 2017-10-03 14:49:58 CET ] [ Original post ]

Ahoy Mates! First, thank ye fine mates who've been sending us feedback! That's been incredibly helpful. The next big item to hit the seas will be blockades. We're currently working on plans, but welcome yer input. Since release last week, we've implemented the following changes:

• Fixed issue that caused many of the buildings to suddenly disappear.
• Adding a "CPU Bugfix" checkbox at the bottom of Ye:Options:General, which can be used by players affected by excessive CPU usage when using Steam. This option may interfere with the behavior of the Steam overlay when making a purchase. If ye run into that, uncheck the box.
• Switching to a wrapped parlor badge in the Eminent Explorer pack. This way ye pirates can open it whenever ye wish.
• Increasing max poker buy-in to 20,000 pieces of eight. And increased poker rake to 5%.
• Fixed the "Navigation" action on the Shadow sloop's navigation wheel.
• Fixed bug that allowed DLC to be claimed on oceans other than Obsidian.
• Typing "nh" in chat will no longer auto-swap to "nice hand", since that abbreviation is also used for Night Harbour.
• Updating Huracan island walkability
• Adjusting the idle logoff delay to more time before ye are auto-logged off.
• Fix for bug that could cause holders of the permanent labor badge to be treated as dormant. This should correct issues where offline labor wasn't being used.
• Modifying the colors of the shadow panther from the Battle Box to make it more distinct.

Ye can find the change log here. We have a few items we're currently working on. This is by no means a complete list:

• Building arrows have declared a mutiny and have disappeared from islands. For now, please try using the mini-map in the upper right to navigate to buildings.
• Plans for blockade openings.
• Issues with the Steam Overlay not working correctly.
• Issues installing the game the first time. Most of these have already been fixed, though a few are lingering.
• The new "War" tab of the Notice Board is still being constructed and redesigned. Let us know if there's certain info you'd like to see here.
• Additional Steam achievements.
• Steam trading cards.

As many of ye mates know, every other month we like to release a special box themed to a limited edition color. This year weve asked our chocolate artisans to put together a box with the highest quality cocoa confections. Act now to uncover Chocolate Spiders familiars, Chocolate and Brown Serpents, Chocolate Jaguar Pets, Azarbad the Great Figurine, ships, furniture, clothing, chromas, 'n more! The elusive and sweet smelling Fudgefoot has been spotted hiding amongst the other goodies in this months Chocolate Mystery Box. Rumor has it this sweet sasquatch can melt even the stalest pirate heart. From now until 3:00 PM PDT on October 2nd, 2017 ye'll receive a free Chocolate Mystery Box fer every $9.99 ye spend on doubloons. Boxes are not awarded fer DLC purchases. Fer more information about the full contents of the 2017 Chocolate Mystery Box, as well as the official rules, please click here. The Chocolate Mystery Boxes are only available for a limited time, so dip into one today!

[ 2017-09-22 18:17:42 CET ] [ Original post ]

Ahoy Mates! First, thank ye fine mates who've been sending us feedback! That's been incredibly helpful. The next big item to hit the seas will be blockades. We're currently working on plans, but welcome yer input. Since release last week, we've implemented the following changes:

• Fixed issue that caused many of the buildings to suddenly disappear.
• Adding a "CPU Bugfix" checkbox at the bottom of Ye:Options:General, which can be used by players affected by excessive CPU usage when using Steam. This option may interfere with the behavior of the Steam overlay when making a purchase. If ye run into that, uncheck the box.
• Switching to a wrapped parlor badge in the Eminent Explorer pack. This way ye pirates can open it whenever ye wish.
• Increasing max poker buy-in to 20,000 pieces of eight. And increased poker rake to 5%.
• Fixed the "Navigation" action on the Shadow sloop's navigation wheel.
• Fixed bug that allowed DLC to be claimed on oceans other than Obsidian.
• Typing "nh" in chat will no longer auto-swap to "nice hand", since that abbreviation is also used for Night Harbour.
• Updating Huracan island walkability
• Adjusting the idle logoff delay to more time before ye are auto-logged off.
• Fix for bug that could cause holders of the permanent labor badge to be treated as dormant. This should correct issues where offline labor wasn't being used.
• Modifying the colors of the shadow panther from the Battle Box to make it more distinct.

Ye can find the change log here. We have a few items we're currently working on. This is by no means a complete list:

• Building arrows have declared a mutiny and have disappeared from islands. For now, please try using the mini-map in the upper right to navigate to buildings.
• Plans for blockade openings.
• Issues with the Steam Overlay not working correctly.
• Issues installing the game the first time. Most of these have already been fixed, though a few are lingering.
• The new "War" tab of the Notice Board is still being constructed and redesigned. Let us know if there's certain info you'd like to see here.
• Additional Steam achievements.
• Steam trading cards.

As many of ye mates know, every other month we like to release a special box themed to a limited edition color. This year we’ve asked our chocolate artisans to put together a box with the highest quality cocoa confections. Act now to uncover Chocolate Spiders familiars, Chocolate and Brown Serpents, Chocolate Jaguar Pets, Azarbad the Great Figurine, ships, furniture, clothing, chromas, 'n more! The elusive and sweet smelling Fudgefoot has been spotted hiding amongst the other goodies in this month’s Chocolate Mystery Box. Rumor has it this sweet sasquatch can melt even the stalest pirate heart. From now until 3:00 PM PDT on October 2nd, 2017 ye'll receive a free Chocolate Mystery Box fer every $9.99 ye spend on doubloons. Boxes are not awarded fer DLC purchases. Fer more information about the full contents of the 2017 Chocolate Mystery Box, as well as the official rules, please click here. The Chocolate Mystery Boxes are only available for a limited time, so dip into one today!

[ 2017-09-22 18:17:42 CET ] [ Original post ]

Welcome aboard mates! We're proud to announce that Puzzle Pirates: Dark Seas is sailing into early access! This is a fresh new take on a game we've loved for over a decade. Our goal is to make it more PvP orientated, make island ownership more worthwhile, make the game more accessible to new players, and retain the charm of the original game. All new pirates begin in Port Venture of the Greywaters archipelago, a relatively safe place to begin getting your sea legs before venturing further out into the Obsidian ocean. To the left of the dock, you'll find a Shadow Fleet recruiter, and to the right, a Defiant Armada recruiter, where you can whisk directly to their Stronghold islands and start to decide on which faction you'd like to support. Each crew must choose a faction at the time it is created. Take care mates; war is automatic between the factions and encounters outside of Greywaters are sinking. There's quite a lot that's already different about this game from the classic Puzzle Pirates. Full details on the differences can be seen here . Ye can find our FAQ for those who participated in the test version of the ocean here. If you encounter any bugs, please use the "/bug" command so that we can take a look at your client logs and fix any problems. If you have any ideas or suggestions for how we can improve Dark Seas, please let us know in the Game Design forum ! This is just the very beginning of this adventure, and we'd like to hear from you to help steer the ship and make the best Puzzle Pirates experience possible.

[ 2017-09-14 17:01:30 CET ] [ Original post ]

Welcome aboard mates! We're proud to announce that Puzzle Pirates: Dark Seas is sailing into early access! This is a fresh new take on a game we've loved for over a decade. Our goal is to make it more PvP orientated, make island ownership more worthwhile, make the game more accessible to new players, and retain the charm of the original game. All new pirates begin in Port Venture of the Greywaters archipelago, a relatively safe place to begin getting your sea legs before venturing further out into the Obsidian ocean. To the left of the dock, you'll find a Shadow Fleet recruiter, and to the right, a Defiant Armada recruiter, where you can whisk directly to their Stronghold islands and start to decide on which faction you'd like to support. Each crew must choose a faction at the time it is created. Take care mates; war is automatic between the factions and encounters outside of Greywaters are sinking. There's quite a lot that's already different about this game from the classic Puzzle Pirates. Full details on the differences can be seen here . Ye can find our FAQ for those who participated in the test version of the ocean here. If you encounter any bugs, please use the "/bug" command so that we can take a look at your client logs and fix any problems. If you have any ideas or suggestions for how we can improve Dark Seas, please let us know in the Game Design forum ! This is just the very beginning of this adventure, and we'd like to hear from you to help steer the ship and make the best Puzzle Pirates experience possible.

[ 2017-09-14 17:01:30 CET ] [ Original post ]