Sea of Thieves is a game that struggled at launch, but came back with a bang after multiple content drops and improvements to its gameplay loop made it a must play Xbox exclusive. Rare is now set to make the biggest change to the game yet with the introduction of Seasons, beginning with Season One on January 28th.

In an extensive blog post from Rare, key details about the new system were detailed, including how it will dramatically change up the game. Season One and subsequent seasons will last three months, introducing a new progression system known as "Renown", which "can be earned in hundreds of different ways, and isn’t wholly dependent on handing in loot". Rare outlined a brief rundown of all the new implementations:

" - A new way to play Sea of Thieves arrives on January 28th with the launch of Season One

- Each Season will last approximately three months, bringing in new gameplay features, rewards and live Events

- Players progress through Seasons by winning Renown – a new progression metric that isn’t wholly dependent on handing in loot

- Players are invited to play through 100 levels of Renown across 10 tiers of progression to unlock more rewards than we’ve ever made available at a single time

- An optional premium element, the Plunder Pass, will add even more rewards when progressing through levels of Renown"

Alongside the new seasonal progression system, Trials are available and act as in-game challenges to help speed levelling up. The aim is to reward players through every gameplay session, without the need to complete contracts as a primary source of experience.

Seasons look like a great way to reward players who perhaps were put off by repeating contracts in Sea of Thieves, offering more rewards for simply experimenting with the game world and embracing the pirate life. We can't wait to check it out on January 28th!

Are you excited to check out Season One for Sea of Thieves? Let us know in the comments below.

[source youtube.com, via seaofthieves.com]