Ubisoft is charting a course to make Skull and Bones Year 2 the pirate multiplayer game's most ambitious update yet. Major new content includes fresh game modes, additional ships, a fearsome Kraken, and a highly requested feature since launch: land-based combat.
Ubisoft unveiled its treasure trove of plans for the upcoming year of updates during a dedicated Year 2 showcase that premiered recently. The presentation was filled with exciting content, but it's Season 3: Guts and Glory that will finally deliver the land combat players have been hoping for since the game's original launch last February.
Arriving this fall, Season 3 will let players take the action ashore, enabling sword fights and the use of firearms against opponents. This is part of the Rogue Warlord update, where players will venture onto sandy beaches and into damp caves to rescue specialized crewmembers called Officers. A teaser video offered a glimpse of what to expect, though the full mechanics will be revealed later this year.
While land combat is the headline addition for Year 2, the presentation outlined plenty more to keep players engaged throughout 2025. Season 1: Ascent into Chaos begins today, April 15, introducing an item ascension feature for better loot, challenging World Tiers, a new Schooner medium ship, and the team-based Death Tides PvP mode. Season 2: Oaths of War, launching in summer 2025, will feature Megaforts and the massive Frigate large ships. Season 4: Eye of the Beast, arriving this winter, adds the Kraken, the Hunter’s Guild, and the Corvette large ship.
If this sounds enticing, a free weekend for Skull and Bones is just around the corner. From April 17 to 21, players can set sail and experience the pirate PvP action firsthand, with the game available for purchase at a discounted rate (to be announced).
Skull and Bones launched on February 16, 2024, for PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X|S (we scored it 7/10 in our review). While Ubisoft has not shared official sales figures for its pirate adventure, it did note "record player engagement" shortly after release. Interestingly, the game's launch also saw a 200% surge in players for Assassin's Creed 4: Black Flag.
