Sea of Thieves: Solo Sloop Sea Of Thieves guide, walkthrough
Last update: 13 July 2020
From this chapter of the Sea of Thieves guide, the player will learn how to sail solo and how to best prepare for it.
Solo Sloop is a term describing a lone player sailing on a small merchant vessel called a Sloop. Sloop is the smallest ship available in the game Sea of Thieves so it is recommended for beginner players. This small craft will allow you to swim solo or with up to one additional crew member. We suggest how to best prepare for solo sailing in Sea of Thieves, what to pay special attention to, and how to take care of your safety.
Sloop - meet your ship!
The Sloop is the smallest vessel available in Sea of Thieves and is therefore perfectly suited for solo sailing. Due to their small size and only a single mast with a medium-sized sail, sloops are extremely maneuverable and fast, but are more vulnerable to damage and are not as well-armed as a Brigantine or galleon. By comparison, a Sloop has only 2 guns on the main deck, while a Galleon has as many as 8 (4 on each side).
Players controlling the Sloop try to win the naval battles with cunning and outmaneuvering their opponents in such a way that they can fire fast and accurate cannon shots from various positions while the opponent does not have time to correctly position their own ship.
Due to the fact that the Sloop has only one medium sail it has an advantage over other ships when sailing upwind - it will draw a much higher speed than other ships.
Sea of Thieves Sloop - ship mobility
A sloop is a very mobile vessel that is controlled by a single sail. The steering wheel and the sail are sufficient to control the boat during a normal merchant expedition or during a treasure hunt, but the situation changes quite drastically when an enemy ship appears on the horizon. If you have to suddenly change the direction of the cruise or quickly set up to take a shot, you can use two simple but very effective tricks.
Harpoon turning
Harpoon turning allows you to make a tight turn, such as around a rock or other obstacle, but still keeps the ship moving so you don't become an easy target. If you want to make a harpoon turn, you have to swim close enough to the obstacle which will be hit with the harpoon.
Anchor turning
Anchor turning allows for an immediate change in direction of the cruise but keeps the ship in place for a while. Such a turn is useful in many situations, e.g. when an opponent's ship catches up with you, and you do not want to fight it, making such a quick turn can gain you from a few to even several precious seconds needed for escape. The anchor turning can also be used for the ship to assume a firing position.
To perform a correct anchor turn, you must first make sure that the rudder is in the middle. Now drop the anchors then immediately proceed to the rudder and turn the ship to the maximum in the chosen direction and start lifting the anchor. Return to the rudder later and continue in your chosen direction.
Sea of Thieves Solo Sloop - general tips
Sailing solo in Sea of Thieves is extremely difficult even for seasoned pirates. When sailing alone you can only count on yourself and your own skills, so for any mistakes and failures, you can only blame one person - yourself. When you swim solo you have to think about many things at once: how to manage your supplies, what problems you might encounter in your path, how to repel a possible attack, how to deal with the boarding, what to repair in the first place and many other issues. Here are some valuable tips to help you safely sail solo in the world of Sea of Thieves.
- Supplies management - before you embark on a solo trip you must collect all available supplies from the island where you start the game. As you sail to your destination, look out for clusters of seagulls that betray the position of wrecks and drifting supplies. Your goal is to prepare at least 80 cannonballs and 40 pieces of food and boards each. Such supply will allow you to fight with another player for a long period of time and may allow you to win if your opponent has not prepared enough supplies.
- Ship appearance - the appearance of the ship is really important, especially if you are a novice player. Colorful ships with interesting additions and improvements are more conspicuous, and therefore can attract the attention of the enemy. When the opponent sees a novice ship, they may not be interested in attacking at all;
- Transporting goods and treasures - captured goods and treasure chests are better hidden below deck so that a possible adversary cannot see them through a spyglass. If you don't have anything on board, the enemy may decide not to attack and go looking for a more attractive target;
- Listen to your surroundings - every action performed in Sea of Thieves has a specific sound so you can easily recognize when someone fires a firearm, when you hit an obstacle or when a cannonball hits your ship and damages its hull. Even running around the deck, swimming around the ship and attempting to board have their own specific sound;
- What weapons to choose - when sailing solo you need to secure proper armament - consider equipping weapons such as Cutlass, Blunderbuss, and Eye of Reach.
- Setting up cannons - ensure that your cannons are correctly positioned and loaded. Before embarking on a trip, load the cannons and position them towards the bow of the ship and down so that they do not obstruct visibility;
- Flag of The Reaper's Mark - while playing solo, avoid using the Reaper's Flag, as your unit will then be perfectly visible on the map by all the other Sea of Thieves players;
- Damage - constantly monitor damage done to your ship. Keeping the ship in good technical condition is essential if you want to successfully complete further objectives. You must not allow water to pour beyond the level of the first stairs leading to the hold. In this situation, you have to quickly patch the holes and pour at least some of the water out of the hold to relieve the ship and not cause it to sink. If you have been attacked and the opponent has damaged your mast, lift it up and support it with at least one plank, so it doesn't fall again when you set sail and as a result, you won't be able to sail - if the mast is steady, stay in constant motion and try to continue repairing any damage.