Sea of Thieves is finally letting private server players earn full rewards starting in December

But it's lowering the level cap.

We're coming up to a year since Sea of Thieves launched its long-requested private servers, and with that first anniversary looming, Rare has announced it's making some welcome changes, finally allowing players to earn full rewards while sailing in Safer Seas mode.

Safer Seas, if you're unfamiliar, provides a means for a single crew of up to four pirates to sail Sea of Thieves' entire open-world map without the ever-looming PvP threat of High Seas mode. While the absence of other crews means a good chunk of PvP focussed content is unavailable in Safer Seas, players can still tackle emergent PvE events, complete Trading Company voyages, and embark on narrative-driven Tall Tales.

Crucially too, it's possible to earn gold to spend on cosmetics and to increase Trading Company standing by earning reputation in Safer Seas - but both of these have been capped at 30 percent of the amount you'd ordinarily earn in High Seas until now, making things a bit of a drag for pirates who just want to, say, have a chill time raising funds for a shiny new figurehead away from the hubbub of Sea of Thieves' main mode.

In a new developer update, however, Rare has acknowledged Safer Seas' "punishingly restrictive rewards", admitting they're working against its intention of providing an "onboarding ramp for new players". As such, it'll be increasing the current gold and reputation payout rate all the way up to 100 percent, matching the rewards earned in High Seas. There's a trade-off, though; the studio is dropping Safer Seas' level cap down from 40 to 25.

Essentially, that means players wanting to work their way up to Pirate Legend status and gain access to the various Trading Company cosmetics unlocked along the way will now need to hop over to High Seas much sooner. On the flip side, players looking for a safe environment to learn the ropes, or for a more relaxed space to amass gold or Seasonal Renown (which continues to be awarded at a 100 percent rate in Safer Seas) can now do so completely unhindered. It is, admittedly, a shame the Hunter's Call faction has been slapped with a lower level cap given how perfect Safer Seas mode is for a evening of quietly contemplative fishing (and given the Trading Company's already glacial reward payouts), but perhaps that'll be something - alongside the use of Captaincy ships, pretty please Rare - revisted as a Christmas treat next year.

In other Sea of Thieves news, players will soon get their hands on a number of features originally promised for the start of the current stealth-focused Season 14, but which were pulled en masse as part of "drastic steps" following a disastrous launch in October. Once Rare releases its next patch this Thursday, 14th November, players can finally lay traps, hang from ledges while sneaking, and wear disguises. Rare is also promising a number of "high impact" fixes, putting a stop to players using crouch to gain a firing speed advantage, and preventing pirates grabbing supplies from barrels after moving out of range. Additionally, measures have been introduced to stop players swiping treasure from the Fort of the Damned's vault by swimming underneath.

The studio notes this week's update has gained "additional [testing] time internally and with insiders", and that the team has also been trialling a new process enabling it to address critical experience issues as it locks down each build. "There's been a concerted effort across the team to improve on quality control", says Rare, and plans are also now in motion for "broader improvements for quality at the studio", with more details to come.

And finally, players sailing the Sea of Thieves within the first week of tomorrow's update will earn bonus gold and doubloons, alongside a Lucrative Voyage of Luck or Legendary Voyage of Luck for Pirate Legends. These bonuses will now be offered with every monthly update.