Season 17 sails in with a stealthy splash, introducing the Smugglers League, high-stakes Route Runs, and juicier treasure hauls across the seas. This overview breaks down what’s new, how these systems interlock, and the best strategies to capitalize on bigger rewards while avoiding the inevitable hungry crews circling your course.

Season 17 at a glance

Sea of Thieves has quietly slipped a new faction into the waves: the Smugglers League. You’ll find them operating out of six hidden hideouts, handing out opportunities that trade discretion for profit. The headline activity, Route Runs, is a new delivery loop that pays well but paints a target on your sails. There are also clandestine bottle-found variations that chart a less obvious path, plus fresh incentives to dive for special shipwrecks and crack open skeleton ship hoards. Alongside the new money routes, Season 17 raises the Renown cap by 100 and smooths a few rough waters with controller, matchmaking, and performance improvements. Even the Devil’s Roar has chilled out a little, with more predictable volcanic timing to help crews plan safer escapes.

Meet the Smugglers League

Think of the Smugglers League as a network of hush-hush brokers who pay handsomely for goods that prefer to travel light and fast. Their hideouts are sprinkled around the map, far from the bustle of standard outposts. You can treat them like pop-up hubs for picking up new contracts, offloading certain volatile finds, or cashing in on bonuses tied to League-marked loot. They bring a clear philosophy: risk well managed equals gold well earned.

One standout change is how flexible a voyage can feel. You might accept a straightforward delivery, stumble upon a hidden bottle that pivots your plans, or detour to a wreck brimming with contraband. The League doesn’t demand a single playstyle; it rewards decisiveness and situational awareness.

Route Runs: big profit, big spotlight

Route Runs are Season 17’s tension engines. When you pull one from the quest map, you’re jumping on a route that other crews can also accept—meaning several ships, same path, same time. The kicker: that path is visible, so anyone looking for a brawl knows where the action (and the cargo) will be.

Tips to survive and thrive:

• Prep like pros: Stock planks, food, and firebombs; assign a dedicated repair hand and a lookout who reads the horizon, not just the compass.
• Sail smart: Sail angles matter more when you can’t outgun. Learn quick-turn techniques and practice cutting across the wind to break pursuit lines.
• Embrace disguise: Lanterns off, figurehead low-key, and no excessive firing unless necessary. A quiet silhouette invites less attention than a fireworks show.
• Decoys and doubles: Drop a floating crate or a decoy rowboat mid-route to seed confusion. If your crew is large, send a faster sloop ahead to scout and bait would-be attackers.
• Know your exits: Plot two contingency islands or sea stacks that let you break line of sight, repair, and reset. If your route passes event zones, time your crossing away from global draws like world events or fleets.

The risk is real, but so are the rewards. Running these routes during off-peak hours or in smaller lobbies can swing the odds, and a clean run feels incredible.

Secret bottle routes around the Devil’s Roar

If you prefer a quieter hustle, keep an eye out for messages in bottles near the outskirts of the Devil’s Roar. These reveal secret Smugglers Runs that trace hidden paths rather than the public line everyone can see. The tradeoff is still risk—volcanoes and rough weather—but the competition drops substantially.

How to work the Roar to your advantage:

• Read the earth: With the rebalanced volcano behavior, you now get a clearer window between smouldering and eruption. Use that warning to plan skims through risky lanes, not marathon hauls.
• Travel light: Smaller loads mean fewer panic moments when the sea turns to soup. Prioritize high-value, low-volume cargo.
• Pick your timing: Cross the hottest zones when server activity dips. A little patience up front saves a lot of planks later.
• Keep a rowboat: If lava or cannon fire spikes, a rowboat lets you stash a few prize pieces and relocate quickly.

Smuggler wrecks and skeleton stockpiles

Not all treasure is found on floating decks. Season 17 spices up the seabed with special Smuggler shipwrecks that carry fatter payouts than your usual sunken hulls. Expect a denser concentration of valuables, but also expect other divers sniffing around.

Wreck-diving tips:

• Park with a plan: Drop anchor upwind so you can cut and run in a straight line if a ship materializes.
• Tag-team dives: One player loots, one watches the ladder and horizon. Rotate quickly to keep everyone breathing and ready.
• Harpoon management: Position your ship for clean harpoon lines to whisk loot aboard without overextending.

Skeleton ships have also been hoarding Smugglers League goods. When you pick a fight, aim to end it fast: chainshots to the mast, blunder bombs to deny boarding, and a keg or two for a knockout punch. Which brings us to one of the season’s spiciest details.

Black powder barrels: boom or bank

Throughout these activities you’ll stumble upon black powder barrels. The fork is simple: detonate for tactical advantage or sell them to the Smugglers League for bonus payouts. The right call depends on your immediate situation.

When to blow:

• Outnumbered on approach? A stealthy keg drop can erase a pursuing galleon’s confidence.
• Boarding opportunity? A tucked barrel in the enemy’s mid-deck is chaos incarnate.

When to bank:

• Route Run clean and quiet? Don’t advertise with explosions; haul the barrels and cash the bonus.
• Low supplies? The safest gold is the gold you already hold. Cut the fight, cash in, and reset.

Renown and QoL boosts

Chasing seasonal rewards gets a longer runway with an additional 100 Renown levels. If you love chasing cosmetics and titles, this is your season to grind. The QoL tweaks are a quiet win, too: improved controller keybind flexibility helps pad warriors fine-tune their feel, cross-region matchmaking aims for better sessions with friends scattered around the world, and performance improvements help smooth out those frame dips that turn clean cannon arcs into wild sprays.

Launch-week crew checklist

• Roles on lock: Captain calls routes, helmsman reads wind, gunner tracks ammo, repair hand never leaves the wood barrel empty.
• Supplies stacked: Planks, fruit, firebombs, blunder bombs, and at least one spare keg tucked where your crew can use it but boarders won’t find it.
• Map discipline: Mark two detours and one emergency hideout before you start a Route Run.
• Silent running: Lights out, sails trimmed, and no victory tunes until the gold is banked.
• Contingency chest: Rowboat ready, valuables packed near the harpoon for fast tosses.

Final thoughts

Season 17 doesn’t chase spectacle; it tunes the core pirate fantasy: quiet deals, risky runs, and clutch decisions that turn danger into profit. The Smugglers League encourages you to pick your battles, route smarter, and squeeze extra gold from the same oceans you already know. Whether you’re diving for contraband, slipping secret paths past the Roar, or daring the public lanes for maximum payout, this update rewards preparation and nerve. Hoist the sails, keep your powder dry, and make the League proud.