Sea of Thieves has finally changed its broken ban system and, more importantly, actually tells you what you did wrong now

(Image credit: Rare)

Sea of Thieves recently announced a significant update to its punishment system, taking the old formula and giving it a well needed update. In a post shared to the games Steam blog, and a video uploaded to YouTube, all the details of the new structure were shared including what has changed from the old format.

The old ban system operated under the rule of "three-strikes and you're out" which the team admitted worked for them in the Steam post announcing the change. But apparently, there were a few too many instances of players feeling like they had received their final strike for smaller infractions, and not understanding why they were being banned.

In the same statement published on Steam, Rare stated "we will be giving players more information on why we are taking action against their accounts and an opportunity to change their ways. While, unfortunately, there are a few bad eggs in this world who do want to cause harm and distress to others, we’re conscious that some folks might just be having a bad day and immediately regret their actions—and we want to give these players room to learn from their mistakes."

The new format relies on a point system rather than strikes. Each player starts with zero points when they take to the seven seas for the first time, and will accrue points depending on the severity of their behaviour. For example, certain toxic behaviours over voice and text chat will result in one to three points and a three day suspension, whereas the next step up will result in up to seven points, and your break will be extended to a week. If you're found to be cheating in the game, you will receive 12 points immediately and a permanent ban with no chance to redeem yourself.

Players will also be told why they have received a suspension on their account, unlike in the past, when a Redbeard or Yellowbeard error with no explanation would pop up when you would try to log in. This is an attempt to help more people understand their actions, and hopefully rectify them, which is helped by the fact you can remove points from your account as long as you behave.

Removing points still takes a few months, as Sea of Thieves wants to really make sure you're being a good pirate before it rewards you by deducting a point. If you're ever lost on how many points you have, or if your account is suspended and you want to check when you can set sail again, you'll be able to do so by logging into the Sea of Thieves website.

Kara is an evergreen writer. Having spent four years as a games journalist guiding, reviewing, or generally waffling about the weird and wonderful, she’s more than happy to tell you all about which obscure indie games she’s managed to sink hours into this week. When she’s not raising a dodo army in Ark: Survival Evolved or taking huge losses in Tekken, you’ll find her helplessly trawling the internet for the next best birdwatching game because who wants to step outside and experience the real thing when you can so easily do it from the comfort of your living room. Right?

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