Sea of Thieves teases its terrifying and mesmerizing storm system

Rare's Sea of Thieves is a full-blown shenanigan simulator, so reckons Steven following his E3 hands-on, and it's now teased one of its most anticipated features: storms.

In the seven sea-faring co-op action adventure's latest Inn Side Story dev diary, senior designer Shelly Preston and principal technical artist Valentine Kozin combine to discuss how its crashing waves and rocky waters work in motion. Observe:

As you might expect, vulnerability and exposure to the elements are central to how Sea of Thieves' storm system functions, whereby each encounter "goes beyond the visual of: it's dark and there's big waves," according to Kozin. A dynamic weather system sees wind affect the direction of the rain, while ill-effects such as flooding persist in the aftermaths of bouts of heavy downpour.

Around the 1.15 mark above, Preston explains the importance of crafting tall, rebellious waves which in turn make navigating the choppy waters all the more difficult. I was already impressed with Sea of Thieves' water—I'm a whole lot more interested now.

Sea of Thieves is due at some point early next year.