The pirates have finally landed as Season 3 of Ring of Elysium begins

Season 3 of battle royale shooter Ring of Elysium is finally here! One of the biggest games on Steam is getting a huge shake up, this season, subtitled Storm The Europa, brings an awesome pirate theme to the game. This doesn't just affect the new characters that'll be joining the game as part of the new Adventurer Pass: it influences major aspects of how you play Ring of Elysium. Plus, it'll bring a pirate ship.

Check out the trailer above for a sample of what's in store over the next ten weeks. It sets up the theme perfectly: a sunken ship, lost gold, before cutting to the cast of new characters that are joining the game. Finally, we get a dramatic look at the pirate ship, the centrepiece of this season's fun times to come.

To play Season 3 and try out Ring of Elysium yourself for free, just head to Steam and download it—it's that simple. In the meantime, we'll break down all the key additions for you. 

The three new characters included in the Adventurer Pass are a fascinating bunch: there's a pirate captain, a hacker, and a sailor suit-wearing archer, all of which have been the subject of extensive speculation by the game's community. The overarching pirate theme goes even further, though.

Captain Fokke, or 'The Myth' as he's known among the storytellers of the seas, is a pirate captain who may or may not have struck a deal with the ol' devil to augment his ability to handle ships. No one can really be sure if this is true, though: getting on the wrong side of Captain Fokke doesn't leave many witnesses. 

Secondly, we've got a skilled hacker, Elliot. On the surface, he's pretty similar to any high school student: he's big into his sodas, loves hip-hop and frequents his nearest burger place. In his other life, though, Elliot is an infamous hacker who's cracked the security system of Echelon, Ring of Elysium's enigmatic spec-ops force. He also wears a cool helmet. 

Finally, we've got Saki, another student, this time wearing a sailor suit. She's a terrific archer, and despite being from a wealthy family, she doesn't plan on spending her days as a moneyed heiress with too much time on her hands. Instead, she kicks ass in her school's student council and archery club, which is, frankly, a better use of her time. She's seeking out her missing brother at any cost—and has taken a lot of risks to get to where she is now.