TL;DR
- Sea Forts offer faster, more interactive alternatives to traditional Skeleton Forts with substantial rewards
- Strategic ship positioning and firebomb usage dramatically improve combat efficiency against phantoms
- Multiple keys unlock different treasure rooms with varying loot types and values
- The Prison Cell Key remains unavailable but will likely feature in future story Adventures
- Sea Forts can be completed in 10-15 minutes compared to 30-45 minutes for Skeleton Forts
Season 6 introduces Sea Forts as streamlined alternatives to the classic Skeleton Forts, providing condensed adventures packed with valuable rewards. These pyramid-shaped stone structures have surfaced across the seas due to Captain Flameheart’s expanding influence, offering quicker completion times while maintaining impressive loot potential.
Unlike traditional forts requiring extensive skeleton wave clearing, Sea Forts feature five rounds of PvE combat against Flameheart’s phantom followers. This design shift reduces completion time from potentially 45 minutes down to a manageable 10-15 minute experience, making them ideal for shorter gaming sessions or when time is limited.
Sea Forts take just a fraction of the time to beat as compared to Skeleton Forts.
The strategic advantage lies in their interactive design—every floor contains searchable containers, cabinets, and dressers that yield additional trinkets beyond the main treasure rooms. This layered reward system encourages thorough exploration while maintaining the time-efficient core experience.
Approaching Sea Forts requires careful navigation to avoid defensive cannons, though their reduced numbers compared to legacy forts make approach strategies more forgiving. The optimal tactic involves docking directly against the sea gate found on one fortress side, positioning your vessel where cannons cannot target it effectively.
Combat against phantoms follows a predictable five-wave pattern culminating in a Phantom Captain boss encounter. While phantoms are vulnerable to all weapon types, they demonstrate particular susceptibility to firebombs, making these throwables exceptionally effective for clearing groups quickly.
Once inside, locate the pulley system downstairs to open the sea gate, creating a direct path for transporting treasure from the treasury to your ship. This logistical advantage significantly reduces the time investment compared to traditional fort looting procedures.
Victory against the Phantom Captain yields the crucial Fortress Treasury Key, granting access to the main treasure chamber located just above sea level. This primary vault contains substantial quantities of Damned treasure—distinctive ghostly green chests, skulls, and supply caches that provide excellent gold returns.
The treasure system features multiple layers of rewards. Beyond the main treasury, diligent pirates can discover the Fortress Store Room Key hidden in randomized locations throughout the fortress. This secondary key unlocks additional loot stashed in the top-floor storage room.
Throughout the fortress, interactive elements offer additional rewards. Cabinets, crates, and dressers on every floor contain valuable trinkets that supplement the main haul. This creates a strategic decision point: secure the guaranteed main treasure quickly or invest additional time searching for supplementary rewards while risking potential player interference.
The distribution of loot encourages risk-reward calculations. While the main treasury provides substantial guaranteed value, the scattered trinkets and secondary storage room can increase total haul by 30-50% for those willing to extend their stay.
A third locked area within Sea Forts—the prison cells—currently remains inaccessible as the corresponding key has not yet been discovered by players. This intentional design element suggests future narrative integration through Sea of Thieves’ time-limited Adventure system.
The prison cells contain mysterious occult items rather than conventional loot, indicating their purpose extends beyond immediate material rewards. This aligns with the ongoing storyline involving Captain Flameheart’s resurgence, which began with the first Adventure mode launched in February.
Current community consensus indicates the Prison Cell Key will likely debut during the upcoming “Forts of the Forgotten” Adventure later in Season 6. These cells likely serve as plot devices that will advance the overarching narrative when the appropriate key becomes available.
For now, there is no Prison Cell Key yet, but vigilant pirates should monitor future updates for this narrative development that will likely expand the Sea Fort experience beyond its current combat and looting focus.
Action Checklist
- Approach Sea Fort from the sea gate side to avoid cannon fire and dock securely
- Clear five waves of phantoms using firebombs for maximum efficiency
- Defeat Phantom Captain and collect Fortress Treasury Key
- Loot main treasury and search for Fortress Store Room Key in hidden locations
- Open sea gate using pulley system for efficient treasure transport
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