Quick Links
Sea of ThievesSeason 13 is your chance to become not just the villain, but the World Event by taking control of Captain Flameheart’s flagship, the Burning Blade. It’s the biggest and most powerful ship inSea of Thievesyet, giving you control over a ship that’s not only impervious to fire but capable of dishing out flames with the devastating Ashen Roar ability that shoots fireballs out the front of the monstrous vessel. If that wasn’t enough, it’s also got a whopping ten cannons and a dedicated Obsidian skeleton crew. Whether you’re eager to take it on in battle to sink it or pledge your loyalty to Captain Flameheart, you’ll likely want to knowhow to get the Burning BladeinSea of Thieves.
Of course, there are a few things to know when taking on the Burning Blade and deciding whether to send it to the watery depths or whether to take control of the vessel yourself, each with its risks and potential for some big rewards.
How To Get The Burning Blade In Sea Of Thieves
The Burning Blade operates as aSea of ThievesWorld Event, making it another of the open-world pirate game’s random encounters that can appear on a server. A good start is to check your map table on your ship to see if any other players have control of the Burning Blade, which is marked by alarge red ship on the map. Until taken by a player, it’s controlled by a crew of Obsidian Skeletons. If controlled by other players, the marker will also have a Skeleton Camp icon beneath it.
To see if there’s a Burning Blade world event active, check the horizon forthin red swirls in the skyemerging from the ship as pictured below. It’s effectively a slimmer version of a fiery Ashen Lord tornado. If nothing seems to be active, you can try exiting the game and rejoining to switch servers. Follow this marker in the sky to track down the Burning Blade.
Should You Sink The Burning Blade Or Pledge To Captain Flameheart?
On first encountering the Burning Blade, one ofSea of Thieves' most impressive shipsyet, an on-screen notification appears indicating if it’s controlled by the Obsidian Skeleton crew. To take control of the Burning Blade, you must first defeat it in naval combat until it enters adefeated state. It’s best to avoid its powerful flamethrower-style shots and keep peppering it with cannon fire to take it down.
Once defeated, it won’t completely sink just yet but will pause for a short time in a defeated mode and give you anothernotification, as pictured below, plus dish out ayellow shockwaveonto the waves. This gives you two choices:sink the Burning Blade to obtain the Blade of Souls, orboard the shipand enter the captain’s cabin to take control of it. Use your cannon to fire across to the ship for the best chance if taking control.
Board The Ship And Pledge To Flameheart
Once inside the Captain’s cabin, you mustvote on the captain’s table in front of the statue of Flameheartto pledge to Captain Flameheart to take command of the ship before another crew potentially can. If done successfully, the Burning Blade is now your ship. By taking control of the ship, you are pledging your services to Captain Flameheart and your previous ship will sink. You’ll also have an Obsidian skeleton crew sailing with you to help defend and maintain the ship.
From here, it’s time to seek outSea of Thieves' Skeleton Camps in search of performingRitualswith theOrb of Secrets, so you can build Tribute andincrease the Burning Blade’s value. While there are only six Skeleton Camps in the world, there is no limit to how many you can complete as the crew of the Burning Blade. Completing Rituals also restores any Obsidian Skeletons that perish defending the ship. However, you’ll need to keep the Burning Blade docked nearby to absorb the powers from the ritual. When you’re ready, you can return the Burning Blade to Captain Flameheart at the Reaper’s Hideout to conclude the World Event. Flameheart rewards you withgoldandReputationwith the Reaper’s Bones.
The more Rituals you complete, the bigger rewards you get, so the idea is to hold on to the Burning Blade for as long as possible. Anyone who hopes to take over the Burning Blade can only do so once and thereafter, it can only be sunk during that World Event. If it sinks, you also can’t get it back.
Sink The Burning Blade
Alternatively, if you seek to oppose Captain Flameheart, you can sink the Burning Blade to receive theBlade of Souls. As the Burning Blade increases in value through completing Rituals, so does the Blade of Souls, a valuableSea of Thievesweaponwith fire properties. This means if you take down a player-controlled Burning Blade with a high number of Skeleton Camps completed, you’ll get a bigger reward for sinking the Burning Blade and cashing in the Blade of Souls to one of theSea of ThievesTrading Companies at an outpost forgoldandReputation.
Overall, there is a different mix of risk and reward whether you decide to pledge to Flameheart or sink the Burning Blade, so the choice is up to you.
