Through more than five years, many Sea of Thieves players have requested one feature above all others: PvE servers, in which players wouldn't have to worry about coming upon other swashbucklers who might steal their loot, sink their ship, or otherwise get in the way. Rare has been adamant that the shared world PvPvE setup is key to the magic of its pirate sandbox game. But now, the studio is finally introducing PvE servers as a feature coming to the game this December during Season 10.

PvE servers, referred to in the menus as Safer Seas, will be a new play to play Sea of Thieves with up to three chosen friends free of the dangers (and delights) that come with PvP. Players will still contend with PvE elements like the Kraken, Megalodon, and skeleton forts, but now they'll do so without worrying about other pirate crews running up on them with whatever intentions they may have had.

Safer Seas mode comes with some caveats compared to the game's PvPvE default servers, or High Seas, as they'll now be called. Some of the game's milestones and progression systems will remain available only in High Seas, as Rare intends Safer Seas to be a safer introduction to Sea of Thieves, rather than a permanent way to play. Therefore, the following progression systems and features won't be available in Safer Seas:

Pirate Legend unlocks
Hourglass PvP sea battles
Emissaries - loot cash-in multipliers
Captaincy - milestones with unique unlockable rewards
Guilds - cross-server alliances connecting like-minded players (new to Season 10)

That makes Safer Seas a great place to learn the game's mechanics, complete voyages with friends, and take part in the game's Tall Tales story mode, which today features more than a dozen chapters, each coming in around two hours long.

Rare has just begun to lift the veil on Sea of Thieves Season 10, which will also include a new competitive voyage called Skull of the Siren Song, new cosmetics, a new Plunder Pass, and more.