Sea of Thieves’ treasure-hungry Gold Hoarders faction is getting some much needed love next Wednesday, 9th September, in the form of a new tomb-raiding puzzle quest type which arrives as part of the multiplayer pirate adventure’s newly revealed Vaults of the Ancients update.
The Gold Hoarders are the only one of Sea of Thieves’ original three Trading Company factions yet to receive a new quest type, with the Merchant Alliance introducing Cargo Runs back in 2018, and the Order of Souls expanding to offer their wonderfully entertaining ghost ship battles earlier this year. From next week, though, Gold Hoarder representatives at outposts will give players the option to hunt down keys required to open ancient vaults – used to store the faction’s unimaginable wealth – that are scattered across the Sea of Thieves.
As detailed in Rare’s latest Sea of Thieves developer video, these new quests will consist of two parts. The first sees players on the hunt for the key itself, using the fragments of a treasure map to piece together its location and retrieve the chest it hides inside. From there, pirates have a choice: either turn the key in or (and I’m not sure what the incentive is to do the following) use it to open the corresponding island vault and claim its treasure for themselves.
Vaults of the Ancients, Mysterious Notes and Quality of Life: Sea of Thieves News September 2nd 2020 Watch on YouTube
Those that decide to raid a vault will face what Rare calls a “high intensity in-and-out loot grab”. It’s not entirely clear how the sequence will play out, but pirates will be able to search for ancient medallions hidden amongst a vault’s mountain of treasure if they so choose, placing them in the altar at the centre of the room to reveal the clues required to solve a puzzle and unlock a hidden chamber containing an especially valuable chest.