Sea of Thieves is all about looting, fighting, and sailing the open seas. But with the Ashen Winds update, there's so much more to do.
Sea of Thieves' Ashen Winds update is filled with content spanning from new commendations and controls to bosses and, of course: loot! After all, what pirate doesn't want to sail the open seas in search of ominous red tornados that hold deadly Ashen Lords inside?
RELATED: Sea Of Thieves: 10 Ways To Earn A Lot Of MoneyUltimately, these red tornados are surprisingly common but usually hold a considerable amount of danger coming from both the lords, fire, and other pirates desperate to get the rewards for themselves. Nevertheless, the best way to explore the Ashen Winds is by knowing all there is to know. For that, look no further.
What Is Ashen Winds?
Released on July 29, 2020, the Ashen Winds content update took the Sea of Thieves fans and players by storm. It was one of the biggest updates to be released in the game and pretty much serves as a development of Captain Flameheart's vengeance on your pirate crew.
Unlike most of the monthly updates, the Ashen Winds update brought more than just skins, emotes, and a new look for your ship. It brought new events, challenges, and a few brand new and rather powerful Ashen Lords.
How Do I Start Ashen Winds?
Starting the Ashen Lord adventure requires little effort but a lot of perception and lucky timing. The best way to get the opportunity is to pretty much sail around the world hunting and looting until a huge red tornado-like marker appears on the horizon. They usually spawn on bigger islands so try to surround yourself in those locations.
However, you want to be quick as these are easy to spot and aren't exclusive to your crew. This means that you're more than likely going to find some other gold-hungry and bloodthirsty pirates who are desperate to get their hands on the awesome rewards. Keep an eye on your ship and get there as soon as you can!
What Kind Of Rewards Are There?
With new updates and new challenges come fantastic new rewards. So those hungry pirates looking for gold should look no further than a trip to the red tornado. Killing one of the Ashen Lords will give you an Ashen Winds Skull which is worth a maximum of 5,000 gold! However, if you get a little trigger happy with it and use up the crystal inside, it'll be worth a minimum of 2,000 gold. So use it wisely!
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The skulls aren't the only additions to this update though. You can grab new emotes, awesome new sails, new Ashen style pets, tattoos, and even new costumes that match your favorite characters from the Outposts!
How Many Ashen Lords Are There?
There are a total of four Ashen Lords for you to destroy. Each poses its own challenge and they don't really have a system to spawn, so if you're looking for a specific lord, you may have to keep searching.
Nevertheless, the four lords go by the name of Captain Grimm, Old Horatio, Warden Chi, and Red Ruth.
There will never be more than one Ashen Lord at a time so you and your crew don't need to worry about fighting all four at the same time, but that doesn't mean fighting one of them will be at all easy.
Are The Ashen Lords Difficult To Beat?
It's really to be expected that the Ashen Lords are anything but a simple fight. After all, they're Flameheart's trusted companions. Nevertheless, you should really go in there prepared and expecting more than just a fight with one lord and a few of their summoned skeletons.
These Ashen Lords have amazing but terrifying abilities that range from blinding ash clouds, deadly fire breath, and what's known as the roar of the devil. It's essentially meteors that fall from the sky and destroy everything around it, even your ship if it's close enough.
How To Defeat The Ashen Lords
Defeating the Ashen Lords is no easy task. It definitely requires teamwork and a well-placed ship. You need to put your ship close enough so you can shoot the lord with cannons but far enough away so those meteors won't send the ship down, while still making sure you can keep an eye on it so other pirates don't leave you stranded! Easy right?
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That's only the first problem. The actual battle is where it really starts going down. Luckily though, the lords have no real weapons; they don't have any guns. Shooting them from a distance is recommended if you cant get them with a cannon. Stay away from their abilities, bring food and ammo, and try to not have a ship full of loot as these Ashen Lords are pretty popular.
What Can You Do With The Ashen Winds Skulls?
After all that effort trying to kill these lords, you'd think the game would give you a relatively decent reward! Thankfully, you won't be disappointed as you will receive some awesome loot, chests, and what's known as the Ashen Winds Skull. This skull isn't just a trophy or a 5,000g sale to the Order of Souls because it can actually be used as a pretty powerful weapon!
All you need to do is open up the skull's mouth and watch it spout tons of fire, causing damage wherever you go, so watch when you use it! It's also with mentioning that, while it can destroy another pirate or their ship pretty well, the powers do run out. That obviously means the skull is worth less to the Order of Souls. Be careful with it and you'll be unstoppable.
There's More Than Content
All the new content is wonderful to try out and really makes the game bigger, better, and just more enjoyable to play. But not everyone is looking for new battles or new loot. No worries though because the developers have added in a fair few accessibility options for those who need it.
These options include:
- A single stick control scheme
- Auto center camera
- Auto float to the surface
It's worth mentioning that these all need to be ticked or selected in the settings before you can use them but hopefully, it makes people's gaming session that little more fun and accessible!
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