High Seas lets you play Sea of Thieves with other players while Safer Seas lets you play with a Closed Crew in a private server. Read on to see all the differences between High Seas and Safer Seas, how to switch between High Seas and Safer Seas, and which one to choose between the two.

Safer Seas Game Mode Explained

Safer Seas Lets You Play Without Other Players

Safer Seas is a private game session where you can play solo or co-op with up to three friends. There are no other pirates that you can encounter and Closed Crew is only available in this game mode.

You can play the story and all Tall Tales in the game, though there are some game modes that are not available in Safer Seas.

Progression is Slower

Safer Seas only offers the PvE aspect of the game along with reduced rate of earning Gold and Reputation. PvP is also unavailable which locks you out of the certain gameplay features.

Allows You to Play the Game Without Xbox Live or PS Plus

Playing on Safer Seas lets you play the game without an Xbox Live or PlayStation Plus subscription. However, doing so only lets you play the game solo and an internet connection is still required for the game to track your pirate's stats and resources.

Earn Less Gold and Reputation in Safer Seas

Playing in Safer Seas reduces the Gold and Reputation that you earn by 70%. This is to balance the decreased risk of encountering aggressive players that you would usually find when playing in High Seas as you will only encounter PvE enemies in Safer Seas.

High Seas Game Mode Explained

High Seas Offers the Original Multiplayer Experience

High Seas offers the original multiplayer experience that Sea of Thieves launched with. You can encounter other players and crews on the same server and access both the PvE and PVP aspects of the game.

Endgame Content is Locked Behind High Seas

There are certain gameplay features that are locked behind High Seas. If you wish to play through the endgame content, you will need to switch to High Seas when starting a new game session.

Maximum Number of 16 Players Per Server

There is a maximum number of 16 players and 5 ships per server. This means that while PvP is dangerous, the chances of you running into enemy ships constantly is slim. However, if you find yourself constantly matched against and hounded by better PvP players, the option to switch servers (via Scuttle Ship) is available.

All High Seas and Safer Seas Differences

Summary of Game Mode Differences

The table below shows the gameplay feature differences between High Seas and Safer Seas.

How to Change Between High Seas and Safer Seas

Choose the Game Mode in the Main Menu

You can choose between High Seas and Safer Seas when selecting Adventure Mode in the main menu. Your pirate player character is shared between the two modes, allowing your progress to carry over.

Note that you cannot swap between High Seas and Safer Seas while in the game. You will have to start a new session to do so.

Sea of Thieves Related Guides

Beginner's Guide to Sea of Thieves

All Tips and Tricks Guides