Sea of Thieves Temporarily Removes New Stealth Features

Sea of Thieves has disabled its recently introduced stealth mechanics after they caused a number of problems for players. These new features, which included disguises, crouching, and more, were launched as part of the latest season but have since been pulled from the game.

The highly anticipated Season 14, titled Pirates of Mischief, went live on Thursday, October 17. This update brought new achievements, tools, cosmetics, and stealth systems to the game. However, just days later, on October 22, Sea of Thieves developers decided to disable some of these features due to technical issues. In a video update, Production Director Drew Stevens apologized to the player community for the bumpy launch of Season 14, stating, “We’re really unhappy with the quality of this season’s release, and we’re taking drastic steps to regain control.”

Stealth Features Caused Exploits and Technical Problems

Among the disabled features are several stealth mechanics introduced in the Pirates of Mischief season, including disguises, crouching, traps, and the ability to hang from ledges. Rare, the game’s developer, acted quickly after receiving early feedback from players that revealed several unintended consequences. Issues like quick-switching exploits, "air control from cannons," and even an invincibility glitch were all tied to the new crouching mechanic.

To prevent these issues from negatively affecting the player experience, Rare made the decision to temporarily remove the stealth systems while they work on a solution. Stevens mentioned that the team is currently focused on fixing these problems and will be rolling out a patch soon.

Patch Expected Soon to Address Major Issues

According to Stevens, a patch targeting these high-priority issues is expected to release sometime next week, likely between October 28 and November 1. While the exact details of the patch remain unclear, Stevens assured players that it will bring significant improvements to the game.

The response from Sea of Thieves fans has been mixed. While some players appreciated Rare’s transparency and apology, others expressed frustration, citing a recurring pattern of broken content releases followed by apologies. A segment of the community has even called for the developer to reevaluate its approach to seasonal updates, arguing that the current strategy isn’t delivering the quality players expect.