[Top 10] Sea of Thieves Best Weapons And How to Get Them

Updated:

11 Apr 2024

When you’re adventuring on the high seas, you’re going to look pretty ridiculous trying to take down a rival crew with nothing but your fists and a belly full of grog, you are going to need some protection out there! The beauty of Sea of Thieves is really all the different ways a pirate can customize their own pirate like their ship, appearance, pet and also the most important part of a pirate: Their weapon! With endless skins and options to pick from, this open world pirate game gives the player the ultimate freedom to fight how they want to.

With tons of variations of enemies you can come across on your adventures, it helps to know what weapons work against what enemies, and what advantages you can take in a fight. But what loadout should you be running in general? Is there a good set to run when you don’t know what to expect? Well take it from someone who has spent far too much time on the seas leveling up to become a Pirate Legend. Whether you’ve played the game from the first day of launch, or you're just a mere beginner ready to explore the map, it’s always good to know which weapons can win you the most plunder and rep. Here are the top 10 weapons in Sea of Thieves and how to get them:

10. Cursed Treasure Chests

Check out this guide to every chest in the game here:

Pro tip: if a chest starts hissing and smoking... run

Did you ever think you’d be able to shut down another crew with a box? Well every pirate knows treasure chests are scattered all around the seas and can be sold for a huge profit! But if you’re one of the lucky sailors to come across a cursed treasure chest, you may want to rethink about turning it into an outpost. These elusive chests, while not only holding a high value at any Gold Hoarders tent, bear a heavy price to pay bestowed on them by the seas. The 4 cursed chests currently in the game are:

Chest of 1000 Grogs: Players who hold this chest become drunk and unbalanced, maybe mix in a glass of water when holding one of these!
Chest of Rage: If not put out with water, will steam and explode like a gunpowder barrel, causing huge damage and fire
Chest of Sorrow or its beefy older brother the Chest of Everlasting Sorrow: These will weep and cry, causing a ship to fill up with water and sink if not bailed out quickly.

Aside from the Chest of 1000 Grogs, these will cause damage to any ship they are stowed on, so be careful in transit! But Should you fancy yourself a stealthy pirate, these can be snuck onboard enemy ships to cause confusion, distraction, damage and if you play it right: a ship sunk in your favor!

As to where to find these cursed containers, they are scattered around like other chests and can be found on skeleton ships, megalodons, kraken, on island beaches, in skeleton forts or simply floating in the sea. The Chest of Everlasting Sorrow however, can only be found upon completing The Sunken Pearl Tall Tale, one of the Pirate’s Life chapters available by the green flame on any outpost beach.

9. Flintlock Pistol

Plunderers new to the game may want to check out this guide to pistol combat here:

Unlike Jack Sparrow's pistol, this one at least has more than one shot

While not the most overpowered weapon, the pistol for sure has its uses. One of 4 base weapons in the game the pistol can be equipped in the weapons chest found on your ship. With 5 shots, decent range and plenty of customization options that give you different iron sights, the pistol is for sure not a bad weapon to go with and can be great in situations like skeletons spawning with gunpowder barrels. However the reload time and the single shot can be a bit of a drawback, especially when in chaotic battles and situations where speed and damage are essential, but that’s not to say this old pirate favorite can’t be used to cause major issues for any rival sea goers:

The pistol does 55% damage to players health, killing a full heath player in 2 shots
One major difference with the pistol is that changing the skin also changes the guns iron sights, allowing players to adjust to their preferred view and look

The pistol is certainly helpful in situations like taking shots at a megalodon in between cannon fire or shooting at evasive sirens in the water. But even with the tons of skins added to the game it still gets overshadowed by other base weapons that can do the same jobs it can. Weapons such as...

8. Eye of Reach Rifle

For the much more down range targets, check out this guide here:

You can run but you can't escape this long range rifle!

Right after the flintlock comes its long range relative: The Eye of Reach Rifle. While very similar, there are a few key differences on this gun that will give you an edge in battle. The scope on the rifle helps you see targets from farther away, and it also handily doubles as a telescope in quick switching situations. In addition to that, the sailors’ chosen sniper rifle is also more powerful than its pistol counterpart:

The Eye of Reach does 70% damage to a player, a bit more than the pistol but still requiring two shots to kill full health players.

Found in the weapons chest, this is one of 4 base weapons all players get access to. This is a great weapon as it allows newer players to take shots at enemies from much farther away, giving them a safer fight. More experienced players however, will be able to take this into PVP fights and quickscope enemies to an early visit to Davy Jones’ Locker! And if you’re feeling exceptionally devious, you may want to use this gun to detonate some well placed explosive barrels to take command over a fight or deal a heavy blow to a rival ship. Oh, and while we are on the subject of explosive barrels...

7. Gunpowder Barrels

Instead of selling these at the Merchant Alliance, check out how to take down your enemies here:

Great in a fight, but even better when pranking crewmembers!

Like other treasures, gunpowder barrels are able to be found almost anywhere in the game and are able to be sold for gold and reputation. Swing by any fort, active or inactive and you will find a plethora of barrels to pick from, in case you feel like making a quick buck at the Merchant’s Alliance. However, these barrels can be used for killing enemies just as easily:

Detonates after 1 shot or 1 sword swing, or after 5 seconds of fuse being lit. Can also be detonated by a throwable bomb/other exploding barrel, so watch those chain reactions!
Comes in three variations: Gunpowder Barrel, Stronghold Gunpowder Barrel, Keg of Ancient Black Powder. Each variation is more powerful and valuable than the last.
They will explode if you sail a ship into them while they are floating in the ocean as well, so make sure whoever is behind the wheel doesn’t have too much grog!

Barrels are very common to find among the seas and that's what makes them such a versatile weapon: The abundance of them! Swing your ship by any fort and there are 8 barrels there guaranteed! You can set them up by enemies and take a shot with the Eye of Reach or swim under a ship and let it float up and smack into the hull to cause destruction, the possibilities are endless! Perfect for bosses with large amounts of health, it’s always handy to have one or two on you just in case. One tip for beginners: store these up high in the crow’s nest, as cannon shots hitting your ship can easily set these bad boys off.

By far the most powerful weapon in the game going by sheer force, these explosive kegs do have some drawbacks to them as to not make them too overpowered. There is a chance they explode on your ship, whether by lightning strike or volcanic rocks, so store them carefully for sure! There is also the chance you yourself get hit with the blast as it has a huge radius, so make sure you are a good distance back or you have a reliable crewmate to come revive you!

6. Cutlass Sword

As long as you’ve got a sword you’ve got a chance! Check out the ultimate guide here:

At least you'll never run out of ammo! Unless you know something I don't...

A must have for any pirate worth their salt, the trusty sword comes in at number 6 on our list. Luckily, this one is also a base weapon so any pirate can simply equip it from their weapons chest! Unless you have godlike aiming skills and plenty of ammo chests laying around, you should always be carrying a sword just in case. For one, it is the most consistent weapon in any situation, as it will do damage to almost any enemy save for special occasions, but it is more than a weapon. The sword lunge is possibly the most useful move in the game, allowing players to fly through water and get to safety in a timely fashion. Got multiple skeletons chasing you across a beach? Line them up and lunge through multiple at a time! Be careful though, should you miss your lunge you’ll be stunned and unable to move for a second, basically a lifetime in combat!

A sword does 25% damage to players health, meaning you can kill another pirate in 4 hits.
A sword lunge will do 50%, and will also go through multiple skeletons at once
The sword can also be used to block incoming attacks from enemies and (in the more dire circumstances) even be used to set off explosive barrels! Good luck surviving that without a crewmate to revive you though!

5. Blunderbuss Shotgun

Pirates unfamiliar with this beast may want to check out this guide for it here:

Bad at aiming? This salty shotgun has you covered!

The last weapon on this list that’s readily available to all pirates in the armoury is the Blunderbuss, Sea of Thieves’ S-tier starting weapon. With it holding 5 shots like the other guns, this weapon found in any weapons chest just makes it ahead of the sword for one big reason: Its ability to kill other players in one shot.

The Blunderbuss shoots 10 pellets in a spread pattern
Each pellet that hits does 10% damage of a player's health bar meaning: yes it is possible to one hit full health pirates with this old-timey shotgun should you hit a shot dead on target.

While not as easy to do as it sounds, the ability to one shot other players cannot be underestimated, especially when there are hulls in need of repair! If you get into a skirmish with another ship, be careful while boarding! Some cheeky pirates have been known to wait by the ladders, lining up an easy one shot kill against any would-be-boarder. The Blunderbuss is by far the most powerful of the base weapons, for sure the one you want on you when the golden skeletons start spawning!

Adding in the fact that it is a ranged weapon, so while not as easy as the pistol or sniper, it is still capable of blowing up any explosive barrels that may be in your path. Actually, the spread gives a slight advantage to short-medium range shots by making it more likely to land a pellet on the target. The Blunderbuss and the Sword are usually the best loadout when going into battle against bigger targets like Ashen Lords, ocean crawlers, skeleton bosses and more. The combination of power and versatility with those two base weapons is what makes them rank 1 and 2 out of any ships armoury.

Remember since the Blunderbuss is a base weapon it has tons of skins you can purchase in game for gold!

4. Blunderbombs

One of the newer additions to the game, here is your ultimate Blunderbomb guide:

Perfect for crowds of skeletons, bosses and especially annoying crewmembers!

Blunderbombs were introduced to the Sea of Thieves world well after the game’s initial launch, not debuting until the Heart of Fire update, but quickly became known as an essential weapon for any situation. What makes these so great is the fact that they are found in barrels along with other essentials like food, wood and cannonballs. You are able to carry 5 at a time and are able to store them in the cannonball barrels on your ship. In addition to their high damage rate, they also have a significant knockback, prime for knocking other pirates off your ship and away from your loot!

When hit directly, a Blunderbomb will do 50% damage to a full health player
When hit indirectly, a Bomb’s blast will do 10-15% damage
Both types of hits have significant knockback and will also explode barrels.
Especially useful if you run out of cannonballs as they can be loaded into the cannons and shot out for damage!

These old-age grenades are found in barrels and can be equipped under the “throwables” section of your items menu. So since they are an item you can carry like food, you can wield other weapons and quickly switch to the bombs for fast-paced decisions in combat! Be careful however! Like all explosives if you throw it too close, it could very well mean your way onto the Ship of the Damned!

3. Firebombs

A powerful throwable that you for sure don’t want hitting your ship, check out the guide here:

Throwing fireballs left and right, what could go wrong??

For a game that is mostly covered with water, fire really can become a pirate’s worst enemy if they don’t see to it right away. Like its counterpart the Blunderbomb, a Firebomb is found in barrels as well and can be equipped in the “throwables” menu, you are able to hold up to 5 at a time. These bombs, while not dealing any knockback, cause fire damage to anything they should be in radius of:

Does 33% damage over time to full health players and if not remedied with a bucket or a swim fast, can lead to a crispy death.
Can be loaded into a cannon and shot for fire damage on other ships/players
Can also burn the user, so back up when throwing them!

What makes this throwable superior to the Blunderbomb is the fire DOT and the spread factor. Should you light one skeleton on fire, chances are they will light the rest of the other ones they bump into while chasing you. The fire spread works between players as well, so careful of any burning crewmates running around! Should a fire break out on your ship it may be of benefit to you to put it out immediately, as it will spread to other areas making it so the only thing to save you would be a rainstorm.

Fire may be your best friend or your worst enemy depending on the day, so when choosing your throwables loadout be sure to know the situation! (Maybe switch to blunderbombs should it be raining in game) While great against big health bosses and taking down ships, you don’t want to be the scallywag throwing bombs in combat on your own ship or you’ll soon be seeing the brig!

2. Trident of the Dark Tides

The most recent weapon to wash ashore, take command of the seas with this guide to the tridents:

Neptune's favorite weapon, legend says he'll only use it if his crown is stolen and sold to shell city!

Coming in at our number 2 spot is the Trident of the Dark Tides, the newest weapon in the pirate’s everlasting fight against the dangers of the seas. The Trident was introduced with the Pirate’s LIfe update, and it is a ranged weapon that you may recognize if you have battled any Siren Leaders in your travels up and down the map. The Trident fires a glowing bubble of energy, causing damage and knockback much like a Blunderbomb would. However, the Trident is not a permanent weapon as it will dissapear when empty with no way to recharge. Its ammo is dependent on how you fire the weapon:

The Trident has 3 modes of fire, increasing in strength the longer you hold down the trigger and the bigger the bubble gets.
The bubble’s damages are 30%, 60% and 90% of a full health players bar, depending on size of the bubble fired
It contains a total of 30 charges, with a full bubble shot counting as 3 charges, so it is not infinite ammo but it certainly has enough to do major damage to bosses and enemies

The Trident beats out other weapons like the Blunderbomb on this list due to its higher ammo count, increased damage, knockback, the ability to choose your power preference when firing (especially helpful when switching from targets like skeletons to bosses) and its high firing range while losing no damage to distance. Become accurate with one of these and you will be sending Davy Jones more victims than he has lockers for!

Finding this weapon is a challenge as you cannot simply equip it, it is an item you can pick up and wield and it is found around the map. Sometimes you may get lucky and find it washed ashore, but if not they spawn in skeleton ships, kraken, megalodons, forts and a Siren Leader will drop one upon its defeat. Be sure to use them freely! While spawned like a treasure item these cannot be sold for anything, so better to use them when you need to instead of saving for the payday.

1. Ashen Winds Skull

These rare bounty skulls can be used for more than plunder and rep, check it out here:

Like a great diss track, these skulls too spit some serious fire!

Finally coming in at the top spot, we have the Ashen WInds Skull! This highly sought after prize, while able to be sold at the Order of Souls, does have another dangerous use to it: doubling as a flamethrower!

If you have the time and the resources, you may just want to sail to the red tornado world events that spawn on the map. But beware! These skulls don’t come easy as you will have to battle an Ashen Lord and claim their head! These are not your usual skeleton captains, as they have a total of 8000 health you must drain over the course of a 3 stage fight! And these Flameheart-diehards won’t make it easy on you, spawning help from skeletons, blinding you with clouds of smoke, throwing fireballs and even spawning a mini volcano to wreak havoc, so watch where you park your ship!

Defeat one of these smouldering behemoths and you’ll be rewarded with tons of treasures! Most valuable of all is the skull of the boss itself, The Ashen Winds Skull. This can be used as a flamethrower, spraying a wall of fire and chaos wherever you deem fit! However if you plan on selling it for gold, you may want to grab another weapon for the journey back:

The Ashen Winds Skull blasts a wave of fire at enemies, doing fire damage plus DOT and is very able to kill a full health player in a matter of a couple seconds.
The more you use the Skull however, the less value it has at an outpost, an unused one will sell for 10,000 gold while one drained of all its fire charge will only sell for 4,000 (and much less reputation as well)

The Ashen Winds Skull easily ranks as our number one pick as the sheer amount of damage it is able to do, plus the fire DOT and spreading effects, make it almost impossible to defend against. While it is by far the hardest weapon to obtain on this list, the choice between selling it for huge profit or using it to burn through your enemies is just too good not to take a chance on. Just be sure to have a Trident or a gunpowder barrel (or 4) when going up against an Ashen Lord! Many a pirate has fallen or been burned to a delicious crisp trying to seek out this elusive bounty skull!