I still remember the Gamescom 2020 reveal like it was yesterday. I was half-asleep on my couch, scrolling through trailers, when Rare dropped a screenshot of a scruffy dog standing on a pirate ship. That woke me up fast. Then came the announcement: Vaults of the Ancients, launching September 9. I called my crew. We were back.

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The update picked up after the events of Shores of Gold. Pirates had treasure. Lots of it. They needed somewhere safe. Ancient vaults scattered across the map were the answer, but each one was locked. To get inside, you had to find a key. Some crews returned those keys to the Gold Hoarders for a clean reward. I admired that discipline. We had none. We took the key and sailed for the nearest vault.

Inside, the real test began. A timer started. Medallions lay everywhere, some on stone ledges, others half-buried in corners. We had to grab them quickly and place them on a special table. The table then revealed the answer to a puzzle. It sounds easy. It was not. Three pirates, one timer, and a dozen medallions. We panicked. We laughed. We almost failed. When the final lock clicked and a valuable chest appeared, I felt like a legend.

The update also softened a few rough edges. Island banners became less intrusive when you sailed close to land. That was a small change, but my eyes thanked me. The single-stick mode, introduced earlier for accessibility, gained a toggle between movement and camera control. I tested it. It worked well. It made the game easier for players who need that option, and I respected Rare for paying attention to it.

Then there were dogs. Actual yapping, tail-wagging ship dogs 🐶. I picked a scruffy mutt with floppy ears. He barked at sharks. He sat beside me while I fished. He was completely useless in combat. He was perfect.

Of course, Rare had to include a crossover. They had just released Battletoads, and they offered a free 'Fighting Frog' ship livery in Sea of Thieves. The catch? You had to complete act one of Battletoads. My friend Megan had played it. I begged her to finish that first act. She did. Our galleon wore the Fighting Frog livery for the next two weeks. It was ridiculous. We loved it.

September 19 marked International Talk Like a Pirate Day. Rare teased a bunch of planned events. I won't reveal everything, but the outpost tavern felt alive that night. Shanties, grog, and more than a few accidental fires.

One of my favourite additions was the Mysterious Notes. At the start of each session, a note appeared in my inventory. Sometimes it pointed toward a real-time event. Other times it hinted at hidden treasure. Once, a note sent me to a tiny island I had ignored for months. I dug near an old tree. I found a chest. That sense of quiet discovery stayed with me.

Looking back from 2026, Vaults of the Ancients still feels special. It blended story, tension, accessibility, and pure pirate chaos. The game has expanded beyond PC and Xbox One since then, but the core loop remains. You load in. The waves roll. Somewhere out there, a vault waits. And maybe a dog is barking at your sail.