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00:00 The high seas are also full of possibility. You'll discover wrecks that can be salvaged for silver and other resources.
00:07 Welcome to Mojo Plays, and today we're looking at everything you need to know before Skull & Bones sets sail.
00:14 It's worth calling on reinforcements, and teaming up with other players will increase your chances of victory.
00:21 Before we begin, we publish new content all week long, so be sure to subscribe and ring the bell to get notified about our latest videos.
00:29 Character Creator
00:31 As per the closed beta, the character creator in Skull & Bones isn't very deep, but it does still have one.
00:45 You choose from a handful of preset faces, various skin tones tied to those faces, a few body types along with different hairstyles and colors.
00:54 You can also add tattoos, scars, and injuries from your time spent on the high seas.
01:00 If you're looking for a deep character creator, you're likely going to be disappointed.
01:09 It's certainly not on the level of Fallout 4 or Baldur's Gate.
01:13 But considering Skull & Bones' biggest rival is Sea of Thieves and its infinite pirate generator, maybe this will still offer players enough choice.
01:23 As your reputation grows, remember to ensure your style keeps up.
01:28 Crafting
01:30 It comes as no surprise that an MMO about being a pirate has a crafting system.
01:41 You'll be sailing around the map to gather an array of resources to craft all manner of items for your ship, as well as to create advanced, high-value goods to sell.
01:51 Maybe you don't want to steal everything, though.
01:54 You might want to build an independent trade network, creating fine wares to hawk outside the control of the various East Indian companies.
02:11 However, gathering items does require you to do QTE minigames that appear so small on screen that you might not initially see that you're supposed to be doing something.
02:21 Ships
02:39 Not only will you be crafting things to use and sell, but you'll also be crafting only your ships.
02:45 Do quests to unlock blueprints and then take those blueprints to the skilled workers and tradespeople in the world's pirate dens.
02:53 In the beta, this was only Saint Anne.
02:56 They'll then build you a ship.
02:58 You'll also keep your old ships in your fleet.
03:01 And you can use different ships for different situations, depending on what you need.
03:07 (They think they can get away with this!)
03:09 Whether you prioritize having a lot of cargo space, maneuverability, or sacrificing all that to load up with cannons to send Europe's navies down to Davy Jones' locker with ease, it's your choice.
03:25 You can also customize your ships with cosmetics.
03:28 Ammo
03:35 (I hope he's running out!)
03:37 You won't have unlimited cannonballs in Skull & Bones.
03:44 On the one hand, this absolutely adds to the game's realism as a pirate simulator, since no ship in real life can hold infinite cannonballs.
03:53 On the other, this was a mechanic that didn't exist in Assassin's Creed's many naval games.
03:59 (Look out! Fire!)
04:00 (I'm burning these gullies!)
04:02 (Fire! Look out! Fire!)
04:05 (For the Lord's defenders!)
04:07 In Black Flag, the game that spawned Skull & Bones, you never need to buy regular cannonballs.
04:12 You only need to buy heavy shot and mortar rounds.
04:16 In Skull & Bones, if you're planning on engaging in combat, you'll have to plan ahead and ensure you've stocked up on ammunition.
04:23 But they'll also appear as loot out in the world, so this shouldn't be too hard.
04:28 Setting
04:37 (Soon day the Robin comes, with his spear and teeth!)
04:44 It's no secret that Skull & Bones has had a difficult development.
04:48 Part of the problem is that the setting changed numerous times throughout.
04:53 Initially, it was centered around the Caribbean, just like Black Flag.
04:57 It then went to the legendary world of Hyboria, a northern realm that appears in Greek mythology.
05:03 Finally, though, it settled on the Indian Ocean.
05:06 (Move out and down, oh, my pretty boy!)
05:13 This makes sense, since the game was primarily developed by Ubisoft Singapore, and Singapore is right on the eastern edge of the Indian Ocean.
05:21 It sets it apart from the other Caribbean and Atlantic-focused pirate games, too, ensuring it'll have its own identity.
05:29 (Take the teela before the damn British return! I'll work the sail!)
05:33 Progression
05:34 (Oh, no! Oh, no!)
05:41 You keep a lot of your progression upon dying in Skull & Bones, and upon starting a new session.
05:47 You don't have to go through the tedium of rebuilding your pirate fleet every time, which is a huge boon,
05:54 nor do you lose your ship even if it gets destroyed in combat.
05:57 You will, however, lose your ship's cargo.
06:00 (Oh, no! Oh, no!)
06:08 If you sail to the place where you died, you can retrieve this cargo, but so can everybody else in the game if they choose to go after your stuff.
06:16 You'll have to decide whether all that loot was worth it, or whether you're better off trying to get it back some other way.
06:23 Just remember to keep building up your warehouse stash.
06:27 Co-op
06:31 (We are prepared to board, Captain!)
06:35 (Double ENO! Fire!)
06:38 Skull & Bones supports up to three-player co-op.
06:41 Not only is it simple enough to play the game with your friends,
06:45 but you can easily band together with other players you encounter out in the world if you so choose.
06:51 This is sure to make the game significantly more fun,
06:55 since part of the pirate fantasy is teaming up with other pirates so that you can take on bigger foes and go home with greater treasure,
07:03 even if you do have to split it.
07:05 (So high!)
07:07 (Ready to fight!)
07:11 We'll have to wait for the full release to see just how much more fun the co-op is than the single-player,
07:16 but if you really do want to play solo, you shouldn't find yourself too hampered.
07:21 (Tactic! Jump!)
07:24 Difficulty
07:27 (We are prepared to board, Captain!)
07:31 (Double ENO! Fire!)
07:34 We don't know all the details of how the in-game difficulty works yet,
07:38 and this is likely to be one of the areas Ubisoft continues to tweak up to and post-launch.
07:44 We do know that the bigger your pirate crew, the harder the game becomes,
07:48 with higher-level enemies appearing to account for the fact you have a major advantage.
07:53 (There we go! Swimming the fish out!)
07:58 (Big cat! Not so! Hot dog!)
08:01 But there also seems to be some very forgiving difficulty scaling regardless,
08:06 with many players of the beta finding that the game wasn't too difficult even when they strayed into harder areas.
08:12 Your mileage may vary, and we'll have to see how customizable the difficulty is when the game launches.
08:18 (Oh! That's a big red drop!)
08:26 PvE and PvP
08:29 (Out in open waters, you'll come face to face with Skull & Bones' most visceral gameplay element, naval battles.)
08:38 A lot of people were concerned about Skull & Bones PvP a few years ago,
08:42 until Ubisoft developers assured everyone that PvP was optional and that there would be separate PvP servers.
08:50 PvP makes the pirate simulation that much more realistic,
08:54 since you can turn on your allies and keep your treasure trove for yourself.
08:58 (Back up to deck up, baby! We are ready for war!)
09:06 But if you just want to have a relaxing time on the seas sinking enemy ships,
09:11 it's definitely good to have the option to avoid being griefed in PvP entirely.
09:16 However, recent leaks from Ubisoft suggest that this may have changed,
09:21 and that PvP will actually be a much more important part of the game that you can't always avoid.
09:27 We'll just have to wait and see.
09:29 Release Date
09:39 (This is the Indian Ocean, during the second golden age of piracy.)
09:44 So, when can you finally get your hands on Skull & Bones?
09:49 According to Ubisoft, its next and final release date is February 16th, 2024.
09:56 But you'll be able to play it three days early if you pre-order.
09:59 That is, three days early, but still about six years late.
10:04 It was, of course, originally slated to release way back in 2018,
10:08 which was still five years after the release of its progenitor, Black Flag.
10:13 "Fire!"
10:15 "Recruit up!"
10:17 "Here we come! Steady now!"
10:20 It's then seen myriad delays and platform changes,
10:23 but it seems like it WILL release in February, whether it's ready or not.
10:28 Hopefully, it IS ready, after so much time in the oven, but we'll see.
10:33 It's also only coming to PS5, Xbox Series X and S, and PC.
10:39 No last-gen consoles, and of course, no Google Stadia.
10:43 "You are eager. I like it. But be careful. The blood you spill is not your own!"
10:50 Let us know in the comments whether you'll be playing Skull & Bones at launch,
10:53 or are willing to wait even longer.
10:56 "And become the most fearsome pirate king."
11:01 [Skull & Bones theme]
11:06 Thanks for watching. If you enjoyed the video, there's more where that came from.
11:14 [outro music]
11:17 [outro music]