Cranium and Bones launches on February 16, 2024, bringing open-sea exploration and naval fight to Xbox Collection X|S gamers. For these desperate to set sail throughout the huge Indian Ocean and get a style of the pirate life, you possibly can register now for an opportunity to play within the closed beta from December 15-18, 2023.
Your aim in Cranium and Bones is to develop into a pirate kingpin, amassing riches, a fearsome fleet of ships, and an notorious repute alongside the best way. Doing so, nevertheless, is less complicated mentioned than achieved. When the sport kicks off, you’ll be caught on the improper facet of a devastating sea battle. Shipwrecked, you’ll collect what sources you possibly can to make your strategy to the pirate den of Sainte-Anne, the place your rags-to-riches story begins in earnest.
The very first thing you could perceive about Cranium and Bones is Infamy. Infamy is a measure of your development, and a pirate’s most vital useful resource in Cranium and Bones. It determines what contracts can be found to you, what ships you possibly can construct, what sources you possibly can harvest, what weapons you possibly can craft, and a lot extra. Doing absolutely anything in Cranium and Bones will grant you Infamy, from searching crocodiles and smuggling rum to monitoring down bounties and unearthing hidden treasures.
Get to Know Sainte-Anne
If you wish to rule the seas, step one is getting snug on land. The pirate den of Sainte-Anne is the place you’ll purchase contracts, construct new ships, and purchase and promote your items. It’s additionally the place you’ll craft the weapons, attachments, and furnishings you’ll must outfit your ships. You’ll additionally have the ability to get your pirate’s look simply the best way you prefer it, handle your cargo to maximise revenue, restore your ships, and customise them with the precise instruments for the job at hand. Sainte-Anne can also be the place you’ll meet John Scurlock, a pirate kingpin who will set you on missions to pursue the golden path of Cranium and Bones (which can web you one of the best rewards and probably the most Infamy).
Seize some contracts and any accessible missions, pack in a number of restore kits, and set sail! Your journeys will carry you again to the pirate haven quickly sufficient, hopefully with extra cargo than if you left and never too many holes in your hull. Your actions on the open ocean will typically web you helpful loot, however additionally they come at the price of sources that you just’ll must replenish, like ammunition and restore kits. Upon your return to port, full your contracts, money in your loot, craft an improve, stash further provides for later, tackle extra contracts, prime off your survival sources, and head again out. That is Cranium and Bones’ early gameplay loop, and it’s the way you’ll begin to construct Infamy and a reputation for your self.
Construct Your Fleet
In fact, a pirate is nothing with no ship, and your first correct vessel, the Bedar, will allow you to discover the Purple Isle, the realm round Sainte-Anne the place hazard and alternative await. Earlier than you set sail, you’ll must get your Bedar prepared to have interaction in Cranium and Bones’ bread and butter: naval fight.
All ships in Cranium and Bones have weapon slots for the numerous cannons and different artillery you’ll unlock. The Bedar has three slots – one on the left, proper, and entrance of the ship (port, starboard, and bow respectively, for the nautically inclined). Finally you’ll unlock ships which have 4 attachment slots, which can can help you add weapons to all 4 sides of a ship. A lot of your early contracts will give attention to sinking a sure variety of a selected ship sort or plundering settlements, so that you’ll have to be well-armed.
The beginning cannons are equal to the duty early on, however quickly sufficient, you’ll wish to specialize your armaments. Lengthy weapons are good for hitting targets from a (comparatively) safer distance and pinpointing enemy weak factors, whereas demi-cannons act as ship-mounted shotguns with a large, short-range space of impact. As you develop your fleet, extra unique weapons like bombards, torpedoes, sea hearth, and extra can dramatically alter the best way you struggle at sea. Equally, the armor plates you select in your ships boast completely different resistances. Metallic armor protects you from piercing harm, whereas wetted hides will defend you from fire-based assaults. In case you’re having bother with a very troublesome struggle, scout the enemy ships along with your spyglass to disclose what sort of harm they’re dealing and what they’re weak to, then return to the closest pirate den to alter your ship’s loadout to satisfy the problem.
As you search to improve your weapons, armor, or buff-granting furnishings, you’ll want to achieve sure Infamy ranges and discover the right blueprints, which can very properly be situated removed from Sainte-Anne. Fortunately, every vendor will make it clear what stage you could be, and the place you will discover the precise blueprint you’re on the lookout for.
Sail With a Cutthroat Crew
Whereas contracts will provide you with devoted aims to finish, there’s loads of alternative out on the open sea. Hunt service provider vessels, plunder settlements, commerce items, collect crafting sources, monitor down blueprints, and uncover the map to see what else awaits you. You’ll typically encounter different gamers as you discover, and in Cranium and Bones, you possibly can work together with them in two methods. The primary is by enjoying collectively in co-op: method their vessel or ship up a flare to name for assist, and you’ll take part a celebration to tackle harder challenges for higher loot. Teaming up is essential for harder aims, like timed world occasions. Because the title suggests, these occasions expire if not accomplished shortly. For instance, you might encounter a wealthy service provider convoy carrying uncommon and helpful items, however their closely armored ships received’t go down simply – and if you happen to don’t sink them earlier than they end their route, their rewards might be misplaced. Group up with close by gamers or buddies to take them down in a coordinated assault and reap the advantages.
Co-op can also be useful for these pirates who hold an ear open for rumors and gossip at Sainte-Anne. Conversations you overhear would possibly lead you to a mysterious ghost ship that solely seems at night time, or a vicious sea monster. These occasions are a number of the hardest challenges Cranium and Bones has to supply, however with the assistance of a fleet of buddies, anybody can overcome even the supernatural.
In case you’re feeling a bit extra cutthroat in your quest for riches, PvP challenges are additionally accessible. All you need to do is discover a legendary treasure map. These will lead you to some extremely helpful loot; the one catch is that it’ll mark your location for all close by gamers and permit them to assault you. In the event that they get the higher of you, they are going to steal your cargo and declare the legendary map’s treasure for themselves. With nice threat comes nice reward, and it’s as much as you to determine if you wish to chase the treasure, or hunt those that do.
Turning into a Kingpin
As your Infamy grows, so too does the world of Cranium and Bones. Extra superior contracts will take you to far-flung corners of the Indian Ocean, and larger ships and higher weapons make sure you’ll have the ability to survive in these corners.
Infamy is available in tiers, and when you attain the Brigand tier, you’ll be a part of The Helm, a secret smuggling community, and unlock your individual pirate liar. At this level, you received’t be finishing duties for others, however operating your individual operation as you purchase unique supplies and refine them into unlawful items to promote on the black market. Improve The Helm, seize key territories, and increase your operation to remain in enterprise and dominate the seas.
Play Your Means
Finally, the way you play Cranium and Bones is as much as you. Will you journey on the on the excessive seas alone in the hunt for treasure? Will you band along with a bunch of buddies to wage naval warfare and hunt different gamers? Will you chase down each blueprint and hidden secret throughout the Indian Ocean? And maybe most significantly, will you may have a pet lemur or a pet cat on board your ship? There’s no improper strategy to play Cranium and Bones, so get able to develop into a pirate Kingpin when the sport launches on February 16, 2024, and you’ll stand up to a few days of early entry by pre-ordering the Premium Version now on the Microsoft Retailer for Xbox.
Cranium and Bones
UBISOFT
Pre-order and get the Highness of the Excessive Sea Pack, which incorporates the Notoriety Garb and the Coronation Firework!
Enter the perilous world of Cranium and Bones, a co-op pirate open world action-RPG expertise, to develop into probably the most notorious pirate kingpin!
Interact in thrilling naval battles, craft a wide range of distinctive ships, and forge unlikely alliances as you overcome the percentages and convey mayhem on the seas. Be a part of an immersive open world that introduces new challenges and options each season.
– Interact in thrilling naval battles and equip a large number of highly effective weapons as you threat all of it for the most important loot.
– Sail the lawless seas solo, or staff up with two buddies or different gamers to partake in shareable contracts and rewards.
– Face cutthroat pirate hunters, lethal sea monsters, unpredictable climate, harmful rogue waves, supernatural threats, and extra as you discover an enormous open world.
– Craft and sail as much as 10 completely different ships at launch, every with distinctive perks to match your individual private playstyle.
– Develop your infamy and unlock sources and alternatives to get riskier contracts and improve your tools.
Persistent web connection, Ubisoft Account, Microsoft Account, and Recreation Move Final or Core (subscriptions bought individually) required.