Michael Cripe
Guest
Ubisoft is plotting a course to make Skull and Bones Year 2 the pirate multiplayer game’s biggest yet thanks to major content additions like new modes, ships, a Kraken, and something fans have begged for since launch: land combat.
Ubisoft opened its treasure chest of plans for the next year of updates during a special Year 2 showcase that premiered yesterday. Its presentation was packed with content to look forward to, but it’s Season 3: Guts and Glory that promises the land combat feature players have hoped to see included since Skull and Bones originally launched last February.
During Season 3 this fall, Ubisoft will finally allow players to take the action away from the sea, meaning you’ll be able to swordfight and even draw your firearms against others. It’s all part of Season 3’s Rogue Warlord additions, which will see players setting foot on sandy beaches and damp caves to rescue skilled crewmembers known as Officers. A video teasing the feature showed a bit of what players can expect, but it’s clear we’ll have to wait until later this year to see how it all works.
While land combat is by far the biggest addition coming with Skull and Bones Year 2, the presentation had plenty more to keep players digging throughout 2025. Season 1 sets sail today, April 15, with Ascent into Chaos, which adds a loot-enhancing item ascension feature, challenging World Tiers, a new Schooner medium ship, and the team-based Death Tides PvP mode. Season 2: Oaths of War, which launches summer 2025, includes highlights such as Megaforts and the gargantuan Frigate large ships, with Season 4: Eye of the Beast set to introduce the Kraken, Hunter’s Guild, and Corvette large ship this winter.
If everything you’ve heard sounds enticing enough to dive in, you’ll be happy to know Skull and Bones will launch a free weekend in just a few days. From April 17 – 21, players can raise sails to try out pirate PvP for themselves and also purchase the game at a reduced price (which has yet to be announced).
Skull and Bones launched February 16, 2024, for PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X | S (we gave it a 7/10 in our review). Although Ubisoft has been reluctant to share official sales stats for its latest pirate adventure game, it did tease that it managed to bring in “record player engagement” shortly after its release. Interestingly, the launch of Skull and Bones also coincided with a 200% increase in Assassin’s Creed 4: Black Flag players.
Michael Cripe is a freelance contributor with IGN. He's best known for his work at sites like The Pitch, The Escapist, and OnlySP. Be sure to give him a follow on Bluesky (@mikecripe.bsky.social) and Twitter (@MikeCripe).