Shortly after the release of Sea of Thieves last week, Rare announced that it planned to introduce a new penalty upon death. Basically, every (in-game) death would be met with what came to be known as "the death cost": a fine of (in-game) gold. Presumably, this was designed to incentivize a fairly important part of the game: staying alive.
The announcement was met with criticism, mainly because Sea of Thieves' in-game gold is hard enough to get as it is. The game's hefty grind is one of several complaints its player base have at the moment, so Rare is ditching the tax.
Importantly, the death cost would not apply to PvP related deaths. "This new feature has the Captain of the Ferry of the Damned deduct a small gold fee when you die," the update notes read last week. "Rates are dependant on the cause of death, so the more avoidable the death, the less patience the Captain will have when we enable this feature!"
But that's not happening anymore, according to the game's executive producer Joe Neate.
"Letting everyone know we've heard the feedback and the proposed 'Death Cost' in #SeaOfThieves is, well, dead," Neate tweeted today. "We messed up with the messaging around this, and it's now gone. Thanks for the honest feedback and discussion on this."
Tyler published his review of Sea of Thieves today, writing that it's "a superb water park for four friends to splash around in, but progression is sluggish and there are too few surprises beneath the waves." If you're yet to jump in, here is our beginner's guide.
