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 may register now for an opportunity to play within the closed beta from December 15-18, 2023.
Your purpose in Cranium and Bones is to turn out to be a pirate kingpin, amassing riches, a fearsome fleet of ships, and an notorious status alongside the best way. Doing so, nonetheless, is simpler stated than performed. When the sport kicks off, you’ll be caught on the unsuitable aspect of a devastating sea battle. Shipwrecked, you’ll collect what sources you may to make your solution to the pirate den of Sainte-Anne, the place your rags-to-riches story begins in earnest.
The very first thing it is advisable to perceive about Cranium and Bones is Infamy. Infamy is a measure of your development, and a pirate’s most essential useful resource in Cranium and Bones. It determines what contracts can be found to you, what ships you may construct, what sources you may harvest, what weapons you may craft, and a lot extra. Doing absolutely anything in Cranium and Bones will grant you Infamy, from looking 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 comfy 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 be capable 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 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 internet you the perfect rewards and probably the most Infamy).
Seize some contracts and any obtainable missions, pack in just a few restore kits, and set sail! Your journeys will convey you again to the pirate haven quickly sufficient, hopefully with extra cargo than while you left and never too many holes in your hull. Your actions on the open ocean will usually internet you helpful loot, however in addition they come at the price of sources that you simply’ll must replenish, like ammunition and restore kits. Upon your return to port, full your contracts, money in your loot, craft an improve, stash additional provides for later, tackle extra contracts, high 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
After all, a pirate is nothing with no ship, and your first correct vessel, the Bedar, will allow you to discover the Purple Isle, the world 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 various 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). Ultimately you’ll unlock ships which have 4 attachment slots, which can mean you can add weapons to all 4 sides of a ship. Lots of your early contracts will concentrate on sinking a sure variety of a particular ship kind 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 fireplace, and extra can dramatically alter the best way you battle at sea. Equally, the armor plates you select on your ships boast completely different resistances. Steel armor protects you from piercing injury, whereas wetted hides will protect you from fire-based assaults. In case you’re having hassle with a very tough battle, scout the enemy ships together with your spyglass to disclose what sort of injury they’re dealing and what they’re weak to, then return to the closest pirate den to alter your ship’s loadout to fulfill the problem.
As you search to improve your weapons, armor, or buff-granting furnishings, you’ll want to succeed in sure Infamy ranges and discover the right blueprints, which can very nicely be situated removed from Sainte-Anne. Fortunately, every vendor will make it clear what degree it is advisable to be, and the place you could find the precise blueprint you’re searching for.
Sail With a Cutthroat Crew
Whereas contracts will provide you with devoted targets 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 usually encounter different gamers as you discover, and in Cranium and Bones, you may work together with them in two methods. The primary is by enjoying collectively in co-op: strategy their vessel or ship up a flare to name for assist, and you may take part a celebration to tackle harder challenges for higher loot. Teaming up is essential for harder targets, like timed world occasions. Because the title suggests, these occasions expire if not accomplished shortly. For instance, you could encounter a wealthy service provider convoy carrying uncommon and helpful items, however their closely armored ships gained’t go down simply – and should you don’t sink them earlier than they end their route, their rewards can be misplaced. Staff up with close by gamers or buddies to take them down in a coordinated assault and reap the advantages.
Co-op can be useful for these pirates who maintain an ear open for rumors and gossip at Sainte-Anne. Conversations you overhear may lead you to a mysterious ghost ship that solely seems at night time, or a vicious sea monster. These occasions are a few 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 obtainable. All it’s a must to do is discover a legendary treasure map. These will lead you to some extremely helpful loot; the one catch is that it’s going to 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 may steal your cargo and declare the legendary map’s treasure for themselves. With nice danger 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 greater ships and higher weapons make sure you’ll be capable to survive in these corners.
Infamy is available in tiers, and when you attain the Brigand tier, you’ll be part of The Helm, a secret smuggling community, and unlock your personal pirate liar. At this level, you gained’t be finishing duties for others, however operating your personal 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 Method
In the end, the way you play Cranium and Bones is as much as you. Will you journey on the on the excessive seas alone in quest of 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’ve got a pet lemur or a pet cat on board your ship? There’s no unsuitable solution to play Cranium and Bones, so get able to turn out to be a pirate Kingpin when the sport launches on February 16, 2024, and you may rise 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 turn out to be probably the most notorious pirate kingpin!
Interact in thrilling naval battles, craft quite a lot 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 mess of highly effective weapons as you danger all of it for the most important loot.
– Sail the lawless seas solo, or group 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 personal 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 Go Final or Core (subscriptions offered individually) required.
