Skull and Bones – Closed Beta

Hello Captains!

The time has come for you to take to the wheel and sail into the perilous waters of Skull and Bones during our Closed Beta on PC (Ubisoft Connect)!

Be prepared to face the dangers hidden among the waves from the 25th to the 28th of August.

Here are some details of this Closed Beta:

CLOSED BETA KEY INFORMATION:

• Access: Invitation only - see below for more information.

• Platform: PC (Ubisoft Connect) Only

• Supported language: English only.

• Preload: 22nd August, 3am (PT) / 22nd August, 12pm (CEST) / 22nd August 8pm (AET)

• Start: August 24th, 7pm (PT) / August 25th, 4am (CEST) / August 25th, 12pm (AET)

• End: August 28th, 12am (PT) / August 28th, 9am (CEST) / August 28th, 5pm (AET)

PARTICIPANTS & FRIEND INVITES:

If you are selected to participate in the Skull and Bones Closed Beta, you'll receive an invitation from us on your registered Ubisoft Connect email address. Check your spam folder in case the mail is redirected there.

All participants who received an invitation from Ubisoft will also be able to invite up to 2 of their friends to join them in the Closed Beta. Invited friends will need a registered Ubisoft Connect account. Before sending out the invites, do ensure that your invited friend is able to play on PC (Ubisoft Connect) and will meet the required PC specs.

To invite a friend:

• In the confirmation email you received, select Invite My Friends.

• Select Invite in the Ubisoft Connect friends list, next to your friend's username.

• Your friend will receive the invitation to the email address associated with their Ubisoft account.

PC SPECS

To be able to run the Closed Beta you will need to run it on a computer falling within these requirements:

Recommended requirements (1080p at 60 frames per second)

• Operating system: Windows 10 / Windows 11

• Processor: Intel Core i7-8700K, AMD Ryzen 5 3600, or better

• RAM: 8 GB (running dual-channel mode)

• Video card: NVIDIA RTX 2070 (8 GB), AMD Radeon RX 5700 XT (8 GB), or better

• Hard drive: 65 GB available storage (SSD recommended)

Minimum requirements (1080p at 30 frames per second)

• Operating system: Windows 10

• Processor: Intel Core i7-4790, AMD Ryzen 5 1600, or better

• RAM: 8 GB (running dual-channel mode)

• Video card: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 (6 GB), AMD Radeon RX 570 (8 GB), or better

• Hard drive: 65 GB available storage (SSD recommended)

To play the Closed Beta at higher resolutions, we recommend the following specifications:

Recommended 2K configuration (1440p, 60 frames per second)

• Operating system: Windows 10 / Windows 11

• Processor: Intel i7-9700K or AMD Ryzen 5 5600X, or better

• RAM: 16 GB (running dual-channel mode)

• Video card: NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 (8 GB) or AMD Radeon RX 6800 (16 GB), or better

• Hard drive: 65 GB available storage (SSD required)

Recommended 4K configuration (2160p, 60 frames per second)

• Operating system: Windows 10 / Windows 11

• Processor: Intel Core i5-11600K or AMD Ryzen 5 5600X, or better

• RAM: 16 GB (running dual-channel mode)

• Video card: NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 (10 GB) or AMD Radeon RX 6800 XT (16 GB)

• Hard drive: 65 GB available storage (SSD required)

CLOSED BETA DETAILS

Discover the Red Isle and the Coast of Africa

Located within the Red Isle is the pirate den of Sainte Anne. Ruled by John Scurlock, the local Kingpin you'll deal with as you start your rise to the top of the pirate world. This den is a safe zone where you can interact with other players, craft your ships, weapons, and equipment with the help of the skilled artisans who have made their home here. You'll be able to access a warehouse to store your loot, repair your ship, sell the commodities you liberated from rich merchants, and more.

Explore this part of the world as well as the Coast of Africa during the Closed Beta, as you meet the different factions present in-game and face them peacefully or turn against them in-combat.

As you explore, keep a lookout for opportunities to grow your infamy and riches, as well as hidden areas where you can drop your anchor to stock up on ammunition or interact with vendors to fulfil contracts or buy rare items.

Be sure to plot your course wisely though, or you'll face mutiny from your crew if you try to get out of bounds.

Main Campaign Contracts and Infamy Tiers

As you find your sea legs in the world of Skull and Bones, the most direct path forward will be main campaign contracts. These contracts will act as a guide as you build your reputation and discover more about the world. Main campaign contracts are marked with this icon:

We highly encourage you to go off the beaten path and forge your pirate adventure!

For the Closed Beta, you will be able to play and experience main campaign contracts up until the Exterminate the Rat contract.

In addition, you'll be able to rise all the way until the Buccaneer Infamy Tier by engaging with a variety of activities available in our world, including the main campaign contracts. After reaching Buccaneer, be sure to check your in-game Mailbox to claim a new ship, and powerful equipment for your journey!

Completing the last main campaign contract or reaching Buccaneer is just the beginning. You’ll still have plenty of loot to hunt down, and activities to complete. Make full use of your Logbook, and the Journal in the Map tab to pin and track activities!
In addition, keep an eye out for these icons to engage with various activities:

Side Contracts
Repeatable Contracts
Bounty Contracts
Merchant Convoy World Event

There is so much more to explore, but we'll let you discover which secrets hide themselves in the storm!

Closed Beta Participation Rewards

Closed Beta participants will be able to unlock a set of unique rewards for use at launch!

Reward	Milestone
Spoken For Emote	Craft and Sail on the Bedar
Pioneer Set (Ship Vanity Set) consisting of: Pioneer's Sails (Sail Color) Voyager's Hues (Hull Color) Pioneer's Motifs (Sail Pattern) Pioneer's Emblem (Ship Emblem) The Pioneer (Ship Plate)	Complete a World Event Available World Events: The Colonial Shipment The Spoils of War The DMC Dispatch World Events can be identified using this icon on the map:
Skull and Bones Welcome Firework	Reach Buccaneer Infamy (Tier 6)

STREAMS & INSIDER PROGRAM

The Skull and Bones Closed Beta is not under NDA, as such we encourage players to stream their game sessions.

You can also discover the world of Skull and Bones by watching your favourite streamers overcome the odds as they attack a fort or go on their search for legendary treasures.

If you feel the call of the sea and wish to be more involved in the world of Skull and Bones, do not hesitate to sign up for the Insider Program. The Insider Program is an on-going live testing initiative where selected players play different iterations of the game in real conditions.

If that sounds like something you want to get involved in, you can get more info and apply here.

LINKS TO EXISTING DEVBLOGS

DEVBLOG: Loadout Customisation

DEVBLOG: Combat Preparation

DEVBLOG: Plundering Forts and settlements

DEVBLOG: Strategizing your attack

DEVBLOG: Sailing in style

DEVBLOG: Crafting your rise to infamy

SHARE YOUR EPIC MOMENTS AT SEA!

We're excited to see you battling your way across the high seas, and encourage you to share about your adventures and exploits on any of the following platforms:

Twitter, use the hashtag #SnBClosedBeta and #LongLivePiracy to make sure we can track your comments.

Reddit

Ubisoft Discord