Greeting Captains,

The tide is rising once again. It'll soon be time to tread the waters of Skull and Bones on PC (Ubisoft Connect & Epic Games Store), PS5 and Xbox series X|S during our Open Beta.

Be ready to raise the anchor and test your mettle from the 08^th to the 11^th of February.

OPEN BETA KEY INFORMATION

• Access: open to everyone

• Platforms: PC (Ubisoft Connect & Epic Games Store), PS5, Xbox series X|S

• Preload: 6^th February 2024, 1AM (PT) / 6^th February 2024, 10AM (CET) / 6^th February 2024, 8PM (AET)

• Start: 7^th February 2024, 6PM (PT) / 8^th February 2024, 3AM (CET) / 8^th February 2024, 1PM (AET)

• End: 11^th February 2024, 3PM (PT) / 12^th February 2024, 12AM (CET) / 12^th February 2024, 10AM (AET)

• Infamy Cap: Tier 6 Rank 1 | Brigand

• Cross-progression & Cross-play enabled.

• Progression carried over at launch.

• Language: (Include all languages supported at launch.)
  EN, AR, ES, JP, PT, TCH, SCH, DE, FR, KR, ES, IT, PL

HOW TO GAIN ACCESS TO THE OPEN BETA

If you are playing on Ubisoft Connect or Epic Games Store, you will be able to access the Open Beta directly from your launcher under the "free games" section.

If you are playing on Xbox Series X|S or PS5, you can find the build to install by searching for "Skull and Bones" in your console store or by selecting the correct platform on the Skull and Bones Open Beta page

SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS FOR PC

OPEN BETA DETAILS

DISCOVER THE RED ISLE, 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 craftsmen who have made this place their home. You'll be able to access your warehouse to store loot, repair your ship, sell the commodities you liberated from rich merchants, and more.

DISCOVER A WHOLE NEW REGION: THE EAST INDIES

While you might have discovered the Red Isle and the Coast of Africa during one of the previous Closed Betas, you will now be able to cross over the Open Seas and set foot in the East Indies.

The seasoned Captains who've established their reputation in the Red Isle and Coast of Africa will have to face and overcome new challenges here.
Other less experienced Captains, might end up going back to the more forgiving seas of the Red Isle. That is until you feel ready to take on the challenge again.

Reach Telok Penjarah, the Pirate Den in the East Indies, where you'll meet Admiral Rahma who rules over it. Like Sainte-Anne, this will be a safe zone where you can interact with other players, meet with craftsmen who will be able to help you upgrade your loadout.

Explore the Red Isle, Coast of Africa, Open Seas as well as the East Indies during this Open Beta to meet the different factions present in-game and face them peacefully or turn against them in combat.

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.
During the Open Beta, you will be able to complete them up until the contract called "Exterminate the Rat".

Main Campaign Contract are marked by the following icon:

Despite the Infamy and main contracts progression lock, we have heard the feedback from many of you and will allow you to continue explore the world of Skull and Bones for the entire duration of the Open Beta.

You will be able to play and experience the world of Skull and Bones up until the rank of Brigand (Tiers 6 rank 1).  

But do go off the beaten path and forge your own pirate adventure! Once you have reached the Brigand rank, your Infamy rank will remain at that level, but you are free to keep on playing to your heart's content for the rest of the duration of the Open Beta.

You'll have plenty of loot to hunt down, silver to gain, 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
World Events (Elite Captains, Merchant Convoy)

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

OPEN BETA PARTICIPATION REWARDS

Open Beta participants will be able to unlock a set of exclusive rewards for use at launch.  

Reach Tiers 2	Ship cosmetic: Sir Reginald Grim Sail emblem
Reach Tiers 4	Ship cosmetic: Tarred Sail pattern
Reach Tiers 6	Emote: Sign language
Use a medium ship	Pet: "Cookie" The Lemur
Participate in a World Event (Merchant Convoy, Elite Captains)	Weapon: "Basilisk I" Culverin

STREAMS & TWITCH DROPS

The Skull and Bones Open Beta is not under NDA. That means you can stream your sailing and plundering sessions as much as you'd like!

Throughout the Open Beta, as you watch your favourite streamers overcome the odds as they attack a fort or in their search for legendary treasures, you can unlock a scruffy new ship pet: Snow Leopard.

How to unlock your Twitch Drop:

• Watch for 1 hour one of the Twitch streamers with the "Drops enabled" tag.

• Once you receive the notification you have unlocked the drop, claim it within 24h.

INSIDER PROGRAM

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.
If that sounds like something you want to get involved in, you can find 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 

PHOTO MODE: SHARE YOUR EPIC MOMENTS AT SEA! 

The photo mode is also implemented in game, so feel free to share screenshots of your favourite outpost, animal and pirate outfit. You'll have plenty of settings to take advantage of and immortalise the best moments of your rise to Kingpin.

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 #SnBOpenBeta and #LongLivePiracy to make sure we can track your comments. 

• Reddit 

• Ubisoft Discord