After years of delays and several closed betas, Ubisoft will finally be hosting an open beta for Skull & Bones on all platforms ahead of the game’s launch on February 16.
Starting on February 6 at 4 AM ET, players on PS5, Xbox Series X/S and PC via Ubisoft Connect or the Epic Games Store will be able to begin preloading the open beta. The beta will kick off the following evening, February 7, at 9 PM ET, and run through February 11 at 6 PM ET. Not only will cross-progression and crossplay be fully enabled, but any progress made over the beta period will fully carry over to launch, allowing players to skip past the tutorial and pick up where they left off upon the game’s release. For those playing on PC, Ubisoft has also shared the system requirements in the image below, so fans can get a sense of whether their system can handle the open world pirate adventure.
As part of this early chunk of the game, players will be able to sail around the coast of Africa and visit the pirate den of Sainte-Anne located in the Red Isle. The den will operate as the first hub where players can interact safely with one another while crafting and repairing the ship, getting new weapons and equipment and selling loot for additional profit. Unlike the previous closed betas, the open beta will also feature access to a fresh region, the East Indies. This setting will offer more dangerous encounters and factions for players to discover, while also serving as home for its own pirate den, Telok Penjarah, led by Admiral Rahma.
As for how far players can expect to get in the game, there will be a handful of main missions for players to complete, with new progress being stopped upon reaching the contract called “Exterminate the Rat”. Although there’s an infamy rank cap of Brigand, which serves as the first rank of tier six, players will still be able to fully explore the world for the entirety of the open beta. Those who manage to finish the main campaign missions available can still check out side contracts, repeatable contracts, bounty contracts and world events such as Elite Captains and Merchant Convoys to continue gathering loot and improving their ship. Photo mode will also be available during the beta for players who wish to save the memories of the first hours of their pirate journey.
Open beta participants will also be able to unlock exclusive rewards depending on which infamy tier you reach, which ship you use and which events you partake in. By reaching the infamy cap of tier six, players can unlock two ship cosmetics, the Sir Reginald Grim Sail emblem and the Tarred Sail pattern, along with the sign language emote. Plus, those who use a medium ship at any point will gain an exclusive pet, Cookie the Lemur, and those who join in on one of the World Events can add a “Basilisk I” Culverin cannon to their ship. Since this is a fully open beta, it can be streamed without any restrictions, and select streamers will be able to enable Twitch Drops so that viewers that watch at least an hour of Skull & Bones gameplay can get another exclusive reward, the Snow Leopard ship pet.
After the open beta concludes, Skull & Bones will raise its anchors shortly afterward on February 16 for PS5, Xbox Series X/S and PC.
Can Skull & Bones Overcome Years of Delays and Fulfill our Pirate Fantasies?
What remains to be seen is whether Skull & Bones can recapture the magic that enthralled Assassin’s Creed players over a decade ago.
