Skeleton Fleets & Ghost Fleets

Learn how to tackle Skeleton Fleets in Sea of Thieves! This guide covers spotting the world event, the battle strategy, and the sweet loot you can expect.

Alright, matey! So you've seen a spooky, ship-shaped cloud on the horizon and are wondering what's up with that? That, my friend, is a Skeleton Fleet world event. It's one of the big encounters in Sea of Thieves, usually hanging out in the central parts of The Sea of Thieves, around map coordinates K-11. You'll know it's active because that big grey Galleon cloud will be there, getting bigger the closer you get. If you don't see it, and no Kraken is bothering you, you might need to sail around a bit to trigger the next world event. Don't let it vanish – these fleets only stick around for about 30 minutes! ## The Battle Once you sail close enough to that ominous cloud, get ready! A title card will pop up, and then BAM – Skeleton Ships will start rising from the waves to meet you. You'll face three waves, with up to two Skeleton Ships in each. These can be Sloops or Galleons. The real kicker is the final wave: one Skeleton Ship with a Skeleton Captain at the helm. Sink that one, and the whole event is over. Keep in mind, if you're near big landmarks like rocks, the skeleton ships might wait until you sail into open water to spawn. Also, while they can carry Firebombs as of the Ashen Treasures update, they won't actually use them against you. ## Rewards Sink those bone-bags and you'll be rewarded! The regular Skeleton Ships drop loot just like any other emergent Skeleton Ship encounter – potentially up to 12 pieces of Treasure. Keep a sharp eye on where they sink, though! That loot can drift, and if they sink near rocks, they might even get stuck. You don't want to miss out on your hard-earned booty. The Skeleton Captain's ship is where the real treasure lies. You can expect: * 1 Ritual Skull * 2 Ashen Keys * 2 Ashen Chests * 8 Skeleton Captain's Chests * 6 Skeleton Captain's Skulls * And additional Treasure equivalent to one Skeleton Ship. ## Important Notes Heads up: the individual Skeleton Ships in the fleet won't give you Emissary Grade Reputation. However, if you're flying an Emissary flag, completing the entire Fleet event will net you a good chunk of Emissary Reputation. Also, during the Ashen Treasures event, these clouds were red instead of grey. ## Patch History These skeletal encounters have been sailing the seas since around November 2018 (Patch 1.4.0), with various updates tweaking their appearance and location, like returning them to the world event rotation in March 2022 (2.5.0.1) and ensuring the cloud isn't hidden by other weather.