Announced all the way back in 2017, Skull and Bones is a pirate-themed RPG game being developed by Ubisoft. According to recent leaks from Reddit, it doesn’t seem like the expansive game promises much and is likely to upset fans of the game from Beta gameplay and everyone else who has been looking forward to it.
From major meta changes and gameplay imbalances to bugs/glitches, the leak explores everything that’s happening behind the scenes and what players can expect during the game’s launch. Considering that the game is not too far from launch, it’s tough to expect big changes before the game feels enjoyable.
The Core Gameplay of Skull and Bones Is in a Problematic State
According to the post by Redditor Shaolinfantastic864, there are a large number of issues with Skull and Bones, and it seems unlikely that Ubisoft will fix these issues before launch. However, before we dive deep into all that’s going wrong, here’s a look at something that’s more on a positive note.
It seems that the game’s overall difficulty is a bit more manageable as of now. However, the game’s core loop around plunder, at the same time, is almost twice as challenging. This may be appealing to some players and invoke a sense of community where players ask for one another’s help, but to newcomers, this may feel a bit daunting.
Furthermore, the Helm is now postgame stuff. This may be coming as a surprise to some, as the Helm was supposedly the foundational aspect of the game where pirates begin their careers and go from rags to riches.
However, according to the leak, players can take control of factories at ports which makes for extremely repetitive content. The leak also suggests that the RNG and grind elements related to this might, and this might just turn you off from exploring the game properly. Unless you’re someone who’s fond of grinding in MMO games, this might be a troublesome experience.
A Moment of Silence for PvE and Solo Players
If you’re someone who is looking for a peaceful adventure across the seas, not worrying about other pirates, we’ve got some bad news. Based on the leak, there are no PvE or PvP servers anymore. Players cannot just ‘switch’ between the two. Unfortunately, much of the great gear from PvE comes exclusively from PvP gameplay. Talk about red flags.
Furthermore, there are limited options to gain the best long guns in the game, along with overpowered armor sets that in order to be used for PvE, require PvP. What hits the nail in the coffin is how cumbersome the endgame content will feel. You might want to sit down for this.
During the Beta gameplay, players could solo endgame content. That will no longer be a possibility. You’ll need at least two or three people to complete endgame scenarios in order to loot some sweet gear.
Speaking of gear, how ranks work in the game kind of makes even solid weapons and gear obsolete. Going forward, the difference in rank between enemy players can add or remove 25% of damage to both attack and defense. That’s a huge number, given how it doesn’t justify the quality of gear players are actually using.
Finally, the map size seems larger than what players saw in the Beta gameplay but still feels way too small considering all the possibilities given the PvP and endgame scenario. Still, this is something devs can change with expansions. The core gameplay systems are what’s worrisome.
It doesn’t end here. The bugs with UI, text, and sound are something specified in the leak and seems like it’ll take quite a few quality-of-life fixes to give things a more polished look. Regardless, the number of problems the leaks bring about is genuinely concerning given how Skull and Bones comes out in the next few months.
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