Skull and Bones Season 2: Chorus of Havoc is out now, bringing a new ship and weapon type, new game modes, an update to the Helm gameplay, and a new threat to the Indian Ocean.
New Enemies, Ship, and Weapons
La Peste may have been vanquished from your waters, but your piratical antics have angered the megacorporations more than ever. As a result, the Compagnie Royale hired the Hubac Twins, French opera-singers-turned-murderers, to eliminate all pirates from the region. Their Chorus Fleet will wreak havoc on your operations, whether through the twins' use of homing torpedoes, a whirlpool-forming buoy, or the twins singing as they attack your ship.
The Hubac Twins' ships also boast the wave shield, a new armor composed of movable plates covering each ship's hull. When the plates open to allow the ship weapons to fire, weak points will be revealed. The Chorus Fleet will target trade routes and known pirate outposts across the Indian Ocean, so beware.
To fight the Hubac Twins, you'll need some new equipment. Fortunately, the new Mine Springloader is here to help. An auxiliary weapon, the Springloader will shoot out buoys that spawn floating minefields, allowing you to create an explosive area of denial around your target. The Brig is a new engineer-themed ship designed to use the Springloader. An artificer class ship, the Brig is the fastest ship added to Skull and Bones to date, reduces auxiliary reload time, and will increase effectiveness of deployed buoys after consecutive weapon hits. Equip your Brig with the new Rhapsody of the Deep armor - which lets you hold brace to charge up a sonic attack that damages nearby enemies - and you'll be well equipped to beat the Hubac Twins at their own game.
There are two kinds of Springloader weapon: Little Grace and Infernal Maw. Little Grace is earned by completing seasonal contracts, while the Infernal Maw, Brig blueprint, and Rhapsody of the Deep are acquired from the Smugglers Pass. Pirates who complete the Smugglers Pass will be rewarded with the Hermit Crab as a ship pet.
For an additional boost against the Hubac Twins (and the many other dangers lurking in the ocean), you can now upgrade your ships with the Shipwright in Skull and Bones. Each ship will have six possible upgrade levels, which can improve ship stats, unlock new perks, and create additional furniture slots. With this feature, smaller ships can be upgraded to have a fighting chance against higher-level world events, giving you more options as you go about your quests.
The Helm
The Helm has also introduced new gameplay mechanics, changing up your smuggling operations on the high seas. One such feature is fleet management, which allows you to assign ships not in use to automatically collect and deposit Pieces of Eight from your manufactories. The higher your ship rank, the better chance your loot will arrive safely, but you'll also have a higher risk of your ship getting damaged on its voyage.
There are also new ways to acquire manufactories. Now, in addition to Hostile Takeover and Legendary Heist world events, you can obtain manufactories through Helm Leases and the new Buyout game mode. Helm leases can be acquired through seasonal contracts, by trading with Scurlock or Rahma, and as Smuggler Pass rewards. There are three kinds of Helm Leases: Regional, Faction, and Worldwide; to use them, just sail to the manufactory you wish to acquire and spend the Helm Lease there. In Buyout, you'll travel to an Outpost where an Overseas Smuggler will state their demands, which can include commodities, contraband, currencies, or equipment. If you can gather the supplies and deliver them to the Smuggler within the time limit, you'll be rewarded with a Manufactory.
The other new game mode introduced in Skull and Bones Season 2: Chorus of Havoc is Manufactory Defense, which adds an element of danger to manufactories you already control. If you accept when the opportunity arises, you'll need to travel to your threatened manufactory and defend it from waves of enemies - while staying within the immediate area. Each wave of enemies will get progressively more difficult; if your manufactory reaches zero HP, you have failed the objective and the location won't produce any Pieces of Eight while it recovers. Conversely, if you successfully protect your manufactory, you'll be rewarded with Helm materials.
World Events
Chorus of Havoc also introduces several new world events to Skull and Bones. There's a new elite warship on the scene. The Soleil Royal specializes in area denial, explosive mini-ships, and long-range damage, but successfully sinking the warship will grant you exotic rewards, including a ship upgrade kit the first time you succeed. Admiral Rempah and the Clan of Fara have also added merchant convoys to the scene, offering major rewards to anyone who can take them out. The Mega Lestari megalodon is a stealthy sea monster intent on sinking you to the briny depths. The Dragon Boat Event is a limited-time event in which players can race through a series of checkpoint buoys to win Regatta Chests. There will be three playable courses located in the Red Isle, Coast of Africa, and East Indies, respectively. Players can also expect the Summer Fiesta event later in the season, during which Yanita Yara tasks you to steal imported ice from the merchant convoys. In success, you'll be rewarded with co*cktails, which are consumable items that provide buffs.
Skull and Bones is celebrating Chorus of Havoc with a free week, running from May 30 - June 6. The whole game is available during the free week, but if you need more time to take out the Hubac Twins or take over more manufactories, all your progression will carry over when you purchase the game.
Skull and Bones is available on PS5, Xbox Series X|S, PC through Ubisoft Connect, and Amazon Luna. A Ubisoft+ Premium subscription will also get you access to the Ultimate Edition. For more updates on Skull and Bones, stay tuned to the game's social media accounts on X (formerly Twitter) and Discord, and check out The Deck series.
