Technical test footage leaked from Skull and Bones shows battles, customization, exploration and more

A tutorial video by a skull and bones The technical test setup has been leaked online, revealing some details for the long-awaited pirate adventure.

According to the leaked footage posted on Reddit, it appears that you will start the game in a pirate cave on an island. Finally, this is where you can craft new ships and equipment. You can also procure provisions for your sea expeditions, complete contracts and socialize with other players.

As you play, you’ll earn a reputation that’s followed by shame. The higher your shame, the more opportunities you will unlock. You can increase your shame by entering into “high risk, high reward” contracts, which are deals you make with NPCs around the world. If you succeed, you will be rewarded. There are penalties for failing. Certain contracts can even be shared with a group of up to three people. Other activities like exploration, looting, treasure hunts, world events and more will also add to your shame.

Before setting sail on the high seas, you need to make sure your ship is stocked. The most important items are rations, water, ammo and repair kits. Before you head out, you should also make sure you look like a pirate. To customize your look, you can visit the atelier to dress up.

You begin the game as a newly minted pirate and your starter ship is a small, lateen-rigged, single-masted ship. But as your infamy grows, you’ll be able to build bigger and more powerful ships, each with their own unique playstyle. Ships also have loadouts that you can change depending on your playstyle and goals.

The crew and your ship need to be taken care of, so you need to take care of your crew’s health and morale. Repair kits will come in handy for the ship here. The crew will lose morale over time, so you’ll need to provide them with food or drink to boost it. Should morale hit a certain low, the crew will mutiny and take control of the ship.

Should a disaster strike out at sea and your ship sink, you will respawn at the nearest den or outpost you spot. Most of your cargo can be salvaged, and you can pick up the rest from your ship’s wreckage. In the latter, you’ll have to hurry, as other players can steal cargo from the rubble.

There are resources you can collect from animals and islands. Animals provide you with meat and hides, and islands provide you with items like ore, fiber, and wood that can be refined into crafting resources. Crafting allows you to unlock blueprints and use your nifty resources to craft furniture, more powerful ships, and weapons that can come with a variety of perks.

As you sail around the ocean, be sure to use your binoculars to find trade routes or other ships to plunder for cargo and firepower. If you sink a ship a little far from your own, you only gain a small amount of cargo, since some of it is lost in the water. Approach and board the ship to maximize your winnings. Be careful out there because the same fate can befall you if you attract the attention of another player or privateer.

The tutorial video points out that while you can play the game solo, you’ll probably find it more fun playing with friends. You can team up with others using the binoculars, and once you do so, the ability to synergize playstyles, ships, and weapons becomes available. Plus, playing with others also makes it easier to take down the deadlier enemies that travel the ocean.

In the game, you can also attack fortresses, plunder settlements, and even take part in world events.

Last month, Ubisoft launched the Skull and Bones Insider program, allowing testers to play early versions of the game in real-world conditions. Program participants play current work-in-progress builds and support the development team by reporting issues, bugs, and general feedback.

Whether the footage leaked today was posted by someone on the Insider program is unknown, but it seems likely.

Announced at E3 2017, Skull and Bones has been in development since 2013 and started as a spin-off of Assassin’s Creed: Black Flag. Rather than being released as a post-launch update, the project became its own title and went into development at Ubisoft Singapore.

Originally announced as a cooperative multiplayer title with PvP and environmental factors, the game, which has since been rebooted, was scheduled for release in 2018 before being pushed back to 2019. In May of this year, the game was again postponed to Ubisoft’s 2020/2021 fiscal year. It is now expected to arrive sometime between now and March 2023.