Pirates of the digital seas, take heed—Ubisoft is setting sail on an ambitious voyage to make Skull and Bones Year 2 its most expansive chapter yet. With a bounty of new content in the pipeline—including fresh game modes, epic new ships, a terrifying Kraken, and one of the most requested features from players since launch: land combat—Year 2 promises to reshape the pirate multiplayer experience.
The roadmap for Year 2 was unveiled during a dedicated showcase that aired yesterday, offering fans a glimpse into Ubisoft’s grand plans for the next twelve months of content. While the entire presentation brimmed with exciting updates, it's Season 3: Guts and Glory that’s set to deliver the long-awaited addition of land-based combat this fall.
In Season 3, players will finally be able to leave their ships behind and step onto solid ground, engaging in swordfights and gun duels ashore. This marks a major evolution in gameplay, part of the Rogue Warlord expansion. Players will storm sandy beaches and explore shadowy caves in search of valuable crew members known as Officers. A teaser video offered a sneak peek into the action, though full details—and hands-on time—will have to wait until later this year.
While land combat is undoubtedly the crown jewel of Year 2, Ubisoft has plenty more in store to keep players engaged throughout 2025:
- Season 1: Ascent into Chaos launches today (April 15) and introduces a new ascension system to enhance loot progression, challenging World Tiers, a new Schooner medium ship, and the team-focused Death Tides PvP mode.
- Season 2: Oaths of War, arriving this summer, brings Megaforts and the massive Frigate large ship to the battlefield.
- Season 4: Eye of the Beast, dropping anchor this winter, unleashes the legendary Kraken, debuts the Hunter’s Guild, and adds the Corvette large ship to your fleet.
If all of this has you itching to hoist the sails and dive into the fray, good news: Skull and Bones is offering a free weekend from April 17–21. During this limited-time event, players can experience pirate PvP firsthand and even purchase the full game at a discounted rate (pricing details to be revealed).
Originally launched on February 16, 2024, Skull and Bones is available on PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X | S (check out our 7/10 review here). Despite Ubisoft’s silence on official sales figures, the studio did share that the game achieved “record player engagement” shortly after release. Curiously, its debut also triggered a surprising 200% spike in players returning to Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag, proving that once a pirate, always a pirate.
Stay tuned for more updates as we chart the course through Skull and Bones Year 2.
