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Return of The Damned

  • Developer: Rare Ltd
  • Role: Senior Designer
  • Engine: Unreal Engine 4
  • Platforms: Windows, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S
  • Release: November 3rd – November 17th 2022
  • Genre: Action-adventure

Overview

Return of the Damned was the 9th limited-time Adventure in Sea of Thieves that centered on a large scale, player driven conflict between two opposing factions. Belle and Pendragon aiming to prevent Captain Flameheart’s return, while the Servant of the Flame attempts to resurrect him. 

Players chose a side and competed across the game world by capturing Sea Forts, defeating a Soul Flame Captain, and delivering powerful Dark Relic Enchanted Bewitching Dolls to a ritual site, directly contributing to a global score that determined the outcome of opposing rituals and the fate of key characters.

This event emphasized emergent, community led storytelling, where player actions dynamically influenced narrative direction, ultimately ending in a permanent world change which affects future gameplay. 

Players received updates through social media and community to learn which side was in the lead at that given moment.

The final results were announced on live stream, stirring up a lot of excitement from players through the anticipation.

Players actions led to Flameheart’s resurrection and Pendragon’s banishment, demonstrating how collective player choice can shape the evolving state of Sea of Thieves.

Official Sea of Thieves Announcement

Official Final Result Reveal


Contributions

  • Led and oversaw design development for Return of Damned Adventure, offering vision alignment guidance for designers and content teams.
  • Specified and iterated on design details for whole Adventure, including: 

Path Options (Reapers or Belle/Pendragon)

NPC intros, dialogue, cutscenes, checklists, journals, and states 

Community Goal progress feedback states (Dynamic story states to show which side is ahead: Beacons that appear once a side has the most control over Sea Forts, as a real time reaction to community progress)

Community Goal long term effects (Resurrect Flameheart and banish Pendragon/Banish Flameheart forever)

Event Rewards (Time-Limited Ship Flags representing chosen side)

Ritual Environmental Dressing (In Sea Forts and on opposing path’s islands: Shipwreck Bay and Reaper’s Hideout)

Ritual Table functionality (Miniature wooden Sea Forts on each site’s Ritual Table reflect the Sea Forts in control on that path)

Flag raising functionality on Sea Forts to score points

Soulflame Captain battle to enchant dark relic dolls for more points

  • Set and balanced point stats for territory control type gameplay.

Points were given per Bewitching Doll and Enchanted Bewitching Doll when either side has X amount of Sea Forts under their control. The amount of points was influenced by how many Sea Forts the player’s side has under control at the moment of turning in a doll. An Enchanted Doll earned more points than a non-enchanted doll, and the Ritual Table reflected the amount of points through the height and intensity of the flame that flares up.

Design for feedback states of Ritual Table when Enchanted Doll is turned in at site.
Reaper's Ritual Table with 2 Sea Forts captured
Belle and Pendragon's Counter Ritual Table
Players were given flags for their chosen side to raise when clearing a Sea Fort
Mini Sea Forts with Control Flags
The fate of the world and characters were put into the community's hands

Collective community player action numbers