Sea of Thieves Achievements: Combat and PvP
The combat group holds more of the game's rarest achievements than any other, with three of the five 0.1 percent unlocks sitting here: Oh Wow Kegs..., Don't Make Me Turn This Ship Around!, and Mobile Cannoneer. Much of that rarity is recency, not difficulty, since half the rare group arrived with Season 19 in March 2026. Hourglass achievements need Reaper's Bones reputation 25 to unlock the system at all, then a faction choice between Servants of the Flame and Guardians of Fortune. None of this group is earnable in Safer Seas, since the mode has no PvP and no Hourglass.
If you are chasing rarity, this is where it lives. Three of the five 0.1 percent achievements on Steam are combat achievements.
The rare ones
| Achievement | Global unlock | Added with |
|---|---|---|
| Oh Wow, Kegs... | 0.1% | Season 19 |
| Don't Make Me Turn This Ship Around! | 0.1% | Season 19 |
| Mobile Cannoneer | 0.1% | Season 16 |
| Are You Even Trying?! | 0.2% | Season 19 |
| Crew of Bone and Blade | 0.2% | Season 16 |
| Loyalist of the Flame | 0.2% | Season 13 |
Loyalist of the Flame ties to the Servants of the Flame, one of the two Hourglass factions, which puts the Hourglass system on the critical path for anyone chasing this list.
It was also stuck. Patch 3.8.1 rebalanced the Playing the Part Commendation, and completing those new requirements failed to advance Loyalist of the Flame. Patch 3.8.2 fixed the progression, so anyone who cleared the rebalanced Playing the Part between those two patches should check the track again.
At 0.1 percent, roughly one player in a thousand has these, and the Added column explains more of that than difficulty does. The Season 19 entries from March 2026 are young, not brutal. The long hauls are the older commendation chains, with Mobile Cannoneer wanting every Cannon of Rage commendation and Crew of Bone and Blade wanting the full Order of Bone and Blade set.
Are You Even Trying?! was also broken for a while. Patch 3.7.1 fixed it so it unlocks correctly once its requirements are met, which means an attempt that failed before that patch may simply not have registered. Worth retrying if you tried it and nothing happened.
Several tracks got easier
A run of patches through 3.8.1 reworked commendations that had drifted out of reach, and most of the changes land in this group.
| Track | What changed |
|---|---|
| Ferocious Warrior, Best of the Best | Progress by reaching the Allegiance Streak to become a Champion or by winning battles as a Champion, not only by cashing in a Streak |
| In His Name | Same rework, for wins as a Champion after the Ritual of the Flame |
| Pretty Good at This | Same rework, for wins as a Champion after the Blessing of Athena's Fortune |
| Hourglass Commendations | Since patch 3.7.0 they progress during a Fight for Honour against your own faction, not just against the opposing one |
The Streak reworks matter more than they look. Cashing in a Streak used to be the only way to bank that progress, which put the commendation directly at odds with the thing that pays best, meaning holding the Streak and continuing to fight. Now both routes count.
Last Ship Standing counts toward these now
Patch 3.8.1 opened three tracks up to the six-Sloop battle mode:
- Nigh Unsinkable progresses during Last Ship Standing battles.
- A Sunken Century progresses during Last Ship Standing battles.
- The Extinguished Commendation progresses when its requirements are met there.
Patch 3.8.0 also fixed the Fiery Treble, Fiery Quintuple, Fiery Strike, Athena Treble, Athena Quintuple, and Athena Strike Commendations so they progress consistently when a crew with an active streak wins one of these battles.
That gives you a second route into sinking counts that used to run only through 1v1 Faction Battles, and a six-ship lobby offers more chances to sink somebody per dive. Full detail on the mode in Last Ship Standing.
What this group covers
| Track | What it asks for |
|---|---|
| Ship sinking | Sinking other crews, skeleton ships, and ghost ships |
| Cannons | Hits, distances, and launching yourself |
| Boarding | Reaching enemy ships and what you do once aboard |
| Weapons | Kills and feats with each of the five weapons |
| Gunpowder | Kegs, barrels, and the damage they do |
| Hourglass | Battles won, streaks, and Allegiance levels |
| Allegiance | Servants of the Flame and Guardians of Fortune progression |
Unlocking the Hourglass first
You cannot start the Hourglass half of this group until you have:
- Completed the Maiden Voyage.
- Completed the introductory voyages for Gold Hoarders, Order of Souls, and Merchant Alliance.
- Reached Reaper's Bones reputation level 25.
That Reaper's requirement is the real gate. The fastest route is running ordinary voyages and selling everything at the Reaper's Hideout instead of at outposts, which builds Reaper's rep quickly at the cost of the other companies.
Nothing in this group is obtainable in Safer Seas. The mode has no other crews, no PvP, and no Hourglass, and it locks Reaper's Bones entirely, which blocks the unlock requirement as well.
Faction choice matters for completion
Allegiance splits between Servants of the Flame and Guardians of Fortune, tracked separately, and both banks survive a switch. What a switch costs is your active win streak.
For achievement completion the efficient route is still to pick one and drive it deep, since the streak commendations reward consecutive wins on a single side.
| Faction | Fed by |
|---|---|
| Servants of the Flame | Reaper's Bones loot and faction-agnostic items |
| Guardians of Fortune | Athena's Fortune loot |
Guardians runs slower before Pirate Legend, since Athena's loot is scarce outside Legend content and the Athena's Fortune Emissary Flag that battles auto-raise is Legend-locked. If you are not a Legend yet, Servants is the practical starting side.
Practical advice for the combat grind
Load your Faction Stash before queueing. Hourglass rewards scale with stash grade, so diving in empty pays significantly less for an identical win.
Chain shot first, always. A ship that cannot move cannot escape, and sinking counts are what most of this group tracks.
Do not neglect the streak. Consecutive wins pay progressively more, and several achievements track streaks, not total wins.
Practice in Custom Seas. Repeated ship fights with no loot at stake is exactly what Custom Seas was built for, and it is the fastest way to close the skill gap that this group demands.
The single highest-value drill is the anchor turn. Controlling whether a fight happens at close or long range decides most Hourglass matches, and the crew that reverses direction fastest controls that choice.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are the rarest combat achievements in Sea of Thieves?
Three sit at 0.1 percent global unlock: Oh Wow Kegs..., Don't Make Me Turn This Ship Around!, and Mobile Cannoneer, with Are You Even Trying?!, Crew of Bone and Blade, and Loyalist of the Flame at 0.2 percent. Much of that rarity is recency, since half the group arrived with Season 19 in March 2026, while the older commendation chains are the genuine long hauls.
Can you get PvP achievements in Safer Seas?
No, none of them. Safer Seas has no other crews, no PvP, and no Hourglass of Fate, and it locks Reaper's Bones entirely, which also blocks the reputation level 25 requirement needed to unlock the Hourglass in the first place.
Which Hourglass faction should you pick for achievements?
Servants of the Flame if you are not yet a Pirate Legend, because Athena's loot is scarce before Legend and the Athena's Fortune flag battles raise is Legend-locked. Allegiance banks separately per side and survives a switch, with only your active win streak lost, but streak commendations still reward driving one side deep.
How do you unlock the Hourglass of Fate?
Complete the Maiden Voyage, finish the introductory voyages for Gold Hoarders, Order of Souls, and Merchant Alliance, and reach Reaper's Bones reputation level 25. Selling any treasure at the Reaper's Hideout is the fastest way to that final requirement.
Where is the best place to practice for combat achievements?
Custom Seas. It allows repeated ship fights with no loot at risk and full control over conditions, which gives you far more practice per hour than the live game where a real fight might happen once an hour.
Do Last Ship Standing battles count toward combat achievements?
Yes, since patch 3.8.1. Nigh Unsinkable and A Sunken Century both progress there, and the Extinguished Commendation does too. Patch 3.8.0 also fixed the Fiery and Athena streak Commendations so they register when a crew with an active streak wins one.
Do you still have to cash in a Streak for the Champion commendations?
No. Patch 3.8.1 reworked Ferocious Warrior, In His Name, Best of the Best, and Pretty Good at This so they progress either by reaching the Allegiance Streak to become a Champion or by winning battles as a Champion, so holding the Streak no longer blocks them.
What to Read Next
- PvP and the Hourglass of Fate. Unlock path, faction choice, stash grades, and streak rewards in full.
- Last Ship Standing. The six-Sloop mode that now feeds several of these tracks.
- Ship Combat and Damage Control. Cannonball types, the repair order, and boarding defense.
- Custom Seas. The practice environment for closing the skill gap this group needs.
- Achievements Overview. All 293 Steam achievements and the full rarity picture.
- Trading Companies and Reputation. Getting Reaper's Bones to 25.