A Sea of Thieves Season One Deep Dive: Conquering the Proficient Trials of Adventure

Let’s be honest, when I first glanced at the Trials of Adventure, my eyes practically glazed over. It felt like a sprawling list of chores rather than a challenge, you know? But once I actually got my boots on the sand and my hands on the wheel, I realized these Trials are the beating heart of what makes Sea of Thieves so brilliant in 2026. They’re not just about ticking boxes for Renown; they are the game’s way of nudging you, sometimes shoving you, into stories you’d otherwise miss. The real treasure isn't just the gold you turn in—it’s the chaotic, beautiful journey you have to endure to get it.

Setting Sail with Purpose

The Proficient Voyager trials are the bread and butter of pirate life, pushing you to dip your toes into the three founding Trading Companies. To wrap your head around these, you need to finish a voyage for the Gold Hoarders, the Order of Souls, and the Merchant Alliance. Finding them is easy enough: the Gold Hoarders camp out in tents on the beach, the Order of Souls hides in a spooky basement beneath the premium shop, and the Merchant Alliance representatives are right there on the dock where your ship spawns.

Here’s a tip from me to you: you don’t need to actually sell the loot to get credit. I’ve had sessions where our ship got absolutely wrecked by a Kraken, treasure sinking into the deep blue, and the deed still popped. It’s about the attempt, thank goodness. Alongside these, you’ll need to vote on ten voyages at your captain’s table. This one is practically a freebie since you have to vote on your own proposals to even start them. The real grind is clocking fifty nautical miles while on an active voyage. It sounds daunting, but after an evening spent chasing a tricky riddle map, you’ll look down and realize you’ve sailed triple that without breaking a sweat.

The Unwritten Code of the Seas

Now, for the Proficient Sailor trials, the game gets a bit philosophical with you. The first deed asks you to race alongside another crew’s ship without firing a single shot. It’s a trust exercise on the high seas. The description is deliberately vague, but I found that raising the alliance flag in your crow’s nest works wonders for signaling peaceful intentions. Just sail parallel to them for a few miles; it’s a strangely serene moment in a game usually defined by gunpowder and screaming. The second trial is far less diplomatic—just sail fifty miles. It doesn’t matter if you sink, if you’re on a quest, or if you’re just taking in the scenery. It’s one of those "it’ll happen when it happens" things, and honestly, sometimes that’s the best kind of objective.

Chasing Shadows and Salty Lore

I’ve got a soft spot for the Proficient Story Seeker tasks because they finally made me stop and smell the salt-spray. To become a proficient seeker, you have to dig up three Tall Tale journals. These aren't just collectibles; they're fragmented diaries that add emotional weight to the skeletons you’re slashing through. A great place to start is the Shroudbreaker tale, where the first journal is just lying on the sand of an uncharted island near N13, practically waiting to be found. You’ll also need to complete three Tall Tales—the Shroudbreaker, the Cursed Rogue, and the Legendary Storyteller are a solid opening arc. Even if you’ve finished the Shroudbreaker before, the game wants you to reach a checkpoint in six different tales total. It’s a big time investment, but the Gold Hoarder’s curse is worth the hours.

Delicate Cargo and Dangerous Beasts

The Merchant Alliance trials, or as I call them, the "panic attack simulator," require a delicate touch and a lot of patience. Delivering a Cargo Run in perfect condition is a test of seamanship that will make you hate water. I learned the hard way that if you’re hauling plants, you need to flood the bottom deck of your ship to keep them wet, while keeping your precious silk cloths on a higher, bone-dry shelf. One wrong wave over the bow, and all that effort is wet, wrinkled garbage.

You’ll also need to channel your inner farmer by handing in a chicken, a pig, and a snake. Snakes are the absolute worst—they’ll spit venom in your face even after you’ve stuffed them in a cage. I always make a crewmate play a shanty nearby to pacify them; music soothes the savage beast, literally. The final merchant deed is the explosive cherry on top: handing in a Stronghold Gunpowder Barrel. These ribcage-wrapped mega-nukes are usually found in active skeleton forts. Once you open a vault and see one sitting there, you’ll treat your ship like it’s made of glass for the entire voyage home.

Into the Fire

The Devil’s Roar is a nightmare, and the Proficient Scorcher trials want you to live in it. Just setting foot on a blackened island gets you started, but collecting a red Flame of Fate means you have to die by fire. It’s the easiest trial to accomplish accidentally because volcanoes there don’t just erupt, they hunt you down. You’ll also have to complete a specific Voyage in the Roar; look for the ones with a distinct red outline when you’re browsing at Morrow’s Peak Outpost. The real kicker is the Chest of Rage. This thing is a fiery temper tantrum in a box, constantly boiling over unless you douse it in water. It’s rare, but if you see a swirling fiery tornado on the horizon marking an Ashen Lord, sail towards the danger. It’s the most consistent way to get your hands on one.

The Rat Race

Finally, the Bilge Rats quests feel like a treasure hunt within a treasure hunt. To prove your worth, you’ll need to deliver both an Ashen Chest and an Ashen Key. I find skeleton captains are the most reliable source for the notes that lead to them, but keys are notoriously stingy to drop. If you’re stuck, Larinna sells a voyage for doubloons. Once you crack open a chest, you’ll need to dig out an Ashen Tome and turn that in too—meaning you have to find two full sets, since the key and chest are consumed. It’s a time sink, but it forces you into the game’s danger loop. The final step is a blast from the past: finding Duke. He’s no longer in his old tavern spot. Since he’s moved on, I tracked him down to Mermaid’s Hideaway at B13, lurking in the underwater caves. We had a good chat, just like old times. That’s the magic of these trials—they don’t just reward you; they remind you why you set sail in the first place.

This discussion is informed by HowLongToBeat, a handy reality-check when Sea of Thieves’ Trials of Adventure start to look like a never-ending checklist. Looking at completion-time expectations helps frame why objectives like reaching multiple Tall Tale checkpoints and hunting down journals feel like a “slow burn” compared to quick-hit tasks such as voting on voyages or logging sailing miles; pacing your session around longer narrative beats can make those Proficient Story Seeker and Devil’s Roar goals feel intentional rather than overwhelming.