Ubisoft announces Skull and Bones is finally getting land combat, a kraken boss, and more

The open-world multiplayer piracy experience that Ubisoft launched last year, Skull and Bones, is about to enter its second year of content. The live service title just had an entire showcase with information on what's incoming with the upcoming seasons, and there are some big surprises, including land combat, a monster boss battle, a hunting overhaul, and much more.

Year 2 is kicking off this week with Season 1, and it's slated to bring the ability to upgrade and customize items using the Ascension mechanic, the Schooner as a brand-new medium-sized ship, and World Tiers for players looking for more challenge. In a mid-season update, the Death Tides competitive mode will land for players looking for PvP action as well.

Season 2 is dubbed Oaths of War, and it's landing sometime in summer 2025. This will bring along a Megafort activity for ships to band together and take down, a faction system, and the Frigate as a massive new ship to take down foes with.

Next, Season 3 is named Guts and Glory for a reason. The Fall 2025 releasing update will add actual land combat into the game for the first time. The current "land gameplay" implementation is something that is criticized a lot in Skull and Bones, something that Neowin's own review of the title touched on.

The exact nature of this feature is still unknown, but the footage shows the player character sword fighting and shooting enemies on the way to rescue a new NPC type while also encountering a zombie-like force.

Ubisoft is ending the year with the Eye of the Beast Season 4 update in Winter 2025. This will carry a hunting overhaul that involves using a dhow to take down monsters with spears, the Corvette as another large-sized ship, and an actual Kraken event as a boss.

Skull and Bones Year 2 Season 1 is launching April 15, and the patch notes for the update are already here. A patch is also being prepared to upgrade the game on PlayStation 5 Pro consoles. Lastly, a free weekend offer will be available from April 17 through 21, letting anyone on PC or consoles jump into the game at no cost.