Rare adds two new megalodons to Sea of Thieves, and one is on fire

A big part of the adventure in pirate sandbox Sea of Thieves is sailing around and running into random encounters, like another player, a grasping kraken, or a rundown skeleton sloop. One of the most unpredictable threats on the sea is the megalodon. These massive mega-sharks will show up along with an ominous musical cue, and circle a pirate’s ship menacingly until they decide if and when to strike. On Wednesday, Rare posted a silly video to X showing off a dangerous new threat on the high seas: two new megalodons, including one that’s encased in flames and eager to light your ship on fire.

This alarming development raises a few questions, first and foremost: wait, how did they get shakycam footage in Sea of Thieves? Shakycam implies the existence of a camera, which traditionally didn’t exist in pirate times. Also, while the extra danger of the Feared Redmaw megalodon variant is obvious — wooden ships don’t like being on fire — I’m curious to see what complications the other new megalodon featured in the trailer, dubbed the Barnacled Dread, brings to the table.

For more answers, we’ll have to wait until Feb. 20, when the new season of Sea of Thieves launches. The new season, called Wild Things, looks like it’ll give some love to the Hunter’s Call faction. It looks like we’ll get some new animals in the ecosystem, but none are scarier than these new megalodons. I, for one, hope they give my ship a wide berth.