Skull and Bones update 1.3 patch notes introduces open-world PVP

Brandon Moore

Brandon Moore

Ubisoft has published the Skull and Bones update 1.3 patch notes, with details on open-world PVP, quality of life changes, and more.

The first year of Skull and Bones kicked off with Season 1: Raging Tides. Now, Skull and Bones delivers its 1.3 update, with loaded patch notes. As Raging Tides rages on, this update brings much needed, and requested, changes to the game.

From challenging other pirates to PVP to re-enabling in-game chat features, there's a lot to be excited about with this one.

When is the Skull and Bones update 1.3 maintenance time?

If you aren't aware of the patch coming, then you might be surprised to find the Skull and Bones servers are down. Here is when it takes place, all at the same time, but we've got various time zones for you:

  • March 19 - 3 a.m. CET
  • March 19 - 1 p.m AET
  • March 18 - 7 p.m. PT

Ubisoft estimates the maintenance for Skull and Bones update 1.3 will take two hours.

Highlights the Skull and Bones update 1.3 patch notes

There is a ton to unpack from the Skull and Bones update 1.3 patch notes. You can read the full notes, but we'll have the important parts here for you.

(Image via Ubisoft)
(Image via Ubisoft)

Extension of Season 1

  • Season 1: Raging Tides is now a week longer than originally intended. The entire first season runs for 13 weeks now, instead of 12.

Voice and Text Chat

  • Group voice chat, group text chat, and world text chat are re-enabled.

Open-World PVP and other PVP changes

  • Players can now opt-in for PVP before setting sail from an outpost or den
    • Toggle the PVP FLAG ON option
    • Ship Rank is ignored during Open-World PVP
    • PVP FLAG ON players can see all others with the option on the map, marked with a red skull
  • Matchmaking criteria updates will put likely PVP players in servers with other likely PVP players
  • Several damage matrices changes for PVP damage and repair functions

Activities and Events updates

  • Players can now only opt-in to Cutthroat Cargo during the pre-event countdown
  • Fast travel is disabled during Cutthroat Cargo activity
  • Removed the speed debuff for Cutthroat Cargo and Helm Wager carriers

On top of all of this, there's is a long list of fixes. UI, controls, contracts, audio, and everything in between has a bug fix attached to it. Read all of that in the official notes, but enjoy the highlights we've shared as they are massive changes coming with Skull and Bones update 1.3.

Stay tuned to esports.gg for more esports news and Skull and Bones coverage.