Sea of Thieves to Begin 48-Hour Beta This Weekend With Scale Test

Are you ready to set sail on the high seas yet again? Grab a bottle of rum and raise the mast, because the Sea of Thieves scale test is here to test the waters – and it starts very soon.

Sea of Thieves: GMT, EST and PST Start Times

The scale test, designed to get as many concurrent players on as possible and then see how (and if) the servers can handle it, begins February 16 at 10am GMT/5am EST/2am PST and ends 48 hours later on February 18 at 10am GMT/5am EST/2am PST.

Only those who had access to the original closed beta or are Xbox Insiders will be able to navigate their way through this one. Xbox Insiders will need to find their way to the Insider Hub on your dashboard and then install the Sea of Thieves scale test build.

Don’t expect things to go smooth sailing, however. Rare announced via their blog that they “expect – and plan – to see issues that [Rare] can learn from and address.”

Specific disruptions are expected to include issues when using in-game shops, inability to join certain games over the weekend and sessions generally being interrupted. Basically, don’t throw a hissy fit if the game isn’t working. It’s all part of the plan as Rare gear up for general release.

The actual contents of the Sea of Thieves scale test will be almost identical to that found in the closed beta. Namely, the Golden Hoarder trading company and their respective Voyages will be available.

If you’re not able to settle down for some swashbuckling this time around, you’ll be pleased to know that Rare have plans for an additional beta in the pipeline before Sea of Thieves hits PC and Xbox One on March 20.