Unlocking Ancient Riches: How to Farm Ancient Skeletons in Sea of Thieves

[Written by our own FoolishPirate (@folly1423)]

In the sandbox open world of Sea of Thieves, ancient skeletons offer some of the most lucrative rewards in the game. These rare and elusive foes drop Ancient Coins, a valuable currency that can be used to acquire exclusive items and cosmetics. Whether you’re a seasoned pirate looking to maximize your haul or a newcomer eager to learn the ropes, understanding where and how to find these ancient skeletons can make a significant difference in your treasure hunting adventures.

This guide will walk you through the different tiers of ancient skeletons, their spawn locations, behaviors, and effective strategies for maximizing your rewards. By following these tips and leveraging event boosts, you can enhance your chances of encountering and defeating these sought-after skeletons, ensuring that your crew sails away with a treasure trove of Ancient Coins.

What Can You Do with Ancient Coins?

Ancient Coins is the micro currency in Sea of Thieves, providing access to a range of exclusive items in the Pirate Emporium. With Ancient Coins, you can purchase rare cosmetics such as unique ship liveries, distinctive character outfits, and special weapon skins that make you stand out on the high seas. Additionally, you can use Ancient Coins to buy adorable pets that can accompany you on your adventures, adding a personal touch to your voyages. For fans of iconic pirates, the Pirate Emporium also offers the chance to roleplay as Jack Sparrow with special character cosmetics inspired by the beloved film series. These premium items enhance your gameplay experience and allow you to showcase your unique style and interests in the world of Sea of Thieves.

Ancient skeletons are categorized into three distinct tiers, each offering different levels of rewards:

• Stash Ancient Skeleton: This is the lowest tier of ancient skeletons. They are the most common of the three tiers but still provide valuable loot.
• Fortune Ancient Skeleton: This tier is more rare than the Stash tier and drops more Ancient Coins.
• Hoard Ancient Skeleton: The highest and the rarest tier of ancient skeletons, known for their largest rewards in Ancient Coins.

Spawn Locations

• General Locations: They have a higher spawn rate compared to the Shrouded Ghost but are still very rare. They can spawn in various locations where hostile mobs are found, including both safer seas and high seas. They can appear almost anywhere hostile mobs spawn.
• Special Events: During special events, such as the Sea of Thieves’ fifth anniversary weekend, the spawn rates for ancient skeletons were significantly increased, making them more common during the event.

Spawning Behavior

• Behavior Upon Spawning: When ancient skeletons first spawn, a distinct musical tune plays. They initially run away from players for a few seconds. If the player fails to kill the ancient skeleton within this time, it will dig into the ground and despawn.
• Damage Sources: Ancient skeletons can be harmed by standard weapons including:
  • Flintlock Pistol
  • Double Barrel Pistol
  • Eye of Reach
  • Cutlass
  • Throwing Knives
  • Blunder Bombs

However, they are immune to all forms of fire damage, so fire bombs are ineffective against them.

• Killing Ancient Skeletons: Ancient skeletons are pretty easy to kill, requiring 3 swipes of a cutlass, 2 flintlock shots or a blunderbuss shot to the face.
• Ancient Coins and Rewards

• Ancient Coin Drops: The amount of Ancient Coins dropped varies by tier:
  • Tier One (Ancient Skeleton’s Stash): 100-200 Ancient Coins
  • Tier Two (Ancient Skeleton’s Fortune): 200-400 Ancient Coins
  • Tier Three (Ancient Skeleton’s Hoard): 400-800 Ancient Coins
• Distribution of Coins: Ancient coins are received by everyone on the crew. Alliance members do not receive any ancient coins.
• Final Hit: The player who lands the final blow on the ancient skeleton is awarded the Ancient Coins. If another mob, such as a phantom, deals the final hit, the crew will not receive any coins from that skeleton.

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Additional Tips

• Avoid Fire-Based Attacks: Since ancient skeletons are immune to fire damage, avoid using fire bombs.
• Keep Watch for Other Mobs: Be aware of the presence of other hostile mobs that might interfere with your fight against the ancient skeleton and potentially claim the final hit.

Where Ancient Skeletons Can Not Spawn

Ancient skeletons can spawn almost everywhere hostile mobs can spawn, excluding the following locations that you see in the map above:

1. Sanctuary Outpost [Location on grid: F-7]
2. Port Merrick (Previously known as New Golden Sands Outpost) [Location on grid: D-10]
3. Plunder Outpost [Location on grid: J-18]
4. Ancient Spire Outpost [Location on grid: Q-17]
5. Galleon’s Grave Outpost [Location on grid: R-8]
6. Dagger Tooth Outpost [Location on grid: M-8]
7. Morrow’s Peak Outpost [Location on grid: V-17]
8. Reapers Hideout [Location on grid: I-12]
9. The Spoils of Plenty Store [Location on grid: B-7]
10. The North Star Seapost [Location on grid: H-10]
11. The Finest Trading Post [Location on grid: F-17]
12. Stephen’s Spoils [Location on grid: L-15]
13. Three Paces East Seapost [Location on grid: S-10]
14. The Wild Treasures Store [Location on grid: O-4]
15. Brian’s Bazaar [Location on grid: Y-12]
16. Roaring Traders [Location on grid: U-20]
17. The Pirate Legend Hideout

Apart from these locations, ancient skeletons can spawn anywhere else.

Best Locations for Spawning Ancient Skeletons

• Skeleton Forts: One trick to farming ancient skeletons is to go to the nearest inactive skeleton fort and wait there for RNG to bless you. Skeleton forts are special islands where only skeletons spawn during world events marked by a skull-shaped cloud above the fort. This makes skeleton forts the best method for passive ancient skeleton farming.

Skeleton Fort Locations:

• The Crow’s Nest Fortress [Location on grid: O-17]
• Skull Keep [Location on grid: P-9]
• Shark Fin Camp [Location on grid: P-5]
• Sailor’s Knot Stronghold [Location on grid: E-14]
• Molten Sands Fortress [Location on grid: Z-11]
• Lost Gold Fort [Location on grid: H-17]
• Kraken Watchtower [Location on grid: L-6]
• Keel Haul Fort [Location on grid: C-6]
• Hidden Spring Keep [Location on grid: I-8]
• Fort of the Damned [Location on grid: L-14]

After reaching your destination, dock your vessel and watch a movie on another tab or screen. Ancient skeletons despawn after 20 seconds of spawning, so be quick! A distinct musical tune plays whenever they spawn, which you can listen for here: Ancient Skeleton Music CLEAN/EXTENDED on YouTube

• Shores of Gold: This is another good place to find ancient skeletons. Shores of Gold is located at the very north-east of the map and is accessible only through the Shores of Gold tall tale. Complete all 8 tall tales to access it.
• Sea Forts: Be cautious, as sea forts have 3 floors and can be confusing to navigate. They are also filled with phantoms who might steal your ancient coins.

Given the past boosted spawn rated during Sea of Thieves’ 5th anniversary community event, it’s reasonable to speculate that the developers might employ a similar strategy for future events. As anniversaries and special milestones are excellent opportunities to celebrate and reward dedicated players, we might see increased ancient skeleton spawn rates or similar enhancements during future events to maintain that high level of enthusiasm and participation. If Sea of Thieves repeats this boost in the future, you can maximize your ancient skeleton spawns with a strategic approach. Set sail on a Galleon (4-player ship) and have each player station themselves at different inactive skeleton forts. This method ensures that you’re covering multiple potential spawn points simultaneously. If you don’t have friends who play Sea of Thieves, don’t worry—visit the official Sea of Thieves Discord server and post a “Looking for Group” request. You’ll likely receive direct messages from players eager to join your crew within minutes!

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By understanding the various tiers of ancient skeletons and their respective rewards, you can refine your approach to maximize the amount of Ancient Coins you collect. Taking advantage of special events and targeting low-risk, high-reward locations such as Skeleton Forts and Shores of Gold will significantly improve your chances of success.

Stay alert for the unique musical cue that signals an ancient skeleton’s appearance and coordinate effectively with your crew or other players to cover multiple spawn points. With these tactics, you’ll transform ancient skeleton hunting into a lucrative and thrilling pursuit.

Keep an eye out for future event announcements, as developers may boost spawn rates again, providing even more opportunities to amass riches. Set sail with confidence, and may your voyages be ever profitable in your quest for ancient wealth!

Hope this guide helped you!

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