I still remember the summer I first got my hands on an Ashen Winds skull. Now that it is 2026, Sea of Thieves has grown into something far larger, but back then the Ashen Winds update was right around the corner, and every crew on the waves was talking about one thing: a skull that could throw flames. I spent those long July evenings scanning the horizon for swirling clouds and tornadoes, convinced that the next Ashen Lord would be mine.

The big question was not just how to use the skull, but what to do with it. By default, it could work as a flamethrower, letting me run around tossing fire at skeletons and rival pirates alike. That alone was enough to make me giddy. But the Order of Souls faction was also willing to pay reputation and gold for it. The catch was obvious: I could not use up the skull and then sell it, because its value would drop the more I used it. That created a classic pirate dilemma.

🔥 Use the skull as a flamethrower for pure chaotic fun.

💰 Sell it to the Order of Souls for gold and reputation.

⚠️ Do not expect full value after you have already burned half the sea with it.

I wanted both rewards, so I started hoping we would be able to earn more than one skull. The event seemed likely to make that possible, though Rare had not officially revealed exactly what we would be doing or earning. Looking back, it would have been surprising if there was no way to earn multiple skull flamethrowers.

The update was originally set to arrive July 22, but technical issues pushed it back to July 29. At the time, that delay felt like an eternity. I remember groaning at the news, then immediately checking the official channels for more information. Rare announced that all players who logged in during July 15 to 21 would receive a gift to make up for the trouble: 200 doubloons and 60,000 gold. That silver lining definitely softened the wait.

Although most of the update information was still unknown, leaks had already started to spread. They showed achievements relating to defeating four types of Ashen Lords. Combined with images of clouds and tornadoes, we figured we would need to head toward those areas to spawn Ashen Lords and take them down. Presumably, that was how we would earn our flame-throwing skulls. With 15 million pirates having set sail, the seas suddenly felt crowded and dangerous in the best way.

There was more to look forward to once Ashen Winds arrived. The July 15 content update video was worth watching, especially because it revealed ongoing improvements to player accessibility. James Thomas, Lead Engineer for Sea of Thieves, discussed how far the team had come with features like color blind mode and speech detect. The next major addition would be single stick mode, a fantastic option for players who do not like or simply cannot use traditional console controllers. That feature was still a work in progress, however, and would not arrive with Ashen Winds.

Here is how I saw the choice at the time:

As I write this in 2026, I still smile at the memory. Sea of Thieves has added so much since then, but the Ashen Winds update gave me one of my favorite pirate stories: waiting out a delay, claiming apology doubloons, and finally chasing a flaming skull across the waves.