How to find the Captain’s Key in Sea of Thieves

Here’s how to find a valuable key for these lost ships.

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The new Lost Shipment voyage type gives players the opportunity to get some great loot while participating in a large-scale scavenger hunt. The rewards are well worth the time it takes to complete the voyage, regardless of how much treasure you may already have. An optional, but very profitable part of the quest, is to find the Captain’s Key. The key belonged to the Captain of the Merchant Alliance ship you are searching for. It can be a bit difficult to find, but it will give you access to huge amounts of loot.

If you happen to forget to use it on the Captain’s Chest, you can sell the key to the Merchant Alliance or the Reaper’s Bones for 2500 gold. However, it is always better to use the key on the Captain’s Chest at the shipwreck. The chest contains a ton of loot worth much more than the key itself. Here is how to find the key while searching for the shipwreck.

Spotting the key

The Captain’s Key can show up at any location with a Clue for the voyage. The key will have a blue glint that will make it easier to spot among other floating debris. The key most often spawns at the first Clue site. It is usually floating along with the other debris from the shipwreck. If you don’t find it with the rest of the floating debris, check the area around the Merchant Barrel at the first Clue Site.

The key can sometimes spawn underwater and along the beach at other clue sites. If you haven’t found the key yet and end up at an island clue, try scouring the beach around the island. You should also dive beneath the water to search the area under and around any floating debris. As long as you keep an eye out for the key’s blue glint, you should be able to find it at any of the Clue Sites during the voyage.

Finding the treasure

Once you have the key, you can continue the voyage as normal to track down the shipwreck. Finding the wreck can be exceedingly difficult without the final clue; thankfully, it is easily noticeable when you finally come upon it. The wreck is slightly different from the others in the game. The main difference you will notice is the number of seagulls present. The wreck will have a much smaller flock of seagulls than you see on other wrecks. You will also hear different music when you dive down to explore it.

The Captain’s Chest will always spawn in the Captain’s Cabin. If at all possible, you shouldn’t leave the shipwreck until you have searched the entire cabin and opened the chest. The Captain’s Chest will have the best loot you can possibly get on the voyage. Between the Captain’s Key and the Merchant’s Manifest, the loot from this voyage can easily set up any new captain for the long haul.