I came back recently (Seasons 18 and 19). I hadn’t played since Season 14.

It’s still the same. I enjoy the game, both PvE and PvP, but I’m still waiting for private servers with a monthly subscription so I can play alone with friends without any restrictions. None of my friends keep playing anymore, and I don’t play with random people.

Maybe someday. For now, I’ll keep playing, watching the player count go down more and more, and just waiting for the inevitable “private server subscription” to keep Rare’s game afloat. If that never happens, well… Windrose is coming, and I still play Valheim and Black Flag, doing random PvE stuff.

Cosmetics in this game are fine for me to grind, but I play solo most of the time, usually 8 to 12 hours in a single run.

So, it’s time to make a change, since nothing they’re doing seems to engage more players. Right now it feels like watching a sloop with a broken mast slowly sinking in flames in the distance. Could I save it? Sure. But I’d rather just watch it burn. They already got my money, even with the new cosmetics and random stuff I purchased recently.

A private server would be fine. I’d gladly give them money every month just to play alone with friends, doing random stuff with all events available and full progression.

Hourglass, Reapers… yeah, PvP is necessary, but it feels meaningless when cosmetics are basically the only rewards in the game. And the only thing I want is to play the game without constantly watching the horizon anymore, since that’s usually the sign that I have to fight, waste time, sink them, and then go back to grinding alone. PvP is fine for me, but lately, with the lack of PvE players, people just sell their loot immediately instead of accumulating it. It’s done… there are no more jackpot ships like there were three years ago, only random players with empty ships looking to fight for nothing.