The Endless Sea: why it isn't in B21, and what's coming soon
Captains! Our 2026 roadmap promised an expansion of the Endless Sea in B21, but we couldn't deliver it in time. We know many of you were looking forward to it, and a delay is always a letdown. The Endless Sea will be released no earlier than spring 2027. Below, we explain why this happened and what's coming before spring.
Why the delay
We've heard it from you many times: you want more to do, more room to roam, and more reasons to put to sea. We gather this feedback from various platforms and social media, read it, and discuss it as a team. The Endless Sea is our biggest answer to it.
Once we started putting it all together, it became clear that requests like these can't be answered with a regular update; they call for a whole new layer of the game. We want the Endless Sea to launch big, complete and cohesive, as a new part of the world with plenty to do from day one. We don't want to release half of it and finish the rest on the fly.
What the Endless Sea is
You know the Archipelago: an alternate version of the Age of Sail world. A group of islands that a mysterious Cataclysm cut off from Europe a couple of centuries ago. Ever since, the Archipelago has been surrounded by the Endless Sea: uncharted, dangerous and full of secrets.
Concept art. Actual gameplay and interface may differ
With the update, the Archipelago becomes your base: a relatively safe zone from which you'll set out on forays into this mysterious world. Find out what happened. Work out whether there's a way out. And bring back what captains risk everything for: rubicore, a heavy red metal hidden in the depths of the Endless Sea.
What we have in mind—and why it changes the game
We're not just adding a new zone. We're building a fundamentally different gameplay experience. Here are the six pillars the Endless Sea stands on:
1. Different atmosphere, different rules. Forget the Archipelago you know. The Endless Sea looks, sounds and feels different. This isn't an expansion. It's another world.
2. Brutal forays, no safety net. Roguelite and extraction elements. Head out, and you risk everything. Lose your cargo, and you've lost it all. Progress makes you stronger, but not safer.
3. Co-op that actually matters. The new mechanics only truly come into their own in a team. Extracting rubicor together, coordinating roles while hunting monsters or Titans, covering your allies: everyone has a part to play here.
4. A new progression track. New upgrades, new specialists, new guild progression cycles. Buildcrafting with real room to grow.
5. Mystery and the spirit of exploration. Minimal magic, a strong sense of “another world.” The lore unfolds through artifacts, NPS (game-controlled ships), story quests and Points of Interest. We won't tell you the story—you'll discover it yourself.
6. Content for everyone. PvP, PvE, solo play: everyone will find something to keep them busy for dozens, even hundreds, of hours.
Concept art showing key level design elements of the Endless Sea
Current status of the Endless Sea
At this stage, we're wrapping up the design and handing tasks over to production: artists are drawing, modelers are building assets, game designers are assembling prototypes. There's a lot of work ahead. By our estimates, as we said at the very beginning, the release won't come before spring 2027.
What's coming before spring
A faster update cycle. While the Endless Sea is in development, the rest of the game isn't standing still. We're changing our release cycle: updates will now come out every 1.5 months, twice as often as before, with a stronger focus on content. Our team works on both in parallel, and you'll feel the difference.
Coming up next:
Halloween event. Ready and launching on October 24.
Christmas and New Year event. In the works.
Post-B21 adjustments. We're reviewing your feedback on aiming, ship roles and Elite Status, and we'll share our decisions separately.
An overhaul of the daily missions and quests system.
New ship skills.
Mac port. We're finally getting it over the line. Good news for anyone who's often on the road with a MacBook.
Localization overhaul. The game is about to truly speak your language: a fresh translation, consistent terms and lively, natural text.
What should we cover first?
From here on, we'll be revealing the Endless Sea piece by piece in our Dev Diaries. The first one comes out in November. You decide where we start. The first topics are:
The world of the Endless Sea: what the Cataclysm was and what lies beyond the horizon
Navigation in the Endless Sea: outpost mechanics, the madness plague and the crew clarity meter
Crimson plankton and rubicor: why take the risk, and what you stand to gain
Monsters, anomalies and Imperial Titans
Post the number in the comments, and we'll start with the most popular topic. And tell us what you're hoping for from the Endless Sea. The more detail you give, the better we'll understand what matters most to you.
Captains, the Endless Sea has grown largely out of your wishes, and we want you to see it take shape. See you at sea!
The World of Sea Battle team
