How to Get Free Gold in Sea of Thieves

Sea of Thieves (Rare/Xbox Game Studios) is a pirate game centered on cooperative sea exploration, and its economy rests on two entirely separate currencies. Ancient Coins are the premium currency: bought with real money and used in the Pirate Emporium, where cosmetics, pets and emotes are sold. Gold, on the other hand, is the currency that actually drives the game: it's earned by playing, without spending a euro, and it's used to buy ships, outfits, cosmetic upgrades and voyages from the various faction shops. This guide focuses on Gold, because it's the resource you can genuinely farm. We'll cover the most profitable methods according to the community and the official wiki: Trading Company voyages (Gold Hoarders, Order of Souls, Merchant Alliance), Tall Tales, Skeleton Forts, Emissaries and world events. We'll also tell you straight up what's up with free Ancient Coins: there's barely any real route beyond Seasons and the occasional special event.

What's the fastest way to get Gold in Sea of Thieves?

We've gathered and verified every real method for getting free Gold, ranked from most to least profitable based on the time they take and what you can actually earn from each. No tricks, no generators — just the game's own mechanics.

Thousands of Gold per full run Variable

Skeleton Forts and the Fort of the Damned

Skeleton Forts and their special version, the Fort of the Damned, are among the highest-reward events in the game: hordes of skeletons defending a vault packed with chests, cargo crates and Reaper's Bones coins. They can be done solo with patience or with a crew to go faster. The loot sells for more with an Order of Souls or Gold Hoarders Emissary flag raised, and if you're also sailing as a Reaper's Bones Emissary you can sell the fort's exclusive loot for an extra bonus at the Reaper's Hideout. Profitability depends a lot on your crew's skill and whether other crews are contesting the fort.

Variable, hundreds to thousands of Gold per voyage Daily

Gold Hoarders voyages

Gold Hoarders is the most classic Trading Company: you buy a voyage at their outpost, follow a treasure map (sometimes with riddles or coordinates) and dig up chests of Royal Gold. It's the most accessible method for new players because it requires no combat. The payout per chest varies with its rarity and size, and increases with your reputation (rank) in the faction. Raising the Gold Hoarders Emissary flag to Grade V adds up to a +150% bonus to loot value when sold at their outpost, considerably multiplying earnings from a long session.

Variable, based on captains defeated Daily

Order of Souls voyages (killing skeletons for skulls)

Order of Souls pays for defeating special skeleton captains and collecting their skulls, which are sold at their outpost. It's a combat-focused method with melee and firearms, ideal for those who prefer action over exploration. Golden skulls and special captain skulls (like those from the Fort of Fortune or Skeleton Fleets) give much more Gold than common ones. As with the other factions, raising the Order of Souls Emissary flag significantly boosts the payout when selling loot at their hideout.

Variable, steady income per voyage Daily

Merchant Alliance voyages (deliveries and animals)

Merchant Alliance offers cargo voyages: hauling crates of goods, fruit, chickens, pigs or goats between islands and trading posts without them spoiling or dying. It's one of the calmest, most predictable methods, perfect for crews who don't want to pick fights with other pirates. The payout scales with the amount of cargo delivered in good condition and with the reputation rank reached in the faction; the Merchant Alliance Emissary flag also applies the up-to-+150% bonus when selling at their outpost.

Fixed reward per chapter, one-time per story One-time

Tall Tales

Tall Tales are the game's narrative campaigns (Shores of Gold, A Pirate's Life, Legend of Monkey Island, etc.). Each completed chapter grants a fixed Gold reward, plus Doubloons and exclusive cosmetics unavailable any other way. They're not repeatable for recurring Gold farming (with a few one-off exceptions), but they're a solid extra as you progress through the story for the first time, and some also grant faction reputation that helps raise your Emissary flag.

Variable, occasional loot Variable

World events and Skeleton Ships

Sailing the open world you may run into emergent events: Skeleton Ship fleets, skeleton storms on islands, krakens, megalodons or floating shipwrecks with crates. They're not a steady Gold source because they depend on chance, but they complement any voyage route well: if you're on your way to an objective and cross paths with a Skeleton Ship, it's worth stopping to sink it and collect its crates.

How much free Gold can you get per month?

Source	Estimated amount	Frequency
Estimated total	Not quantifiable	—

Gold in Sea of Thieves has no monthly cap and no reliable officially-verified 'Gold per hour' figure: it depends on the type of voyage, your Emissary rank, crew size, group skill and luck with emergent events. Be wary of figures like '500,000 Gold/hour' circulating on unofficial blogs; those are estimates from expert players under ideal conditions, not a realistic average.

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Frequently asked questions

Can you get free Ancient Coins in Sea of Thieves?

Very few, and only in limited ways. The main free route is leveling up your Season Renown, which grants occasional Chests and Ancient Coin Stashes; buying the (paid) Plunder Pass multiplies that amount. They can also occasionally drop from special events, Twitch Drops or Xbox/Microsoft Rewards. Beyond that, the normal way to obtain them is buying them with real money for the Pirate Emporium.

What's the fastest way for a beginner pirate to earn Gold?

Gold Hoarders voyages are the best entry point: they require no combat, teach you to read treasure maps, and pay Gold steadily. Once you have more experience, combining Skeleton Forts with the matching faction's Emissary flag raised multiplies earnings per session considerably.

Is it worth raising your Emissary flag before selling loot?

Yes, almost always. The Emissary system boosts loot sale value by up to +150% at Grade V for the main Trading Companies (less for Guilds, capped at +75%). Stockpiling loot and selling it with a high-grade Emissary flag raised, instead of selling little by little with no flag, is the biggest difference in Gold/hour any crew can apply.

How to get free Gold in Sea of Thieves