| Gunpowder Barrel | |
|---|---|
| |
| Details | |
| Type | Explosive |
| Company |  Merchant Alliance
|
| Sell to | Senior Traders or The Servant of the Flame |
| Base Gold Reward | 100 - 200 
|
| Base Commissioned Reward | 500 - 1000
|
| Emissary Value | 432 |
| Commissioned Emissary Value | 2160 |
A Gunpowder Barrel is a type of explosive in Sea of Thieves that can be carried and detonated. Gunpowder Barrels can be commissioned by the Merchant Alliance as part of a Trade Good Commission, for which an increased reward is offered for the barrels.
Gunpowder Barrels are found scattered all over the Seas or carried by Gunpowder Skeletons.
Where to find[]
- Gunpowder Barrels are dropped by Gunpowder Skeletons when killed with caution:
- Chance to encounter as Emergent Skeletons
- Chance to encounter as Skeletons emerging after digging up Treasure
- Chance to encounter as any type of Crew Skeletons during Bounty Map Quests or Voyages
- Chance to encounter as Shadows of Fate during two waves of the Fort of the Damned Raid
- Chance to encounter in large numbers during a Gilded Voyage of Legends
- ~8 Gunpowder Barrels can be found stashed on every Fortress Island
- Chance to find hidden on Islands, excluding Outposts, Seaposts
- Chance to find beached on the shorelines of Islands, excluding Outposts, Seaposts
- Chance to find among Barrels of Plenty floating on the open Seas
- Chance to find on emergent Skeleton Ships (never in Skeleton Fleet Ships)
- Chance to find inside sunken Shipwrecks on the seas
- 2-4 are found inside completed Skeleton Fort Vaults
- 3 are found inside completed Fort of the Damned Raid Vault
- Chance to dig up from the time-limited Black Powder Stashes Mercenary Voyages.
Usage[]
Primary Use of a barrel in hand will light a 5 second fuse to detonate, but can be cancelled by Secondary Use. The barrel can be picked up whilst the fuse is lit.
The barrel will immediately detonate if shot by a player, struck, caught in an explosion, or upon contact with the outside of a ship hull. The explosion will damage all nearby pirates and Creatures (based on distance) within 10 paces of the detonating barrel, and put 4 holes into the hull of any nearby Ship as well as breaking nearby ship parts such as the Mast or the Wheel. Other barrels in the area will explode depending on the distance.
Rewards[]
Gunpowder Barrels can be sold to:
- Merchant Alliance Senior Traders stationed at the docks of Outposts for Gold and Merchant Alliance Reputation and Emissary Value (if sailing as a Merchant Alliance Emissary)
- The Servant of the Flame at The Reaper’s Hideout for Gold and Reaper's Bones Reputation and Emissary Value (if sailing as a Reaper's Bones Emissary)
The following is the reward chart for the sold Barrel when not commissioned:
| Emissary Grade | Gold (Min.) | Gold (Max.) | Emissary Value |
|---|---|---|---|
| No Emissary | 100
|
200
|
0 |
| I | 100
|
200
|
432 |
| II | 133
|
266
|
574.56 |
| III | 167
|
334
|
721.44 |
| IV | 200
|
400
|
864 |
| V | 250
|
500
|
1080 |
And the following is the reward chart for the sold Barrel when commissioned by the Merchant Alliance:
| Emissary Grade | Gold (Min.) | Gold (Max.) | Emissary Value |
|---|---|---|---|
| No Emissary | 500
|
1,000
|
0 |
| I | 500
|
1,000
|
2160 |
| II | 665
|
1,330
|
2872.8 |
| III | 835
|
1,670
|
3607.2 |
| IV | 1,000
|
2,000
|
4320 |
| V | 1,250
|
2,500
|
5400 |
Notes[]
- Picking up and placing Gunpowder Barrels on a Ship for the first time does not give Emissary Grade Reputation to Trading Company Emissaries. Only selling a Barrel as part of a Trade Good Commission offers Emissary Grade Reputation as Merchant Alliance Emissaries.
- Gunpowder Barrels do not emit a Glint or Glow from a distance.
- Storing Gunpowder Barrels in the Crow's Nest or on top of a sail maximizes safety, preventing the likelihood of being destroyed during a fight and causing minimal damage to the ship (not including the Stronghold Gunpowder Barrel). Be wary that an exploding Gunpowder Barrel on top of a Crow's Nest will break the Masts. Be careful when using this tactic on a sloop, as a successfully detonated Gunpowder Barrel can leave you without a Mast until it is re-raised.
- Ship collision will not detonate the barrel while carried in hand, however sailing into one even slowly will cause the barrel to detonate.
- Gunpowder Barrels can be grabbed with a Harpoon, even from the hands of Pirates and Skeletons.
- A harpooned Gunpowder Barrel may explode if grabbed at an angle that causes its geometry to intersect the ship's.
- Blowing up a Gunpowder Barrel in your hand on a Ship will count as a Cannonball hit, meaning that a player can destroy a Skeleton Ship with a Keg and it will count as a kill.
- Gunpowder Barrels will blow up if they are within the area of effect of a thrown Throwable.
- A Gunpowder Barrel held by a player or Skeleton who is on fire will explode after a short period of time.
Commendations[]
Merchant Alliance Commendations:
- Black Powder Merchant → Deliver 100 Gunpowder Kegs on schedule
- Precious Commodities → Deliver 600 Merchant Alliance Consignments while flying the Merchant Alliance Emissary Flag.
- Prestigious Merchant → Deliver 320 Merchant Alliance Consignments while flying a Grade 5 Merchant Alliance Emissary Flag.
- Cargo Captured → Deliver 480 Merchant Alliance Consignments to the Reaper's Bones
- Plundered Prizes → Sell 600 of any Trading Company items while flying the Reaper's Bones Emissary Flag.
- Fearless Reaper → Sell 320 of any Trading Company items while flying a Grade 5 Reaper's Bones Emissary Flag.
Gunpowder Skeletons Commendations:
- Skeleton Exploder → Kill 3 Bone Skeletons at the same time by Shooting a Gunpowder Skeleton. (3 times) | 5
- Master Skeleton Exploder → Kill 3 Bone Skeletons at the same time by Shooting a Gunpowder Skeleton. (10 times) | 10
- Plant Skeleton Exploder → Kill 3 Plant Skeletons at the same time by Shooting a Gunpowder Skeleton. (3 times) | 5
- Master Plant Skeleton Exploder → Kill 3 Plant Skeletons at the same time by Shooting a Gunpowder Skeleton. (10 times) | 10
- Gold Skeleton Exploder → Kill 3 Gold Skeletons at the same time by Shooting a Gunpowder Skeleton. (3 times) | 5
- Master Gold Skeleton Exploder → Kill 3 Gold Skeletons at the same time by Shooting a Gunpowder Skeleton. (10 times) | 10
- Shadow Skeleton Exploder → Kill 3 Shadow Skeletons at the same time by Shooting a Gunpowder Skeleton. (3 times) | 5
- Master Shadow Skeleton Exploder → Kill 3 Shadow Skeletons at the same time by Shooting a Gunpowder Skeleton. (10 times) | 10
- Legendary Skeleton Exploder → Kill 3 Bone Skeletons at the same time by Shooting a Gunpowder Skeleton. (50 times) | 10 | 10
- Chain Reaction → Set off a chain reaction between Gunpowder Skeletons. | 20
- Legendary Chain Reaction → Set off a chain reaction between Gunpowder Skeletons. (50 times) | 20
- Gunpowder Plot → Destroy 5 Skeletons at the same time by Shooting a Gunpowder Skeleton on an active Skeleton Fort; while at least 1 other Crew is on the Island at the same time. | 20
- Legendary Gunpowder Plot → Destroy 5 Skeletons at the same time by Shooting a Gunpowder Skeleton on an active Skeleton Fort; while at least 1 other Crew is on the Island at the same time. (20 times) | 20
Black Powder Stashes Commendations:
- Gunpowder for Gold → Sell 20 Gunpowder Barrels to the Gold Hoarders. (time-limited) 5
- Munitions for the Mystics → Sell 20 Gunpowder Barrels to the Order of Souls. (time-limited) 5
- Bang for your Buck → Sell 20 Gunpowder Barrels to the Merchant Alliance. (time-limited) 5
- Golden Benefactor → Complete all (45) Mermaid Gem and Black Powder sales quotas for the Gold Hoarders. (time-limited) 15
- Mystic Benefactor → Complete all (45) Mermaid Gem and Black Powder sales quotas for the Order of Souls. (time-limited) 15
- Merchant Benefactor → Complete all (45) Mermaid Gem and Black Powder sales quotas for the Merchant Alliance. (time-limited) 15
Pirate Chat[]
Here is the Pirate Chat Wheel of the Barrel:
Patch history[]
- 2.4.0 (December 2, 2021)
- While many treasure items found across the Sea of Thieves can be buried, sneaky pirates might also choose to bury Gunpowder Barrels to create traps for whoever digs them up.
- 2.0.22 (February 18, 2021)
- Exploding a Gunpowder Barrel on the crow’s nest should now damage the mast.
- 2.0.19.2 (November 18, 2020)
- Being killed by a crewmate with a Gunpowder Barrel will no longer allow players to collect the pink flame from the Well of Fates on the Ferry of the Damned.
- 2.0.19 (October 28, 2020)
- Emergent locations on Discovery Ridge for Gunpowder Barrels have been updated to ensure they can be reached by players.
- 2.0.17 (July 29, 2020)
- Gunpowder Kegs being carried by rival players while they climb a ladder can be blown up.
- 2.0.13 (March 12, 2020)
- Explosions caused by Gunpowder Barrels will now display hit notifications in the same manner as explosions from cannonballs.
- 2.0.10 (December 11, 2019)
- Firebombs no longer cause a Gunpowder Keg to ignite when exploding underwater.
- 2.0.9 (November 20, 2019)
- Gunpowder Kegs on Fire? – Firebombs, Ship fires and even Campfires can now be used to ignite a Gunpowder Keg, causing them to explode instantly.
- Gunpowder Barrels now create fires.
- Gunpowder Kegs spawned inside the Fort vault will no longer explode if a nearby keg is detonated prior to the vault being opened.
- 2.0.8 (October 16, 2019)
- When igniting a chain of Gunpowder Kegs, they will now explode in chain order.
- UNDOCUMENTED: Chain detonation timing increased to 1 second from 0.
- 2.0.7 (September 11, 2019)
- Improvements have been made to ensure hitting gunpowder kegs at range is more consistent with ranged weapons.
- Explosive Damage on Ships – When ships are affected by explosions (gunpowder kegs, volcanic rocks etc.) they now use a new more realistic damage model using an inner and outer blast radius. This new setup ensures that greater damage is applied closer to the explosion, and less damage further away.
- UNDOCUMENTED: Chain detonation timing reduced to 0 second from 1.
- 2.0.6 (August 14, 2019)
- Harpoon That Keg! – Harpoons can now latch onto gunpowder kegs to enable you to pull them back to your ship.
- When placed on a moving ship, gunpowder kegs will once again take damage from sword attacks.
- 2.0.5 (July 17, 2019)
- Resolved a stability issue causing Gunpowder Barrel and Stronghold Kegs to sometimes explode during server migration.
- 2.0.4 (June 19, 2019)
- Gunpowder Kegs spawned under the Molten Sands Fortress watchtower can now be picked up.
- 2.0.2 (May 23, 2019)
- Harpooning a Gunpowder Skeleton – Latching on to a gunpowder keg from a gunpowder skeleton will now detonate the keg on impact.
- Gunpowder keg explosions will now have the correct VFX in underwater caves.
- 1.4.1 (December 12, 2018)
- 1.4.0 (November 28, 2018)
- Gunpowder Barrels - Explosions from Gunpowder Barrels now damage Kraken tentacles.
- If there is a Gunpowder Barrel explosion inside a Skeleton Fort, it will no longer cause Gunpowder Barrels within the vault to explode.
- 1.3.2 (October 31, 2018)
- Explosion VFX correctly occurs when a gunpowder barrel is held by a player/skeleton and it explodes.
- 1.3.1 (October 10, 2018)
- Rowboat Damage - Increased damage now taken by Rowboats from Gunpowder Barrels.
- 1.1.5 (July 4, 2018)
- VFX for lighting a gunpowder barrel now correctly appear connected to the fuse.
- 1.1.4 (June 28, 2018)
- Explosive Force - When detonated, gunpowder kegs now have the force to rock and push ships.
- Fuses - When holding a gunpowder keg, players can now light a five-second fuse by pressing the primary action button (Right Trigger on controller or left click on mouse).
- 1.0.7 (May 15, 2018)
- Gunpowder Barrels will no longer cause two explosions if detonated when being held by a player.
- 1.0.5 (April 24, 2018)
- Resolved issue where Gunpowder kegs could spawn outside of player reach.
- 1.0.4 (April 18, 2018)
- Players will now correctly take damage from gunpowder kegs whilst underwater.
- 1.0.1 (March 27, 2018)
- Fixed tinnitus sound which persists after being killed by multiple explosive barrels.
- First Release (March 20, 2018)
- Introduced.