Sea of Thieves: Lights in the Sky and Reaper's Chests Explained
We explain the beacons or pillars of coloured light and the treasure to be found beneath them.
Those who sail the Sea of Thieves will eventually notice a swirling pattern of green, red and gold colored lights in the sky, or even find a mysterious treasure chest at its base. We'll explain both of those things here, and how to make money from them.
What Are the Swirling Green, Red and Gold Lights on the Horizon?
Seeing as these lights technically have no official name, we'll call them Beacons, which you'll see as either gold or a mix or red and green, depending on what kind of Beacon it is. These Beacons mark a very specific kind of treasure: either as a "Reaper's Chest", which is marked by red and green, or a "Reaper's Bounty", which created the golden lights. As you might've guessed, the sheer pomp and ceremony created by these little boxes means that they might be worth a lot of money.
What's Under the Swirling Lights?
The only guarantee we can give you about the lights is that they'll be an unclaimed Reaper's Chest or Reaper's Bounty at the bottom of them. The moment a player picks it up for the first time, the Beacon will disappear, though it will still be marked on your map table as a red skull, both before and after somebody claims it, so if you want to steal it from another crew you just need to follow that icon. The most common thing you'll likely find under the Beacon is a shipwreck with the treasure inside, though Reaper's loot can be found also in the Fort of the Damned, from certain Mercenary Voyages and from certain quests that can be randomly dropped by skeleton bosses.
Where to Sell Or Turn In Reaper's Chest and Reaper's Bounty Treasures
You can only sell these kinds of Chests and Bounties to the Masked Stranger at The Reaper's Hideout, not at any other island, outpost or landmark. So if you were hoping to drop them off at the local trader's shop you'll be sadly disappointed, as they won't know what to do with it. The Reaper's Hideout is at the co-ordinates I-12 and I-13 on your map, and the Masked Stranger is on the Southern-most island, a shadowy woman in a hood.
How Much is the Reaper's Chest and Reaper's Bounty Worth?
The Masked Stranger is a member of the Bilge Rats, and consequently pays for a Reaper's Chest with a substantial 30 Doubloons, a windfall for players of any level. The Reaper's Bounty gets you standard gold, and a lot of it: 25000 gold, to be precise. Finding these treasures isn't easy, but with payment like that it certainly seems worth the effort.
Once you've done that, why not learn from some of our other Sea of Thieves guides? For those who want the prettiest Polly, we've got everything you'll need to know about pets here. Or if you'd rather your animals sizzling in a pan, we've got a full guide to fishing, cooking fish and making money from fish here.