The first Pirate Legend in Sea of Thieves has been named — but after streaming his achievement, the game’s biggest thus far, Twitch user Prod1gyX has set off widespread backlash among the Sea of Thieves community.
Prod1gyX began streaming his attempt to unlock the Pirate Legend title shortly after Sea of Thieves launched on March 20. Developer Rare said prior to the game’s release that becoming a Pirate Legend — which requires players to hit level 50 across all three of Sea of Thieves’ factions, a process that involves lots of sailing, puzzle solving and even complicated riddles — was the ultimate goal for individual players. That’s why the continuous stream amassed a growing number of viewers, who were eager to see what the touted status would actually unlock.
But Prod1gyX’s success has received criticism from viewers who accuse him of “boosting” his way through the game with the help of his Twitch followers.
“The guy bullshitted his way to first, while regurgitating a statement every five seconds that he could have done it by himself; the ‘community’ only helped him arrive faster,” one Redditor wrote in a top anti-Prod1gyX thread. “He is then met with a riddle, and responds by staring at a wall for 45 minutes while he essentially learns how to use his inventory for the first time. For a followup, he continues to stand around while he waits for someone to provide him with an easy answer on what to do next. The problem solving skills here are embarrassing, he’s not even attempting to tackle the task at hand - legendary incompetence.”
Because Prod1gyX relied heavily on the help of other players to earn the solo rewards, Reddit users have launched a campaign using the hashtag #NotMyPirateLegend, hoping to galvanize Sea of Thieves’ player base to disavow the streamer as the game’s first top player. The game’s subreddit is also full of jokes mocking how Prod1gyX played the game, which includes claims that he made it to level 50 with the help of unwitting crews who put in most of the work.
There are other Redditors who are more frustrated by what the Pirate Legend title actually unlocks. Compared to how challenging it is to make it through the necessary quests to unlock the title, the rewards seem slight: Prod1gyX earned the right to call himself Pirate Legend, which appears in game; a special outfit; and one of the game’s shanties. He also gained access to special areas, one including a new faction that comes with additional quest lines and decorative items.
Even if Pirate Legend doesn’t come with the grand treasure that Rare suggested it might, the bigger issue is that players don’t believe Prod1gyX deserves to feel the pride associated with the achievement. Prod1gyX hasn’t directly responded to any of the angry players, although he shared a video on Twitter that criticized his Pirate Legend process.
“This is nuts xD,” he wrote. “I just wanted to see Pirate legend.”
We’ve reached out for further comment and will update accordingly.
