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Sea of Thieves gold and doubloon sources and how to earn currency fast from Emissaries and other sources

The many ways to make a profit in Sea of Thieves.

Sea of Thieves gold and doubloons are several in-game currencies which can be gained by completing all sorts of activities.

Their sources are wide ranging, but some are better than others if you need to line your pockets faster.

We'll explain the best ways to get gold and doubloons fast in Sea of Thieves - and how to multiply rewards using the Emissary system.

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Sea of Thieves gold sources explained - how to get gold and what can it be used for?

Gold is primarily gained by handing in items found during Voyages and general adventuring, and can be spent on cosmetic upgrades - such as new clothes and ship decorations - as well additional Voyages, meaning gold is an important component in reaching the hallowed status of Pirate Legend. As such, knowing how to earn it efficiently really does help.

Before we dive into the best ways to earn gold, here's are some of the ways it can be acquired:

  • Selling chests and trinkets to the Gold Hoarders.
  • Selling skulls to the Order of Souls.
  • Selling animals and goods like Tea, Silk, Spices, and Gunpowder Kegs to the Merchant Alliance.
  • Selling fish and animal meat to the Hunter's Call.
  • Selling Mermaid Gems to any Trading Company.
  • Selling a Reaper's Bounty to the Reaper's Bones representative at the Reaper's Hideout.
  • From inside an openable Collector's Chest or unlocked Ashen Chest.
  • By finding an ultra-rare Chest of Wondrous Secrets in the Devi's Roar and selling it to Grace Morrow at Morrow's Peak Outpost.
  • Completing Tall Tales.
  • Completing certain Daily Bounties.
  • Participating in an Arena mode match.

As you'll notice, gold is primarily earned by finding items and turning them in to the relevant vendor, so it's handy to know what stuff sells for the most gold, and what's easiest to get in bulk.

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Sea of Thieves doubloon sources explained - how to get doubloons and what can they be used for?

Doubloons are a much scarcer currency on the Sea of Thieves compared to gold, and are generally reserved for purchasing special cosmetics and voyages from Duke at any outpost tavern. They can be earned in a number of different ways:

  • From inside the vault in the Maiden Voyage tutorial mission. (This only works once!)
  • Selling a Reaper's Chest to the Reaper's Bones representative at the Reaper's Hideout.
  • Selling Ashen Chests and Ashen Keys to Duke in an outpost tavern.
  • Completing certain Commendations.
  • Completing certain Daily Bounties.

The best ways and fastest ways to earn gold and doubloons in Sea of Thieves

So what's our recommendation for getting gold and doubloons? Well, there's no definitive best method, given that some high-reward activities might simply not be possible if you're working with a smaller crew or on a limited time-scale.

That said, completing Commendation challenges and turning in Reaper's Chests will quickly swell your Doubloon coffers while Skeleton Forts, Skeleton Fleet battles, and the Fortress of the Damned are all big gold earners if you have the available resources.

Outside of that, Mermaid Gems - which can either be found in situ or by destroying the humming mermaid statues that randomly spawn underwater or on island beaches - are always worth a turn-in. Not only are red gems worth a pleasing 2,000 gold, they can be handed in at a wide range of Trading Companies, earning a nice chunk of XP in the process.

Speaking of Trading Companies, the Merchant Alliance generally has the widest range of high-value items you can trade in. Gold animals, when required for Merchant Alliance Voyages, all grant well over 1,000 gold when handed in, as well as the highly valuable Exquisite Spices and the range of other items that sell for seven or eight hundred gold and up.

Whatever your choice, there's one surefire way of dramatically increasing your gold and doubloon gains at any time: the Emissary system.

How the Emissary system helps you earn Gold and Doubloons faster in Sea of Thieves

Sea of Thieves' Emissary system is an opt-in mechanic that enabling players to earn massive gold and XP payouts, albeit at significantly increased risk.

The Emissary system is currently available across five Trading Companies:

  • The Merchant Alliance (at any outpost)
  • Gold Hoarders (at any outpost)
  • Order of Souls (at any outpost)
  • Athena's Fortune (for Pirate Legends only)
  • Reaper's Bones (at the Reaper's Hideout in the centre of the main map

Before you can become an Emissary for a trading company, you'll first have to purchase their special Emissary flag for 20,000 gold. That might seem hefty at first, but the rewards are worth it! With the flag in your possession, all crew members should vote to raise using the Emissary table located near each Trading Company representative. Note that the Athena's Fortune table is located near the Mysterious Stranger in any tavern, and that there's a Reaper's Bones table squirrelled away on every outpost.

Once you've raised a Trading Company flag (only one can be active at a time), completing certain activities - usually related to that company's focus, and ranging from sinking skeletons ships to simply dropping a chest onto your deck - will cause a circular meter to incrementally fill. Each time it fills completely, your Emissary level will rise by one, serving as a multiplier for all Gold, Doubloon, and Reputation gains.

Reaching the final Grade 5, for instance, provides a +150% reward boost for all relevant items turned in, making it a great way to earn stacks of gold in conjunction with other activities. Additionally, once at certain Trading Companies reward an especially lucrative Voyage once you max out your Emissary level.

One word of warning, however; any Emissaries for the Reaper's Bones faction on a server will be actively hunting down Emissaries from other Trading Companies in order to steal their loot, sink their ships, and hand in their broken Emissary flags to accrue rewards of their own.

If your ship is sunk, not only will your likely loose your treasure, your Emissary level and multiplier will be reset to zero. As such, keep a close eye out Reaper's Bones vessels - which will, usefully, show up as shadowy blotches on your ship's map table.


The first season has arrived! Learn about all Season 1 Battle Pass rewards and everything else added in the Sea of Thieves patch notes. New to the game? Learn what to do in Sea of Thieves and take take part in the Maiden Voyage tutorial, which teaches you the essentials of sailing and ship battles. It's also useful for beginners to know how to survive fights with skeletons and the kraken. Elsewhere we have advice on how to get easy gold and doubloons, complete skeleton forts and The Shroudbreaker, take part in fishing in Sea of Thieves and Sea of Thieves island maps.


Sea of Thieves treasure and chest gold values list

Users on the Sea of Thieves subreddit have helpfully compiled a list of all gold values for treasures and chest. Jake_Smith81 and homeless0alien in particular have created some extremely useful spreadsheets detailing the different prices people earned for different items that they sold in-game.

Here's a breakdown of what sells for how much on average according to their collected data - along with a few other additions from our own experience - so you know what to protect on your ship and what to trade in first.

Note that loot in Sea of Thieves seems to vary slightly in value from case to case, so the below tables are split into the highest values recorded so far, the lowest, and the average of all of those submitted by community for each item.

Gold Hoarders loot value list:

ItemMax ValueMin ValueAverage
Stronghold Chest333914162468
Chest of Sorrow153610211332
Chest of 1000 Grogs14678381057
Captain's Chest1020599824
Opulent Curio984603813
Peculiar Relic919600760
Adorned Receptacle750593676
Gilded Chalice458408433
Golden Reliquery442412427
Marauders Chest516300411
Elaborate Flagon235151194
Seafarers Chest258140193
Silvered Cup240165192
Golden Flagon190190190
Decorative Coffer196156178
Mysterious Vessel116116116
Bronze Secret-Keeper116105111
Castaway Chest1297099

Order of Souls loot value list:

ItemMax ValueMin ValueAverage Value
Stronghold Skull395323113347
Villanous Skull13479091121
Hateful Skull686401567
Disgraced Skull348194275
Foul Skull16796132

Merchant Alliance loot value list:

ItemMax ValueMin ValueAverage Value
Exquisite Spices185912431638
Gold Snake (Voyage)184414281601
Gold Striped Pig (Voyage)180210591342
Gold Chicken (Voyage)170610311336
Gunpowder Keg (Voyage)832832832
Black Chicken (Voyage)862734800
Black Coated Pig (Voyage)900653798
Exotic Silks916568748
Blue Dappled Snake (Voyage)444334382
Rare Tea558264374
Pink And Black Spotted Pig (Voyage)375368372
Red Speckled Chicken (Voyage)381283337
Pink And Black Spotted Pig281266275
White Chicken (Voyage)233165212
Fine Sugar232136191
Gold Chicken174171173
Pink Bristled Pig (Voyage)183143157
Gunpowder Keg186102148
Red Striped Snake (Voyage)168137148
Gold Snake147135142
Gold Striped Pig103103103
Black Coated Pig808080
Black Chicken565656
Red Speckled Chicken634152
White Chicken201618
Pink Bristtled Pig161616
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And here are values of other items introduced in later updates:

ItemValue
Chest of Rage3000-3500
Sapphire Mermaid Gem1000
Emerald Mermaid Gem1500
Ruby Mermaid Gem2000
Box of Wonderous Secrets25000 (must be turned into Grace at Marrow's Peak Outpost)
Reaper's Bounty1000 (found in a shipbreak beneath a yellow column of light; turn into representative at Reaper's Hideout)

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