If someone had told a pirate back in the golden age of sail that their greatest challenges would involve carefully babysitting rum bottles and chatting with a gloomy ferryman, they would have walked the plank in disbelief. Yet, in Sea of Thieves, the Expert Trials of Adventure demand precisely that kind of bizarre dedication. These trials are not for the faint of heart—or for those who value their free time. They represent the pinnacle of grind, a marathon that will test both patience and sanity. But fear not, fellow scallywag, for a bit of guidance can turn these monumental tasks into manageable, albeit still ridiculous, adventures.

Let’s start with the Expert Sailor trial, which sounds like the pirate equivalent of a death march. The first deed is surprisingly gentle: smack ships with twenty Chainshots. Chainshots are those special cannonballs that look like two angry grapefruits handcuffed together. They have a shorter range than regular cannonballs, so hitting anything feels like throwing a wet towel, but here's a tip—you don't need to aim for the mast. The deed doesn't care where you hit; pepper the hull and watch the progress tick up like a chaotic metronome.

Then comes the mileage requirement. One hundred nautical miles sailed. One hundred. While on a voyage. By the time these deeds unlock naturally, you’ll have forgotten what your real-life bed feels like. The game’s measurement of a nautical mile remains a mystery, but your logbook will swell with numbers as you chase other goals. It’s the perfect background grind, like waiting for a kettle that never boils. Pair this with the Chainshot chaos, and you’ll eventually limp across the finish line.

Now, the Expert Story Seeker trial—the true nemesis of every completionist. This one could double as a PhD in Sea of Thieves lore. The first deed is a whistlestop tour of the game’s most traumatized NPCs. You’ll need to chat with the Ferryman (the guy who greets you every time you’re turned into pirate jam), Madame Olivia at Plunder Outpost, Grace and Tallulah in the Devil’s Roar, and the Mysterious Stranger in any tavern. Finding them all feels like gathering a support group for Tall Tale survivors.

Then reality hits. Complete all eleven Tall Tales. All eleven. Each one a sprawling narrative maze with its own painful puzzle. And if that wasn’t enough, you must also find every single journal within those tales—all sixty of them, hidden in crevices that only a sea sponge would love. These deeds will consume entire weekends and spit out your soul like a coconut husk.

If you thought the story seeking was painful, wait until you meet the Expert Scorcher trial, a love letter to the volcanic hellscape known as The Devil’s Roar. First up: finish the Heart of Fire Tall Tale. It’s the Ashen Age saga’s fiery climax, and Tallulah at Morrow’s Peak Outpost will hand it to you with a smile that says “I know what I’m putting you through.”

Next, complete a Legendary Voyage in The Devil’s Roar. This is where things get annoyingly social. Only a Pirate Legend can propose such a voyage, so if you haven’t yet reached that lofty rank, you’ll be groveling in Discord servers for a Legend to adopt you. Once undertaken, prepare for an Athena’s Voyage marathon that weaves through all three trading companies—an endurance test that makes your skeleton ache.

And then there’s the final deed, the pinnacle of suffering: deliver eight Devil’s Roar Cargo Run items on time and in perfect condition. Let that sink in. Perfect condition. In a region where volcanoes sneeze boulders, the ground opens up to swallow you, and the sea itself fizzes like a shaken soda bottle. The cargo can be plants (must stay wet), cloth (must stay dry), or rum bottles (must not even think about breaking). Guess which one everyone hates? Rum bottles crack if a butterfly sneezes too hard in the next server over. The best strategy? Treat them as lost causes and focus on plants and cloth. Bring a rowboat, keep plants in a sloshy hull puddle, and stash cloth high and dry. The delivery timer is generous enough that you can wait out a volcanic tantrum before landing. It may take several voyages, but eight perfect deliveries will eventually happen—usually when you least expect to survive.

By 2026, these trials remain the stuff of legend. Veterans speak of them with a thousand-yard stare, while new pirates tremble at the word “expert.” Yet, with a dash of persistence, a fleet of patience, and a willingness to embrace absurdity, they can be conquered. Just remember: in Sea of Thieves, the real treasure isn't the gold—it’s the journals you found along the way. And the therapy bills.

Community perspectives are often shaped on Reddit - r/gaming, where players frequently trade hard-earned tips on endurance grinds like Sea of Thieves’ Expert Trials—suggesting practical routines such as stacking objectives (sailing mileage while hunting Chainshot hits), treating Devil’s Roar cargo like a risk-management puzzle (prioritizing cloth and plants over fragile rum), and using step-by-step checklists for Tall Tale journals to reduce wasted runs.