Sea of Thieves Players Are at War Over Whether to Save or Destroy an Iconic Location

ign.com:

Sea of Thieves players are once again locked in battle, but not over pirate treasure this time. Instead, two warring factions are fighting over whether to save or destroy an iconic in-game location.

The grand finale of Sea of Thieves' season six story arc lets players either work to restore Golden Sands – previously a fairly charming outpost but currently brought to ruin – or keep it desolate and see what might appear in its place.

The war started in-game, as players were tasked with taking the side of either the Hunters – who need to deliver supplies to Golden Sands – or the Reapers, who need to destroy supernatural rowboats to hamper repair efforts. On June 9, the most successful side will see their efforts made permanent.

However, as part of the event, developer Rare encouraged players to take their views to social media by posting either #SaveGoldenSands and #RuinGoldenSands. It's fair to say that things are getting interesting outside the game as well as in.

Do your part! Save Golden Sands!#SaveGoldenSands #SeaOfThieves #goldensands #lostsands #xbox @SeaOfThieves pic.twitter.com/wOUyg49AOd

Both hashtags are currently trending on Twitter, with #SaveGoldenSands seemingly outperforming its rival by a sliver. Instead of an endless stream of abuse being at the centre of each term, however, the two sides are using social media to campaign for their views (mostly) respectfully, debating philosophy with one another as they share their reasoning.

"After four years of playing, having this dramatic a change is exciting," said JacksonOfTheAndrew on Reddit. "I'm doing my part in making keg go boom at [Golden Sands], but even if Hunters win I would still love the change Rare has planned for that. Expansion and island changes progress