Let me be honest with you - when I first dove into Skull and Bones' endgame, I felt that familiar sinking feeling. You know the one, where you realize the exciting pirate adventure you signed up for has transformed into what essentially amounts to a maritime spreadsheet simulator. I've spent roughly 80 hours navigating these waters, and what struck me most wasn't the naval combat or the beautiful ocean vistas, but rather how the game's core loop had somehow turned plundering and pillaging into administrative work.
The transition happens abruptly. After completing the main campaign's relatively straightforward quests - which primarily involve either hunting specific ships or resource gathering runs between outposts - you're suddenly thrust into the Helm endgame. Those earlier missions weren't particularly imaginative to begin with, mostly requiring you to destroy marked vessels or occasionally assault fortified positions by hammering away at damage-sponge guard towers while fending off predictable ship waves. But at least they felt like pirate activities. The endgame, however, transforms you from a swashbuckling adventurer into what I can only describe as a middle manager with a ship. You're no longer chasing legendary treasures or hunting mythical sea creatures - you're optimizing supply chains and scheduling collection routes.
Here's what your daily routine looks like once you reach this stage: you'll need to maintain control over various manufacturers scattered across the map, which requires fulfilling delivery orders approximately every hour. Then, every three to six hours in real-world time - yes, the timer continues whether you're playing or not - you'll spend about 40 minutes sailing from outpost to outpost collecting your Pieces of Eight. These coins are the exclusive currency for purchasing the game's best gear, making this collection process mandatory if you want to remain competitive. The entire system is essentially an exercise in time management rather than skill-based gameplay, and frankly, it feels like the developers forgot they were making an action game rather than a logistics simulator.
What's particularly frustrating is how this system disrespects your time. I've found myself setting alarms to remind me when my Pieces of Eight are ready for collection, which fundamentally breaks immersion and makes playing feel like a second job. The payoff for all this busywork is minimal too - we're talking about marginal stat improvements on gear that doesn't significantly change how you approach combat or exploration. After investing what I estimate to be about 15 hours specifically into this endgame loop, I had accumulated enough currency for exactly one high-end weapon, which performed only slightly better than what I'd been using for the previous 20 hours of gameplay.
Now, I should mention that there's potential hope on the horizon. The developers have hinted that seasonal content could introduce more engaging activities, and I'm genuinely hopeful that future updates will address these issues. But as of right now, the endgame feels like an afterthought - a repetitive grind designed to extend playtime rather than provide meaningful content. I've spoken with numerous other players who share this sentiment, with many reporting they've abandoned the endgame entirely in favor of helping new players through the earlier content or simply taking extended breaks until new content drops.
If you're determined to engage with this system despite its flaws, I've developed a few strategies that might help minimize the pain. First, optimize your collection route by starting from the manufacturer farthest from your current position and working your way back - this simple adjustment saved me about 8-10 minutes per collection run. Second, always keep delivery materials stocked on your ship so you can complete those hourly orders without making special trips. Third, use the waiting periods between collections to work on other in-game activities or, better yet, take actual breaks from the game rather than sailing in circles. Fourth, consider focusing on only 2-3 manufacturers initially rather than trying to maintain control over all of them - the reduced management headache is worth the slightly slower currency accumulation. Finally, and this is crucial, temper your expectations about the gear you're working toward - the power difference between mid-game and endgame equipment is surprisingly small, so don't burn yourself out chasing minimal upgrades.
The fundamental issue here isn't just the repetitive nature of the tasks, but how they undermine the pirate fantasy the game otherwise cultivates so well. There's nothing particularly thrilling about becoming the most efficient cargo runner in the Indian Ocean, and the cognitive dissonance between the game's theme and its endgame activities creates a jarring experience that ultimately left me feeling disconnected from the character I had spent dozens of hours developing. Until substantial changes are made, I'd recommend most players consider the game "complete" after finishing the main campaign quests and only engage with the Helm content in small doses, if at all. Your time is valuable - don't let a game make you feel like it's not.