How to change your pirate's appearance in Sea of Thieves

Sea of Thieves change appearance potion
(Image credit: Xbox Game Studios)

Your pirate's appearance in Sea of Thieves is something that can be changed - but not for free. Once you've chosen your character's appearance when starting up the game, the option to change it is something that requires microtransaction payments - or an insane amount of luck when hunting within the game. Still, if you're determined to redesign your pirate in Sea of Thieves, here's where you can find the option to change appearance - something called the Pirate Appearance Potion.

How to change appearance in Sea of Thieves

Sea of Thieves change appearance potion

(Image credit: Xbox Game Studios)

To change appearance in Sea of Thieves, you need to buy a Pirate Appearance Potion, a single-use consumable. This is sold in the Pirate Emporium (aka, the microtransaction/cosmetics shop) from the main menu, or certain stores in outposts. It costs 149 Ancient Coins, roughly equivalent to $2 / £2

When you buy the Pirate Appearance Potion, you effectively have a second chance to choose your pirate's appearance from the randomised carousel, as you did when you first started the game. Once you pick again, that choice is locked in until you buy another Potion. 

Without these potions, there's no way to change how your character looks on that fundamental level, in terms of body shape and face. The most you can do otherwise is change hair, facial hair, clothes, makeup and similar, using the Vanity Chest on board your ship, buying new options from stores in-game or through the Pirate Emporium. 

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Joel Franey
Guides Editor, GamesRadar+

Joel Franey is a writer, journalist, podcaster and Very Tired Man with a BA from Brunel University, a Masters from Sussex University and a decade working in games journalism, often focused on guides coverage but also in reviews, features and news. His love of games is strongest when it comes to groundbreaking narratives like Disco Elysium, UnderTale and Baldur's Gate 3, as well as innovative or refined gameplay experiences like XCOM, Sifu, Arkham Asylum or Slay the Spire. He is a firm believer that the vast majority of games would be improved by adding a grappling hook, and if they already have one, they should probably add another just to be safe. You can find old work of his at Eurogamer, Gfinity, USgamer, SFX Magazine, RPS, Dicebreaker, VG247, and more.