Sea of Thieves mermaid spawns load incredibly fast on Xbox Series X

In Sea of Thieves, waiting through the load screen between interacting with a mermaid and spawning can be agonizing - usually it's in the middle of a high-stakes battle - but on Xbox Series X it's pretty much instantaneous. Compare that to 10-15 seconds on PC (in my experience), and you can see why this is a game-changer.

Just how it was on Xbox One X, Sea of Thieves will be optimized for Xbox Series X. Rare says to expect improved load times, 4K and 60fps on Xbox Series X, and 1080p and 60fps on Xbox Series S. In this exciting little clip captured by Twitch streamer Stallion, you can see just how fast load times are when using a mermaid to spawn back to your ship or an outpost.

If you aren't too familiar with Sea of Thieves, let me explain why lightning-fast load times in this particular scenario are so helpful - aside from the fact that treading water in a Megalodon-infested ocean is never fun. Typically, if you're overboard in the first place it's because you're in the middle of a battle and got knocked off the ship by a cannonball or you're trying to board the enemy ship. When every lost second means more open wounds in your ship, long load times between mermaid spawns can be fatal.

Like every Xbox Series X-optimized game from a Microsoft-owned studio, the next-gen version of Sea of Thieves is a free upgrade for anyone with a copy of the current-gen game. Here's a list of every Xbox Series X-optimized game we know about and whether it supports Smart Delivery.

If you're just setting sail on your maiden voyage or need a quick primer, don't miss our essential Sea of Thieves tips.