Master the Smugglers’ League’s “golden route”—move volatile kegs, fragile rum, and fine art safely through pirate‑patrolled waters without blowing your cover (or your ship).
What is a Smugglers’ Route Run (and why it’s spicy)?
A Smugglers’ Route Run is a single‑chapter Voyage for the Smugglers’ League: you pick up three high‑value items at one Smugglers’ Hideout and deliver them to another along the clearly marked Smugglers’ Route—a dashed gold line connecting two large islands that every crew can see on their Map Table. It’s High Seas only (not available in Safer Seas), there’s no time limit, and because the route is public, other crews (and Skeleton Ships) know exactly where you’re going. High risk, high reward.
The “golden route” stays the same for all players in a given Season (it changes once per Season), so traffic and ambushes tend to cluster along those two endpoints.
TL;DR: This is the closest Sea of Thieves gets to a public shipping lane. Opt in, grab the package, and run the gauntlet for a fat payout.
The Smugglers’ League & Hideouts: where to start and end
The Smugglers’ League is not a traditional Trading Company—no Emissary system, titles, or reputation track here. You’re doing clandestine work for gold and for commendations that unlock cosmetics later in Outpost shops.
Hideouts sit in prominent caves on six large islands, each staffed by a named rep. You’ll meet:
- Lottie — Crescent Isle (southern cave)
- Solomon — Smugglers’ Bay (central cave, back)
- Wei‑Lin — Plunder Valley (south cave)
- Ix — Crook’s Hollow (north cave)
- Kidir — Old Faithful Isle (south cave by beach)
- Leander — The Crooked Masts (cave beneath the southern peak)
Traps & adds: Each hideout entrance is peppered with barely visible pressure plates that trigger traps, and Phantoms will harass you. Clear them quickly—friendly‑fire or trap bursts can damage cargo before you even shove off.
Cargo types (and how to not ruin them)
Smugglers’ League consignments in Route Runs typically include three categories:
- Black Powder Barrel (Explosive)
- Behavior: Extremely volatile; enough damage triggers a devastating explosion that can doom the run if you can’t deliver all three items.
- Handling: Keep it off your main deck fights, away from firebombs, and never near your ship’s wheel/anchor. Stow on a rowboat or an outer ladder‑accessible spot you can ditch instantly.
- Extra: Black Powder often shows up in Smugglers’ Shipwrecks and on Smuggling Skeleton Ships too.
- Crates of Rum (Fragile)
- Behavior: Delicate—falls, heavy cannon hits, and rough handling damage the crate; enough damage tanks its value or destroys it.
- Handling: No jumping ladders with rum, no careless drops from the bowsprit, and keep it below line of fire during combat.
- Paintings (Classic/Refined/Exquisite)
- Behavior: Relatively hardy, water‑resistant, and the least fussy of the trio—good to haul first in tight windows.
- Handling: Still don’t yeet them off cliffs—but they’re your calm cargo.
Pro tip: Inspect any Smugglers’ League item in your hands—its engraving tells you which hideout/rep it’s bound for. You must deliver all three pieces to finish the Voyage.
How to start a Route Run
At your ship’s Quest Table → Voyages → Smugglers’ League → Smugglers’ Route Run. You need to have finished at least one other Trading Company tutorial Voyage on the account first. Once you vote, you’ll get a single quest showing the silhouette + coordinates for your pickup hideout. Sail or Dive there, collect the three items from the representative, and head for the delivery hideout on the golden route.
Risk vs. reward (and what can go right—or very wrong)
- Public route, public problems: Every crew can see the route; opportunists lie in wait near choke points and coves along the line. Skeleton Ships patrol the route and will try to intercept you. Sink them and you can often scoop extra Smugglers’ loot—just remember, stopping adds exposure.
- Rewards that scale with nerve: Smugglers’ Runs and Route Runs offer high‑value deliveries and commendation progress; complete three Route Runs to earn Smugglers’ Route Runner and unlock the Black Powder Barrel Disguise cosmetic for purchase in Outpost shops as Season 17 content rolls in.
- No rep track: You’re not climbing an Emissary ladder; you’re getting paid and unlocking cosmetics for doing dangerous work.
Pre‑sail checklist (solo or duo)
Ship & supplies
- Rowboat (ideally with harpoon): park volatile goods on the rowboat for rapid detach if you’re engaged.
- Planks/Fruit/Cannonballs/Chainshots/Blunderbombs: you’re not looking for fights, but you must end them fast when they find you.
- Storage Crate near capstan: all repairs & fruit in one reach.
- Blunderbuss (anti‑boarder) + Eye of Reach (skeletal gunners, long‑range kegs).
- Spyglass discipline: check horizon before leaving caves.
Pickup routine at a hideout
- Sweep the entrance for pressure plates, then clear any Phantoms.
- Carry out order: Painting(s) first (fast/low risk), Rum second, Black Powder last.
- Stow plan: Powder into the rowboat; Rum low and central; Paintings aft to avoid splash damage lines.
Route discipline
- Sails trimmed for control, not max speed—better to maneuver around cannon lines than to eat one that detonates the keg.
- Wind awareness: If you’re forced to run, angle off the golden line; you can leave the route as long as pickup/delivery match—the line is a suggestion, not handcuffs.
- Don’t advertise: Lanterns off; no unnecessary flares; skip broadside victory laps.
Solo sloop blueprint: how to thread the needle
1) In, out, unseen. Park on the lee side of the pickup island, tuck the sloop in close so you can ladder‑chain runs from cave to deck. Clear traps, grab painting first, then rum, then walk the powder barrel straight to the rowboat. Keep the keg off the sloop unless seas are rough enough to risk losing the boat. (If so, place it far from helm and capstan.)
2) Route exit. As soon as the keg is on the rowboat, point your bow slightly off the golden route for the first leg. This reduces line‑of‑sight from route campers while you build separation before you curve back toward the delivery island’s approach.
3) “Fight or flight” rules.
- Skeleton ship spawns: If it angles you, chainshot the mast, double‑blunderbomb to stagger, and keep moving. Only stop for loot if the horizon is clear—smugglers’ loot can be in their holds.
- Player intercept: Drop rowboat if you suspect a deck fire or boarding; better to lose the boat than the Voyage. Keg on the rowboat can be scuttled away from your hull if they try to detonate it remotely.
4) Delivery landing. Approach on the quiet shoreline opposite common anchoring points. Hand in painting → rum → powder (last), checking for pressure plates at the hideout entrance and any Phantoms. If pursued into the island, stash keg just outside the hideout and deliver the other two first, then grab it when the chase breaks.
Duo blueprint: roles, comms, and time saves
Role split
- Helm/Lookout (Captain): Keeps wind, plots deliberate deviations from the route, and manages defensive shots (chainshots first, cannonballs second).
- Courier/Gunner (Runner): Handles trap sweep, cargo runs, rowboat setup, on‑island overwatch with Eye of Reach, and keg babysitting.
Communication cadence
- “Horizon check” every 60 seconds: call bearings of sails on the line.
- “Drop/Detatch” code: a single call that means: “cut the rowboat loose with keg.”
- “Box order”: painting, rum, powder—say it out loud before you lift a thing.
Time saves that matter
- Harpoon ladders: Helm pulls the Runner aboard with each item—no ladder climbs with rum.
- Rowboat taxi: Runner rows the keg to a delivery‑side cove while Captain sails a bait arc wide of the route, then picks up the Runner on the far side.
- Split duties during combat: Captain keeps distance; Runner snipes skeleton gunners and pops exposed powder kegs on skelly decks to reduce incoming fire (do not do this within your own keg’s blast radius).
Best solo/duo “route plays” (three season‑agnostic templates)
A) Shores Pair (“open water sprint”)
Examples: Crescent Isle ↔ Smugglers’ Bay (names only to illustrate a two‑island pair).
- Plan: Open water means long sightlines. Angle off the golden line early to break predictability, then rejoin nearer delivery. Don’t linger near Sanctuary/central Outposts where crews cluster.
- Solo tip: Sail half‑mast for tighter tacks when a brigantine pings your angle; you’ll out‑turn heavier ships.
- Duo tip: Runner takes a rowboat with keg hugging shoreline, Captain ghosts the route wide to draw any tails.
B) Ancient Isles Pair (“island hop & hide”)
Examples: Crook’s Hollow ↔ Plunder Valley.
- Plan: Use the island chain as LOS blockers. Sail behind islets and cut corners through shallows you know well; your golden line is not mandatory.
- Solo tip: Anchor‑turn once to swap tack behind a tall island; you’ll be invisible for ~20–30 seconds—enough to throw watchers.
- Duo tip: Harpoon taxi courier runs from coves; Captain sits outside gun range with sails luffing.
C) The Wilds Pair (“fog bank threading”)
Examples: Old Faithful ↔ The Crooked Masts.
- Plan: Fog and choppy seas favor small crews. Keep compass and rock memory sharp; hug sheer spires to break cannon arcs.
- Solo tip: Spyglass every 30s—sounds travel farther than shapes appear; if you hear chainshots, drop rowboat with keg and turn for noise diversion.
- Duo tip: Runner rows the keg in shore shadow while Captain slow‑rolls outside; rendezvous only once the hideout cave is clear.
Note: The actual two endpoints for a Route Run are fixed per Season and visible as the dashed gold line on your Map Table. Treat the patterns above as templates you can apply to this Season’s specific pair.
Advanced tricks (that save Voyages)
- Keg as liability vs. weapon: Don’t fight players with your own powder aboard; if you must, drop the rowboat, sail away, and re‑link later. Use enemy kegs or skelly ship kegs against them instead.
- Delivery order matters: If the island is hot, deliver the two non‑explosives first, stash the keg just outside the cave, then make a quick last run once the coast is clear.
- Hidden runs exist: Smugglers’ Messages in Bottles can spawn Smugglers’ Runs (not Route Runs) on unmarked paths and with even higher‑value items (e.g., Exquisite Painting, Golden Greed Rum). They’re quieter but rely on RNG to spawn.
Skeleton Ships, wrecks & opportunistic value
Season 17 added more ways to stumble into Smugglers’ loot: Smugglers’ Shipwrecks sometimes contain better cargo than standard wrecks, and Skeleton Ships now stockpile Smugglers’ treasure—if you sink them, check the hold. Great value, but every extra minute drifting on the route is free intel for hunters.
Commendations & the Black Powder Barrel Disguise
Track Smugglers’ Tide commendations in your Pirate Log; specifically, complete three Smugglers’ Route Runs to earn Smugglers’ Route Runner and unlock the Black Powder Barrel Disguise (a mischievous cosmetic that becomes purchasable in Outpost shops after unlock during Season 17).
Quick FAQ
Can I leave the golden line?
Yes. The pickup and delivery are fixed; your path isn’t. Deviate to shake tails, but don’t stray so far that you give hunters time to set a better trap.
What fails the Voyage?
You must sell all three items to the correct Smugglers’ rep. If you lose/detonate the powder barrel or otherwise can’t complete the trio, you won’t finish.
Are there Emissary bonuses?
No. The Smugglers’ League doesn’t use Emissary flags or reputation; you earn gold and commendation unlocks.
A 10‑step solo/duo checklist you can print
- Stock up & grab a rowboat.
- Vote the Voyage → Read the silhouette/coords.
- Park lee side of pickup island; sweep for traps/Phantoms.
- Paintings first, rum second, powder last (to rowboat).
- Plot a slight early deviation from the golden line.
- If engaged: chainshots for distance, blunderbombs to reset.
- Never fight with powder on deck—drop the rowboat if needed.
- Approach delivery by quiet shoreline; sweep cave entrance.
- Deliver painting → rum → powder; watch for pressure plates.
- Bank the gold, check your commendation progress, and repeat.
Final word
Route Runs are a great loop for tight crews who like clean execution under pressure. Keep the keg safe, keep your route unpredictable, and keep your head on a swivel. The cosmetics are the cherry on top; the real prize is learning to move loud cargo quietly.
