How to find and defeat Phantoms in Sea of Thieves

Ghosts have traditionally been fought on ships in Sea of Thieves. Players know that ghost ships were the main area to find the undead enemies prior to Season 3. However, with the new season and A Pirate’s Life expansion, ghosts are now much tougher to fight and more frequent. 

The ghosts take the shape of Phantoms and they can now appear on land as well as on the open ocean. To make matters worse, the Phantoms are a much more difficult opponent to deal with than standard skeletons. They’re quicker, react more intelligently and can appear at random times. 

For any player that wants to find the Phantoms, or more importantly to defeat them, we have a full guide on how to do so down below. 

Finding and defeating Phantoms in Sea of Thieves

The Phantoms in Sea of Thieves. (Picture: Xbox Media Library)

To find a Phantom in Season 3, you just need to make your way onto an island in Sea of Thieves. This can either be done in a Tall Tale of A Pirate’s Life or in the regular game. Once you’ve made your way to an island, the Phantoms will mark their appearance with an ominous whistling sound. 

Once you’ve heard the sound for the first time, it becomes unmistakable in any encounters afterwards. The Phantoms will appear in either a group or by themselves. They’re transparent green pirates that immediately attack you once they’ve set fixed their gaze. 

The Phantoms will use both their sword and firearm to try and kill you. If they use their firearm, they’ll back up until you’re a good distance away. When they do this, it’s wise to go straight up to them and start swinging your sword. Getting out of the way of their firearm is also a wise decision, so try attacking them from the side or back.

• Read more: Sea of Thieves Silver Blade Key - How to make the water rise

If you try and do this, you might notice a Phantom teleporting. They seemingly do this at random but can immediately attack you once they’re done teleporting, so you need to be on your toes. 

The biggest key when fighting a Phantom is to never stop swinging your sword. The more attacks you deal with, the more vulnerable they become.