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How to beat an Ashen Lord in Sea of Thieves

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The Sea of Thieves Ashen Lords are boss skeletons with fire powers

Sea of Thieves Ashen Lord
(Image credit: Xbox Game Studios)
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The Sea of Thieves Ashen Lords are some of the toughest enemies in the game, at least when you're on land. Capable of summoning meteors, breathing fire, and calling in other skeletons as back up, it certainly doesn't help that their extreme durability means that you could be fighting them for a very long time - and that you're likely to see your health and supplies drain to nothing before long. If you're having trouble with these undead superbeings, here's how to beat the Ashen Lords in Sea of Thieves.

Ashen Lord weaknesses in Sea of Thieves

Sea of Thieves Ashen Lord

(Image credit: Xbox Game Studios)

Ashen Lords appear at multiple places in Sea of Thieves. Normally tied to the Ashen Winds, one of the Sea of Thieves world events represented by a fiery tornado on the horizon, they can also appear in certain missions and raids, usually as the greatest threat you'll face - at least assuming that the Sea of Thieves Kraken doesn't stick its beak out of the water.

There are four Ashen Lords with different appearances: Warden Chi, Captain Grimm, Old Horatio and Red Ruth. However, these various appearances have no bearing on the actual encounter - they all have the same stats and move sets. 

In terms of broader weaknesses, we'll go into more detail below, but controlling their attack patterns, using Tridents and ship's cannons, and exploiting their resting points between phases are the primary weaknesses of Ashen Lords.

Ashen Lord tips and strategies

Sea of Thieves Ashen Lord

(Image credit: Xbox Game Studios)

If you do encounter an Ashen Lord, here's some tips on how to fight them.

  • Fight at range where possible... Most of the Ashen Lords focus on close range attacks, so use your ship's cannons and sniper rifles if possible.
  • … while somebody else stays close. If everybody moves away from the Ashen Lord, it starts using special long-ranged moves to ruin your ship. Best to have a couple of players hold its attention while a couple more fire from a distance.
  • Stay near an ammo box and food! Those on the ground should draw the Lord over to a replenishable ammo box, and barrels that have food supplies inside. This way you can keep up a constant barrage of ammo and heal yourself quickly.
  • Water is a major benefit. The Lords' various fire attacks means it's easy to burst into flame. You'll want to have a bucket of water on you, and be ready to dive into the sea at any moment.
  • Use a Trident. The mermaid Tridents are good on most enemies, and Ashen Lords are no exception. For the best chance, try and stockpile some in advance.
  • Deal with summons quickly. Ashen Lords tend to move slowly, so if they summon skeletons, lure the newbies around a corner and kill them ASAP, so you can focus back on the main threat safely. A charged sword attack will be enough to take them out.
  • Check below and above. As they move through their phases, the Ashen Lords will summon both Geysers beneath and meteors from above. You can't just keep an eye on the boss - you need to keep your head on a swivel.
  • Ashen Lords drop between phases. The Lords have three phases with increasingly powerful moves, switching between them as they lose health. Between phases they drop into a kneeling pose for a short time. It doesn't seem as though they take more damage than normal in this moment, but they are immobile, allowing for a load of easy damage to be inflicted.
  • You can get a hint at health through their dialogue. Ashen Lords generally start off being very cocky, but as the fight progresses and they lose health, they get angrier and less confident, yelling things like "I won't give up without a fight!" The specific dialogue changes from Lord to Lord, but as a rule this will do a lot to help contextualise your progress.

Ashen Lord rewards

Sea of Thieves Ashen Lord

(Image credit: Xbox Game Studios)

When killed, Ashen Lords in Sea of Thieves drop a random assortment of chests and loot, including a special skull called the Ashen Winds Skull, which can be sold for 10,000 Gold. Not only that, the Ashen Winds Skull is actually a limited-use weapon that can serve as a flamethrower, burning targets in front of you. Don't worry though - using up this power doesn't make it worth any less to the Order of Souls merchants who'll buy it off you.

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Joel Franey
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.