Salt 2: Shores of Gold

About Salt 2: Shores of Gold

Salt 2 is a pirate-themed open-world adventure from Lavaboots Studios, released in 2025. It blends survival, exploration, and ship customization as you navigate a vast ocean with up to five players. Start stranded on a beach, gather resources to build a raft, and sail to uncover islands, caves, and pirate forts. The game emphasizes crafting, skill progression, and guild quests. Its core loop revolves around managing a ship as a mobile base while hunting, fishing, and leveling up. PC-only and priced at $39.99, it’s a mid-budget pick for fans of sandbox adventures and co-op play.

Gameplay

You spend most sessions sailing, anchoring to explore islands, or managing your ship’s inventory. Crafting gear and upgrading skills are central, hunt for materials, fish to craft tools, and level up to unlock new abilities. Multiplayer adds party coordination for building or combat, but solo play is equally viable. Sessions often last 3, 5 hours, balancing exploration (like diving into handcrafted caves) with survival mechanics. The ship itself is a living base: outfit it with weapons, repair hulls, and customize cabins. Missions range from guild bounties to main story quests, all while managing hunger and health. The ocean’s weather and monster encounters add tension to open-world traversal.

What Players Think

PlayPile users rate Salt 2 4.2/5 with 88% positive reviews. Average playtime is 22.5 hours, and 38% complete the story. Community moods skew adventurous and satisfying, with one reviewer calling it “the most relaxing survival game.” The 150 achievements take 48 hours to 100%, focusing on ship upgrades and rare monster kills. Criticized for occasional performance stutters, but praised for its cozy pirate vibe and co-op charm. Guild quests and randomized cave layouts keep replays fresh. Most players agree the crafting depth and oceanic atmosphere justify the time investment.

PlayPile's Take

Salt 2 is worth playing for survival and co-op enthusiasts. At $39.99, it’s a solid pick if you want to sink 25+ hours into a sea-faring sandbox. The 150 achievements and 48-hour completion time suggest it’s dense with content, but casual players might find it slow. Prioritize it if you enjoy crafting loops, ship management, and open-world exploration over high-stakes combat. Not perfect, bugs and repetition in side quests, but its warm pirate aesthetic and multiplayer synergy make it a standout for dedicated fans of the genre.

Storyline

You wake up stranded on an island and must find resources to build a raft and head out to sea. Set sail across the world solo or with up to 5 friends. Your ship will act as your traveling base as you explore in any direction you want. Discover islands filled with hundreds of hand crafted caves, ruins, pirate forts, and other mysterious places. Follow the main storyline to uncover the mysteries of the world or join various guilds and earn a name for yourself. Craft powerful weapons and armor, hunt and fish for survival, level up your character unlocking unique skills and talents for your gear, and decorate your ship, making it your home at sea.