Company fit
Start with the Company activity that fits your crew’s plan. A Company choice is a session-management decision, not a permanent declaration that one route is best for every player.
Trading Company session guide
Sea of Thieves Emissary Flags Guide: Grades and Risk
An Emissary session is a decision loop: choose a Trading Company, build Grade through relevant activity, manage the visibility and risk of the flag, then decide when to lower it.
The Emissary decision loop
| Stage | Practical question |
|---|---|
| Choose a Company | Which Trading Company matches the activity you actually want to complete during this session? |
| Build Grade | Can you keep doing relevant Company activity while protecting the loot and progress already accumulated? |
| Manage exposure | Are you comfortable with a visible Emissary flag creating a reason for other crews to target the session? |
| Close the session | When is it better to lower the flag at an Emissary Table rather than keep extending the same risk window? |
How to use the flag without a universal “best” answer
Grade versus exposure
A higher Grade can make continuing the session feel attractive, but the visible flag also communicates that the crew has an active Emissary objective. Reassess the risk after every major haul or encounter.
Solo and crew context
The same flag decision feels different for a solo sailor and a coordinated crew. Account for lookouts, route flexibility and how easily the session can recover from an interruption.
Rule check
Before relying on a reward, multiplier, cost or threshold, verify the current official rules. Seasonal and Company systems can change independently of this general decision framework.
Session close: The flag can be lowered at an Emissary Table. Treat lowering it as the deliberate end of a risk window and recheck the current official wording before planning around rewards.
Sources: Rare — All About Emissaries and Rare — Ships of Fortune. Sources last checked: Sep 4, 2026. Stable decision framing is separated from mutable reward and threshold details.
Emissary session risk
Choose a session by starting with the Trading Company that matches the work you intend to do. Current official guidance frames the flag as a visible commitment: raising it changes how the voyage is presented and creates a risk decision for the crew. Treat the Company choice, flag state, Grade, exposure and session close as separate checkpoints. Thresholds and rewards can change, so do not freeze an old table.
Before raising the flag
Decide what the crew can finish and whether the route leaves time to return safely. Check the current wording for the Company’s activity, then raise the flag only when the group accepts that other crews may read the situation differently. Do not assume a private or safer context has the same Emissary behavior as a public shared world.
During the run
Watch the Grade and exposure created by the current session. Higher progress can make a return more valuable, but it can also make an unfinished route costlier in time or risk. Avoid treating an old multiplier, Ledger threshold or seasonal reward as permanent. Check the current rules before the next risky activity.
Lower the flag decision
Lower the flag or complete the current close-out step according to the official instructions before leaving. Recheck the system after a season or Trading Company update, especially if Grade, visibility, reward, Ledger or flag-ending rules change.
Choose an Emissary session deliberately
Start with the Trading Company or activity you actually plan to complete, then check whether the current interface offers its Emissary flag. Raising a flag is a commitment to the Emissary loop: your session progress, visibility and potential return should be weighed against the chance of meeting other crews. The useful choice is not a permanent best flag; it is whether the current voyage justifies the added exposure.
Keep the grade as a live session signal. As the crew completes activities, inspect the current grade and the interface wording rather than relying on an old threshold or reward table. Before leaving, decide whether to continue, sell or lower the flag using the current rules. A successful run can still be the wrong choice if the crew is tired, carrying valuable loot or not ready for another encounter.
Company-specific privileges, Ledger placement, reward values and flag-ending rules can change. This page explains the decision loop; Guilds, Safer Seas versus High Seas, Ship Types and general progression remain separate questions.