Pirates of the Burning Sea takes us back to 1720, a time when the Caribbean was ripe for colonization and plunder, and there was plenty of money to be made on both sides of the law. Players create a character from three different nations (Britain, Spain and France), or they go with the Pirate faction and play by their own set of rules. Each nation has its own benefits, and classes determine what players can get away with. Factions and players compete with each other to establish economical and influential strength within a region, making PotBS one of the most unique massively multiplayer online (MMO) games.

The game has all the familiar elements of a role-playing adventure, such as taking on a list of quests and earning higher levels. There's even an ongoing storyline that involves a mysterious treasure map. It's not difficult to get through some of the early levels, and levels don't influence damage output, since a cannonball is a cannonball. Levels determine types of skills and special abilities that can be equipped and what kinds of ships players can captain. Even though it's possible for fast low level ships to gang up on slow moving galleons and win, they could be in for a great fight.

As expected, most of the game takes place at sea, and PotBS offers stunning graphics, with gorgeous blue waters and detailed ships that tilt when turning and sails that adjust to capture the wind. Unfortunately, a game of this nature means that the majority of quests mean hunting enemy ships and plundering their cargo or hauling goods from one port to another. Players looking for plenty of ship-to-ship battles won't be disappointed. A directional circle indicates optimal directions to face to take advantage of the wind, with a red zone indicating when the ship sails against the wind. With the wind in mind, players must maneuver their ships so that their sides (where the cannons are) face enemy ships without leaving themselves exposed. The game has a simple and intuitive system for ship battles, but prolonged fights grow difficult when a ship sustains heavy damage and becomes slower and less maneuverable. Players can fire until they sink their enemies or load up special ammunition like bar shot to break their sails or langrage (ammunition composed of silverware and shrapnel) to target sailors. Alternative ammunition helps disable ships and prep them for boarding, which leads to sword fighting.

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