Here’s a quick, no-nonsense guide to getting into Sea of Stars: Throes of the Watchmaker (and yes, this DLC is 100% free!).
How to start the Throes of the Watchmaker DLC
1) Download the DLC (it’s free)
The DLC isn’t bundled into a patch, you have to manually download it from your storefront (Steam/PlayStation/Xbox/Nintendo).
Search for “Sea of Stars: Throes of the Watchmaker” and add it to your account. It costs $0 for all owners of the base game.
Here’s the Steam link if you need.
2) Use a save after the end credits (one with a star)
Throes of the Watchmaker is a post-game adventure.
Load a save where you’ve rolled credits at least once on the main story.
If you’re in New Game+, that particular save won’t qualify and you’ll have to finish the story again on a standard file to meet the requirement.
3) Return to the world map and accept the “message in a bottle”
Once the DLC is installed and you’re in a post-credits file, go back to the world map.
You’ll get a new event: a message in a bottle from Hortence asking you to visit the Vespertine and check on Keenathan.
When the prompt appears (“Hortence sounds really worried. Should we visit the crew right now?”), choose Yes.
You might start right before the final boss if that’s your last save. You don’t have to fight the final boss again, there’s a teleporter next to the save book that will take you back to the world map.
4) Board the Vespertine to officially kick things off
The game will teleport you to the top deck of the Vespertine.
Head below deck and talk to the pirate crew to formally begin Throes of the Watchmaker.
From there, the DLC’s questline takes over.
Troubleshooting (if nothing triggers)
Did you download the DLC? It won’t start unless the separate DLC package is installed.
Are you on a post-credits save? You must have seen the main game’s credits at least once on that save.
Are you using a New Game+ file? NG+ saves don’t satisfy the unlock condition—finish the story again on a standard run and try once more.
Still stuck? Back out to the world map after installing the DLC—this is where the bottle prompt appears.
Quick FYIs & nice-to-knows
It’s free. No season pass or micro-DLC, just download and play.
Separate progression. The DLC plays like its own contained adventure, so don’t worry about importing an overpowered party, the balance assumes a fresh start within the DLC’s ruleset.
Couch co-op works here too. If you loved local co-op in the main game, it’s supported in Throes of the Watchmaker as well.
That’s it! Download the free DLC, load a post-credits save, accept the bottle prompt, and head to the Vespertine to begin. Enjoy the ride!
Also be sure to check out our full review of this excellent DLC adventure and our full review of the base game Sea of Stars.