I like the idea of marauding, exploring, collecting treasure, navigating and using strategy during battles - boat repair and movement, lights dimming etc.

The combat and visuals need some work though, particularly the environment and texture work on the island in that video, very bland.

Also, what's this going to be like playing solo? Beta Impressions say at least 3 people communicating is needed to effectively maneuver a ship. I get the feeling playing with randoms there will provide all sorts of disasters, while the teams in chat will cruise around stomping everyone.

You can play by yourself but now they're focusing on team play.
There are ships for solo play as well.

There is treasure hunting. That's how big ships get treasure.

Plus there are quests as well, which I'm sure is another way to acquire treasure.

SegmentNext: One major pillar underneath Sea of Thieves is the shared world where players can come together on the high seas and plan their own adventures. With such heavy focus on cooperative gameplay, what is in store for players wanting to go solo? Lead Designer Mike Chapman has mentioned that opting to do so would reduce the overall experience. Can you give us more details on those limitations?

Mike Chapman: Players will be able to adventure on their own small ship, embarking on the same types of quests, taking advantage of emergent opportunities and progressing to the point where they begin to customize both their ship and character, just like players who may prefer to play in larger groups.

I fully expect players to play on the small ship for a whole host of reasons. Maybe their friends are offline, maybe they just want to sit back and relax on their own, maybe they want to play with one other friend or even several other friends on that small ship. The small ship is designed for small crews, including crews of one. The fact that it has one mast, fewer cannons and is easier to sail while alone just feels natural and intuitive. It can still be upgraded and customized and for many players it may well be their first step in Sea of Thieves. Whether they decide to ever play on larger ships with bigger crews is up to them.

http://segmentnext.com/2016/08/29/sea-of-thieves-interview-exploration-solo-customization-and-more/

Good news.

MMOs always end up about min/max. If small ships aren't worthwhile then they'll end up abandoned. If they're too good, hardcore players will use them instead of larger ships and attack in groups. They're going to have to get the balance just right.

I'm not huge fan of MMO games but I want to like this one. Good thing is I enjoy how the game looks, those graphics are fine to me. Combat doesn't look too good but it might do the job, kind a like Dishonored & Deus Ex. Most likely I end up playing it alone or occasionally with a friend so it all comes down to how enjoyable it is playing solo.

I hope it'll be successful. Pirates are cool.