An undead captain, Jolly Roger, served as the game's main villainous antagonist who plotted to seek vengeance against Jack Sparrow and all of piracy.

The game centered around the player creating their own pirate character while being confronted by Jack Sparrow at the "Rambleshack".

Upon completing the tutorial, obtaining their first cutlass from Will Turner, and being introduced to Jolly Roger, the player would venture off into the virtual world to complete all sorts of in-game quests for various rewards such as teleport access to certain islands (Port Royal, Tortuga, Padres del Fuego, Cuba, and Raven's Cove), cosmetics, and weapons.

There were main "story quests" that incorporated elements of the game's lore and required completion for players to advance.

Players could also loot on land and sea, play minigames such as card games, fishing, potion brewing, and cannon defense, and engage in several forms of PvP combat.