A lightning storm, commonly referred to most players as an "E-Storm", is a rare occurrence that takes place during night; an E-Storm in previous versions of the game used to be identifiable by the purplish-whitish lightning bolts that would appear across the sky, as well as many lightning flashes across the entire map.
The purple lightning was removed about 2020.
To identify an E storm now, there are 3 conditions that must be met:
- It’s night
- It’s storming
- It’s pitch black, like so black you barely see your own ship.
During an "E-Storm," gem ores become more common and you have the chance to get a very rare ore called Electrosteel, which has the appearance of a neon white. To gain Electrosteel during an E-Storm, you must have an Angelic Sapphire Pickaxe (a pick made of Angelwood and Sapphire) on a non-spawn island, which includes Fenwick, Freeport, Perth, Harrisburg, Salem, Cannoneer's Key, and The Nameless Isles.
As Nassau is now a playable faction, you can no longer obtain Electrosteel on it's spawn island.
The chance of an E-Storm to happen are very slim, coming in at a 8% chance every night.
During winter, E-Storms are replaced with Snowstorms (also referred to as Ice Storms). During a Snowstorm you can get Ice, a similarly rare gem.