Sea of Thieves launched its Anniversary update April 30 and with it came a ton of new ways to play including the new Shores of Gold Tall Tales mode. In this game mode, players embark on adventures guided by Tall Tales told to them by the Mysterious Stranger. Each of these Tall Tales requires players to solve a series of puzzles and travel to various locations in search of special artifacts. Once the tale has been completed, players earn special cosmetics and other in-game rewards. Below we've put together a complete guide to the very first Sea of Thieves Tall Tale - Shroudbreaker. With this guide, you should be able to successfully make your way through every part of the Tall Tale and claim the legendary Shroudbreaker. You can check out our other guides to the Anniversary update, including how to fish and cook, here.
How To Start Shroudbreakers Tall Tale
- Find the Mysterious Stranger in any tavern. Beside him, you should find a barrel with a book on top of it.
- If you interact with the book, you'll see its title and some information about the tale.
- You'll also see the option to "Vote for Tall Tale." Voting for the tale activates the adventure.
- Once activated, talk to the Mysterious Stranger and he'll tell you about the Shroudbreaker artifact.
- Next, go to your Radial Map and select the Shroudbreaker Tall Tale. There will be a series of notes to read and when synthesized it reveals the goal and steps for completing this mission. Below are in-depth instructions for completing each step in the Shroudbreakers quest.
Where to Find the Ship's Log
According to the lore, the Ship's Log went missing when the Pirate Lord's ship, Magpie's Wing, was sunk. The ship went down near an uncharted island between The Crooked Masts and Crook's Hollow. To find this island, set you marker coordinates to N13 and head there.
Once you've found the island, go to the northwest side and dive in the water, You should find the remains of the Magpie's Wing. Find the Captain's quarters and inside you should locate the Ship's Log. Take it with you. This will unlock the Lost Voyage commendation.
How to Find the Ancient Chest
After you have the Ship's Log in hand, you're going to be given a series of puzzles that include directions and descriptions of different islands you'll need to visit in order to finally reach the Ancient Chest. Unfortunately, there's no easy way to guide you to the exact location of the chest as the clues are different for each player. You'll just have to work your way through the island puzzles till you find it. Several players have reported finding the Ancient Chest at Paradise Spring and Cutlass Cay but it has also been sighted in places like Chicken Isle and Fools Lagoon. Once you've figured out which island the chest is located at, pay attention to the log's directions to determine which side of the island to jump off of in order to find it. The chest shouldn't be too far from shore. Once you've found the chest, you'll need to take in on the ship to open it. Inside you'll find a Totem.
Where to Find the Ancient Vault
Not every player will find the same totem. There are six different Totems that players might encounter and depending on which they get will determine the island they must travel to in order to find the Ancient Vault.
Here are the different Totems and their corresponding island locations:
- Scarab Totem – Crook's Hollow
- Shark Totem – Kraken's Fall
- Boar Totem – Devil's Ridge
- Crab Totem – Unknown Island at N13
- Moon Totem – Crescent Isle
- Snake Totem – Mermaid's Hideaway
Once you've arrived at the island, your final task is to find the Ancient Vault. You'll have to put your totem in the vault's lock in order to open it. The vault's lock doesn't look like a typical lock. It's generally a rectangular shaped space on top of a flat rock that looks kind of like a button. To find the lock, it's a good idea to find areas with rocks. Holding your Totem, walk around the rocks and look for a prompt to "Place Totem." This is the sign that you've found the Ancient Vault's lock. If you're really struggling with finding your ancient vault, below is a cheat list of where to find them on each island. Once you've unlocked the vault, you'll receive the Vault of the Ancients commendation.
Ancient Vault Locations:
- Crook's Hollow - Look for the waterfall on this island. Behind the waterfall, you should find a cave. Look for paintings of Scarabs. Face those walls and the vault lock should be somewhere on your right.
- Kraken's Fall - Look for the main archway on this island and you should find the vault lock somewhere under it.
- Devil's Ridge - go to the southeast end of the beach and look for rocks with boars painted on them. The vault lock will be found to the left of the paintings.
- Unknown Island at N13 - Go to the west side of the island near the red plant. Dive under the water and you should see a cave. Inside the cave look for a workbench. Go behind it, and on a wall, just under some Crab paintings, you should find the Ancient Vault.
- Crescent Isle - find the northern cave on this island and enter it. Once inside, turn to the right and look for a wall with some Moon paintings. The vault lock should be located in a spot under these paintings.
- Mermaid's Hideaway - head to the northwest side of this island. Look for the archway. You should see the vault lock somewhere under this arch.
How to Solve the Ancient Vault Puzzles
Part 1 - Solve the Altar Puzzle
You are now in the final stages of this Tall Tale. Enter the Ancient Vault and look for an altar. There is going to be a puzzle for you to solve. To do it, open to the last page of your Tall Tale. There you should find the solution to the puzzle you're about to solve.
The solutions come in the form of symbols. You'll see three lines each with a pattern of symbols. These same symbols will be found on the four columns surrounding the altar. You'll have to interact with a block in the middle of each column to rotate the symbols until they are in the same order as is seen in your log. Make sure to screenshot or study those symbols carefully before you begin the puzzle as they are time-limited.
Once you think you are ready, light the four braziers surrounding the altar. This will activate the puzzle, but also causes the room to fill with water. You have until the room is completely filled to finish the puzzle or else you'll drown and have to begin again.
Part 2 - Find Vault Medallions
Once you've passed the symbol puzzle, a map should appear on top of the altar. This map will should a location for you to visit. Dig at that location to find a Vault Medallion and bring it back to the altar. Every time you do this, the map will show a new dig location. You'll need to collect three Vault Medallions. Be on your guard as some of these dig spots will spawn coral skeleton's that you'll need to defeat to continue. It's a good idea to keep your cutlass handy as you move to these sites.
How to Get the Shroudbreaker
After completing the altar puzzles and retrieving the Vault Medallions, the Shroudbreaker should appear in front of the altar. Grab the Shroudbreaker and head for your boat. Watch out for the pesky coral skeletons which will chase you as you make your escape. As you exit you'll receive a notice that you've unlocked The Key to Adventure commendation. Simply take the Shroudbreaker to the Mysterious Stranger and you'll finish your Tale and unlock the next — The Cursed Rogue. The stranger will then give you the Shroudbreaker commendation as well.
Shroudbreaker Rewards
Once you've completed the Shroudbreaker Tall Tale the first time you'll receive the Pirate Lord's Hat cosmetic. Players can also earn the Magpie's Wings Cannons as well by meeting the following requirements:
- Complete Shroudbreaker 5 times
- Find the 5 Shroudbreaker Journals.
Shroudbringer Journal Locations
You must have the Shroudbringer Tale active in order to find the journals. Here is where you may find the five Shroudbringer Journals:
- Journal #1 - N13 Reef Island - Northwest beach
- Journal #2 - Ancient Spire Outpost - in a candlelit cave inside the north spire
- Journal #3 - Devil's Ridge - by the cannon to the North
- Journal #4 - Thieve's Haven - in a crate under a hut on the NW side of the inside of the island
- Journal #5 - Plunder Outpost - in the rowboat by the Gold Hoarder
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