Quick Links
The Return Of The Damned is the 9thSea of Thievestime-limited Adventure that lets players choose between supporting the Reapers in their quest to summon Captain Flameheart or go-green and siding with the goodies in supporting Belle and Pendragon to attempt to thwart his return.
RELATED:Online Games With Awesome Halloween Events
Adventure 9 continues the story from theHerald of the Flame8thSea of ThievesAdventure, taking place during the Festival of the Damned, where players must pick a side in an exciting game of capture the zone across the waves as they battle for domination and power in conquering Sea Forts. Some players may strongly support Team Flameheart or Team Pendragon, but those who want to reap all Adventure rewards must complete both Reaper and Belle pathways. This guide contains spoilers, describes how to complete each path, plus details all journal locations and Adventure rewards.
How To Begin The Adventure
To start Adventure 9,speak to Larinnaoutside the Tavern on any Outpost to activate either theReapers' PathorBelle’s Path. Each path is almost a mirror image of the other in gameplay, but they begin at different points on the map.
Reapers' Path
For players that chooseTeam Flameheart, Larinna gives players a note with instructions to sail to theReaper’s Hideoutatpoint I12on the map. To continue the Adventure, players must speak to theServant of the Flamestanding on the beach by the entrance to the Reaper’s Hideout, where players can see a red ritual table andCaptain Flameheart’s skeletal corpse.
The Servant of the Flame gives players siding with Flameheart a redReaper’s Fort Flagand achecklistwith instructions tocapture Sea Fortsand returnDark RelicscalledBewitching Dolls or Enchanted Bewitching Dollsto collect power for Flameheart’s ritual. In true turncoat style, any Soulflame Captains encountered at the forts must be destroyed, and their soul essence captured in the Dolls.
Belle’s Path
For players siding withTeam Pendragon, Larinna’s note instructs players to sail toShipwreck Bayat point M10 on the map. Head tothe middle of the islandbeside the broken ship to findBellestanding by a green ritual table, and Pendragon with his sword stuck in a nearby painting.
To begin the next chapter, talk to Belle again to get aBelle’s Fort FlagandChecklistof instructions to sail to as many of the 6 Sea Forts as possible and capture eitherBewitching DollsorEnchanted Bewitching Dollsto help save Pendragon.
RELATED:Sea Of Thieves: Who Is Belle?
Whichever path players choose, it’s time to set sail to1 of the6 Sea Fortsacross theSea of Thievesmap, with a trip to Mercy’s End Fortress and Royal Crest Fortress crucial for those on the hunt for journals. Players don’t need to visit all Sea Forts to complete the Adventure, and there’s no extra reward for doing so, but it does look cool seeing them all lit up on the horizon. Additionally, the more Forts players capture and the more dolls they hand in, the more power goes to their chosen side, but there are no checkpoints.
Players can find the location of all Sea Forts on the ship’s map table and check the ritual table to see those captured:
How To Beat The Soulflame Captain
As soon as players step foot on their chosen Sea Fort, the battle begins, and unless the Fort is not active, players must battle waves of ghosts before the potential appearance of aSoulflame Captain, which may or may not show up. The Soulflame Captain taunts players, stating that mortal weapons are no match for him, but players can defeat him with standard weapons like a cutlass, blunderbuss, and throwables with a bit of persistence.
RELATED:Tips For Conquering The Seas Solo In Sea Of Thieves
The trickiest part is avoiding getting backed into a corner bygroups of ghostswhich can deal significant damage, so topping up health from barrels and running up and down the floors in circles usually does the trick. When defeated, the Soulflame Captain drops a greensoulorb, which players need theBewitching Dollto collect.
How To Capture A Sea Fort
Once players have defeated enough waves of ghosts and the Soulflame Captain, players must firstdefeat the Captain of the Fortress to capture a Sea Fortandget the keyfor the locked Treasure Room at base level to find theBewitching Doll.
Tocapture a Fort, head upstairs to the highest level and press X toraise the Reapers' Fort flag or Belle’s Fort flagor lower the flag if captured by a rival player. Players cannot raise a flag until the Fort is conquered.
The flag emits a beam of red or green light to the skies, indicating which team possesses the Fort and is visible on the horizon for all on the server. Players may need to watch out for rival team players toavoid PVP battlesand can use the flag more than once while the Adventure is active.
Bewitching Doll Location And How To Enchant A Doll
Players may want to raid all cupboards and crates around the Sea Fort, as lucky ones may come across a randomly spawned Bewitching Doll. However, players areguaranteed to find a Bewitching Doll inside theSea Fort Treasuryat the base of the Fort.
Use the Treasure Room Key dropped by the Sea Fort Captain to unlock the Sea Fort Treasury door to find a smallhorde of gold and treasure, plus theDark RelicBewitching Doll inside a cupboardat the back of the room.
RELATED:Best Cosmetic Sets In Sea Of Thieves (& How To Get Them)
Head back to the soul orb and hold X on an Xbox controller tocollect the Soulflame Captain’s souland enchant the doll. The doll now shines eerily green with its trapped content inside.
To complete the Adventure,return an Enchanted Bewitching Doll or Bewitching Dollto Belle at Shipwreck Bay or the Servant of the Flame back at the Reapers' Hideout, depending upon the chosen alliance.
Belle And Servant Of The Flame Journal Locations
Collecting Belle or the Servant of the Flame’s Journals is not necessary to complete the Adventure, but players who want to tick off all Deeds and get the Adventure Title reward must collect them all. The1st of Belle’s Journals,called’A Chance,‘is located on abalconyof the broken shipnear Belle and Pendragon atShipwreck Bay. The2nd ‘Points of Power’ Belle Journalis located on atable in the bedroomofRoyal Crest Fortress.
The1st Servant of the Flame Journal,called ‘Destiny,‘is located to theright of theReaper’s Hideoutinside a crate near the wooden platform structure. The 2nd’Tactics’ Servant of the Flame Journalis foundon a bench near the fireplace in the wall map roomatMercy’s End Fortress.
Adventure 9 Rewards And Commendations
Players who complete Belle’s path receiveBelle’s Ritual Sails,and those who complete the Reaper’s Path earn theReaper’s Ritual Sails. Players who complete all 10 deeds in the Adventure by completing both pathways and reading all journals are awarded theDevotee of The Damned Title. The time-limited Return of the Damned Adventure is available to play until 10 am UTC on November 17th.
Sea of Thievesis available to play on PC, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
