ESO High Seas of Tamriel Event Guide: How to Start, Rewards & Everything You Need to Know

Summary

The High Seas of Tamriel event is setting a new bar for what events in ESO can be. Running for a limited time from September 30th for two weeks, this event introduces naval combat, underwater exploration, deep-sea fishing, and a treasure trove of nautical-themed rewards—making it the perfect time to stock up on valuable loot, whether you earn it through gameplay or prefer to buy The Elder Scrolls Online Gold to skip the grind. This guide covers everything you need to know: how to start the event, what to expect from the daily quest, the rewards on offer, and whether it's worth your time.

Part 1: Event Overview – What Is High Seas of Tamriel?

When Does It Run?

Start Date: September 30th

Duration: 2 weeks

Future Returns: Likely to return seasonally

Is the Content Permanent?

This is a common point of confusion. Here's the breakdown:

Bottom Line: Everything introduced through ESO Seasons is permanent—except the High Seas event and Night Market. The rumors about seasonal content disappearing are false.

Part 2: How to Start the Event

Step 1: Get the Breadcrumb Quest

Available for free in the Crown Store.

Kicks off in the Gold Coast, just southwest of Anvil.

Step 2: Complete the Intro Quest

The intro quest is quick and easy:

Some light fetching across the Gold Coast zone.

Your goal: repair the bell to summon the ghost ship.

Reward for First Completion:

Gold-tier Deep Plunder Box (packed with new rewards)

The Pirate Hat and Wig (fashionable, ostentatious, and very Captain Hook)

Reward for Subsequent Completions:

Purple-tier Deep Plunder Boxes for the rest of the day

Part 3: The Daily Quest – Two Phases of Adventure

Once you've completed the intro quest, you unlock a repeatable daily quest. This is the main activity of the event.

Phase 1: Naval Combat

You'll board the ship Righteous Redress and set sail on the Abyssal Sea.

Your goal: fend off rival pirates.

What You'll Do:

Fire ballista at enemy ships (trigger when lined up).

Repair damage to your own ship.

Juggle fighting NPCs and managing repairs.

Solo vs. Group:

Solo: Feels hectic but manageable.

Group: Much easier—bring a friend or two for a breeze.

Critique: The naval combat is passable and fun, but it might get stale by day 14. A bit more tactical depth (like aiming siege weapons or preventing damage) would have been welcome.

Phase 2: Underwater Exploration

This is the highlight of the event. It plays like an underwater solo dungeon—though you can bring friends.

Key Features:

Breath Management: Your breath bubble can pop; replenish it to avoid drowning. Drowning isn't a big deal—just respawn where you are using a soul gem.

Gravity Adjustments: Fun new mechanics that let you make jumps you normally couldn't.

Hidden Treasure: Buried treasure is everywhere. Explore thoroughly to find it all.

Challenge Difficulty: Can be increased using the new challenge system if you want a tougher experience.

Time to Complete: 10–30 minutes per day, depending on:

Solo vs. group

Sprinting through vs. exploring for hidden loot

Whether you stop to fish

Verdict: The underwater exploration is solid, rewarding, and encourages new gameplay. It's the better of the two phases.

Part 4: Rewards – What's Up for Grabs?

New Cosmetics and Collectibles

The Ornaug Mount

Unlocked by collecting 3 fragments.

Achievements should take about 5 days to complete.

Fairly easy to earn with consistent participation.

What About the Tradeable Antiquity Leads?

This was a mixed bag:

Cool in Concept: Tradeable leads give purpose to players who don't enjoy antiquities.

Disappointing in Execution: The leads are only for loot to sell, not furnishings or other cool items.

The Problem: It's just a gold reward with extra steps—and because the final item has a set sell price, it caps how much you can sell the lead for.

Bottom Line: If the leads are dirt cheap, they might be worth it. Otherwise, it's not worth the effort.

Part 5: What Could Have Been Better?

1. Naval Combat Depth

Currently feels a bit shallow.

Suggestion: Add aiming mechanics for siege weapons.

Tactical options (e.g., preventing damage to your ship) would add depth.

2. Reward Variety

Would have preferred: New pirate armor motifs over weapon styles.

A riff on the Drowned Motif would have been excellent.

Hat and Wig Combo: Cool, but limiting. Separate pieces would offer more fashion options.

3. Why Only Two Weeks?

The event is time-boxed to two weeks, which doesn't make much sense to me. A couple of small changes could have justified making it permanent. My guess: time-boxing helped limit the scope of development for this first iteration.

Part 6: Should You Play It?

Yes, If You Want:

A fun, rewarding limited-time event.

New furnishings and cosmetics (ship in a bottle, fishbowl, pirate hat).

The Ornaug mount for your collection.

A taste of new mechanics (underwater exploration, gravity adjustments).

Maybe Skip If:

You're not interested in limited-time content.

You don't care about nautical-themed cosmetics.

You're looking for deep, complex naval combat (it's not that).

Final Verdict

The High Seas of Tamriel event is a very solid and rewarding experience, especially for a limited-time event. It sets a new bar for what ESO events can be—but it falls just a little short of being truly exceptional.

My Take:

The underwater exploration is genuinely fun and well-designed.

The rewards are excellent for housing enthusiasts and fashion collectors.

The naval combat is passable but could use more depth.

The two-week window feels arbitrary—this could easily have been permanent with a few tweaks.

I'm still looking forward to playing it on live servers—I've already got a spot picked out for that ship in a bottle.

Part 7: Tips for Maximizing Your Event Experience

Tip 1: Do the Intro Quest First

The pirate hat and wig are immediate rewards. Don't skip this.

Tip 2: Group Up for the Daily

The naval combat phase is much easier with 1–2 groupmates. The underwater phase is more fun with friends too.

Tip 3: Explore Thoroughly

There's hidden treasure everywhere in the underwater section. Take your time and dig it all up.

Tip 4: Use Challenge Difficulty (Optional)

If you want a tougher experience, use the new challenge system during the underwater phase.

Tip 5: Don't Skip Fishing

The event includes deep-sea fishing. It's chill, rewarding, and worth the time.

Tip 6: Complete Achievements Over 5 Days

The Ornaug mount requires 5 days of participation—plan your schedule accordingly.

Tip 7: Check the Crown Store

The breadcrumb quest is free. Don't miss it.

Final Thoughts

The High Seas of Tamriel event is a welcome addition to ESO's seasonal content lineup. It offers a fresh mix of mechanics, solid rewards, and a fun pirate-themed experience. It's not perfect—the naval combat could be deeper, and the reward selection feels a bit limited—but it's still one of the more ambitious and enjoyable limited-time events ESO has seen. For those who'd rather skip the grind, platforms like MMOEXP make it easy to find cheap The Elder Scrolls Online Gold—letting you enjoy the event's best offerings without the extra farming.