Summary
The High Seas of Tamriel event is one of ESO's most profitable events, combining naval combat, undersea exploration, and deep sea fishing into one rewarding loop. Launching with Season 1 on September 30, 2026, it's completely free, playable solo or in a group, and offers some of the coolest rewards ESO has seen in a long time—though you can always buy ESO Items to skip the grind. Unlike typical events that boil down to portals, dragons, or world bosses, this one is genuinely fun and extremely lucrative.
Getting Started
How to Begin the Event
Pick up the introductory quest from the Crown Store, or
Travel to the Gold Coast and find Baron Captain Olsson, who will give you the starter quest
Once you complete the introductory quest, you'll gain access to the daily quest loop—which is all you really need to know.
The Daily Quest Loop
The daily quest bundles all three event activities into one crisp package. By completing the daily quest, you will have experienced everything the event has to offer.
Phase 1: Naval Combat
Once you pick up the daily quest, you'll find yourself on a ship deck. Here's what you do:
Use the siege weapon to destroy the enemy ship
Kill the pirates that board your ship
Repair damage and haul done to your ship
It's straightforward combat. Destroy the enemy ship, then loot the package that drops. This moves you into Phase 2.
Phase 2: Undersea Exploration
After destroying the enemy ship, you drop down into a diving bell and descend to the seafloor. This is the second main area—and arguably the most important one, because it contains most of the rewards, bosses, and deep sea fishing opportunities.
The Bubble Mechanic
While underwater, you're protected by a bubble that keeps you alive. However, the bubble can be popped. If it pops, you can find a new bubble inside clams scattered around the seafloor, preventing you from suffocating and drowning.
What You Can Do Underwater
Explore the seafloor for as long as you like
Fight enemies and bosses
Discover points of interest
Loot chests containing themed items, including antiquity leads that are tradable
Complete deep sea fishing achievements
Completing the Quest
Once you've had enough of the ocean, follow the quest marker to the end, kill the boss, and loot the event-themed items it drops. Then return to the diving bell, resurface, and the quest is complete.
Rewards
The High Seas of Tamriel event offers an impressive array of rewards:
New Privateer style (cosmetic outfit)
Mount fragments for a new mount
Nautical furnishings and nautical collectibles
Treasure maps and antiquity leads
Crafting materials
300 Trade Bars per day per character (from daily quest completion)
Trade Bars
The 300 Trade Bars you receive are once per day per character. The quest itself is also only completable once per day per character—but you can do it on multiple characters.
Farming Strategy: Multiple Characters
A common question is: "Can I only explore the undersea area once?"
The answer: You can stay down there as long as you want during the quest portion. If you want to do it again, you'll need to go on a different character.
First completion per day per character: 300 Trade Bars + gold reward box + collectibles found in the ocean
Subsequent completions on other characters: Purple reward chest with additional rewards
This means you can farm valuable tradable items repeatedly by cycling through multiple characters. Most items that drop are tradable, making this event extremely lucrative.
Why This Event Is So Profitable
ESO is a game about time, and this event respects yours. By investing a little time into a daily quest, you can earn rewards worth hundreds of thousands or even millions of gold if you're lucky.
What You Can Do With the Gold
Buy upgrade materials for trials
Purchase potions and consumables
Buy items for your house
Get training gear as a new player
Any real type of content in ESO requires some investment of gold. This event provides a gateway to everything you need—and you don't need to be high level to participate. You could be level 10, 50, 160, or 3,000. Farm it at your leisure.
Achievements and Collectibles
Key Achievements
Baron Captain on Deck
Fight of the Albatross
These two achievements are the key ones when it comes to giving actual rewards. The rest focus on achievement points, which don't have a purpose yet but might in the future.
High Seas Master Angler Achievement
You can complete the High Seas Master Angler achievement at an island on the Gold Coast. You'll need to complete your deep sea fishing achievements to get the four fish required for this achievement.
Collectibles
If you're a completionist or collectible hunter, there's plenty to chase:
Arching Omega Energy
Baron Captain title
Various nautical collectibles
The author notes they don't care much about achievement points but do care about collectibles—and there are plenty to grab here.
Furnishing Plans and Antiquities
Thanks to Hyper's guide, we have detailed information on where furnishing plans and antiquities drop:
Antiquities
Drop specifically from the Cursed Ship Bleed in the Undersea Treasure area
Tradable versions exist
Furnishing Plans
High Sea Furnishings can drop from:
Deep Plunder Boxes
Spoils of War
Undersea Bosses
Undersea Treasure
Deep Plunder Boxes and Spoils of War only have a small chance to drop one
The exact source of each furnishing is still unconfirmed
These are plans, so you can craft multiple copies
Everything is tradable, making them potentially very valuable
TL;DR: What You Need to Know
Do the daily quest. It contains 90% of the achievements and 90% of the collectibles.
First completion gives you 300 Trade Bars.
Subsequent characters give you a purple reward chest with additional rewards.
Rewards are fantastic. People love furnishings and antiquities. You can sell everything.
No level requirement. You can be level 10 or 3,000—farm at your leisure.
Want to farm again? Jump on a second, third, fourth, or fifth character.
First 300 Trade Bars per day are only for the first quest completion—that gets you your gold reward box and collectibles found on the ocean.
Resources
Special thanks to ESO Hub and Hyper for their fantastic guides. If you prefer reading over watching videos, these are highly recommended resources. They cover:
Event details and rewards
Achievement guides
Furnishing plan drop locations
Antiquity lead sources
Conclusion
The High Seas of Tamriel event is a standout in ESO's event history. It combines fun, engaging gameplay—naval combat, undersea exploration, and deep sea fishing—with genuinely lucrative rewards. Whether you're a new player looking for gold or a veteran completionist chasing collectibles, this event has something for everyone.
The daily quest is your one-stop shop for achievements, collectibles, and profit. Do it on your main, then cycle through alts for additional purple reward chests. Sell what you don't need. Buy what you do. And enjoy one of the most enjoyable event loops ESO has delivered in years. If you'd rather skip the grind, MMOEXP is a trusted platform to find ESO Items for sale safely and at competitive prices. Don't miss out—the High Seas of Tamriel event starts September 30, 2026. Happy sailing, and happy hunting.
