You're standing on the dock at Sanctuary Outpost, staring at a mysterious book next to the Mysterious Stranger. It looks cool. It looks adventurous. But honestly? If you jump into a Sea of Thieves Tall Tales guide without knowing the actual mechanics of how these story missions function, you’re going to spend six hours sailing against the wind for a reward that feels like a slap in the face.
Tall Tales aren't your standard "dig up a chest and sell it" voyages. They're cinematic, story-driven puzzles that turn the world of Rare’s pirate sandbox into an escape room. Some are brilliant. Others, like the original Art of the Trickster, are enough to make you want to scuttle your own ship in frustration.
Getting Started With the Shores of Gold
The Shores of Gold is the "classic" arc. It’s nine chapters long. Most players think they can just knock it out in a weekend. You can't. Well, you can, but you'll be exhausted.
First off, go to the tavern. See that book? That’s The Shroudbreaker. Interact with it to vote. You’ll get a quest book in your inventory (hit 'E' on PC or 'RB' on controller). Read it. Don't just skim. Rare loves hiding clues in the margins of the drawings. Sometimes a sketch of an island isn't just "flavor text"—it’s literally the map you need to find a hidden vault.
The biggest mistake people make here is ignoring the "Checkpoints" system. Rare added this a few years back because getting sunk by a sweaty Reaper while you're holding a quest item used to mean restarting the entire two-hour mission. Now, if you lose your Shroudbreaker stone or a totem, you can just go to your ship’s voyage table and restart from the last checkpoint. It saves your progress and even respawns the physical items you need. Use it. It’s a literal life-saver.
The Disney Influence: A Pirate’s Life and Monkey Island
Things changed when Disney showed up. A Pirate's Life (the Pirates of the Caribbean crossover) and The Legend of Monkey Island are basically theme park rides.
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They’re "instanced." This means once you sail through the Portal of the Damned, other players can't mess with you. It’s a peaceful break from the constant threat of a Brigantine appearing on the horizon. If you’re a solo slooper, these are the best starting points. They’re polished, voice-acted by the actual talent (mostly), and they give you a much better narrative flow than the older tales.
But here’s the catch. These "rides" are incredibly linear. If you miss a Journal—those little books hidden in the corners that you need for 100% completion—you often can't just sail back. You have to restart the whole tale. It sucks. Check every nook, every crate, and every behind-the-waterfall cliché you can think of.
Why 100% Completion is a Nightmare (But Worth It)
Look, if you just want the story, do them once. If you want the "Gold Hoarder Curse" or the "Magpie’s Wing" ship set, you have to do every tale in the arc five times. Five. Times.
It’s a massive grind. Rare wants you to master the puzzles, but it ends up feeling repetitive.
Pro-tip for the five-run grind: Find a friend who has a checkpoint at the very end of the tale. If they leave the game right before the final objective is completed, they keep the checkpoint. You finish the tale, get the credit, and then they rejoin and place the checkpoint again. It’s a bit "cheesy," sure, but when you’re on your fourth run of Revenge of the Morningstar, you won't care about honor. You’ll care about your time.
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Solving the Vault Puzzles Without a PhD
The puzzles usually involve pillars with symbols. You’ll see icons like a Beetle, a Sun, a Warrior, or a Shark.
Usually, the quest book tells you a story. "The Warrior looked at the Sun, then turned to the Shark."
That’s your code. Rotate the pillars to match the sequence.
There's a time limit. Water fills the room. If you fail, you drown. If you’re solo, this is high stress. Keep your bucket out. If you’re in a crew, have one person dedicated to reading the book while the others spin the pillars. Don't have everyone yelling at once; that’s how you end up in the Ferry of the Damned.
The Curse of the Sunken Kingdom
This is the "special" Tall Tale. It’s technically called The Legend of the Sunken Kingdom, and you can’t even start it until you’ve found every hidden journal in all the underwater Siren Shrines.
It’s the most lore-heavy mission in the game. It’s also arguably the hardest because you’re underwater for long stretches. You have to use "Oxygen Flowers" to breathe.
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Why bother? Because it unlocks the Curse of Sunken Sorrow. It’s one of the few cosmetic items in the game that actually glows in the dark and makes you look like a terrifying coral-covered monster. For the fashion-forward pirate, it’s the peak of Sea of Thieves style.
Navigating the Stars and the Winds
In Stars of a Thief, you get an Enchanted Spyglass. It lets you see constellations in the sky. It’s beautiful. It’s also confusing as hell if you don't realize that the constellations correspond to cardinal directions.
- The Great Warrior = North
- The Iron Scarab = Southeast
- The Glimmering Fish = East
If the book says "follow the Bear," it doesn't mean look for a literal bear on an island. It means point your ship toward the Bear constellation and sail that way until you hit land. It’s old-school navigation. Honestly, it makes you feel like a real sailor.
Dealing With Boss Fights
The boss fights in Tall Tales (like the Gold Hoarder or Davy Jones) scale with your crew size. If you’re a 4-man Galleon, the boss has a massive health pool. If you’re a solo Sloop, they’re much squishier.
Don't just swing your sword. Use your blunderbuss for high burst damage. Most arenas have ammo crates scattered around. If you’re fighting the Gold Hoarder, watch out for his coin-burst attack; it’ll knock you back into the traps. Keep moving. If you stand still, you’re shark bait.
Actionable Next Steps for Aspiring Legends
If you’re ready to dive into the lore, start with these specific actions:
- Check your Commendations menu first. See which tales you’ve partially started. Don’t repeat work you’ve already done.
- Stock up on food. Tall Tales involve a lot of running around on islands. You’ll take fall damage, get bitten by snakes, and get poked by skeletons. Bring pineapples and cooked meat for that health regeneration buffer.
- Use the "external" maps. Let’s be real—the in-game maps are meant to be immersive, but websites like Rare Thief provide interactive maps for those "where the heck is this journal" moments. There’s no shame in it.
- Join a Discord. The Sea of Thieves community is huge. If you need that "five completions" grind, find a "Tall Tale" channel in the official Discord. People are always looking to swap checkpoints to save time.
- Park your ship carefully. When you’re inside a cave for 20 minutes, your ship is a sitting duck. Park behind large rock formations or on the side of the island facing away from the center of the map. Turn off your lanterns. Stealth is your best friend when you aren't there to defend your hull.
Tall Tales are the heart of the game's soul. They explain why the world is broken, who the Pirate Lord really is, and why Captain Flameheart won't shut up about his "sails on the horizon." Just take your time. If you rush it, you’ll miss the magic that makes Sea of Thieves more than just a pirate-themed deathmatch.