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The Return Of The Damned is the 9th Sea of Thieves time-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 try to thwart his return.
Adventure 9 continues the story from the Herald of the Flame 8th Sea of Thieves Adventure, 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 Larinna outside the Tavern on any Outpost to activate either the Reapers' Path or Belle'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 choose Team Flameheart, Larinna gives players a note with instructions to sail to the Reaper's Hideout at point I12 on the map. To continue the Adventure, players must speak to the Servant of the Flame standing on the beach by the entrance to the Reaper's Hideout, where players can see a red ritual table and Captain Flameheart's skeletal corpse.
The Servant of the Flame gives players siding with Flameheart a red Reaper's Fort Flag and a checklist with instructions to capture Sea Forts and return Dark Relics called Bewitching Dolls or Enchanted Bewitching Dolls to 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 with Team Pendragon, Larinna's note instructs players to sail to Shipwreck Bay at point M10 on the map. Head to the middle of the island beside the broken ship to find Belle standing 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 a Belle's Fort Flag and Checklist of instructions to sail to as many of the 6 Sea Forts as possible and capture either Bewitching Dolls or Enchanted Bewitching Dolls to help save Pendragon.
Whichever path players choose, it's time to set sail to 1 of the 6 Sea Forts across the Sea of Thieves map, 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:
- Imperial Crown Fortress - located in The Shores of Plenty at point B11.
- Royal Crest Fortress - located in The Shores of Plenty at point J6.
- Traitors Fate Fortress - located in The Wilds at point S6.
- Mercy's End Fortress - located in The Wilds at point P14.
- Old Brinestone Fortress - located in The Ancient Isles at point K21.
- Ancient Gold Fortress - located in The Ancient Isles at point F19.
How To Beat The Soulflame Captain
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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 a Soulflame 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.
The trickiest part is avoiding getting backed into a corner by groups of ghosts which 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 green soul orb, which players need the Bewitching Doll to collect.
How To Capture A Sea Fort
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Once players have defeated enough waves of ghosts and the Soulflame Captain, players must first defeat the Captain of the Fortress to capture a Sea Fort and get the key for the locked Treasure Room at base level to find the Bewitching Doll.
To capture a Fort, head upstairs to the highest level and press X to raise the Reapers' Fort flag or Belle's Fort flag or 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 to avoid PVP battles and 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 are guaranteed to find a Bewitching Doll inside the Sea Fort Treasury at 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 small horde of gold and treasure, plus the Dark Relic Bewitching Doll inside a cupboard at the back of the room.
Head back to the soul orb and hold X on an Xbox controller to collect the Soulflame Captain's soul and 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 Doll to 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
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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. The 1st of Belle's Journals, called 'A Chance,' is located on a balcony of the broken ship near Belle and Pendragon at Shipwreck Bay. The 2nd 'Points of Power' Belle Journal is located on a table in the bedroom of Royal Crest Fortress.
The 1st Servant of the Flame Journal, called 'Destiny,' is located to the right of the Reaper's Hideout inside a crate near the wooden platform structure. The 2nd 'Tactics' Servant of the Flame Journal is found on a bench near the fireplace in the wall map room at Mercy's End Fortress.
Adventure 9 Rewards And Commendations
Players who complete Belle's path receive Belle's Ritual Sails, and those who complete the Reaper's Path earn the Reaper's Ritual Sails. Players who complete all 10 deeds in the Adventure by completing both pathways and reading all journals are awarded the Devotee 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 Thieves is available to play on PC, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.