The sinister Dark Brethren still have Merrick held as their prisoner in the Sea of the Damned. However, Merrick can only stay tightlipped for so long before the Dark Brethren force him to reveal the vital information they seek.
But fear not, a rescue is underway! The Pirate Lord has joined forces with Belle to take on the Dark Brethren. Using the Veil of the Ancients, the Pirate Lord can send any fearless pirate to the Sea of the Damned to rescue Merrick!
Unfortunately, opening a portal to the Sea of the Damned is extremely dangerous. The longer the portal is open, the more likely an untold danger could make its way to the Sea of Thieves. Therefore, brave pirates who venture into the Sea of the Damned will have to be quick on their feet if they wish to be successful!
There’s no time to wait! Speak with Larinna to start the A Hunter’s Cry Adventure and retrieve Merrick before it’s too late!
How to complete the A Hunter's Cry Adventure
To complete the A Hunter’s Cry Adventure, you must reach the top of Twisted Sea Dog Tavern, rescue Merrick, and deliver his letter to Serik. After giving Merrick’s message to Serik, you will complete the Adventure and unlock the ‘Hunter’s Repose’ memento.
To earn the ‘Defender of the Damned’ title, you’ll need to complete all six Deeds for the Adventure. You can see the six Deeds and your progress towards them in the Adventure Tab.
Unlike most Adventures, you will not be alone. The Pirate Lord will matchmake you with other pirates to tackle the Sea of the Damned together. Several crews can all be working on climbing the tavern at once.
Also, dissimilar to most Adventures, you will be racing against the clock for part of the Adventure. If you fail to rescue Merrick within the time limit, you will fail and have to try again.
There are no Checkpoints for this Adventure, so you’ll need to complete each Chapter in one session.
The A Hunter’s Cry Adventure will be available to all pirates from August 18th to September 1st, 2022. Unfortunately, after September 1st, you will not be able to partake in the Adventure and earn the two Mementos.
A Hunter's Cry: Step by Step
Step 1: Start the A Hunter's Cry Adventure
To start the A Hunter’s Cry Adventure, you’ll need to speak to Larinna at any active Outpost across the Sea of Thieves. You can find her just outside the Tavern.
Once you have found Larinna, speak with her. You’ll see several different dialogue options you can select. Choose the last option, BEGIN ADVENTURE, to let her know you want to help save Merrick!
It’s important to note that you cannot start the Adventure if you are actively doing a Tall Tale. You can also cancel the Adventure at any time if you need to via your ship’s Voyage Table, just like you would a voyage or Tall Tale.
As soon as you choose the BEGIN ADVENTURE option, you will begin Chapter One of the Adventure!
Step 2: Talk to the Pirate Lord
Larinna will quickly send you on your way to speak with the Pirate Lord on the main dock of the Outpost.
Head on over to where the Pirate Lord is and talk to him. He will then fill you in on his plan to save Merrick!
Using the Veil of the Ancients, the Pirate Lord plans to send all willing pirates to the Sea of the Damned! Hopefully, a crew up to the task will be able to pull Merrick out!
While he is talking to you, he will open a portal to the Sea of the Damned. The portal should be in the giant archway right next to the Outpost you are on and visible from the dock.
With the portal open, it’s time to stock up on supplies, weigh anchor, and sail through the portal!
Step 3: Travel to the Sea of the Damned
The portal will take you to a Tunnel of the Damned, which directly leads to the Sea of the Damned. You will soon realize that you have no control of your ship here, but don’t worry! You will end up exactly where you need to go.
Shortly after arriving in the Tunnel of the Damned, The Pirate Lord will appear on your ship and explain his rescue plan in further detail.
The Dark Brethren have Merrick held captive at the top of the Twisted Sea Dog Tavern. However, the path to the top is incomplete!
To reach Merrick, you and other crew’s who join the rescue will first need to grab a Flame of Souls and ignite several Lighthouse Towers that surround Twisted Sea Dog Tavern. Then, you will use the Lighthouses to light five giant beacons scattered around the tavern. Shining the beacons will reveal the missing pieces of the path that leads to Merrick!
Finally, with a direct route to the top, you can reach Merrick and save him from the Dark Brethren!
Be mindful of the time! You’ll need to be quick to save Merrick successfully! If you are not fast enough, you will fail the Chapter, and The Pirate Lord will have to transport you back to the Sea of Thieves without Merrick. The timer starts as soon as the first crew arrives.
How much time do you to save Merrick?
You have at most 45 minutes in the Sea of the Damned to save Merrick. If you are the first crew, you will have the total time to reach the top of the tavern. If other pirates have started before you, you will have less time.
The portal you arrived through will change color depending on the remaining time. If the portal is a brighter white color instead of the usual green, you have less than ten minutes!
You can also count on The Pirate Lord to occasionally remind you how much time you have left.
What happens if you sink in the Sea of the Damned?
If your ship sinks in the Sea of the Damned, it will respawn nearby, so you don’t need to worry about keeping it afloat.
Can you leave the Sea of the Damned early?
You can leave the Sea of the Damned whenever you please by canceling the Adventure from your ship’s Captain’s Table.
If you happen to come across a less than cooperative crew, cancel the Adventure and try again. Since getting to the Sea of the Damned is so quick as the portal is right by the Outpost, it’s worth your time trying to find a more friendly group to work with.
Step 4: Reveal the jetty to the Twisted Sea Dog Tavern
As soon as you arrive at the Sea of the Damned, you will see the silhouette of the Twisted Sea Dog Tavern surrounded by three Lighthouse Towers.
Sail towards the tavern and be on the lookout for patrolling Ghost Ships! You will want to destroy at least three of them during your time in the Sea of the Damned to complete a Deed.
As you approach the Twisted Sea Dog Tavern, you should notice that the main jetty surrounding the tavern is missing. Without the jetty, you won’t be able to step foot on Twisted Sea Dog Tavern and start your ascent.
Before climbing the tavern, you first need to ignite two of the three surrounding Lighthouse Towers. Then, using each of the Lighthouse Tower beams of light, you can light two beacons on the tavern, revealing the hidden jetty.
If the jetty is visible and the Lighthouse Towers lit, then you can skip ahead and start your way up the Twisted Sea Dog Tavern.
If the jetty is missing, head towards the Northern Lighthouse.
Step 5: Light the Northern Lighthouse Tower
Once on the Northern Lighthouse jetty, you’ll want to get to the top to light its brazier. However, before making your way to the top of the Lighthouse Tower, you must remove the barrier blocking its entrance.
Each of the three Lighthouse jetties has two unlit braziers and one brazier with a Flame of Souls. Lighting the two unlit braziers with the Flame of Souls will remove the barrier to the Lighthouse Tower.
To unblock the Northern Lighthouse Tower, head to the Eastern side of the jetty and climb up the ladder to a wooden platform. Watch out for any Brethren Phantoms that ambush you along the way!
On top of the wooden platform, you will find the brazier with a Flame of Souls. Equip your lantern, raise it, and take the Flame of Souls.
With the Flame of Souls collected, walk back to the two braziers and light each one. Then, the barrier blocking the entrance to the Lighthouse Tower will disappear, and you can start climbing.
Dispatch of any Brethren Phantoms in your way and climb the ladder near the top to reach the Lighthouse brazier. Again, equip your lantern, raise it, and ignite the Lighthouse.
See exactly where the Lighthouse is on your map:
Northern Lighthouse on Twisted Sea Dog Tavern
Step 6: Light first beacon on Sea Dog Tavern
Now that you have a working Lighthouse, you can light the giant beacon on Twisted Sea Dog Tavern. If you have trouble finding it, it is surrounded by two glowing torches.
Using the Lighthouse beam, rotate it down and right until it points South East. Light the beacon across the way, and you will be one step closer to gaining access to the Twisted Sea Dog Tavern.
With the first beacon lit, it’s time to head on over to the Southern Lighthouse. The Southern Lighthouse is the only Lighthouse that can light the second beacon and reveal the main jetty.
See exactly where the beacon is on your map:
First beacon on Twisted Sea Dog Tavern
Step 7: Light Southern Lighthouse Tower
Just like the Northern Lighthouse, you will need to light the two unlit braziers on the Southern Lighthouse jetty to access the Lighthouse Tower.
Unless you died, you should still have the Flame of Souls in your lantern. If you need to collect the Flame of Souls again, you can find it on the North side of the Southern Lighthouse jetty.
Light the two braziers and make your way to the top of the Lighthouse Tower. Kill any Brethren Phantoms that try and ambush you!
Once at the top, ignite the brazier, and you are ready to light the second beacon.
See exactly where the Lighthouse is on your map:
Southern Lighthouse on Twisted Sea Dog Tavern
Step 8: Light second beacon on Sea Dog Tavern
With the brazier lit, point the Lighthouse beam towards the beacon on the Twisted Sea Dog Tavern. The beacon should be just North of where you are standing. As soon as you light the second beacon, the main jetty on Twisted Sea Dog Tavern will appear, allowing you to start your ascent!
See exactly where the beacon is on your map:
Second beacon on Twisted Sea Dog Tavern
Step 9: Ascend first half of Twisted Sea Dog Tavern
As you make your way up Twisted Sea Dog Tavern, you will need to light five braziers with the Flame of Souls. Lighting these braziers is crucial to reaching the top as they will allow you to raise a capstan needed to unblock your path. Without igniting the five braziers, the capstan will remain in a magical barrier preventing you from using it.
Brazier 1/5
From the main jetty on Twisted Sea Dog Tavern, make your way to the wooden stairs up to the tavern. You will find the first brazier you need to light at the base of the first flight of stairs on your right.
Brazier 2/5
After lighting the first brazier, climb up the first flight of stairs, and you will find the second brazier on the landing to your right.
Brazier 3/5
Light the second brazier and continue to make your way up. Eventually, you will reach the landing that curves around the tavern. Follow this landing around, and you will come across the third brazier sitting on a table to your left.
Brazier 4/5
Continue along until you come to a fork in the path. Instead of taking a left to the North, take a right to the South towards the tavern entrance. You will find the fourth brazier across the way from the large wooden doors and tavern sign.
Brazier 5/5
Turn back around and follow the path to the North. The fifth brazier you need to light will be on your left, near the beacon you lit with the Lighthouse.
Once you light this fifth brazier, the magical barrier surrounding the capstan will disappear, allowing you to interact with it and raise the door blocking your path.
Step 10: Ascend second half of Sea Dog Tavern
Walk through the newly opened door and continue up the path to the top of Twisted Sea Dog Tavern. You will reach what appears to be a dead end and a brazier to light. Light this brazier, and a new beacon will appear.
Once again, you will need to use the Lighthouses to reveal parts of the Twisted Sea Dog Tavern. However, you will be doing more than just making a jetty appear. Instead, you will unlock various pieces of the path that lead to the top of the tavern.
Unlike the previous two beacons, the beacons you need to light are hidden and will only appear after you ignite a brazier along the path to the top.
So, for this next part of the ascent, you will light a brazier to reveal a beacon and then use a Lighthouse to light that beacon. Lighting the beacon will then create more walkways for you to walk across. As you progress, you will reach another dead end with another brazier to light that will reveal the next beacon.
With that in mind, it’s time to make your way back to the top of the Northern Lighthouse.
Step 11: Light third beacon on Sea Dog Tavern
Sword lunge, cannon, or swim back to the Northern Lighthouse. You’ll need to turn the lens to the left to ignite the beacon you just revealed. The beacon is to the left of where you are standing.
Once you light the beacon, platforms and ladders will appear where you just were, allowing you to make progress towards the top.
Step 12: Continue to ascend the second half of Sea Dog Tavern
Head back over to the tavern and pick up where you left off. Where there was once a giant gap will now be platforms you can walk across. Continue along the newly formed path, and you will eventually reach a large wooden mast laid over wooden spikes. Just next to the base of the mast is a second brazier for you to light.
Light the second brazier, and a giant beacon will appear just South of you. It’s now time to head to the Eastern Lighthouse!
Step 13: Light fourth beacon on Sea Dog Tavern
Since you haven’t been to the Eastern Lighthouse yet, you will need to unblock the barrier to the tower. If you don’t have your Flame of Souls anymore, you can find it on the East side of the dock.
Light the two unlit braziers, remove the barrier, and fight to the top of the Eastern Lighthouse Tower. Once you reach the top, ignite the Lighthouse and rotate the beam to the right towards the beacon you just revealed. The beacon is North West of where you are standing.
As soon as you light the beacon with the Lighthouse beam, a new path will reveal itself, allowing you to continue to Merrick.
Step 14: Continue to ascend the second half of Sea Dog Tavern
Sword lunge over to the shipwreck below the beacon you just lit. You can climb up it as a shortcut to reach the newly formed path. Continue along until you reach a rock ledge with a cannon and brazier. Again, it might appear that you can’t go any further, but you can! Light the brazier to reveal a new beacon. Just like the previous beacon, you will use the Eastern Lighthouse to light it.
Step 15: Light beacon on Sea Dog Tavern
Again, fight your way to the top of the Eastern Lighthouse. Once you reach the top, rotate the beam to the West towards the beacon you just revealed.
As soon as you light the beacon with the Lighthouse beam, a new path will reveal itself, allowing you to continue to Merrick.
Step 16: Lower the Drawbridge
You can reach the second and final capstan with the last piece of the path. If you lit all the braziers along the way, the magical barrier preventing you from using capstan should be gone, and you should be able to raise it.
Raise the capstan and lower the drawbridge to reach Merrick!
Step 17: Speak with Merrick
Merrick will be waiting for you just on the other side of the drawbridge. Speak with him, and the Pirate Lord will appear.
The Pirate Lord will confront the Dark Brethren and make them retreat. The Pirate Lord will then pull your crew and Merrick back into a Tunnel of the Damned that is headed straight for the Sea of Thieves!
Step 18: Speak with Larinna again
As soon as you return to the Sea of Thieves, you will have completed Chapter One. However, your mission isn’t over yet. Sail to the closest Outpost and speak with Larinna once more.
This time choose the CONTINUE ADVENTURE dialogue option. Larinna will give you a letter from Merrick and ask you to deliver it to Serik on The North Star Seapost.
Sail on over to The North Star Seapost to conclude the adventure.
Step 19: Speak with Serik
Sail to The Northstar Seapost and speak with Serik. She will read Merrick’s letter allowed and you will complete Chapter Two as well as the Adventure!
A Hunter's Cry Deeds
The Deeds for the A Hunter’s Cry Adventure are more straightforward, and you will most likely unlock them all after only doing the Adventure once.
The Deeds you must complete to unlock the Investigator of the Dark Intrigue title are:
- Enter the Sea of the Damned
- Light a Lighthouse Beacon
- Defeat Ghost Ships
- Help Lower the Drawbridge
- Rescue Merrick
- Deliver a Letter to Serik
