Most of your adventures in the Sea of Thieves will start from the Quest Table. However, some will begin when you least expect them! The next time you explore an island’s beach or investigate a shipwreck, you might come across a Smugglers’ Message in a Bottle. Inside the bottle, you’ll find a Smugglers’ Run Voyage!
What is the Smugglers' Run Voyage?
A Smugglers’ Run is a single-chapter Smugglers’ League Voyage that will have you delivering three pieces of high-value treasure between two large islands. Specifically, you’ll need to collect three pieces of treasure from one Smugglers’ League Representative on a starting island and sell them to a second Representative on a different island.
Unlike the Smugglers’ Route Run Voyage, which also has you delivering treasure between two Smuggler Hideouts, the treasure you collect and sell during the Smugglers’ Run is more valuable. You can expect to sell a Black Powder Barrel, an Exquisite Painting, and a Crate of Golden Greed Rum during the Voyage.
As the Black Powder Barrel is a giant explosive and the Crate of Rum is highly fragile, you’ll need to be careful as you ferry the cargo across the sea.
There is no time limit to the Smugglers’ Run Voyage, so you can take as long as you like to collect and deliver the treasure.
How do you start the Smugglers' Run Voyage?
You can only get the Smugglers’ Run Voyage from picking up a Smugglers’ Message in a Bottle. You can randomly find Smugglers’ Messages in Bottles on island beaches and inside Smugglers’ Shipwrecks.
Once you find a bottle, pick it up and the Voyage will be in your Quest Radial.
A Smugglers' Run: Step by Step
Step 1: Sail to the island
Open up your Quest Radial and equip the Quest for the Smugglers’ Run.
Once you have the Quest equipped, you will see the silhouette of a large island, map coordinates, and the name of the Smugglers’ League Representative you must meet. Using the silhouette and map coordinates, you can decipher which island the Quest is directing you to.
Step 2: Collect Smugglers' League treasure
Once you arrive at the island, it’s time to locate the Smugglers’ League Representative and collect the treasure. All of the Hideouts are in prominent caves on their respective islands.
You’ll find the Smugglers’ League Representatives in their Hideouts at the following locations:
- Lottie in the Southern cave in the middle of Crescent Isle
- Solomon at the back of the cave in the middle of Smugglers’ Bay
- Wei-Lin in the cave to the South of Plunder Valley
- Ix in the Northern cave of Crook’s Hallow
- Kidir in the Southern cave by the beach on Old Faithful Isle
- Leander in the cave below the Southern peak on The Crooked Masts
No matter the island, you’ll need to contend with traps near the entrances of the Hideout! The traps you’ll need to watch for are barely visible wooden pressure plates on the ground. Stepping on any one of them will trigger the traps.
Once you make it into the Hideout, you can collect three pieces of treasure from the Representative: a Black Powder Barrel, an Exquisite Painting, and a Crate of Golden Greed Rum.
Step 3: Deliver Smugglers' League treasure
Now that you have the treasure, take it to your ship and prepare to sail to a different Smugglers’ Hideout on a different island.
Each piece of Smugglers’ League treasure has its delivery instructions etched into it. You can read the etching by interacting with it.
Inspect one of the three pieces of treasure to determine where you must sell it. It should provide you with a specific name and island to deliver to. All pieces of treasure from a single Smugglers’ Run Voyage will go to the same location.
Once you reach the island, you’ll need to sell the Smugglers’ League treasures to the Smugglers’ League Representative in the Hideout waiting for you.
As soon as you sell all three pieces of treasure, you will complete the Voyage. If the Black Powder Barrel explodes on your journey over then you won’t be able to complete the Voyage.
Completing five Smugglers’ Run Voyages will complete the Smugglers’ Runner Commendation and unlock several Smuggler clothing cosmetics.
