Guide to The Journey to Mêlée Island Tall Tale

Adventure with Guybrush Threepwood

Tall Tales are story-based voyages in the Sea of Thieves that you can experience alone or with your crew in Sea of Thieves. They tell a narrative and involve solving puzzles, using unique mechanics, and overcoming perils.

The Journey to Mêlée Island Tall Tale is the first part of the Legend of Monkey Island saga, which consists of THREE parts depicting the long awaited arrival of Guybrush Threepwood from LucasGames Monkey Island franchise, finally crossing over into the world of Sea of Thieves!

This guide walks through the The Journey to Mêlée Island Tall Tale, detailing what to expect at each step, how to solve the expansive side quests, as well as where to find those pesky hidden Journals. This guide may contain spoilers, so read at your own risk.

Rewards for The Journey to Mêlée Island

• Complete the The Journey to Mêlée Island Tale for the first time to unlock the Legend of Monkey Island Figurines trinkets.
• Complete all Commendations in the Tall Tale (more on these below), and you’ll unlock the Mêlée by Moonlight portrait
• Every time you complete the Tale, you also pocket 8,000 Gold

Overview of the Tall Tale

In this Tall Tale, you’ll be visiting the massive Mêlée Island, a location filled with characters to talk to and puzzles to solve.

• Everywhere you go, you’ll want to search barrels, crates, cupboards, tables, and more to collect Pieces of Eight! You’ll use this currency to buy things throughout the puzzle solving, and need to collect it all to unlock everything in this Tall Tale
• Along the way, there are 10 interactable “Memoir Spots”. These are special locations that let you sit down and take in the scenery, and trigger a narration by Guybrush Threepwood. They’re also always nearby a decorative inkwell to mark their location. You need to discover all 10 along the way to fully complete this Tale!
• At one point you’ll pick up Murray the Skull. Taking him to various locations around the island will prompt him to give dialogue about that spot- there’s a commendation for finding all 9 of these locations while carrying the skull!
• There are numerous puzzles to solve by interacting with characters and items around the area. Some puzzles can be done in any order you choose, while certain areas are inaccessible until you’ve already completed some of those objectives
• There are some objectives (Commendations) that are easy to miss, so we’ll point them out at each step to make sure you don’t skip by them!

Beginning the Tale

To start your journey, you need to talk to Kate Capsize, a redhaired pirate standing by a wreckage filled camp located on every outpost (titled “Capsize Charters”). Here you’ll see the Tall Tale book sitting on a table, ready for your crew to cast their votes and begin the voyage.

When the Tale begins, a short cutscene will play out before the Pirate Lord opens a portal through the nearest stone archway in the sea. Sail your ship through this portal, and after traveling through a short loading zone, you’ll arrive at Mêlée Island! Sail towards the dock to the south-by-southeast, and dock your ship here. Your adventure awaits!

Re-Elect Governor Guybrush

Once you disembark at the small dock with the crate winch, you’ll want to make sure to check every barrel, crate, nook, and cranny for those collectible Pieces of Eight!

On the East side of this small shack with the crate winch is a campaign poster for Governor Guybrush- make sure to interact with this for one of the commendations!

Lookout Point

Immediately to the right of the dock is an ascending mountainous path. Follow this winding path all the way to the peak to discover a lonely NPC named Lookout.

While talking to Lookout, you can tell him to turn and look to sea for an incoming ship- while his back is turned, make sure to steal the pouch of Pieces of Eight from the ledge to your left!

Then head back down the mountain and continue on your way.

Memoir Spot #1

From the little shack with the Re-Elect Guybrush poster, head East along the shoreline until you discover a collection of wooden crates on the beach. Sit down on one of these to trigger the first Memoir Spot!

The Scumm Bar

Head further inland along the jettys and enter the building labeled the Scumm Bar. While in this bar, don’t forget to look around the tables for Pieces of Eight to collect! Also, as soon as you see an empty chair, make sure to sit at one of the tables! Sitting down here is one of the easy to miss commendations required to complete this Tall Tale.

There are several tasks introduced here, some of which you can’t yet complete at this time but will need to remember!

• At the tables around this first room there are three “Thirsty Pirates”, each holding something you need to steal, but you can’t do this yet until you get some Extra-Potent Grog from the barrel in the kitchen first. We’ll come back to them later.
• A dog named Spiffy has a bone you might be able to take, but first we need to find a way to make him give it up.
  NOTE: Make sure to talk to Spiffy and see each of his dialogue options to progress the Groggy Dog Story commendation!
• Murray, the talking skull on the mantle, can be picked up and taken with you… but only after you find a suitable replacement for his position!
• The Chef is making a meat stew, but needs to spice the meat, chop the veg, and add a special ingredient as well- Root Beer Sprinkles from the Mojo Shop.
• Finally, there are numerous interactable items in the kitchen, but the chef will not allow you to touch any of them until you show up wearing his assistant chef’s uniform from the General Store

Memoir Spot #2

Sit in a stool directly across from the Pirate Leaders to hear this Memoir

That’s all for the Scumm Bar for now- but make sure to check around the docks out back for more Pieces of Eight!

Memoir Spot #3

Just outside the entrance to the Scumm bar is a rowboat on a cart. Behind this is a barrel you can sit on to experience this Memoir

The Village

Continue further into the village, checking for Pieces of Eight in the barrels and crates along the way. As you progress, you’ll discover several NPCs to interact with, each with problems you’ll have to face

• The Citizen of Mêlée Island: he has a Meet n Greet ticket you need to be able to see Governor Guybrush, but will only give it to you if you bring him his Missing Cargo
• Men of Low Moral Fiber: This trio give useful hints towards some of the tasks ahead, such as needing to feed the dogs, fishing a shipment out of the harbor and finding tools to crack it open, topping up the grog of Thirsty Pirates to put them to sleep, and more
• Shop Guards: they block access to the map shop and Mojo shop for now.

Memoir Spot #4

Facing the large clocktower on the street with the men of low moral fiber, go to the barrel all the way opposite the clock and sit down.

Head through the archway under the clocktower to continue!

General Store

The first shop on the right is the General Store, with numerous items we’ll be coming back to buy throughout the Tale. There’s not much we can afford right now though.

Memoir Spot #5

Sit in a stool in the corner of the general store to hear this next Memoir!

The Church and Alley

Enter the Church building on the right side of the street. Check each of the benches, the collection plate, and the cupboards for Pieces of Eight.

Head through the alleyways around back and search the crates for more Pieces of Eight. There’s a ghostly violinist here, but you can’t steal his useful items until later.

Memoir Spot #6

Take a seat on the barrel next to the poodle kennel

The Jail

Head past the church and on the same side of the street, enter the Jail. On the table in the back, pick up the Clawhammer which will come in handy later.

NOTE: The Clawhammer is a pick up and drop item. If you drop it and forget where you placed it, it will eventually respawn in the Jail with a pop-up notice.

Talk to Otis in the prison cell. It seems you can get him out of here with explosives, but we’ll have to come back later to do it.

Memoir Spot #7

Next to the table in the back of the jail is a crate to sit on for the next Memoir

At this point you should’ve collected 55 Pieces of Eight, so if you have less, retrace your steps and make sure to check every barrel, crate, table, and other hiding place. Now we can begin to backtrack and complete some of the quests we’ve encountered!

Missing Cargo

Take the Claw Hammer in hand and head back to the dock with the crate wench where you initially parked your ship. Set the claw hammer down for now, and use the pulleys to discover the missing cargo.

First, lower the crate winch height all the way down until you hear a clunk sound. Atop the ladder, adjust the crate winch angle to the right until you hear another clunk. If you’ve done it right, the wench will get locked in place, and you’ll find you’re unable to lift the cargo using the wench height pulley. What now?

Jump down in the water and use a weapon to damage the fragile ropes holding the cargo back. Now you should be able to lift it out of the water with the wench height pulley, and then bring it over to the dock with the wench angle pulley. Drop it down on the dock, pick up the Claw Hammer, and interact with the crate to prise it open.

Inside, you’ll find the Crate of Important Goods. Deliver this back to the Citizen in the street, across from the men of low moral fiber! This unlocks the Delayed in Transit commendation. The Citizen gives you a Meet n Greet ticket to meet Governor Threepwood, but the guard at the end of the street says you can only meet him when the clock strikes Midnight, and the clock is currently broken…

The Scumm Bar Kitchen

We have enough Pieces of Eight to purchase the Chef’s uniform from the General Store, just through the arch under the Clocktower. Right on the shopkeeper’s table, you can purchase the outfit for 45 Pieces of Eight, unlocking the Hired Help commendation in the process. Now, go to the Clothing Chest to the right of the shopkeep and put on the Chef’s uniform! You’ll find it in the Costumes section of the Clothing Chest.

Go back to the Scumm Bar and head to the Kitchen in the back. The Chef will leave you to run the Kitchen while on his break, meaning you can finally interact with everything in the room (including a cupboard with more Pieces of Eight).

The Stew Recipe

On the chef’s table is a recipe book that explains what must be added to the stew pot.

• Tender cut of meat: grab the hunk of meat from the opposite table and add it to the pot in the corner.
• On the shelf, grab the “Caniche Mordant Flower” and add it to the pot.
• Dice the onion on the chef’s table and add it to the pot.
• Grab the key off the back wall, unlock the locked door, and step outside the back to go fishing for a Red Herring fish.
• Slice the leek on the chef’s table and add it in.
• Finally, grab the Root Beer Sprinkles from the shelf in the corner and complete the recipe.

Take this meat concoction all the way to the alley behind the church where the violinist antagonizes the poodles. Drop the meat in the dog food bowl, and the dogs will maul the ghost guard. What remains of his skeleton will need to be rebuilt with parts later, but we’ll come back to that. Now you can pick up his Pieces of Eight and Gunpowder Gummies.

Extra-Potent Grog

With the chef’s outfit still equipped, head back to the Scumm Bar kitchen and take out your Tankard from your equipment. Fill it with the Extra Potent Grog from the barrel, and go back to fill the Thirsty Pirates tankards in the bar. Fill each one 3 times to make the pirates pass out, allowing you to steal their Pieces of Eight, and the Clock Tower Key.

The Clock Tower

With the Clock Tower Key in hand, head back through the streets to the base of the clock tower and unlock the door on the right. Head up the stairs and use the key again to open a door at the top. There’s a Pieces of Eight pouch on the table in this room.

The gears on the clock are jammed by a Skeleton Arm. Unjam, and the arm will fall onto the floor- we’ll come back for it later!

Grab the wheel and spin the clock to the left until it strikes Midnight. It will begin chiming loudly if you’ve done it correctly.

Memoir Spot #8

Before you leave, head back to the stone steps and go up the side of stairs blocked by crates. Across the rooftops is an alleyway behind some scaffolding- jump across here and follow along to a pointed rooftop just across from the church, facing the rightmost stained glass window. You can sit here and experience another Memoir.

At this point, though you have the Meet n Greet ticket and the clock is set to midnight, the guard now insists that he cannot let you pass until his replacement takes over his shift. Luckily, you should have 140 Pieces of Eight now and there’s more we can do in the town.

Release Otis from the Cell

Go back to the alley behind the church to grab the Gunpowder Gummies from where Walt the ghost guard was beaten by poodles. Take these Gummies to the Jail cells just passed the Church, and insert them in the locks. At the General Store up the street, buy the Gunpowder Fuses sitting on the barrel on the ground floor, and bring them back to the cells to set off the explosions. Place one fuse in each cell door, then use your inventory Lantern to ignite the fuses. Kaboom!

Otis will leave behind Captain Coco in one cell, and a skeletal arm in the other.

Skeleton Body

Take the skeletal arm from the jail cell, and attach it to the body of Walt, the violinist skeleton behind the church. Then, take the skeletal arm found back in the Clock Tower and also attach it to Walt.

Spiffy the Dog

Go back to the Citizen who gave you the Meet n Greet ticket, and purchase the Cute Monkey Toy. Take this toy back to the Scumm bar and give it to Spiffy, the dog holding the bone. Switch the toy with the bone, and make sure to talk to Spiffy to progress the Groggy Dog Story commendation.

Take the bone from Spiffy back to Walt’s body. Almost finished!

Captain Coco

Go back to the Jail and pick up Captain Coco. Take the coconut back to the Scumm Bar and use it to swap with Murray, the skull mounted on the mantle.

NOTE: Before you place Murray the skull onto Walt’s body, there is a commendation for taking him on a tour of 9 locations around the island. Make sure to do this before continuing!

Murray’s Tour

Murray the skull will comment on various locations when you take him to those spots, and there’s a commendation for taking him to these 9 locations. Double check your commendations under the reputation tab to make sure you get credit for each location.

• The first is right inside the Scumm bar where you first pick up Murray
• The second is right around the back of the Scumm bar on the docks
• Take Murray to Lookout Point next, up the winding mountain path behind the docks
• Continue through town on the street before the clock tower
• Climb to the top of the Clock tower
• The General Store
• The Church
• The alley behind the Church
• The Jail

After hearing Murray’s dialogue at all 9 locations, you’ll unlock the A Guided Tour commendation. Now you can take Murray’s skull to Walt’s body to continue the Tall Tale.

The Governor’s Mansion

Now that Murray has spoken to the ghost guard, you can walk through the arch to the Governor’s mansion.

Memoir Spot #9

Just outside the mansion is a crate near the cliffside you can sit on to experience another Memoir.

When you enter the mansion, you’ll unlock the House Call commendation.

Memoir Spot #10

A chair to your right as you enter the mansion has the final Memoir

Make sure to find the Pieces of Eight pouch to the right of the stairs. Then, head up the stairs and knock on the door 5 times to barge into Governor Guybrush’s office.

After the cutscene, find another pouch of Pieces of Eight in this room, before entering Guybrush’s bedroom. Next to the doorway is a chest with another pouch, then continue searching the room. Open the curtains, and pull back the bed covers to find a note from Elaine and a key to the pirate chest at the foot of the bed.

In your quest book, the letter explains that you need to find your way into the Voodoo shop, and that the Root Beer Bottles in the locked chest by the bed will help.

LeChuck’s Minions

As soon as you pick up a Root Beer Bottle, LeChuck’s ship can be seen sailing in from the window. Head outside the mansion with Root Beer in hand, and LeChuck will have a cutscene before sending waves minions after you. Use the Root Beer Bottles (secondary function to shake them up, primary function to spray) to defeat the waves, and when they’ve all been defeated, the door to the Voodoo shop back on the street before the clocktower will open up automatically.

Enter the Mojo shop, and dump the root beer into the large cauldron. Talking to Corina here will end the tale, so before you do this make sure to go finish any last minute business, including:

Talk to Spiffy

Now that you’ve encountered LeChuck, talk to Spiffy the dog one more time back in the Scumm Bar to unlock the Groggy Dog Story commendation

Buy the Melee Island History Book

Back at the Citizen on the street, buy the Melee Island History Book for 200 Pieces of Eight. If you haven’t collected enough, retrace your steps and check all those hidden cupboards and crates!

Completing the Tall Tale

When you’ve finished doing everything you want to do, speak to Corina in the Mojo shop, and you’ll complete the Tall Tale. She’ll transport you back to your ship. Congratulations on completing the Journey to Mêlée Island!

This is just the first Tall Tale in a three part series, make sure to follow us on Twitter @GoldenSandsBlog as we continue to cover these Tales as they release in the months to come!