Sea of Thieves Tall Tales: Maiden Voyage — Guide, Journals Locations, Lore & Tips

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Merfolk’s Lullaby

8 min readDec 11, 2019

Learn the ropes on your first adventure, the passage to the Sea of Thieves.

You awake just outside the shroud, on a strange island littered with secrets. One short sail and you’ll have made it to the Sea of Thieves, but first you have some repairing to do…

Old Sailor Isle is a deserted island that lies just beyond the Devil’s Shroud and has long served as a resting place for those who seek the Sea of Thieves. Maiden Voyage helps you to familiarise yourself with the essentials of pirate life, and discover many secrets left behind by those who came before…

Select Maiden Voyage from the Main Menu to set sail for the very first time. Earn your tools and unfurl your sails, the adventure is only just beginning!

Guide

• Hidden Secrets

To open the hold of the Magpie’s Fortune you’ll need to find Old Sailor’s key. The Pirate Lord lost it at the very top of the island, in the pond where the waterfall behind the Magpie’s Fortune wreck originates.

💰 25,000 Gold & 200 Doubloons: There are three chests full of gold in the hold and a pouch of doubloons. Two chests are by the barrels and the last one is near a stool with the pouch of doubloons.

• A Hearty Meal

Once you have Old Sailor’s cutlass you’ll be able to kill some chicken. You can find them on the northwestern beach of the island. They’ll drop some meat once killed, take it and go back to the campfire where you woke up to cook it.

• A Fine Catch

Once you have Old Sailor’s tools, you’ll be able to cast your line with your new fishing rod in the sea to catch an adorable Splashtail or in a pond for a lovely Pondie.

• Yer Boat

You can access to the rowboat by swimming around the southeastern isle or by taking the path from the wooden door that needs to be opened with a lever on the way to the top of the island. Use the anchor to open the drawbridge and the rope for the second wooden door. Now, sit on the rowboat and use your oars sailor!

💡 Tip: You can attach a rowboat at the back of any ship.

• Saluting the Pirate Lord

At the front part of the Magpie’s Fortune wreck, at the level of the broken brig, there is a barrel with a couple of cannonballs. Take them and climb the ladder. You’ll find a cannon at the bow of the wreck, load them in it and fire them to salute the Pirate Lord!

• A Storied Crossing

Discover all of the Pirate Lord’s Journal on Old Sailor’s Isle. You’ll find their locations below.

• Unto the Horizon

Once you’re done exploring the island, go back and talk to the Pirate Lord to let him know you’re ready to go to the Sea of Thieves.

Go on your sloop and raise the mast with the ropes. Take a few planks in the barrels below deck to repair it. Then, raise your anchor and lower the sails!

Use the helm to sail through the Devil’s Shroud and reach the Sea of Thieves.

Let the Adventure Begins…

The Pirate Lord’s Journals

So Near and Yet…

Old Sailor’s Isle — Front part of the Magpie’s Fortune, near the hammock and beside two broken barrels.

You’ve really done it this time, Ramsey. It’s one thing to return to your favourite island and quite another to wreck your ship at the heart of it. I was bound to get careless sooner or later. This place has been my little secret for so long now. I couldn’t wait to get back here. To dream… I’m so close to the Shroud, I feel like I could reach out and touch it. I’m not ready to sport a hook for a hand, though. Not yet, anyway! What lies on the other side? Piles of glittering gems? Huge leviathans the size of galleons? Even better… Might there be a future for pirates like me? Next time, things will be different. I’ll visite Magpie, the Shipwright, and buy a new vessel. Take my time, find a crew. We shall sail together.

They Gave it A Name

Old Sailor’s Isle — Beside the helm of the Magpie’s Fortune.

‘The Sea of Thieves’. That’s what they’re calling it nowadays. The genie is out of the bottle, and more pirates are finding their way there every day. Some are looking to hide — from their enemies, from their pasts, from the Grand Maritime Union — while others have heard the call to adventure. It’s only a matter of time before they reach this island, too. Maybe they’ll be dreaming about the Sea of Thieves has to offer, just as I was. If that’s the shape of things to come, I’d be a fool to complain. Instead, I’ll stow a few supplies around the place for those who need them. Things work differently beyond the Shroud. Better, for the most part, but newcomers will have to think on their feet if they’re to survive.

Lost Secrets

Old Sailor’s Isle — In the Crow’s Nest of the Magpie’s Fortune.

Blast it all! The key to my ship’s hold is missing. It must have slipped from my pocket at some point in my time here. Between this and that business with Rathbone, I’m developing a bad habit of losing the keys to my belongings. Perhaps it made its bid for freedom from my jacket when I climbed up for a drink of fresh spring water. Ah well. It’s another lost treasure now.

My Secret Plan

Old Sailor’s Isle — Inside the hold of the Magpie’s Fortune, by a stool.

If you’re reading this, you’ve broken into my strongbox, who makes you a worthy pirate indeed! Worthy enough to hear my plan. Transforming this old stomping ground of mine into a safe haven for travellers has sparked something deep within my soul. It is the flame of an idea — a great tavern, far more magnificent than the usual pubs and alehouses, known only to truly legendary pirates. A den that sold only the finest plunder, where hardened adventurers and cunning sea dogs could meet to swap stories of gold and glory. If you make it to the Sea of Thieves, and should your heart desire a real challenge, heed my words: seek Athena’s Fortune. I shall be waiting.

Lords of the Sea

Old Sailor’s Isle — Below the bridge between the two islands, near a ladder.

Once, long ago, I was standing atop these cliffs and staring out to sea, quite lost in my own thoughts. Suddenly, there was an almighty crashing sound. It was a kraken, and one of the largest I’d seen for quite some years! I was so startled, I couldn’t help but take leap backwards in surprise. Once I’d picked up myself up, battered and bloody, I decided to install this ladder in case any future visitors took a tumble in the same way. Nowadays, thanks to that fool Merrick, krakens aren’t the only sea monsters to watch for. Megalodons are once more roaming freely beneath the waves. They can prove quite the challenge even for experienced pirates. Why, I once battled a monstrous pale skinned beast at — well, I’ll save that tale for another time.

Paintings from the Past

Old Sailor’s Isle — At the top of the southeast island.

Of all the unsolved mysteries that haunt my dreams, none are more tantalising than the long-lost people known to pirates as ‘The Ancients’. Their legacy can be felt all across the Sea of Thieves, from ruins that lurk under deep waters to clifftop paintings that shame my humbler efforts. They clearly had a great wealth of knowledge and had mastered many curses and other arcane powers… and yet, something drove them to leave. Maybe some great war or calamity struck their civilisation? Perhaps it was simply time for them to move on. The truth, as it always has, eludes us all.

Making Camp

Old Sailor’s Isle — Inside the cave of the southeast island, on the way past the wooden door and near the campfire.

Even with all the wonders I’ve experienced, it’s the simple things in life remain the most enjoyable. Tonight, that’s a hot meal roasted over a roaring fire. Fresh fruit’s all well and good, but if you take the time to properly prepare a meal, you’ll feel all the better for it. The trick is to keep an eye on the dish and serve it up when it’s perfectly cooked. No amount of grog can wash away the taste of burned food. With care and a bit of practice, even a humble splashtail can keep a pirate in good health with a full belly. At least they’re good for something!

A Ship That Fits

Old Sailor’s Isle — Near the metal bars, inside the cave of the southeast island.

We’ve all seen what happens when huge armadas try to make it through the Devil’s Shroud, and it’s not pretty. Screaming sailors and splintered ships. I learned long ago that smaller crews have a better chance of making it along the twisting routes that provide safe passage to the Sea of Thieves. A lone traveller is best served by a sloop. They’re small and nimble, though their size comes at the expense of firepower. Larger crews must learn to sail a brigantine, or even the mighty galleon — a commanding sight with her eight cannons and three great sails. Then, of course, we have the humble rowboat. These tiny craft can be carried by the other larger ships and are perfect for retaining the element of surprise…

The Sea of the Damned

Old Sailor’s Isle — Inside a cave behind the waterfall near the place where you woke up.

Not all my journeys to this island are happy ones. Today I stumbled onto this poor soul, map still in their hands. To think, they were so close… No matter how swiftly we sail or how sharp our aim, it is only a matter of time before the Reaper’s hand clamps down upon our shoulder. I am fortunate to have had a friend with wisdom enough to know this. Thanks to her, I live on beyond my years… at least in spirit. For younger pirates, another hope presents itself. When they perish, their souls are saved from drifting alone through the Sea of the Damned. If you should die on the Sea of Thieves and find yourself in the Ferryman’s company, know this: he deserves your respect, for he has made the greatest sacrifice of all…

Regarding Merfolk

Old Sailor’s Isle — In the captain’s quarters of the shipwreck on the northwestern tip of the island.

A new landmark! This stricken ship certainly wasn’t here during my last visit. There’s no sign of her crew, so perhaps they fell overboard and met their end. Things are very different on the Sea of Thieves — thanks in no small part to my own adventures, I must confess. We have an… arrangement… with the merfolk who live deep under the waves. Should any pirate become lost at sea, stranded, they’ll help them back to their ship. If you should find yourself flung overboard, traveller, look for the merfolk’s beacon before the sharks get your scent. You’ll be glad you did!