The Herald of the Flame is the 8thSea of Thievestime-limited Adventure and sees players return to the Devil’s Roar to trace the devious Stitcher Jim’s footsteps. Players unfamiliar with the name might have heard murmurings of Stitcher Jim’s unintentional sacrifice in the Heart of Fire Tall Tale while following Captain Flameheart, who most players may know as that annoying, giant skeleton head in the sky that mysteriously disappeared.
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The Herald of the Flame Adventure follows the events of the lastSea of ThievesAdventure, The Siren’s Prize, but also picks upwhat happened to Stitcher Jim. It’s an exciting and rewarding adventure that seems to be paving the way for the possibility of Flameheart’s physical return and domination of the seas in the ongoing live-service story. This guide focuses onhow to solve each island puzzleandcomplete the final boss battle,containing some story-relatedspoilers.
How Long Does The Adventure Take, And Are There Checkpoints?
Adventure 8 takes about2 hoursto complete, with a relatively small proportion of time sailing to each destination. Once players have sailed to all 4 necessary islands in theDevil’s Roarregion of the map, they return to Belle for a checkpoint before the final boss battle over at Molten Sands Fortress.
Anyone groaning at the prospect of venturing into the Devil’s Roar can breathe a sigh of relief as all seismic activity is gone, making the usually volatile Roar terrain suspiciously quiet but much easier to navigate.
How To Start The Adventure
To start the Adventure, players must speak to Larinna atany outpost tavernto activate the first chapter. Players must first sail toLiar’s Backboneto talk with Belle. Head to the top of the island and pull the lever to open a secret cave entrance. Once inside, speak to Belle at the top of the stairs to complete chapter 1 and begin chapter 2.
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Belle gives players a note instructing them to sail to theDevil’s Thirstlocatedsouth-to-south-eastof the map, which is the longest but doable sailing time in the Adventure. If players catch the wind in their sails, it takes around5-10 minutesto reach the Devil’s Thirst, and it’s always fun to play a few sea shanties to pass the time.
The Devil’s Thirst Puzzle Guide
Once parked up at the Devil’s Thirst, head to theNorthern beachto find a familiar face from The Seabound Soul and Heart of Fire Tall Tales,Sir Arthur Pendragon. Pendragon gives players hisEnchanted Lanternand instructs players to search the island for memories of Stitcher Jim to theNorth, South West, and Southern shorelines. Players only need to turn around to reveal the first vision of the past using Pendragon’s lantern.
Once players have unveiled each vision and spoken to Pendragon each time, hegives players a mapto search for Stitcher’s Hideout and its Totem key located onAshen Reaches. Players only need to sail a short distance to reach Ashen Reaches, to thesouthwestof the Devil’s Thirst.
Ashen Reaches Puzzle Guide
On theAshen Reaches map, a star-shaped symbol marks the approximate location of Stitcher’s Hideout, but to reach it, players first need to dig up theSun Totem Key, located at theX position on the map. The location of the Totem Key changes each time, and players canzoom in on the mapas needed to find it.
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Locating The Secret Hideout
Dig up the Key and head inside asmall tunnel in the center of the island, located behind the mysterious cave alter. Here Pendragon appears, telling players what to do. The secret entrance to Stitcher’s hideout is next to thepainting of 3 sunson the wall, with the totem mechanism opposite to open the entrance. Once inside, descend the slope and step into avault-style room,which many players will recognize from Gold Hoarder vault voyages and theShores of Gold Tall Tale.
How To Complete Stitcher’s Vault Puzzle
Once inside the vault,use Pendragon’s lanternto reveal more visions of the past to see Stitcher scrawling something on the wall.To open the vault, players must firstlight all altar beacons,inspect all symbolson the walls, andturn each columnto display the correct solution beforepressing the buttonon the altar. The symbols must match the words in Stitcher’s journal on the floor by the altar to read:Death To Flame Heart.
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The correct solution unlocksStitcher’s Note, revealing the next island destination:Flintlock Peninsula, located to thenorthwestof the Devil’s Roar.
Flintlock Peninsula Puzzle Guide
Flintlock Peninsulais the final island to visit before returning to Belle. Head to the bottom-left section of the island to find a vision showing Stitcher talking with the Servant of the Flame. Speak with Pendragon before heading to thenorthern partof the island opposite to broken ship to locateFlameheart’s Lair.
Descend the walkway and hold up Pendragon’s lantern by theskull doorwayto reveal another memory, triggering the door to open and leading to the final vision of the past where Stitcher’s involvement in the plot is revealed once and for all. It’s time to sail back toLiar’s Backboneto speak with Belle and initiate the final chapter.
How To Defeat Stitcher Jim At Molten Sands Fortress
Defeating Stitcher Jim in Ashen Lord form is no easy task, and players best heed Belle’s warning to stock up on supplies like fruit and throwables before sailing east toMolten Sands Fortresstowards the giant tornado in the sky to start the battle.
As soon as players step foot into the keep, the battle begins. Stitcher Jim hastransformed into an Ashen Lordwith their characteristic attacks and fighting abilities, includingfiery breath, fireballs,and even adark cloud of smokethat strongly limits visibility. Stitcher also summonsskeletonsandphantomsto fight for him.
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Shootfrom a distance, usethrowables, andavoid Stitcher’s projectile attacksas much as possible, but get in close to shoot or stab him, especially when hedrops to his knees. There’s a handy ammo crate at the top of the wooden steps, plus plenty of well-stocked barrels to replenish health. Players may also need to watch out for other players seeking to thwart their progress.
Around halfway through the battle, Stitcher Jim kneels for the 2nd time andunleashes the power of the Devil’s Roar,causing the nearby volcano to erupt with fiery boulders falling from the sky and adding to the frantically fun battleground chaos (so that’s where all the seismic activity went?). Luckily, Belle’s promised reinforcements arrive just in time asAncient Guards show upto help, as seen in the7th Adventure The Siren’s Prize. It’s a rinse-and-repeat process, but if quick enough, players can defeat him until he disappears.
Rewards For Completing The Adventure
Once Stitcher Jim is defeated, head inside the cavern below to speak with Pendragon, who attempts to destroy Flameheart’s skull once and for all. Players find abountiful treasure rewardfor their efforts, including piles ofgold, variouschests, and even aChest of Rage. Players best keep an eye out for other pirates and spawn campers on nearby islands, looking to quick-loot the spoils of battle.
To complete the Adventure, head back toLiars Backboneandspeak with Belle. Pendragon also returns as they discuss the battle and look to the future. There’s excitement building on the Horizon in the run-up to Halloween, as Pendragon reveals that Flameheart’s planned Time of Resurrection is likely to coincide with theFestival of the Damned, an annual Halloween event forSea of Thieves.
Once the Adventure is complete, players getStitcher’s Stitches jacketand have the opportunity to unlock theQuencher of the Flame Titleif they complete all 7 Deeds in the Adventure.
The Herald of the Flame Adventure is available to play till9 am UTC on October 27.
Sea of Thievesis available to play on PC, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S and is free to play on Xbox Game Pass.
