The Art of the Trickster Tall Tale Guide

A walkthrough guide for The Art of the Trickster Tall Tale in Sea of Thieves. Read on to see a complete Tall Tale walkthrough and guide for The Art of the Trickster, including info on how to get all its Commendations and a list of its completion rewards.

The Art of the Trickster Overview and Location

Find Salty at the East Side of Plunder Valley (G-16)

World Location
Map Location

Head to the east side of Plunder Valley (G-16) and find the campfire and a large rock with paintings on it. Next to the campfire is Salty, the skeleton parrot that will give you the Tall Tale book.

Note: This Tall Tale can also be started from your quest table. However, you will still need to go to Plunder Valley and speak to Salty in order to unlock the Tall Tale book with clues.

The Art of the Trickster Walkthrough

Head Inside the Cave West of Salty

Map Location
World Location

Starting from Salty, use your compass and head west. Find the cave entrance that has a painting of three red triangles and two black lines on the large leftmost rock and a torch on the right side.

Head inside the cave and turn left until you can see a glowing blue-green mushroom. From the mushroom, turn right to enter the cave that has a lot of skeletons in it.

Solve the Skeleton Puzzle

This puzzle requires you to rearrange the skeletons in the room to match the description of the "stories told in lifeless bone (skeletons)" on page 4 of the Tale Book.

The forsaken Captain points to fire and ash… Puzzle Solution

Find the skeleton with the glowing red necklace and move its arm so it is pointing at the campfire.

Hand in hand, two lovers face their destiny… Puzzle Solution

Find the two skeletons with red jewels on their eye sockets. Move their skeleton arms until their hands are touching.

The Rum Runner laid her drink to rest… Puzzle Solution

Find the skeleton with a tankard next to the campfire and interact with it until its arm that holds the tankard is on the ground.

The thief hides behind her mask of gold… Puzzle Solution

Find the skeleton sitting next to the campfire and interact with it until its arm is holding the mask on its face.

Pick Up the Trapmaker's Spyglass and Note

After solving the skeleton puzzle, a cage containing a skeleton will descend down in the middle of the area. Retreive the Trapmaker's Spyglass and Trapmaker's Note to proceed to the next objective.

Solve the Riddle of the Trapmaker's Note

After picking up the Trapmaker's Note, check the new page of the Tale Book. The new page varies per playthrough as it may direct you to a riddle found at Discovery Ridge or Plunder Valley.

No.	How to Solve the Trapmaker's Note Riddle
1	Head to the location marked with a black circle on the Tale Book. Use the Map table to match the ridges of the bird's eye view illustration on the Tale Book.
2	Find the white skull on the floor and stand on top of it.
3	Use the Trapmaker's Spyglass to line up the two objects on the skull's eyesockets. The two objects mentioned in the Tale Book vary per playthrough.
4	Dig on the spot where the X mark is on the Trapmaker's Spyglass to obtain another Trapmaker's Note. Do this four times until you dig out the Trapmaker’s Gunpowder Key.

Salvage and wood to batten down hatches, closer now if viewpoint matches Puzzle Solution

Trapmaker's Symbol Location
Clue Page	Spyglass View

Rum and gold drown my grief, ferried for an accused thief Puzzle Solution

Trapmaker's Symbol Location
Clue Page	Spyglass View

Once soaring through the sky with pride, now crawling in the earth to hide Puzzle Solution

Trapmaker's Symbol Location
Clue Page	Spyglass View

Through island waters I rowed in awe, spited by a fearsome jaw Puzzle Solution

Trapmaker's Symbol Location
Clue Page	Spyglass View

Travel to Sailor's Bounty (C-4)

Sailor's Bounty Location
Ditch Entrance Location

Head to Sailor's Bounty (C-4) with the Trapmaker's Gunpowder Key on board. Once you arrive at the island, head to the very center of the island until you can find the ditch.

Enter the Narrow Hallway in the Ditch

Drop down on the ditch and enter on either of the narrow hallways on the sides. These all lead to the same area. Follow the Trapmaker's icon in the area as they lead you to the correct path.

Avoid Stepping on the Wooden Planks

Once you enter either of the narrow hallways, avoid stepping on the wooden planks on the floor. These are pressure traps that activate when you step on them.

Place the Trapmaker's Gunpowder Key on the Pedestal

Once you arrive at an open area, place the Trapmaker's Gunpowder Key on the pedestal. Make sure to prepare first as this activates waves of skeletons that you need to defeat to move on to the next objective.

Defeat the Waves of Skeletons and the Captain

Defeat all the skeletons and the captain as they spawn from the ground. A Totem Key and additional Trapmaker's Notes will appear once you have successfully defeated all the enemies.

Use the Levers on the Sides of the Arena

There are levers on the area that you can use to activate traps to kill multiple skeletons at once. Note that these traps can harm you as well, so be careful when activating them.

If the skeletons kill you on this part of the Tall Tale while playing solo, you will restart from the checkpoint where you placed the Trapmaker's Gunpowder Key on the pedestal.

Grab the Totem Key and Find the Vault

Totem Key	Location
Moon Totem	Crescent Isle (B-9)

Pick up the Totem Key and head back to your ship. Read the new pages of the Tale Book to see the next destination.

If you are playing solo and got struck by the spike traps on your way back, you will spawn on your ship and you will have to go back to the area where you dropped the Totem Key.

Light the Four Braziers on the Vault

Once you reach the location of the totem's corresponding vault, light the four braziers to activate it.

This opens a door that leads to the Shroudbreaker Stone but also closes the door leading to the exit.

There will be three waves of enemies and a captain that will appear after. Defeat them and place the three medallions that the captains drop to unlock the exit.

Return the Shroudbreaker Stone to Salty

Head back to Plunder Valley (G-16) and talk to Salty to complete the Tall Tale.

All The Art of the Trickster Journal Locations

The Perfect Trap Journal Location

You can find The Perfect Trap journal in the cave with the skeleton puzzle in Plunder Valley (G-16).

Bait and Switch Journal Location

This journal is located at the top of Discovery Ridge near one of the Trapmaker's symbols.

Making My Point Journal Location

You can find this journal under the table inside the Trapmaker's Lair at Sailor's Bounty (C-4).

We Want Plates Journal Location

Find the journal near the anvil inside the Trapmaker's Lair at Sailor's Bounty (C-4).

A Worthy Opponent Journal Location

You can find this journal beside the foot of the bed inside the Trapmaker's Lair at Sailor's Bounty (C-4).

The Art of the Trickster Commendations and Rewards

Sea of Thieves Related Guides

List of All Tall Tales

All Tall Tales