The Hoarder's Hunt

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SPOILER WARNING!

This article contains information that may ruin your enjoyment of discovering the game's secrets for yourself. Read at your own risk!

SPOILER WARNING!
 This article contains information that may ruin your enjoyment of discovering the game's secrets for yourself.
Read at your own risk!

The Hoarder's Hunt is the second Mystery in Sea of Thieves. It began on May 11th, 2023 and is set to end on June 22nd, 2023.

Over the course of the Mystery, a series of four stages to be set off by the mysterious "H." will involve a Puzzle and Voyage each; all Puzzle stages must be completed for a chance at real-world prizes and in-game rewards.

Styled around the idea of an old-fashioned treasure hunt, this mystery is said to be the "ultimate treasure hunt" to bring the community a race to find the penultimate treasure, one of the most valuable in Sea of Thieves history to date, a bespoke Gold Hoarder skull fashioned from actual gold.

Check out the Official Mystery page here.

Jump to current stage (Stage 4) Jump to current stage (Stage 4) Jump to current stage (Stage 4)

How it works

The Hoarder's Hunt - Taking Part.jpg

The mystery consists of four series of Puzzles with clues found on the Official Sea of Thieves website and other locations online. Solve a Puzzle and enter the correct answer on the website to be able to claim a special Voyage from Larinna in-game.

The Voyage will lead to more clues in Sea of Thieves leading to a key that unlocks special chests held by the Gold Hoarders.

A new Puzzle and accompanying Voyage will be released at regular weekly intervals. A countdown to each Puzzle stage will be displayed on the Official Sea of Thieves website. Each Puzzle stage must be tackled in order. The Hoarder's Hunt will only be over when all Puzzles are solved, all Voyages completed, and the chests unlocked.

Prizes

Physical prizes

Real-world prizes are available to the first players to complete the Hoarder's Hunt.

Note: In the event of a winning crew, the player proposes the winning Voyage will be eligible to claim.

Prizes
The Hoarder's Hunt - Grand Prize.jpg Grand Prize

One unique replica Gold Hoarder skull with detachable ring of keys.

The Hoarder's Hunt - Runner-up Prize.jpg Runner-up Prizes

10 replica silver keys as reminds of those sought in The Hoarder's Hunt.

The Hoarder's Hunt - Third Place Prize.jpg Third Place Prizes

100 replica golden Reaper's Mark medallions

In-game rewards

Players who don't qualify for the physical prizes have an opportunity to earn in-game Titles, Trinkets, and gold rewards.

Titles

Titles
ImageTitleDescription & Requirements
Silver Hoarder emblem.png
Silver HoarderThis title shows you've earned your spurs when it comes to solving riddles!
Golden Meddler emblem.png
Golden MeddlerYou've solved all the clues and riddles to master this mischievous mystery, so wear this Title with pride!

Trinkets & Sails

Image Item Requirements
Bullion Crown Trinket.png
 Bullion Crown Trinket Complete The Hunt for the Sterling Silver Key Voyage.
File:Gold Hoarder Skull Trinket.png
 Gold Hoarder Skull Trinket Complete The Hunt for the Hoarder's Golden Key Voyage.
File:Defaced Reaper's Mark Sails.png
 Defaced Reaper's Mark Sails Complete all four stages of The Hoarder's Hunt Mystery.

Bullion Crowns treasure

Bullion Crown.png

In addition, Bullion Crowns will appear washed up across the Sea of Thieves. These Crowns can be sold to the Gold Hoarders for a "handsome payoff" of roughly 10,000 Gold.

List of Stages

There are be four stages in total, each starting off with a letter from the mysterious "H.". A stage will run for a week and consists of a Puzzle and a Voyage.

Stage 1: Skin of Gold

Puzzle and clues

H's letter for Stage 1: Skin of Gold is as follows:

Double Quotations Left.png

I trust you’ve seen my rules are SHAPED for Hoarders at their heart.
Just DON’T use COMMON PIRATES in your stead, and we can start!

First think of health and what you need to keep you fighting fit.
And FOODS that help survive both shot from gun and cutlass hit.
But there’s a DARK side to what we eat when time and life collude.
Old it becomes and rotten too, with scent of death imbued.

You must check in all the TIME. What if it’s now no good?
Be it PIG in PEN or FRUIT that’s stored in tuneless DRUMS of wood.
PICTURES paint a thousand WORDS – or so some artists say.
You must seek to LINK the two. Now hurry on your way!

— H, Letter for Stage 1: Skin of Gold

The Hoarder's Hunt - Stage 1 Letter.jpg

  • Puzzle 1: Skin of Gold.

    Puzzle 1: Skin of Gold.

Globe icon.png  Banana Bruising: Pigpen Code
Source: banana_bruiser, Instagram
Sea of Thieves' Instagram story shows an image of banana bruising artwork depicting the Gold Hoarder. The same banana was posted by banana bruising artist banana_bruiser on Instagram. A sped-up video posted to their account shows the artwork being created. Throughout the process, a number of pigpen symbols are bruised into the banana.
  • Sea of Thieves' Instagram story.

    Sea of Thieves' Instagram story.


Globe icon.png  OneDrive Images: Fruit Codes
Source: OneDrive ("For Hoarders' Eyes Only")
Putting the pigpen symbols though a pigpen cipher decoder gives "BITLYSOTFRUIT" which can be used as bit.ly link bit.ly/sotfruit which redirects to a OneDrive folder named For Hoarders' Eyes Only which contains five images. Each image shows a different fruit each with different rotations, three more pigpen symbols and a Spotify Code.
  • Fruit Crate from #TriviaTuesday.

    Fruit Crate from #TriviaTuesday.

  • Banana

    Banana

  • Coconut

    Coconut

  • Pineapple

    Pineapple

  • Mango

    Mango

  • Pomegranate

    Pomegranate


Globe icon.png  Spotify Videos: Hidden Codes
Source: OneDrive ("For Hoarders' Eyes Only")
The Spotify Codes link to the Sea of Thieves page on Spotify. The music videos of six specific songs by Sea of Thieves each contain a single frame showing a different letter. When put together, the letters from all five songs make the word "BOUNTY".
Globe icon.png  RipeGreenChive Tweet: Cipher and Final Code for Stage 1
Source: Twitter
Sea of Thieves' Twitter post shows a pirate with the scorecard emote with the word "RipeGreenChive" on the ships crest, which is an anagram for Vigenere Cipher. Plugging in the Fruit code into the Vigenere Cipher with the word "Bounty" as the keyword reveals ZEROUTCFOURFIVET. Replacing the words representing numbers for their digits reveals the code for Puzzle 1: 0UTC45T

Voyage

For details about the Voyage for Stage 1, see The Hunt for the Plated Silver Key.

Stage 2: A Feathered Fortune

Puzzle and clues

H's letter for Stage 2: A Feathered Fortune is as follows:

Double Quotations Left.png

Before I sinned, I’d sit in the TAVERN and sing shanties.
I’d eat BANANAS and watch the gulls float upon the breeze.
Then things changed, the Hoarder’s pet MACAW became my vengeful bane!
Ever since, fear’s driven me to spy these beasts through windowpane.
Their scratching claws, their pecking beaks, I cannot stand these BIRDS!
But understand that secrets lie within their chosen WORDS.
Wise it may be to spy through glass, to view a PARROT’s perch,
And listen out for CLUES that may well help you on your search.

— H, Letter for Stage 2: A Feathered Fortune

The Hoarder's Hunt - Stage 2 Letter.jpg

  • Puzzle 2: A Feathered Fortune.

    Puzzle 2: A Feathered Fortune.

Source: Sea of Thieves, Youtube
Sea of Thieves' YouTube Livestream shows two colorful parrots speaking a series of random words and walking around the tavern. One day later, the video was updated to have a transcript to show what the parrots are saying.

The words spoken are:

  • Washed
  • Frost
  • Robot
  • Misfits
  • Shady
  • Goat
  • Rocked
  • Skull
  • Lives
  • Handy
  • Chest
  • Dawn
  • Turkey
  • Diet
  • Parrot
  • Chickens
  • Locker
  • Cannonball

What3Words:

At around the 14-minute mark of the video, a banana comes into the frame with a Pigpen code. The code translates to WhatThreeWords, referencing what3words.com, a website which takes three different words and translates them into a real-world locations.

Google Maps:

The video description also had a link to Google Maps disguised as a Sea of thieves link:


Globe icon.png  'turkey.goat.lives': Pigpen code at Cutty Sark
Source: Google Maps
The combination, 'turkey.goat.lives', on what3words leads to Cutty Sark, a visitor attraction and historic sailing ship near Blackheath, London. The Cutty Sark is the last surviving British tea clipper and is now a museum.

While viewing Cutty Sark in Google Maps and browsing the "Street View/360°" tab under "Photos", an uploaded 360° panorama can be found by the user "H “For Gold Hoarders Only”". In this panorama a parrot can be seen sitting on a sign with the Gold Hoarder's Bullion Crown coin and a pigpen code written around its outer edge.

The pigpen code translates to a bit.ly link bit.ly/sotfeathered which redirects to a new OneDrive folder named For Hoarders' Eyes Only.

Other worthwhile sights in this panorama are a goat and turkey standing together, referencing the what3words code that lead to Cutty Sark.


Globe icon.png  OneDrive Image: Phoenetic Parchment Puzzle
Source: OneDrive ("For Hoarders' Eyes")
The link takes them to a OneDrive with an image of a parchment with eight lines of symbols that loosely resemble bird footprints. There is a bounding box that highlights the last line on the parchment.

The first seven lines translate to the lyrics for "We Shall Sail Together" spelled out phonetically. Using the phonetic translation of the lyrics, a legend can be created and used to decode the phrase on line eight: ɛksbəʊks waɪə mɑːks ð spəʊt which translates to "Xbox Wire Marks the Spot."

  • Pigpen parchment.

    Pigpen parchment.


Globe icon.png  Xbox Wire Marks the Spot: Pixel Hunt and Final Code for Stage 2
Source: Xbox Wire
Among the Xbox Wire article for The Hoarder's Hunt are a number of promotional images, most of which have been used in the past for various purposes. One image in particular, of a pirate in a ship's crow's nest, has been edited with an added Macaw parrot and a small hidden X Mark that must be found in order to solve Stage 2.

The best solution to finding the small X Mark is to compare the differences between the version with the Macaw to the original promotional image. Once the X Mark is found, using a color picker tool on the blue coloured X to find the exact hex colour code for that shade of blue.

The resulting hex colour code will be 2faced, which is the final solution for the puzzle that will unlock the Voyage for Stage 2 if entered into the Mystery's website.


Voyage

For details about the Voyage for Stage 2, see The Hunt for the Argent Silver Key.

Stage 3: Portrait of Plunder

Puzzle and clues

H's letter for Stage 3: Portrait of Plunder is as follows:

Double Quotations Left.png

I see you're using others in my enigmatic quest.
I warn you Hoarders that about my rules I do not jest.
As when playing CARD games, keep our secrets close to your chest.
Like I have done personally, you must your time invest

Don't SPY huge tornado, but smallest cloud up in the sky.
The devil and answers lie in detail - and so do I...
Swear your HEARTS to my CLUB and so you can find my hoard!
Ready your SPADES to uncover your DIAMOND like reward.

— H, Letter for Stage 3: Portrait of Plunder

The Hoarder's Hunt - Stage 3 Letter.jpg

  • Puzzle 3: Portrait of Plunder.

    Puzzle 3: Portrait of Plunder.

Globe icon.png  Portraits of Gold Hoarders
Two series of images with Gold Hoarder portraits were released at the start of Stage 3.

The first set of portraits were from images depicting the same room but with only varying hung portraits of Gold Hoarders; These were posted through social media and repurposed bit.ly and other links from previous stages.

The second set of portraits appeared in the background of "The Hoarder's Hunt Update One" Official Sea of Thieves video. Each video sharing platform had different portraits in the background at roughly 1:24 and 2:00 timestamps.


Globe icon.png  Instagram Zoom Art (Parrot on Cannonballs)
Source: onepikapi, Instagram
On May 29th, around 3pm UTC, the official Sea of Thieves Instagram account posted a story sharing a video of Sea of Thieves Zoom Art with the caption “SO MANY DETAILS 👀.” The story linked to the original video posted by Andhi Pikapi(aka onepikapi), a digital artist specializing in Zoom Art.

One of the small details hidden within the Zoom Art, is a peculiar blue parrot sitting on a skull and cannonballs.

This artwork was dismissed at first, and was even shared a second time and still dismissed. Finally the Sea of Thieves Instagram shared a screenshot image of the blue parrot resting on the skull and cannonballs with the added "thinking" emoji (🤔) beside them, hinting to pay attention to these specific elements.

This eventually prompted a change of direction in community focus away from bit.ly links to looking at Twitter instead, leading to the discovery of several Twitter accounts. (see next clue for info)

  • Efforts originally were aiming to connect the Gold Hoarder portrait codes with bit.ly links.
  • Related bit.ly links were discovered much earlier and appeared to point to official OneDrive folder, however these folders were empty.
  • The final post which steered attention to Twitter.

    The final post which steered attention to Twitter.


Globe icon.png  Twitter Accounts with Pirates Playing Cards (skullcannonball)
Details: The blue parrot from the Zoom Art video helped narrow the search for clues to Twitter. Using two words spoken by the parrot from Puzzle 2 and showcased in the Instagram Zoom Art, the community found a Twitter account named "Skull Cannonball".

The account is followed by several other accounts; the usernames use recurring parrot/portrait words:

All of these accounts had only one post in their timeline: an image of pirates playing cards.

  • Scene of pirates playing cards.

    Scene of pirates playing cards.

The puzzle:

The contents of the image's scene offered several things to solve and put together:

  • "HEARTLESS":
    • The suits and numbers on each card seen in the image are used to create the word HEARTLESS. To do this, take note of the number and suit to each card. Each number associates with the letter in the card's suit.
      For example: 1 of "H"earts is H or 5 of spad"E"s = E
  • Website You are a pirate puppet dot com:
    • Washed Robot's microchip banner image with binary code for the letters U(You) and R(are)
    • Rocket Diet's profile picture had a road sign for "Apteria" which is an anagram for a pirate
    • Skull Cannonball's bio is, “One dog. Perhaps another. Together, you will obey my command.” Going with the theme of puppets in The Hoarder’s Hunt Mystery, you could translate this riddle to the word puppet.
    • Tom Cod's name is an anagram for dot com
  • Solution: Together these lead to the next step of Stage 3: https://www.youareapiratepuppet.com/heartless
  • Roman numerals (17):
    • In addition to the website clue, the image contained Roman numerals carved into the playing card table. Combining all four Roman numerals in order from left to right will return XVII or 17.

Other notes:

  • The "Tom Cod" account has an earlier tweet from May 17, 2023 which is simply, "Miaow".
  • The Twitter accounts were assumed to be fake at first due to the accounts only having each other as followers, as well as their unusual account profile pictures and banners. This was rectified later when the official Sea of Thieves' and official Rare Ltd Twitter accounts began following the accounts.
Globe icon.png  youareapiratepuppet.com - Homepage with Cards Face Down
Source: Skull Cannonball, Twitter
The homepage of "youareapiratepuppet.com" reveals a picture of playing cards face down on a table.
  • On the card table there is tally marks counting to 6 scratched into the table.
  • The number of cards match the number of letters in HEARTLESS.
  • Despite the card backs being the same at first glance, each card has slight differences from one to the other.
  • The Hoarder's Hunt - Stage 3 youareapiratepuppet home page.png

Globe icon.png  youareapiratepuppet.com/HEARTLESS - Map and Letter
Source: Skull Cannonball, Twitter
Adding HEARTLESS from the image of the pirates playing cards to the end of the youareapiratepuppet.com URL takes you to a page featuring two images, a map and a riddle. The map made its appearance in the ‘A Message from H’ video in Puzzle 2.
  • The map is split into hand drawn, asymmetrical coordinate segments.
  • The riddle reads as follows:
Double Quotations Left.png

You Gold Hoarders are TURNCOATS!
Do not alter this game to become a deadly SPAT!
YOU must abide by my rules.

Stop enlisting the aid of those on galleons, sloops, and BRIGS
Who marvel at Ancient RUNES and their various USES
Who feast on COCONUTS before facing the FURY of the Devil’s Roar.

I see your CRUEL disobedience as you recruit these pirates.
As they DASH everywhere as fast as FATE will allow.
As they DIG up those precious keys you crave!

For you, they push past trees and struggle through FERNS.
For you, they weather the STORM yet they do not CRY!
Their strength to your weakness plants the SEED of doubt in my mind.

My rules have been plain and BASIC
Yet I see that you struggle to stay TRUE to them
As such, I may seek to alter the target of my INTENT...

Rearranging the letters from the capitalized words in each paragraph will reveal a phrase used to gather coordinates from the map. Shuffling the rest of the capitalized words around will result in the following phrase and coordinates:

  • TURNCOATS SPAT YOU -> SANCTUARY OUTPOST -> B0
  • BRIGS RUNES USES COCONUTS FURY -> YOUR SUCCESS BRINGS US FORTUNE -> 7R
  • CRUEL DASH FATE DIG -> DISGRACED HATEFUL -> 1S
  • FERN STORMS CRY SEED -> MERCYS END FORTRESS -> SG
  • BASIC TRUE INTENT -> ANCIENT TRIBUTES -> J5

Putting all of the coordinates together form the code B07R1SSGJ5 which happens to be the ASIN (Amazon Standard Identification Number) for the Sea of Thieves Origins comic, Sea of Thieves Origins 1: The Price of Gold.

Note: Recurring once again is the number 17 found in a coordinate space on the far right-hand edge alongside two inter-locked Gold Hoarder keys.

  • A 34MB high definition PNG of the map can be found on an [high definition official OneDrive here].
  • The OneDrive Map was updated once after having been discovered. This was to correct mislabeled coordinates from the BR to the correct 7R.
  • The written riddle.

    The written riddle.

  • The map and riddle together.

    The map and riddle together.


Globe icon.png  Sea of Thieves Origins 1: The Price of Gold
Source: Amazon (Kindle/Comixology)
The story told in Sea of Thieves Origins 1: The Price of Gold features the story of a young Humphrey the Hoarder, detailing why he sailed to the Sea of Thieves and how be became a Gold Hoarder.
Globe icon.png  youareapiratepuppet.com/grudge - Final code for Stage 3
Source: youareapiratepuppet.com/grudge
  • On this page is a parchment with a drawn Gold Hoarders key logo and in the top left corner is the codeword 3GDURG ("GRUDGE" backwards with 3 substituting the letter E)
  • The Hoarder's Hunt - Stage 3 SOT Grudge.png


Voyage

Stage 4: The Crowning Glory

Puzzle and clues

H's letter for Stage 4: The Crowning Glory is as follows:

Double Quotations Left.png

You have dared to meddle in what WAS my exclusive test.
So, get ready for the painful proof of why I am obsessed.
Join me on a JOURNEY of such dread that it will chill your heart.
You’ll wish you’d never taken that Hoarders Voyage for a start…

Across the entire Sea of Thieves – on land and sea and sky,
I’ll lead you on a chase and your expectations I’ll defy.
You’ve got a chest and opened it and found another chest.
But this is it, I’ve saved for last what’s ultimately best.

— H, Letter for Stage 4: The Crowning Glory

Puzzle and clues

  • Puzzle 4: The Crowning Glory.

    Puzzle 4: The Crowning Glory.

Voyage

Gallery

Images

  • "Defaced Reaper's Mark" icon used across Sea of Thieves social media accounts.

    "Defaced Reaper's Mark" icon used across Sea of Thieves social media accounts.

Videos

The Hoarder's Hunt: A Sea of Thieves Mystery Teaser Trailer

The Hoarder's Hunt Explained: Official Sea of Thieves

The Hoarder's Hunt Launch Trailer: Official Sea of Thieves

Globe icon.png  Teaser Trailer transcript
Time: May 2, 2023 15:06 UTC
Source: Sea of Thieves official YouTube channel
Transcript:
Double Quotations Left.png

(ominous breathing)
Held still for years.
Cold to the touch.
An unjust punishment.
Time without meaning.
They think they understand,
but only I see what they cannot.
Turn the key and all will end for them.
It's yours to reveal...
I will be waiting.

Gallery:


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