Now that Gibbs and the Black Pearl crew have been rescued, you can now commence your search for the missing Captain Jack Sparrow in the Sea of the Damned. Go to the Castaway’s Camp to start the next Tall Tale of Sea of Thieves: A Pirate’s Life, which is called Captains of the Damned. The Castaway will sum up the journey so far, and she and Gibbs will tell you that Jack’s history is important in finding him. Take Jack’s Compass back from Gibbs to start.
The Quests radial will have a book containing the history of Jack Sparrow’s exploits, detailing each of the Pirates of the Caribbean films. It’s a nice journal, but what you really need to do is take out Jack’s Compass, and the green light to the Tunnel of the Damned will appear near your Outpost. Sail to the tunnel and you’ll go through another on-rails sequence like in the first Tall Tale.
The Whispering Bayou
Once you emerge from the tunnel, you once again have control of your ship. There’s land in the way, and Jack’s Compass will direct you on how to sail around everything in the right direction. Raise the sail(s) halfway up if you want to take it slow. You will reach a rock arch and a mysterious ghostly veil blocking it. Two green torches will light up on your starboard (right) side — park there once they light up and disembark onto land.
Fragments of the Past
Jack’s Compass will lead you to the shipwreck of the Blue Bayou — go inside the captain’s quarters from the front and find two skeletons and a candle on a table. Equip your lantern and take the Flame of Souls, which you should remember from the first Tall Tale. To the right of the Blue Bayou is a rowboat floating on the water — ride it through the bayou, and enjoy the theme park-like ghosts and a creepy rendition of “Row your Boat.” The stream will take you back to your ship.
If you check Jack’s Compass, it will be pointing to a shack on your boat’s port (left) side — it’s best to take the rowboat there instead of docking it to your ship. Climb up the ladder to the shack, and you’ll see two lanterns to each side of the door. Light them with your Flame of Souls. Turn around, and there will be a number of lost souls down in the water, all holding candles. Go up to each of them and light any candles that are not lit with your Flame of Souls.
Lighting the candles will prompt Tia Dalma from the Pirates of the Caribbean films to make an incantation from inside the shack and revive Barbossa from the films, in a repeat of the ending of Dead Man’s Chest. The mysterious veil blocking your way will disappear. There are still journals to collect in the Bayou, but if you already have them or don’t want to backtrack, move on ahead through the arch.
Related: All journal locations in Sea of Thieves – Captains of the Damned Tall Tale
The Fort of Lost Souls
Keep moving in the direction that Jack’s Compass is pointing and you’ll see an island fort ahead. There will be a dock lit by torches that you can park at. The Compass will point on a skeleton on the dock ahead on the left; it is impaled by a sword and holding a lantern, so light that lantern with your Flame of Souls. This will open the gate to the fort and prompt ghostly voices to sing “Hoist the Colors” from At World’s End.
Walk through the gate, and you will see four Braziers forming a circle around a well. Light all four of the Braziers and a trapdoor to the well will open. Jump in safely into the water. There is a journal in the well, but down below the waters is a poor skeleton chained to the ground. It is holding a lockpick, which you can nab. Swim about midway up the well to find a hole in the wall. Follow the path out of the well and back outside. Lockpick the door ahead to get back to the courtyard.
On the other side of the courtyard is a stone building. Lockpick one last time on the door of this stone building and go up the ladder. There is a near-broken rope ahead; swing your sword or shoot it with your firearm, and it will cause a wooden platform with boxes to fall down. Jump on these boxes and jump over the wall ahead, before unreachable due to a barricaded door, to get up some stairs. Ahead on your left will be a pulley.
Use the pulley to lower a cage down; very quickly open the cage door and step inside, and it will take you up like an elevator. Go to the right and continue along the edge, but as you can’t jump high enough to progress, you will have to jump on some wooden platforms to the left. Climb the ladder, and then make a big sprinting jump ahead to get across a large gap. There will be a pulley ahead that you can use to lift an elevator. Jump off and go to the lighthouse on the left.
Similar to the lighthouse sequence in the first Tall Tale, you will have to light beacons. Light it using your lantern and direct the lighthouse to light five beacons. From right to left, the beacon locations are pictured below. Lighting all of these will earn you the Fort of the Forgotten commendation.
Lighting these beacons will attract the attention of Black Dog Briar, the first mate of Barbossa. He will bring a Phantom fleet with him; jump down to the roofs and run to the beach, where Black Dog Briar will send Phantoms into battle against you.
The key against these ghostly pirates is to keep moving and strafing around them, never letting them use their charge and lunge attack against you. As they will keep teleporting around, it is important to keep up. After about three waves of Phantoms, Black Dog Briar will come over and challenge you himself, though the same combat principles apply. Defeat him, and he and Phantoms will retreat.
Climb back onto your ship, and in front of you to the southeast will be two new lit beacons. Sail in that direction and go past between them. You can follow the compass, but a ghost ship will also lead you to a cave veering to your right.
The Raid on Isla Tesoro
Once you reach the end of the cave, you will arrive at the town of Isla Tesoro. Barbossa is on his ship, attacking a fort to your right. Dock your boat to the right and head into town, or go up the stairs to the left to get the Strike Yer Colours! commendation.
Related: How to get the Strike Your Colours commendation in Sea of Thieves: A Pirate’s Life
Move forward to see a scene of a nasty interrogation, where a poor soul named Carlos is getting drowned in a well for information on Jack Sparrow. On that well is the Mercado Key, which you will need if you want the Treasure for Eternity commendation. Otherwise, go to the left of this scene through a clothing store called La Costurera. Enter the store, and on your left is a journal; to your right is a hatch to get through and out the back of the store.
Follow the path forward, seeing traces of a familiar pirate on the way. You’ll pass by Taberna on the right, go up and down stairs, through hallway, and then come out the other side to see a clock tower and an auction in front of a Mercado building. This is where you can complete the Treasure For Eternity commendation if you have the Mercado building from the well.
Related: How to get the Treasure For Eternity commendation in Sea of Thieves: A Pirate’s Life
Otherwise, go to the right of the Mercado building and down some stairs. You will see an image of Jack Sparrow taking a key from a drunk pirate. Cross the bridge ahead to see a performing ghost band. Take a left after crossing the bridge and go up stairs. An image of a fleeing Jack Sparrow will appear, and he and his pursuers go through al large gate that is now closed. We’ll have to go around, so find a pulley nearby that operates an elevator.
Take the elevator up to reach another pulley. It will bring a wooden platform close to you — use that platform to jump on top of some moonshine barrels, then jump to some platforms on the right. Go up the ramp and bring that wooden platform from earlier back to you. Jump on it and go left and up after that. Inside will be yet another pulley that will bring up some wooden trapdoors to use as platforms to jump across.
Go through the hallway ahead and ignore the stairs on the left — instead, go forward, left, and then right to get to stairs that reach deep under to a jail. Open the door, and you’ll see a number of jailed ghost pirates trying to lure the ghost dog for the keys. The dog will leave, and there will be a trail of ghostly footprints to follow that goes up a ramp to the left. The dog went through a small hole, so go through a larger opening that is right of that hole; jump the gap and retrieve the Jail Keys by the dog’s dish. If you bring the keys back to those jailed pirates and release them, you will get the Key to Freedom commendation.
From the jailed pirates, go through the opening on the right instead of up the ramp in the left. Go up the stairs and unlock the door with the Jail Keys — this is the last time you’ll use them. Ahead is an Armory box and two pulleys; open the door and you’ll see an image of Jack Sparrow jumping on wooden platforms, and you will use the pulleys to try to recreate that arrangement. However, to get the last platform where you want it, you will have to look to the room on the left, and through the bars, shoot a strand of weak rope holding the platform to release it. Platform into the room on the left, turn right, and then continue forward.
Once you are outside, use the pulley to pull a bucket out of the well; there is a Treasury Key in it, and you’ll use it to unlock the door to the right. Captain Jack Sparrow is just right behind, and you’ll earn the Treasured Hoard commendation. Go up the stairs to the right, and you’ll see some Phantom Scouts ahead. Keep following the path, and you’ll have a combat encounter with a group of Phantoms. Move ahead to the town to see that it is under attack and on fire.
You will have to backtrack, but there will be two occasions where barriers will stop you and not go away until you defeat all attacking Phantoms. The first encounter is outside Taberna, and the second is near the well — the latter fight includes one more battle with Black Dog Briar. Be sure you are stocked up on food, and there will be barrels all around both areas where you can restock. There are also throwables that will be quite effective on these Phantoms. After defeating Black Dog Briar, head back to your ship — there are two new green beacons and a ghostly-looking Black Pearl to follow.
Witness the cinematic moments that follow, a recreation of the end of Dead Man’s Chest, and keep following the green beacons ahead until there are two across from each other.
Tavern of the Damned
Park at the dock ahead, get off your boat, and enter the Tavern, although your old friend the Cursed Captain will reintroduce himself to you first. Go inside and watch some scenes with Jack and other characters interacting. Hand Jack’s Compass back to its owner. Leave the Tavern, go back on your ship, and sail through the green portal ahead. Enjoy the final scene in the Tunnel of the Damned before the Tall Tale ends.
