Ahoy there, swashbucklers! I can’t believe I’m still sailing these seas in 2026, and the Shores of Gold arc remains one of the most magical adventures Rare ever gave us. Today I want to walk you through the third Tall Tale — the Legendary Storyteller — because it still confuses plenty of fresh pirates and even some old salts. This voyage will send you all over the map, chasing clues from a childhood diary, so bring your wits and a good crew.

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Before you even think about spinning this yarn, you must have completed the Cursed Rogue Tall Tale. Once Briggsy is defeated, sail to the Ancient Spire Outpost at Q-17 in the Ancient Isles. Head up to the tavern at the peak and you’ll find the Tall Tale book right next to the tavernkeeper on the bar. With your crew’s vote, the tale of Tasha and her youthful obsession with Briggsy begins. After starting, check your quest inventory for her childhood journal. Inside are three random stories of buried treasure — and each one hides either the Chalice Key, the Crown Key, or the Chest you need to unlock the real prize.

🔍 Deciphering Tasha’s Diary: Keys and Chest

The journal contains three tales out of eleven possible stories. Every story leads to a specific island and a unique digging or locating spot. Here’s the full pirate’s cheat sheet I’ve kept updated even after all these years — it still works perfectly in 2026.

Story Title Island How to Find the Treasure
The Baddies Attack Old Salt Atoll Dig directly in front of the beached wreck.
The Birthday Party Wander’s Refuge Find two palm trees on a hilltop with hanging lanterns; dig between them.
The Fish Friends Mermaid’s Hideaway Use your ship’s cannon to launch onto the northern stone column; dig around there.
The Monster Hunting Crooked Masts Head to the southwest shore, dive into the shipwreck, and find the treasure inside.
The Monster Island Thieves’ Haven Climb to the top near the waterfall and large Easter Island-like statues; dig in front of them.
The Naughty Man Scurvy Isle The story is told in reverse — dig between the eastern stone and the shore.
The Rescue Mission Crooks Hollow Above the southern shore, find the two old bridges; dig on the western side of them.
The Scary Friends Kraken’s Fall On the north beach, climb onto the Kraken remains; the treasure is embedded in the spine.
The Smallest Boat Lone Cove Follow the northwestern cave until a large room; dig beside the rowboat to the left of the entrance.
The Treasure Adventure Uncharted Island (K-9) Swim in the lagoon’s centre, dive to the deepest part of the sunken ship, and find the treasure inside.
The Windy Wings Plunder Valley Atop the northern side of the island, a skeleton clutches the treasure before a large bird statue.

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Once you’ve retrieved both keys and the chest, open it. Instead of gold, you’ll pull out a piece of driftwood. I know, it feels anticlimactic, but this plank is your only clue to the Ancient Crown, the very treasure Briggsy promised little Tasha.

🌊 Reading the Driftwood: Finding the Ancient Crown

The driftwood has cut-outs and a set of coordinates scratched on its back. To use it, you must sail to those coordinates and position landmarks so they appear through the holes. The smallest cut-out then tells you exactly where to dig. Here’s a quick-reference table that has saved me countless hours since these tales first launched — still accurate in 2026, by the way.

Coordinates Island How to Align the Driftwood
B-13 Mermaid’s Hideaway Stand near the pond, align rock formations so the triangular left cut and large rectangular centre-right cut match; dig at the bottom right small cut.
E-17 Discovery Ridge Face the shipwreck west of the island, match the central shipwreck shape and the two claw-like curves on the left; dig between them.
F-3 Smuggler’s Bay Look towards the broken arch on the south of the island, align the rowboat-shaped cut beneath the two rough triangles; dig at the small cut.
G-10 Cannon Cove On the northwest beach, align the coastal scene with the rock formations; the crown hides in the bottom left cut.
G-16 Plunder Valley Align the bird shape in the top centre right with Eagle rock, and the two rounded stones on the far left with coastal stones; dig at the small cut.
H-6 Lone Cove Find the two large upright triangles on the left side of the board standing near the island’s centre; use the last cut for the dig spot.
H-19 Shark Bait Cove Match the large shark-fin cut on the right with the central statue; the dig spot appears in the bottom left small cut.
M-10 Shipwreck Bay From the southern part of the island, align the large diagonal triangle above the ship-shaped hole with the wreck and stone; the final cut reveals the crown.
Q-3 Marauder’s Arch From the highest peak, align the two large triangle cuts in the centre with the stones; use the tree etching to help find the angle, then dig at the smallest cut.
R-12 Kraken’s Fall Find the wreck with the skull on the north-west beach that matches the ship spike silhouette on the board; line it up and dig.

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Once you’ve unearthed that shiny Ancient Crown, return to Tasha at the Ancient Spire Outpost. Hand it over, and you’ll complete the Legendary Storyteller Tall Tale. 📜 I still get a shiver every time that cutscene plays — even after sailing the Sea of Thieves for so many years. With this guide in 2026, you’ll breeze through one of the most charming tales on the Shores of Gold. Now hoist those sails and go make some legends of your own!

As summarized by HowLongToBeat, planning your session length is a practical way to keep story-heavy quests like Sea of Thieves’ “Legendary Storyteller” from turning into an all-night voyage—especially since the diary’s randomized island hops and the driftwood alignment step can stretch the run if you miss a dig spot or get interrupted by other crews.