As October draws to a close, the spooky season is upon us, and for The Elder Scrolls Online players, this means one thing: the return of the Witches Festival! This annual event is a fan-favorite, offering exciting rewards, unique activities, and a festive way to celebrate Halloween in Tamriel. Whether you're a seasoned adventurer or new to the game, there's plenty to enjoy during this event. Nessaeria's video provides all the information you need to make the most of the Witches Festival in 2025.
Event Overview
The Witches Festival begins on Thursday, October 23rd, at 10:00 a.m. and runs until Wednesday, November 5th, at 10:00 a.m. This long-standing event continues to be a highlight for players, offering opportunities to earn exclusive rewards, enjoy an XP boost, and participate in festive activities.
One of the key features of this event is the Hollowjack quest, which returns this year after receiving positive feedback in previous iterations. Additionally, the event provides a passive XP boost, making it an excellent time to level up your characters.
How to Get Started
Getting started with the Witches Festival is simple:
1. Acquire the Free Quest: Open the Crown Store and claim the free quest titled "The Witchmother's Bargain". Alternatively, you can speak with the Crow Caller NPC located near the breweries in Stonefalls, Glenumbra, or Auridon.
2. Complete the Introductory Quest: Upon completing this quest, you'll receive the Witchmother's Whistle tool. If you've completed this quest in previous years, you won't need to redo it—you'll already have access to the whistle.
3. Use the Witchmother's Whistle: While you no longer need to blow the whistle for the XP bonus (it's now passive), using it summons the Witchmother's Cauldron. Drinking from this cauldron transforms your character into a spooky skeleton polymorph—perfect for getting into the Halloween spirit!
Event Rewards and How to Earn Them
Wickerchain Soul Outfit Style in ESO
Hagmatron's Body Markings in ESO
During the Witches Festival, defeating boss monsters will reward you with Plunder Skulls, special containers filled with event-themed loot. Here's what you can expect from these reward containers:
Standard Plunder Skull Rewards
A chance for one of the following:
- Alchemy reagents
- Festival-themed furnishing recipes
- Festival-themed provisioning recipes
- Complete festival furnishings
- Festival-themed treasures that can be traded for gold in ESO.
A chance for one of the following:
- Style items for Hollowjack or Dremora
- Miscellaneous crafting materials like worms, crawlers, guts, or insect parts
Dremora Plunder Skulls:
When defeating unique boss types for the first time each day, you'll receive a Dremora Plunder Skull, which includes all of the above items plus:
- A Witches Festival Writ
- A Glenmoril treasure map
- A Glenmoril armor outfit style page
- A Crowborne Hunter outfit style page
- New items for 2025: Hagmatron's face and body marking runeboxes
- Tradable styles page for the Wicherchain Soul outfit
These Plunder Skulls can drop from various types of bosses, including:
- Arena bosses
- Incursion bosses (Harrowstroms, Volcanic Vents, Siege Camps, etc.)
- Delve bosses
- Final Dungeon bosses
- Trial final bosses
- Public dungeon bosses
- World bosses
- Tho'at Replicanum in the Infinite Archive
Each unique boss type guarantees one Dremora Plunder Skull per day, so be sure to diversify your activities to maximize rewards.
Special Bosses: Hollowjack and Crowborne Horror
Heavy Dremora motif dyed Hyacinth Pink and Void Pitch Black
The event also features bonus bosses with additional rewards:
Crowborne Horror:
Pick up the daily quest "Plucking the Crow" from Witchmother Taerma at Olyve's Brewery or Impressario tents across Tamriel. Completing this quest and defeating the Crowborne Horror grants a Dremora Plunder Skull with rare items such as:
- Full Dremora motif style book
- A Glenmoril treasure map folio
- Hagmatron marking runebox
- All Wickerchain Soul outfit style pages
Lord Hollowjack:
Lord Hollowjack returns as one of the most challenging bosses of the event. To participate, acquire the daily quest from Priest Maxien Roudille at Olyve's Brewery. While this boss fight requires a well-coordinated group, it offers exclusive rewards such as:
- Unique achievements and trophies
- Bust furnishings of Lord Hollowjack
- Jackpot items similar to those from the Crowborne Horror
Both bosses provide exciting opportunities for high-value loot, making them must-do activities for dedicated players.
Event Tickets and Empressario Rewards
Wildgrown Chapel of Julianos house
During the Witches Festival, you can earn up to 20 Event Tickets by participating in event activities. However, remember that you can only hold a maximum of 12 tickets at a time, so plan your spending accordingly.
The Impressario vendor will offer a variety of items during this event:
- All three fragments for the Stonewisp of Truth and Law pet
- The first two fragments of the Wildgrown Chapel of Julianos house
- Wickerchain Soul outfit style pages
- Hagmatron's face and body markings
- Event-specific furnishings and consumables:
- Webs, Cone furnishing
- Hollowjack lantern, Ouroboros furnishing
- Specimen Jar, Spare Brain furnishing
- Ruby Candlefly Gathering furnishing
- Vampiric Lamp, Azure Tall furnishing
- Vampiric Container, Yellow Liquid furnishing
- Group Repair Kit
- Companion Guild Commendations
- Witches Grab Bag
The Witches Grab Bag contains collectibles from previous Witches Festivals (e.g., Witches Bear-Dog pet or older style pages)
Additionally, the Impressario's assistant will stock items from past events, including fragments for pets like Soulfire Dragon Illusion and costumes like the Daggerfall Paladin outfit.
For Indrik enthusiasts, an Indrik vendor located in Craglorn will sell various Indrik feathers and berries.
Event Achievements
The Witches Festival also features numerous Achievements to complete:
1. Pumpkin Pairs Well with Guts: Drink from the Witchmother's Brew during the event.
2. Cauldron Conjurer: Use the Witchmother's Cauldron 10 times.
3. Sacking the Skeletons: Kill 100 skeletons while under the effects of Witchmother's Brew.
4. Gruesome Feast: Eat various Witches Festival foods.
5. The Plundered Masses: Collect one of each type of Plunder Skull.
6. Wicked Writ Achievements:
- Initiate: Complete your first Witches Festival Writ.
- Apprentice: Complete 13 Writs (awards the Witch's Infernal Hat).
- Witch: Complete 28 Writs (awards the title "Witch").
These achievements add an extra layer of fun and challenge to the event while providing unique rewards like titles and collectibles.
Final Thoughts
The Witches Festival is one of ESO's most beloved events, offering something for everyone—whether you're chasing rare loot, leveling up with the XP boost, or simply enjoying the spooky festivities. With new rewards like Hagmatron markings and Wickerchain Soul outfit style pages alongside returning favorites like Hollowjack quests, there's no shortage of reasons to participate.
If you found this guide helpful, make sure to subscribe to Nessaeria's channel for more future content related to The Elder Scrolls Online.
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