Online:Witches Festival

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The Witchmother

The Witches Festival is a holiday event that typically takes place in the month of October. During this event players can obtain a skeletal polymorph, a 100% XP buff and the opportunity to acquire a collection of Witches Festival-themed items. The festival also has a special quest associated with it, named The Witchmother's Bargain, which repeats every year. A notable feature of the event is the inclusion of Plunder Skulls. Plunder Skulls are special reward containers that grant players various event-themed items.

Starting in 2021, the quest Plucking the Crow can also be completed each day of the event and involves battling an event-specific group boss, the Crowborne Horror. As of 2024, the quest The Lord of Fear can also be completed each day of the event and involves battling an event-specific group boss, Lord Hollowjack.

For historical information, see the lore article.

Witchmother's Cauldron[edit]

Witchmother's Brew

After completing The Witchmother's Bargain, the Witchmother's Whistle memento is gained. The whistle can be used repeatedly during the event to summon the Witchmother's Cauldron, which formerly granted you and your party a two-hour 100% XP buff that stacked with all other XP bonuses. As of 2023, the XP buff is now applied as a part of the event itself. Drinking from the Witchmother's Cauldron will transform your character into a skeleton for two hours. After the end of the event, the memento will no longer grant the skeleton transformation.

The whistle can be used by all characters on your account (including characters who have not completed The Witchmother's Bargain) since Mementos are account-wide, despite the fact that the quest itself is separate for each character.

Plunder Skulls[edit]

ON-icon-container-Plunder Skull.png
This bucket contains items that many witches and warlocks would find of interest.

Plunder Skulls contains up to 5 samples of Witches Festival Provisioning ingredients and 1-3 samples of Amber Marble. They can also contain unique recipes, Hollowjack motif pages, or rare hats. All of these items can be traded with other players, including the collectible hats. The Provisioning items available include Guts, Worms, Crawlers, and Spider Eggs.

Availability[edit]

Plunder Skulls can be earned from the following:

  • Bosses in Delves, Group Delves, Public Dungeons (including Group Event bosses), Group Dungeons, Trials, Overland and Arenas
  • Dark Fissures
  • Dolmens

Dremora Plunder Skulls[edit]

ON-icon-container-Dremora Plunder Skull.png
This Dremora-skull bucket contains some of the secrets of the Dremora Crafting Motif, as well as items of sinister interest to witches and warlocks. It can be earned only once a day.

Dremora Plunder Skulls are special containers that were introduced in the 2018 Witches Festival and continued in 2019. There are ten different types that can be obtained from various bosses. Each skull is guaranteed to contain a chapter from ON-icon-quest-Book 01.pngCrafting Motif 63: Dremora Style book. Dremora Plunder Skulls of each type can be earned only once per day per account. See below for a full list.

Motif Page Boss Type Plunder Skull Type
Legs and Bows Dragonstar Arena, Blackrose Prison, or Maelstrom Arena final boss Dremora Plunder Skull, Arena
Dremora Plunder Skull, Crowborne Horror
Belts and Staves Delve bosses Dremora Plunder Skull, Delve
Helmets and Maces Group Dungeon final boss Dremora Plunder Skull, Dungeon
Gloves and Daggers World Events Dremora Plunder Skull, Incursions
Dremora Plunder Skull, Infinite Archive
Dremora Plunder Skull, Lord Hollowjack
Boots and Shields Public Dungeon bosses, Dark Fissures or Imperial City bosses (street and sewers) Dremora Plunder Skull, Public & Sweeper
Chests and Swords Trial final boss Dremora Plunder Skull, Trial
Shoulders and Axes World bosses Dremora Plunder Skull, World

Witches Grab Bags[edit]

ON-icon-container-Plunder Skull.png

Beginning in 2020, the Impresario offers the Witches Grab Bags for 2 Event Tickets each. These bags contain plunder skull items from years past that are no longer available. If you have all items from years' past that are available in the bags, you will be awarded Group Repair Kits. The available loot is:

  • Apple-Bobbing Fresh Gorapples
  • Rune-carved bone fragments
  • Runebox: Hollowjack Spectre Mask
  • Runebox: Pumpkin Spectre Mask
  • Runebox: Scarecrow Spectre Mask
  • Runebox: Thicketman Spectre Mask
  • Runebox: Witch's Bonfire Memento
  • Runebox: Marshmallow Toasty Treat Emote
  • Runebox: Ghastly Visitation Memento
  • Witch-Tamed Bear-Dog pet fragments
  • Skeletal Marionette Parts
  • Any page of the Hollowjack Crafting Motif
  • Witchmother's Servant Style Pages

Witches Festival 2024[edit]

Witches Festival 2024

Face down the horrors of Tamriel, including Lord Hollowjack himself, for special in-game rewards during 2024’s Witches Festival in-game event!

The Witches Festival 2024 ran from October 24 to November 6, 2024. The Witches Festival is back with a new surprise – Lord Hollowjack himself strides forth from the clutter and darkness of Detritus to claim you as his next victim. Show him how big of a mistake that would be!

A new daily quest is available inside any of the Witchmother Breweries located in the wilderness of Glenumbra, Auridon, or Stonefalls. Priest Maxien Roudille will set you on the path to rescuing some of Hollowjack's haunted victims before confronting the Daedra Lord himself, but be warned! Though the activities up to that point can be done alone, Hollowjack himself is the most fearsome event boss to date and is balanced for 6 to 12 players of average skill and gear. Defeat him each day for his own unique Dremora Plunder Skull (sourced by the event quest reward) as well as an achievement that grants you a Hollowjack trophy furnishing. Continue to help others defeat the Lord of Fear for a chance to receive a Hollowjack bust furnishing from his gourdy remains!

This year's Plunder Skulls may contain a myriad of offerings, including spooky furnishings, recipes, alchemy supplies, and other treasures. Their Dremora Plunder Skull counterparts – available from the usual sources – have a chance to drop Witches Festival crafting writs (from which you can get Hollowjack style pages for those who need them), Glenmoril treasure maps, Crowborne Hunter style pages, or this year's new offerings – the Eltheric Revenant outfit style, the Plunder Skull Blunder memento, or fragments for the Senchal Horned Owl pet.

The Witches Festival grab bag this year contains the following items:

  • Festival masks: Hollowjack Spectre, Pumpkin Spectre, Scarecrow Spectre, and Thicketman Spectre.
  • Apple-Bobbing Cauldron Fragments
  • Skeletal Marionette Memento Parts
  • Throwing Bones Memento Fragments
  • Marshmallow Toasty Treat Emote
  • Witch's Bonfire Dust Memento
  • Ghastly Visitation Memento
  • Bonedust Pigment for the Witch-Tamed Bear Dog
  • Bound style pages for the Witchmother's Servant outfit
  • Possessed Shreds for the Ghost Netch pet
  • Tome of Forbidden Appetites memento
  • Bound versions of the Grave Dancer weapon style pages

You could get two (2) Event Tickets come from the first boss-type creature that would drop a plunder skull, making for a total of 26 earnable tickets from the event.

This event also introduces the first TWO of FIVE total fragments for the final morph for this year's anniversary-themed collectible, the Haven of the Five Companions house! The Impresario will carry these fragments as usual, along with bound versions of this year's new offerings.

Witches Festival 2023[edit]

Witches Festival 2023

Slay Tamriel's most horrific monstrosities to obtain unique in-game rewards during 2023's Witches Festival in-game event!

The Witches Festival 2023 ran from October 26 to November 7, 2023. During the event you can earn rewards from Plunder Skulls, which will include new pages for the Crowborne Hunter Style, the Tome of Forbidden Appetites memento and fragments needed for the Witches Festival Ghost Netch pet. Players will earn 100% more XP for the duration of this event.

You can earn 2 event tickets each day from the first boss you kill, for a 26 Event Tickets during the event. The Impresario will introduce the first fragment needed for the Hoardhunter Ursauk mount, along with bound pages for the Crowborne Hunter Style and fragments for the event memento and pet. Like in previous years she will also sell a selection of Witches Festival themed furnishings, and an updated Witches Grab Bag. Meanwhile, the Impresario's assistant will sell both the Unstable Morpholith and Dagonic Quasigriff fragments.

Also in Belkarth, Nenulaure will be selling Indrik pets and fragments for Event Tickets, including: Nascent Indrik Feathers, Pure Snow Indrik Berries, Crimson Indrik Berries, Frost-Light Indrik Pet, and Rosethorn Indrik pet.

Khal H. Hughez (an anagram for Hollowjack's true name Hha-Lugh-Zhek) was introduced with this event as a random encounter, along with several other encounters. For a full list, please see the following page.

2023 Dremora Plunder Skull Loot[edit]

The drops from Dremora Plunder Skulls in the 2023 event are similar to the past event drops, but with the addition of Crowborne Hunter Style pages and the Forbidden Appetites memento runebox and Possessed Shreds needed for the Festival Ghost Netch pet. They also have a chance to drop Apocrypha-themed furnishings.

Witches Festival 2022[edit]

Witches Festival 2022
"Slay Tamriel's foulest beasts, celebrate the spooky season, and claim special in-game rewards during the Witches Festival event! Boo!"

The Witches Festival 2022 begins October 20 at 10:00AM EDT, and will run until November 2 at 10:00AM EST. During this spoopy spectacle, you can acquire unique event-specific rewards including Plunder Skulls, boosts to XP gains, Event Tickets, and more! This event is similar to the previous year, but with the addition of a new style and memento.

The 2022 festival was also the first chance for players to buy the first fragment, Engraved Glassblowing Tools, from The Impresario, used to mutate the Soulfire Dragon Illusion pet into the Sacred Hourglass of Alkosh. Players can receive two Event Tickets each day for after killing a boss, with a total of 28 possible tickets by the end of the event.

During this event, Nenulaure also sold Indrik pets and fragments for Event Tickets, including: Nascent Indrik Feathers, Pure Snow Indrik Berries, Crimson Indrik Berries, Frost-Light Indrik Pet, and Rosethorn Indrik pet.

2022 Dremora Plunder Skull Loot[edit]

The drops from Dremora Plunder Skulls in the 2022 event are similar to the past event drops, but with the addition of Witchmother's Servant Armor Style pages and the Ghastly Visitation momento runebox. These past drops include Witches Festival Writs, Glenmoril Wyrd Style pages and treasure maps for the weapon pages, Grave Dancer Weapon Style pages, and Dremora motifs.

2022 Plunder Skull Loot[edit]

The drops from regular Plunder Skulls in the 2022 event are identical to previous years' drops, including furnishings, blueprints and recipes.

Witches Festival 2021[edit]

Witches Festival 2021
Unlock unique collectibles and goodies by slaying Tamriel's monsters during the Witches Festival in-game event!

The Witches Festival begins October 21 at at 10:00AM EDT, and will run until November 2 at 10:00AM EST. During this event you can earn rewards from Plunder Skulls which include new emotes and mementos. It is similar to last years event, but with an important exception — the Witchmothers have been gathering in greater numbers and Witchmother Taerma will ask for your assistance in pushing back the incursions of the horrific Crowborne Horror. A boss that will require a group to beat, but first you need to reach it by completing the new event daily quest—Plucking the Crow.

Two event tickets can be earned daily from looting the body of the first monster you kill that drops plunder skulls. The Impresario will have the first two fragments of the new player house, Doomchar Plateau. In addition to this she will have a selection of furnishings available as well as this years collectible items.

Reaper's Harvest Crown Crates were brought back to the Crown Store for the first time since 2017 for the duration of this event. This marked the first time the Radiant Apex mounts from that season could be purchased with Crown Gems, and was also the first time the contents of the crates could be purchased using Seals of Endeavor.

Witches Festival 2020[edit]

Witches Festival 2020
"Tamriel's most ghoulish gala returns! Put monsters to the sword to receive ghastly goodies and double XP during the Witches Festival in-game event!"

The Witches Festival 2020 begins October 22 at 10:00AM EDT, and will run until November 3 at 10:00AM EST. Throughout this terror-filled term, you can receive repulsive rewards in the form of spooky Plunder Skull containers, a 100% XP boost, Event Tickets, and collectibles. This event is similar to the previous year, but with the addition of a new style and memento.

The 2020 festival was also the first chance for players to buy the first two Crimson Indrik Berries (Crimson Berries of Bloom and Crimson Berries of Budding) from The Impresario, used to mutate the Nascent Indrik into a Crimson Indrik. Players can receive three Event Tickets each day for after killing a boss, with a total of 39 possible tickets by the end of the event.

2020 Dremora Plunder Skull Loot[edit]

The drops from Dremora Plunder Skulls in the 2020 event are identical to the 2019 event drops, but with the addition of Grave Dancer Weapon Style pages. These past drops include Witches Festival Writs, Glenmoril Wyrd Style pages and treasure maps for the weapon pages, and Dremora motifs. However, some drops, like the Hollowjack Motif pages and bones for the Skeleton Marionette were moved into the Witches Grab Bag available from the Impresario.

2020 Plunder Skull Loot[edit]

The drops from regular Plunder Skulls in the 2020 event are identical to previous years' drops, including furnishings, blueprints and recipes. One new item as is Rune-Carved Bone Fragment which creates a new Throwing Bones runebox collectible.

Witches Festival 2019[edit]

The 2019 Witches Festival
"Boo! Battle Tamriel's monsters, get double XP, and earn creepy new rewards during the Witches Festival in-game event! Learn everything you need to know about the frightening fete here."

The Witches Festival 2019 will run from October 24 until November 11, 2019. Due to numerous connectivity issues on PC for the first few days, the event was extended by 7 days across all platforms. The event is similar to the previous year, but with the addition of some new style pages, mementos, recipes and collectables. The drops from regular Plunder Skulls in the 2019 event are identical to the 2018 event drops.

The 2019 festival was also the first chance for players to buy the Pure-Snow Berries of Bloom from The Impresario, used to mutate the Nascent Indrik. Players can receive two Event Tickets each day for killing a boss, with a total of 38 possible tickets by the end of the event.

2019 Dremora Plunder Skull Loot[edit]

The drops from Dremora Plunder Skulls in the 2019 event are identical to the 2018 event drops, but with the addition of Glenmoril Wyrd Style pages, festival writs, new provisioning recipes and a new memento, all of which have a relatively low drop rate.

Glenmoril Wyrd Armor Style Pages[edit]

ON-icon-armor-Hat-Glenmoril Wyrd.png

Armor pages have a small chance to drop from directly from Dremora Plunder Skulls. These exist as items that can be sold or traded.

Glenmoril Wyrd Weapon Style Pages[edit]

ON-icon-weapon-Sword-Glenmoril Wyrd.png

Weapon pages are found by following a marker on the associated treasure map. The style page doesn't exist as an item found in a chest like regular treasure, but instead spawns as the weapon itself, surrounded by a large pillar of purple light. Taking the weapon immediately adds the style page into your inventory. See the main page for a guide on the map locations.

Witches Festival Writs[edit]

ON-icon-book-Witches Festival Writ.png
"A direct request for a festive food, from Alyxe the Hag. Once accepted, this contract cannot be traded or sold. Completing 13 Witches Festival Writs awards you the Witch's Infernal Hat; completing 28 grants you the title of "Witch."

Witches Festival Writs are special master writs that request a Witches Festival themed food or potion via a quest. The recipes for these provisioning items can be found both types of Plunder Skull. Writs themselves can only be obtained from Dremora Plunder Skulls. Writs are also available to buy from the Impresario for 1 Event Ticket each, but these are bound to your account and cannot be traded or sold. See the main page for full details.

Completing 13 Witches Festival Writs awards you the Witch's Infernal Hat; completing 28 grants you the title of "Witch". There are also several achievements related to festival writs.

New Recipes[edit]

ON-icon-food-Bewitched Sugar Skulls.png

Three new legendary recipes are introduced in the 2019 festival, however they have a relatively low drop rate:

Skeletal Marionette[edit]

ON-icon-stolen-Skull.png
"Be the life of your party with this cute little skeleton marionette! It dances! It prances! It hangs from strings, ready for you to make it move! (Creepy skeleton voice not included.)"

The Skeletal Marionette collectible can be obtained by consuming ten Skeletal Marionette Parts, which can occasionally be found in all varieties of Plunder Skull. Alternatively, the memento can be bought outright from the Impresario for 5 Event Tickets, however this will not grant you the associated achievement.

Item Description
ON-icon-misc-Bones.png Skeletal Marionette Parts Part of a Skeletal Marionette. With enough of these, you could command your own.

Crown Store Exclusives[edit]

During the festival, some new and returning items will be available in the Crown Store. This includes the return of the Reaper's Harvest and Hollowjack Crown Crates, the Hollowjack and Witches' Coven furnishing packs, Exorcised Coven Cottage, Kynbound Senche-Panther, Witch's Infernal Familiar and more.

Gallery[edit]

  • Glenmoril Wyrd Style promotional image

  • The Skeletal Marionette promotional image

Witches Festival 2018[edit]

"The grim spectacle of the Witches Festival has once again returned to haunt the people of Tamriel. Take part in this chilling celebration to earn bonus XP and unique rewards. It's also your first opportunity to earn Event Tickets and Indrik Feathers – don't miss out!"
The 2018 Witches Festival

The Witches Festival 2018 ran from October 18 to November 1, 2018. In addition to previous rewards, 2018 introduced the new Dremora Motif and Dremora Plunder Skulls. It was the first opportunity for players to begin working towards obtaining the Nascent Indrik mount.

2018 Dremora Plunder Skull Loot[edit]

2018 Dremora Plunder Skull Loot

Dremora Plunder Skulls

ON-icon-container-Dremora Plunder Skull.png
This Dremora-skull bucket contains some of the secrets of the Dremora Crafting Motif, as well as items of sinister interest to witches and warlocks. It can be earned only once a day.

Dremora Plunder Skulls are special containers that will be introduced in the 2018 Witches Festival. There are seven different types that can be obtained from various bosses. Each skull is guaranteed to contain a chapter from ON-icon-quest-Book 01.pngCrafting Motif 63: Dremora Style book, which grants access to the Dremora Style. Dremora Plunder Skulls of each type can be earned only once a day per account. See below for a full list.

2018 Plunder Skull Loot[edit]

2018 Plunder Skull Loot

The drops from Plunder Skulls in the 2018 event are identical to the 2017 event drops, but with the addition of a new memento and style material, treasure items and furniture items:

Memento Pieces

"As a reminder that death awaits even the mightiest, at the Witches Festival heroes and adventurers are invited to humble themselves with juvenile games like bobbing for gorapples. Open wide!"

When the following seven Runebox pieces have been obtained, they can be combined into a Runebox: Apple-Bobbing Cauldron memento.

Style Materials

Treasure Items

Various treasures can be found in both types of Plunder Skulls and can be sold for gold.

Furniture

Items
Many of the furniture items from the 2018 Plunder Skulls were originally only available through the crown store.

Blueprints

Witches Festival 2017[edit]

"The ghostly spectre of the Witches Festival has returned to Tamriel! Want to take part in this spooky celebration, enjoy a bonus to XP gains, and earn terrifying rewards? Read on to find everything you need to know about this ghoulish gala."
The 2017 Witches Festival

The 2017 Witches Festival ran from October 20 until November 1, 2017. Similar to the Witches Festival of 2016, this event featured the chance to earn Plunder Skulls by defeating delve bosses, dungeon bosses, World Bosses, and dolmen bosses. Drops from Plunder Skulls included Hollowjack Motif chapters, special themed recipes, and furniture. Rare drops included runeboxes containing Hollowjack, Scarecrow, and Thicketman masks.

2017 Plunder Skull Loot[edit]

2017 Plunder Skull Loot

The drops from Plunder Skulls in the 2017 event were identical to the 2016 event drops, but with the addition of two new hats and a selection of furnishing schematics and items:

Motifs

Style Materials

  • Amber Marble - Used to craft items in the Hollowjack Style.

Recipes

Hats

Furnishing Schematics

Furnishing Items

Witches Festival 2016[edit]

"The Witches Festival, our first in-game holiday event for The Elder Scrolls Online, is lurking around the corner! Learn how and when you and your friends can take part in this spooky Tamrielic holiday plus details on the special treats you can earn by participating."
The 2016 Witches Festival

The 2016 Witches Festival ran from October 13 to November 1 or November 8, 2016. During that period a free whistle was available from the Crown Store, which began the quest The Witchmother's Bargain when used. A Witchmother's Whistle Memento was rewarded for completing the quest, and could be used to obtain a 100% Experience bonus and begin the event. With the buff applied, many different types of bosses would begin to drop Plunder Skulls containing unique recipes, motif chapters, and even two rare hats. Unlocking all of the achievements for this event would unlock the "Sun's Dusk Reaper" title.

Due to a bug introduced with Patch 2.6.7 which prevented the Plunder Skull achievements from counting earned skulls correctly, the event was extended to November 8 on PC/Mac.

2016 Plunder Skull Loot[edit]

2016 Plunder Skull Loot

Motifs

Style Materials

  • Amber Marble - Used to craft items in the Hollowjack Style.

Recipes

Hats

Notes[edit]

  • Partaking in the Witches Festival will unlock several Holiday Events achievements. To unlock them all, you must complete the quest, drink from the Witchmother's Brew, collect all motif pages, and obtain 100 Plunder Skulls. Doing all of these tasks will reward you with the "Sun's Dusk Reaper" title.

See Also[edit]

External Links[edit]
Holiday Events
DLC Events
Special Events
Other Events
By Year
2014 • 2015 • 2016 • 2017 • 2018 • 2019 • 2020 • 2021 • 2022 • 2023 • 2024
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