Official Discussion Thread for "The Witches Festival Returns"

ZOS_GinaBruno

This is the official discussion thread for the blog article The Witches Festival Returns. 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 our article find everything you need to know about this ghoulish gala.

rhapsodious

Hey Gina, question:

Plunder Skulls are special containers that have a chance to contain the following rare items:

...
• Furniture and furniture recipes
• Motif style items

Are the furniture items and recipes exclusive to the Witches Festival, or is it just any ol' furniture (or a combo of both)? And which motif style items are included?

Thanks, looking forward to grinding up my Warden and getting spooky!

code65536

So just summoning the cauldron will grant the XP buff? No more need to run around as a skellie? Huzzah!

Turelus

Really happy to see this return and in a way which lets people who missed it gain the achievements still.

Taysa

Why is the festival significantly shorter this year?

MissBizz

code65536 wrote: »

So just summoning the cauldron will grant the XP buff? No more need to run around as a skellie? Huzzah!

OH WHAT? YES!

...Can anyone copy pasta the article? I can't read the article for some reason, won't work

MyKillv2.0

I am slightly disappointed that the event does not include more new things to do other than collect a new mask. Maybe I read this article wrong but I was really hoping for more achievements this go around, so that the events build off one another. Instead, I should have everything already achieved when the new season begins if I played on my main. I hope I just read it wrong.

Rouven

BOOST YOUR XP AND TRANSFORM INTO THE UNDEAD

The Witches Festival begins at 10:00AM EDT on Friday, October 20 and will run until Wednesday, November 1 at 10:00AM EDT. During this time, you can enjoy a 100% XP buff, obtain a polymorph to become one of the walking dead, and earn a host of unique Witches Festival-themed items.

To participate in the festivities, follow the steps below:

Navigate to the Crown Store's Holiday section to acquire the “Crow Caller" free of charge.
Complete the quest “The Witchmother's Bargain" by gathering a pumpkin and some guts, defeating any delve boss for its Essence of Death, and delivering them to the Witchmother to receive the “Witchmother's Whistle" memento.
If you completed the quest during last year's event, you won't need to acquire the Crow Caller or complete the quest again – you can simply use the whistle found in your Collections menu from last year.
Use the whistle to summon the “Witchmother's Cauldron" and grant you and your party a two-hour 100% XP buff that stacks with all other XP.
Use the Witchmother's Cauldron to polymorph your character into one of the undead. Don't worry—this isn't permanent!
Note that you do not have to use the Witchmother's Cauldron in order to gain the XP buff.

EARN GHOULISH REWARDS

In addition to the XP buff, throughout the festival you can earn some Witches Festival-themed loot by helping to keep Tamriel's numerous monsters at bay.

During the event, all boss monsters (such as World Bosses or those found defending Delves, Group Dungeons, Public Dungeons, Trials, Arenas, and Dark Anchors) will drop Plunder Skulls. You do not need the XP buff or the undead polymorph active in order for them to drop.

Plunder Skulls are special containers that have a chance to contain the following rare items:

Hollowjack Motif Pages or Books
A Runebox containing one of these masks:
Pumpkin Spectre Mask
Scarecrow Spectre Mask
Hollowjack Spectre Mask
Thicketman Spectre Mask
Witches Festival-themed recipes
Furniture and furniture recipes
Motif style items
…and an assortment of creepy items such as worms, crawlers, guts, and other goodies!

FIND GHASTLY NEW ITEMS IN THE CROWN STORE!

A host of supernatural selections will also be added to the in-game Crown Store during the event period, including the Zombie Horse mount, the Nightmare Daemon Mask Pack, and much more. Don't miss your chance to grab some of these unique and terrifying items!

CONJURE SPIRITS IN A UNIQUE HOME

Need someplace to practice your unholy sorceries away from prying eyes? The Exorcised Coven Cottage will be available for purchase with crowns in the in-game Crown Store for the duration of the event, and if you earn the Witches Festival achievement “An Unsparing Harvest" you'll unlock the ability to acquire this bewitching home for in-game gold!

To unlock An Unsparing Harvest, you must earn the following event achievements:

Happy Work for Hollowjack
Plunder Skull Enthusiast
Pumpkin Pairs Well With Guts
Reaper's Harvest

If you had earned these achievements in a previous event, you will not need to earn them again this year. To see which achievements you've already unlocked or to track your current progress, check the Holiday section of your Achievements menu.

Be warned: You will not be able to purchase this home for crowns or gold once the event ends, so don't miss your chance to own this “haunt away from home"!

(Edit: added the headers)

ZOS_GinaBruno

rhapsodious wrote: »

Hey Gina, question:

Plunder Skulls are special containers that have a chance to contain the following rare items:

...
• Furniture and furniture recipes
• Motif style items

Are the furniture items and recipes exclusive to the Witches Festival, or is it just any ol' furniture (or a combo of both)? And which motif style items are included?

Thanks, looking forward to grinding up my Warden and getting spooky!

There are some new items and some existing items.

ManwithBeard9

So it says you don't need to use the cauldron to get the XP buff, is that right?

rhapsodious

ZOS_GinaBruno wrote: »

rhapsodious wrote: »

Hey Gina, question:

Plunder Skulls are special containers that have a chance to contain the following rare items:

...
• Furniture and furniture recipes
• Motif style items

Are the furniture items and recipes exclusive to the Witches Festival, or is it just any ol' furniture (or a combo of both)? And which motif style items are included?

Thanks, looking forward to grinding up my Warden and getting spooky!

There are some new items and some existing items.

Gotcha, thanks for clarifying!

Hopefully I can get the exclusive furniture recipes before the event ends. plz no overabundance of purples

alceleniel

ZOS_GinaBruno wrote: »

There are some new items and some existing items.

That's great, still a reason to participate

MissBizz

ManwithBeard9 wrote: »

So it says you don't need to use the cauldron to get the XP buff, is that right?

Correct @ManwithBeard9 . You only need to summon the cauldron to get the buff. Using the cauldron and becoming a skeleton is optional.

Beardimus

Be glad if there's lots of new items as got it all last time.

Anyone on PTS list all the drops yet?

Azurya

don´t like the fact that it is so much shorter this year, how will we be able to get all achievements and be able to buy the house/hut?? why is that/???? @ZOS_GinaBruno

rhapsodious

Azurya wrote: »

don´t like the fact that it is so much shorter this year, how will we be able to get all achievements and be able to buy the house/hut?? why is that/???? @ZOS_GinaBruno

You can grind it out over a weekend, but even then, I think a week and a half is very reasonable. It's in that nice spot of being able to get everything done without getting burnt out at the end.

Rouven

rhapsodious wrote: »

Azurya wrote: »

don´t like the fact that it is so much shorter this year, how will we be able to get all achievements and be able to buy the house/hut?? why is that/???? @ZOS_GinaBruno

You can grind it out over a weekend, but even then, I think a week and a half is very reasonable. It's in that nice spot of being able to get everything done without getting burnt out at the end.

Maybe I missed it, how much in gold will it cost?

Ilsabet

Rouven wrote: »

rhapsodious wrote: »

Azurya wrote: »

don´t like the fact that it is so much shorter this year, how will we be able to get all achievements and be able to buy the house/hut?? why is that/???? @ZOS_GinaBruno

You can grind it out over a weekend, but even then, I think a week and a half is very reasonable. It's in that nice spot of being able to get everything done without getting burnt out at the end.

Maybe I missed it, how much in gold will it cost?

250k.

ManwithBeard9

MissBizz wrote: »

ManwithBeard9 wrote: »

So it says you don't need to use the cauldron to get the XP buff, is that right?

Correct @ManwithBeard9 . You only need to summon the cauldron to get the buff. Using the cauldron and becoming a skeleton is optional.

That's, odd.

MissBizz

ManwithBeard9 wrote: »

MissBizz wrote: »

ManwithBeard9 wrote: »

So it says you don't need to use the cauldron to get the XP buff, is that right?

Correct @ManwithBeard9 . You only need to summon the cauldron to get the buff. Using the cauldron and becoming a skeleton is optional.

That's, odd.

I believe there may have been feedback that not everyone like looking exactly the same, but they do want the xp buff? I know I definitely prefer not being forced into a skeleton polymorph.

Taysa

rhapsodious wrote: »

Azurya wrote: »

don´t like the fact that it is so much shorter this year, how will we be able to get all achievements and be able to buy the house/hut?? why is that/???? @ZOS_GinaBruno

You can grind it out over a weekend, but even then, I think a week and a half is very reasonable. It's in that nice spot of being able to get everything done without getting burnt out at the end.

Alternatively, the people who are getting burned out can just....stop. It doesn't make sense to shorten a time limited event that's going to run at the same time a major DLC drops.

reoskit

MissBizz wrote: »

I believe there may have been feedback that not everyone like looking exactly the same, but they do want the xp buff? I know I definitely prefer not being forced into a skeleton polymorph.

I'm of two minds here:
1. I hated having everyone looking identical, and I wasn't a fan of being a skellie the whole time, however...
2. I appreciated the extremely obvious visual cue when the polymorph wore off, that I or my group mates had to reapply the buff.

We'll see how it plays out this time.

Mercutio

Will the XP buff stack with the 100% or 150% XP bonuses from the crown crates, or is there still a cap?

ManwithBeard9

Mercutio wrote: »

Will the XP buff stack with the 100% or 150% XP bonuses from the crown crates, or is there still a cap?

It stacked with drinks OR scrolls. Not both. But ring of Mara and ESO+ stack as well.

Mercutio

ManwithBeard9 wrote: »

Mercutio wrote: »

Will the XP buff stack with the 100% or 150% XP bonuses from the crown crates, or is there still a cap?

It stacked with drinks OR scrolls. Not both. But ring of Mara and ESO+ stack as well.

Thank you!

victoriana-blue

We can get skulls without being polymorphed? Woo! Last year while doing dungeons there were a few times I lost the polymorph mid-fight (because manually cancelling and reapplying was a bother) and I didn't get my plunder skull. This is a great change.

Recremen

Note that you do not have to use the Witchmother's Cauldron in order to gain the XP buff.

Oh heck yeah, great call!!

Ankael07

We still dont have a permanent skeleton polymorph yet. Why is this not an option? It looks great

Miaura

ZOS_GinaBruno wrote: »

rhapsodious wrote: »

Hey Gina, question:

Plunder Skulls are special containers that have a chance to contain the following rare items:

...
• Furniture and furniture recipes
• Motif style items

Are the furniture items and recipes exclusive to the Witches Festival, or is it just any ol' furniture (or a combo of both)? And which motif style items are included?

Thanks, looking forward to grinding up my Warden and getting spooky!

There are some new items and some existing items.

Whoot, new furniture !
Now you got my last years skelly back up dusting her old bones ! Cant wait! Hope the furniture is not behind too bad rng odds, since have everything else from last year!
Anyway my fav festival: and had a crappy autumn this year real life with sickness in the family and other bad stuff, but we made it, so it will be good to be a rampaging skelly again for a while :P!

UncannyLinderman

Do wish there was something more substantial added other than "furniture" for the most part it seems. I mean, I did all the stuff for this event last year, but it was when I still played on the Xbox one. Now I'm on PS4, and while I'm glad I get a chance to acquire all the stuff again, i still feel like there's a lot more potential to be had with this event and instead of running with it and really adding something with more substance, it's just a rerun this year with some minor tweaks to item drops.

Slick_007

Ankael07 wrote: »

We still dont have a permanent skeleton polymorph yet. Why is this not an option? It looks great

yes we do. my toon has been a skeleton for over a year. in fact its been so long i cant even remember what he looks like unpolymorphed. will have to see if its the same skeleton as the festival though but i think it is.