The ESO Witches Festival is back, bringing a limited-time opportunity for players to snag some amazing cosmetics and other rewards. To maximize your loot, you’ll need to complete daily quests and engage in various activities throughout the game to collect as many Plunder Skulls as possible. You’ll also find some exciting cosmetics available for purchase if you have enough Trade Bars.
Running from October 21 to November 4, 2026, the Witches Festival is an accessible event to jump into. While acquiring Plunder Skulls is straightforward, you may find it takes more time to gather all the collectibles available. Let’s explore the details on this festive occasion.
To kick off the Witches Festival, head to the Crown Store while the event is active (from October 21 to November 4, 2026) and select the Event Quest: The Witchmother’s Bargain . This will summon Witchmother Olyve to your location, allowing you to start your journey with The Witchmother’s Bargain quest. She’ll ask you to collect a Pumpkin and an Essence of Death for her latest concoction.
Finding a Pumpkin is easy; simply visit any town grocer to purchase one. As for the Essence of Death, you need to complete a quick delve that features a boss at the end. Make sure to loot the defeated boss to acquire the Essence of Death, an option I found useful was Fort Greenwall, but there are many delves suitable for this task.
Throughout the Witches Festival, Plunder Skulls are your main source of loot, also dropping Cursed Feathers, essential for your next objectives. After gathering your items, return to the Witches’ Coven and talk to Witchmother Olyve again for the next step.
Accept her offer to take a sip, and you’ll finish this quest and acquire the Witchmother’s Whistle. Though this item is no longer necessary for completing the quest, you can still use it for optional achievements. You can now take advantage of two daily quests, helping you earn rewards during the event.
Agree to take a sip, and you’ll complete this quest, and unlock the Witchmother’s Whistle. This used to be a required part of the quest, but now it’s mostly just for completing a couple of optional achievements. You will now have access to a pair of daily quests that can be used to farm rewards during ESO’s Witches Festival.
In the Witches Coven, you can take on two daily quests as part of the Witches Festival: Plucking the Crow and The Lord of Fear . Look out for the blue arrows indicating the quest givers within the Coven. Here’s how to complete both quests.
To start with Plucking the Crow, speak to Witchmother Taerma. She’ll instruct you to collect 30 Cursed Feathers, which drop from Plunder Skulls. Each Skull typically gives you around 7-11 Cursed Feathers, and you can engage in various gameplay to gather them.
There are two types of Plunder Skulls : the standard kind and the Dremora Plunder Skulls , which can only be earned once a day per account. There are ten varieties of Dremora Plunder Skulls, each associated with a specific type of activity:
Speak to Witchmother Taerma, and she’ll grant you the quest Plucking the Crow. She’ll task you with gathering 30 Cursed Feathers, which drop as items in Plunder Skulls. You’ll get roughly 7-11 Cursed Feathers per Plunder Skull, and you can take part in a number of gameplay types to get them.
- Arena
- Insurgent Bosses
- Delves
- Dungeons
- Public Dungeon/Imperial City Sweeper
- Trial
- World Bosses
- Crowborne Horror (Quest reward)
- Lord Hollowjack (Quest reward)
- Infinite Archive
- Arena
- Insurgent Bosses
- Delves
- Dungeons
- Public Dungeon/Imperial City Sweeper
- Trial
- World Bosses
- Crowborne Horror (Quest reward)
- Lord Hollowjack (Quest reward)
- Infinite Archive
If you want the feathers quickly, consider running a brief Delve, wait a few moments, and then run it again. Personally, I recommend the Anchre Egg Mine Delve in the Telvanni Peninsula, but you can use any Delve that works for you.
Exit, wait a short while, then go back in for another chance at looting a Plunder Skull from the boss you just defeated. Make sure to open the Plunder Skulls you find to access the Cursed Feathers. You can find this item in your inventory under the Slottable Items tab.
Return these items to the Witches Coven, speak again to the Witchmother, then craft the Effigy using the table nearby. Present the Effigy to Witchmother Taerma and perform the imbue ceremony at the brazier nearby. You will then take your Effigy to a nearby Ritual Stone, opening up a purple portal to the Crowborne Horror.
You can try tackling this solo, but I wouldn’t advise it. Instead, utilize the Group Finder to look for others running Crowborne Horror. This applies to Lord Hollowjack as well. Although this boss is manageable, be cautious of cleaves and its dive attack.
Gravestones will also appear, summoning skeletons, but with sufficient DPS, you can usually ignore these and focus on bringing the boss down. After defeating the boss, loot the spoils and exit through the portal to claim your rewards: Gold and a Dremora Plunder Skull for Crowborne Horror.
The next quest is The Lord of Fear. Priest Maxien Roudille will send you to rescue NPCs from Deshaan, Grahtwood, and Stormhaven. Finding these NPCs is straightforward, and you’ll only need to complete this step once; subsequent completions of this quest will require you to defeat the final boss.
Speak to the NPCs in the listed regions, and they’ll open a portal to Detritus. You’ll then proceed to the end of the compact map area.
Deshaan : Follow the path to the end of Detritus, interact with the letter, and talk to the NPC when you exit. Stormhaven : Again, make your way to the end, interact with the Bloody Battle Axe, and engage in conversation with the NPC after finishing. Grahtwood : Traverse to the end, interact with the Flamequench Bloom, and speak to the NPC as you exit.
Once you return to Priest Maxien Roudille, he’ll create a portal to Lord Hollowjack. All that’s left to do is enter and take him down! Like Crowborne Horror, it’s much easier when tackled in a group.
Lord Hollowjack presents a fairly standard fight, though be mindful of a couple of unique aspects. Once the Scarecrows appear, deal with them immediately to stop them from draining resources. At 70% and 40% health, the boss will initiate a stealth phase.
Should you see crows on the ground highlighted by a green AOE, rush to them and activate the synergy skill to eliminate them. They drain resources, so keeping their numbers down is wise. When not in these phases, focus on damaging the boss and taking care of adds, and you’ll secure the loot swiftly. Afterwards, return to Priest Maxien to obtain your Dremora Plunder Skull for the day.
During the ESO Witches Festival, Plunder Skulls (both normal and Dremora) grant various rewards. While this year introduces new items, only the Dremora Plunder Skulls contain them, making them particularly valuable to pursue daily. Here’s a list of potential rewards you can find in regular Plunder Skulls:
Plunder Skull Items
- Hollowjack or Dremora style items (low chance)
- Alchemy reagents
- Witches Festival provisions
- Witches Festival Furnishings
- Witches Festival Furnishing recipes
- Miscellaneous treasures and items
Additionally, a new house can be acquired during this festival in ESO. Visit the Impresario to buy the Floating Desires Petal for 1,000 Trade Bars. You’ll need to collect multiple fragments, but this will reward you with the Grotto of Desires House at the end. Here’s what you can find at the Impresario:
- Crowborne Hunter set: 200 per item
- Eltheric Revenant set: 200 per item
- Grave Dancer set: 200 per item
- Wickerchain Soul set: 200 per item
- Witchmother’s Servant set: 500 per item
- Zhekhleg set: 500 per item
- Companion Fighters Guild Commendation: 300
- Companion Mages Guild Commendation: 300
- Companion Undaunted Commendation: 300
- Emote: Marshmallow Toasty Treat: 200
- Apple-Bobbing Cauldron Memento: 200 per item
- Blooming Saddle Fragment: 1000
- Crimson Bat Statuette Fragment: 1000
- Embellished Dance Card Fragment: 1000
- Red Rose Petals Fragment: 1000
- Rosy Boutonniere Fragment: 1000
- Sanguine’s Goodbye Kiss: 1000
- Sharp Rosebush Thorn Fragment: 1000
- Withered Antlers Fragment: 1000
- Hollowjack Lantern, Ouroboros Furnishing: 300
- Ruby Candlefly Gathering Furnishing: 400
- Specimen Jar, Spare Brain Furnishing: 200
- Vampiric Container, Yellow Liquid Furnishing: 100
- Vampiric Lamp, Azure Tall Furnishing: 400
- Vampiric Lightpost, Azure Single Furnishing: 500
- Webs, Cone Furnishing: 100
- Impresario’s Group Repair Kit: 200
- Hollowjack Spectre Mask Hat: 200
- Pumpkin Spectre Mask Hat: 200
- Scarecrow Spectre Mask Hat: 200
- Thicketman Spectre Mask Hat: 200
- Hagmatron’s Face Markings: 200
- Ghastly Visitation Memento: 200
- Plunder Skull Blunder Memento: 200
- Tome of Forbidden Appetites Memento: 200
- Witch’s Bonfire Dust Memento: 200
- Bonedust Pigment Trophy: 200
- Horned Owl Feathers Trophy: 200
- Possessed Shred Trophy: 200
- Rune-Carved Bone Fragment Trophy: 200
- Skeletal Marionette Parts Trophy: 200
- Hagmatron’s Body Markings: 200
- Floating Desires Petal Fragment: 1000
- Gilded Stirrups Fragment: 1000
In the same venue, you can also make purchases from Philius Dormier, the Event Merchant. These items also cost Trade Bars and are available throughout the duration of the ESO Witches Festival. Here’s a complete list of what you can find, along with their Trade Bar costs:
- Aurielic Quasigriff mount fragments: 1000 each
- Deadlands Firewalker personality fragments: 1000 each
- Master of Schemes personality fragments: 1000 each
- Meadowbreeze Memories skin fragments: 1000 each
- Molag Bal Illusion Imp pet fragments: 500 each
- Passion Dancer Blossom pet fragments: 500 each
- Soulfire Dragon Illusion pet fragments: 500 each
- Unstable Morpholith pet fragments: 500 each
- Aurora Firepot Spider pet fragments: 500/200 each
Plunder Skull Items
- Hollowjack or Dremora style items (low chance)
- Alchemy reagents
- Witches Festival provisions
- Witches Festival Furnishings
- Witches Festival Furnishing recipes
- Miscellaneous treasures and items
Dremora Skull Items
- Zhekhleg outfit style pages
- Glenmoril Wyrd armor outfit style pages
- Dremora outfit style pages
- Glenmoril Wyrd Treasure Maps (rewards Glenmoril Wyrd weapon style pages)
- Witches Festival Writs (completing unlocks Hollowjack outfit style pages)
There’s also the start of a new house you can unlock during the Witches Festival in ESO. Go to the Impresario, and purchase the Floating Desires Petal for 1,000 Trade Bars. It will require unlocking several fragments, but it will ultimately reward you with the Grotto of Desires House. Below are the items you can pick up from the Impresario:
- Crowborne Hunter set: 200 per item
- Eltheric Revenant set: 200 per item
- Grave Dancer set: 200 per item
- Wickerchain Soul set: 200 per item
- Witchmother’s Servant set: 500 per item
- Zhekhleg set: 500 per item
- Companion Fighters Guild Commendation: 300
- Companion Mages Guild Commendation: 300
- Companion Undaunted Commendation: 300
- Emote: Marshmallow Toasty Treat: 200
- Apple-Bobbing Cauldron Memento: 200 per item
- Blooming Saddle Fragment: 1000
- Crimson Bat Statuette Fragment: 1000
- Embellished Dance Card Fragment: 1000
- Red Rose Petals Fragment: 1000
- Rosy Boutonniere Fragment: 1000
- Sanguine’s Goodbye Kiss: 1000
- Sharp Rosebush Thorn Fragment: 1000
- Withered Antlers Fragment: 1000
- Hollowjack Lantern, Ouroboros Furnishing: 300
- Ruby Candlefly Gathering Furnishing: 400
- Specimen Jar, Spare Brain Furnishing: 200
- Vampiric Container, Yellow Liquid Furnishing: 100
- Vampiric Lamp, Azure Tall Furnishing: 400
- Vampiric Lightpost, Azure Single Furnishing: 500
- Webs, Cone Furnishing: 100
- Impresario’s Group Repair Kit: 200
- Hollowjack Spectre Mask Hat: 200
- Pumpkin Spectre Mask Hat: 200
- Scarecrow Spectre Mask Hat: 200
- Thicketman Spectre Mask Hat: 200
- Hagmatron’s Face Markings: 200
- Ghastly Visitation Memento: 200
- Plunder Skull Blunder Memento: 200
- Tome of Forbidden Appetites Memento: 200
- Witch’s Bonfire Dust Memento: 200
- Bonedust Pigment Trophy: 200
- Horned Owl Feathers Trophy: 200
- Possessed Shred Trophy: 200
- Rune-Carved Bone Fragment Trophy: 200
- Skeletal Marionette Parts Trophy: 200
- Hagmatron’s Body Markings: 200
- Floating Desires Petal Fragment: 1000
- Gilded Stirrups Fragment: 1000
In the same location, you can also purchase items from Philius Dormier, the Event Merchant. These items also cost Trade Bars and are available throughout the ESO Witches Festival event. Here’s everything you can buy, and how many Trade Bars they cost:
- Aurielic Quasigriff mount fragments: 1000 each
- Deadlands Firewalker personality fragments: 1000 each
- Master of Schemes personality fragments: 1000 each
- Meadowbreeze Memories skin fragments: 1000 each
- Molag Bal Illusion Imp pet fragments: 500 each
- Passion Dancer Blossom pet fragments: 500 each
- Soulfire Dragon Illusion pet fragments: 500 each
- Unstable Morpholith pet fragments: 500 each
- Aurora Firepot Spider pet fragments: 500/200 each
Check out our other ESO guides and features
- Best tips for new or returning Elder Scrolls Online players in 2026
- The Elder Scrolls Online in 2026: is it worth it for returning players?
- Glenmoril Wyrd Treasure Maps in The Elder Scrolls Online explained