How to unlock The Ashen Corsair in Skull and Bones

The Ashen Corsair is a story about a ship with a captain who throws away food and wine to grab more silver. If you want to follow this ship and claim its riches, here’s how to unlock and complete The Ashen Corsair investigation in Skull and Bones.

How to unlock The Ashen Corsair investigation in Skull and Bones

Pirate standing in front of the Warehouse in Saint-Anne — I already grabbed the newspaper because I had no idea what it was, but it was right there. Screenshot by Dot Esports

The Ashen Corsair mission is a part of the Skull and Bones Premium edition, but it won’t be available immediately. To unlock the investigation, you must first reach the Infamy rank of Buccaneer. With that rank, investigations and rumors become available to track and solve.

Once you’ve unlocked investigations in Skull and Bones (you can always check if the section is unlocked in the Knowledge tab), head to the Warehouse in Saint-Anne and look for a newspaper on its counter. Pick it up, and you’ll start The Ashen Corsair investigation.

The Ashen Corsair investigation page — What’s a plunder without a little risk? Screenshot by Dot Esports

How to complete The Ashen Corsair investigation in Skull and Bones

The investigation is a series of clues you must follow to complete the quest. Every clue is documented in the Investigations tab of the Knowledge menu, and after you get a new one, always head there and read it to reveal the next step.

Plunder Guerande settlement

Guerande settlement overview through the spyglass — Remind them who’s the kingpin in these seas. Screenshot by Dot Esports

Your first step is to plunder the Guerande settlement just south of Saint-Anne. As soon as you complete the first wave of the plunder, you’ll receive a new investigation clue. Whether you want to finish the plunder or not, it’s up to you. However, since it’s a very low-level settlement, it won’t take you long to complete it, and there’s no such thing as too much silver (or is there?).

Find the message in a bottle

Small golden glow in the sea of Skull and Bones — Could be really hard to spot. Screenshot by Dot Esports

According to the notes, you should next find the message in a bottle in the West Basin region. It’s arguably the most annoying step of the investigation, but I’ll try to make your life as easy as possible.

Head to the West Basin region, namely the Ile Michel outpost. You can fast-travel there if you’ve already unlocked it. Otherwise, sail north from the Red Isle until you reach L’Escale, then turn northwest.

Ship in the Western Basin on the Skull and Bones map — Right where my ship is. Screenshot by Dot Esports

There are seemingly several places the bottle can spawn in. I found mine in between the smaller islands south of the outpost, but other players on Reddit wrote they found theirs right in front of the outpost. Sail around the Ile Michel outpost and look for a golden glow in the sea: that’s the bottle.

Tip:

Avoid looking for the bottle during the sunset/sunrise, as the sun can make the bottle glow really hard to see.

Hunt down The Ashen Corsair

Three Brothers outpost on the Skull and Bones map — Be wary of the Compagnie ships in the area. Screenshot by Dot Esports

The message in a bottle tells about pirates planning a mutiny on The Ashen Corsair near the Three Brothers outpost. This outpost is to the east of the Ile Michel inside a ring of islands. As soon as you sail close to the outpost, The Ashen Corsair spawns near the islands.

The Ashen Corsair sailing pas the Three Brothers outpost — There’s no running away with this much silver on board. Screenshot by Dot Esports

The Ashen Corsair is a Compagnie Rammer with black sails and a red hull loaded with silver—you can’t miss it. Attack The Ashen Corsair and board it once it’s low on health. Grab all the silver you can and check the investigations tab to read the final note of the story and complete the quest.