ESO Witches Festival Event Guide 2025

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.

Updated: 23/07/2025

The Witches Festival is returning to ESO in 2025! Battle Tamriel’s monsters, get double XP, and earn creepy new rewards during the ESO Witches Festival in-game event! learn everything you need to know about the frightening fete here. 

Global passive bonuses during the Witches Festival 2025 Event in ESO

  • 100% more Experience passively. The Experience Buff stacks with Experience Scrolls and Ambrosias. You no longer need to use the Witchmother's Whistle for the Experience Buff.
  • Plunder Skulls drop from all Boss-type monsters. All Incursion, Quest, Delve, Public Dungeon, Dungeon, Trial, Arena,  Tho'at in Infinite Archive and World Bosses will drop Plunder Skulls.

The Witchmother's Whistle tool is still required to complete the Sacking Skeletons and Cauldron Conjurer achievements.

How to Participate in the Witches Festival 2025 Event in ESO

To get started in the Witches Festival Event in the Elder Scrolls Online, complete the following steps:

  • Navigate to the Events section of the Crown Store and acquire the free Event quest. You can also travel to The Witches Cove in Auridon, Glenumbra or Stonefalls.
  • Complete the quest “The Witchmother's Bargain" by acquiring Guts and Pumpkin from the world, guildies or guild store and an Essence of Death from any Delve Boss.
  • Return to Witchmother Olyve to receive your Witchmother's Whistle Tool if you're doing the quest for the first time.
  • You now have access two additional Event Daily Quests you can complete: Plucking the Crow and the The Lord of Fear Quest. Read more about them further down in the guide.

How to get Event Tickets in Witches Festival

During the Witches Festival Event, you can earn two event tickets per day when defeating a boss-type creature for the first time that day. The tickets alongside a Plunder Skull will need to be looted.

Boss types: Incursion, Quest, Delve, Public Dungeon, Dungeon, Trial, Arena, Tho'at in Infinite Archive and World Bosses.  

How to get Normal and Dremora Plunder Skulls

During the Witches Festival, you'll earn two types of reward containers: Normal Plunder Skulls and Dremora Plunder Skulls. While both offer great loot, only Dremora Plunder Skulls contain the newest event items.

  • Normal Plunder Skulls drop from any defeated boss in the world during the Witches Festival. This includes bosses in delves, public dungeons, world bosses, group dungeons, trials, arenas, and even Imperial City Sweepers. There is no daily limit on how many normal Plunder Skulls you can acquire. 
  • Dremora Plunder Skulls are special, once-per-day, per-account rewards. You receive one Dremora Plunder Skull for defeating the first boss of a specific type each day. There are 10 unique Dremora Plunder Skull types, each linked to a different boss category.  

The fastest and easiest way to earn Plunder Skulls (and no competing for loot)

The most efficient method for farming Plunder Skulls is to quickly clear Normal Fungal Grotto I Dungeon with a group of four damage dealers. The bosses are easy, the mechanics are simple, and there's no competition for loot.

Alternatively, joining overland World Boss or Incursion event (e.g., Geysers, Harrowstorms, Dragons, Volcanic Vents, Mirrormoor Mosaics) groups can also be effective. Incursion events reward all participants, while other boss types only reward the top 12 damage dealers

We recommended you pick an activity where you feel you get the best rewards for your time. Have fun farming!

All 10 ESO Dremora Plunder Skull Types

Each day, your first defeated boss of a specific type will reward you with a special Dremora Plunder Skull, which has a chance to drop this years new rewards and specific Dremora motif chapters.

Here's a breakdown of each Dremora Plunder Skull type and the motif pages they can contain:

  • Dremora Plunder Skull, Arena (Final boss in Maelstrom Arena, Dragonstar Arena, Blackrose Prison, Vateshran): Can drop Dremora Bows or Legs.
  • Dremora Plunder Skull, Insurgent (Dark Anchors, Geysers, Harrowstorms, Dragons, Volcanic vents, Mirrormoors Mosaics): Can drop Dremora Daggers or Gloves.
  • Dremora Plunder Skull, Delve (Delve boss): Can drop Dremora Staves or Belts.
  • Dremora Plunder Skull, Dungeon (Final Boss in a Dungeon): Can drop Dremora Helmets or Maces.
  • Dremora Plunder Skull, Public & Sweeper (Any Public Dungeon Boss or Imperial City Sweeper boss): Can drop Dremora Shields or Boots.
  • Dremora Plunder Skull, Trial (Final boss in a Trial): Can drop Dremora Swords or Chests.
  • Dremora Plunder Skull, World (World Bosses): Can drop Dremora Shoulders or Axes.
  • Dremora Plunder Skull, Crowborne Horror (Quest loot): Does not drop Dremora motif pages directly.
  • Dremora Plunder Skull, Lord Hollowjack (Quest loot): Does not drop Dremora motif pages directly.
  • Dremora Plunder Skull, Infinite Archive (Tho'at loot): Can drop any Dremora Weapon motif page.

All Dremora and Normal Plunder Skull Rewards

During the Witches Festival, you'll earn two types of reward containers: Normal Plunder Skulls and Dremora Plunder Skulls. While both are packed with creepy goodies, only Dremora Plunder Skulls contain the newest event items.

Dremora Plunder Skull Rewards

Dremora Plunder Skulls are special and drop from the first boss of each type you defeat daily (once per day, per account). These are your go-to for the rarest Witches Festival rewards, with a chance to drop:

Normal Plunder Skull Rewards

Normal Plunder Skulls drop from any boss you defeat and can contain a variety of useful items, including:

  • Alchemy reagents
  • Festival-themed furnishing recipes and furnishings (full list towards the end of this page)
  • Provisioning recipes (full list towards the end of this page)
  • Treasures
  • A small chance for Hollowjack or Dremora style items
  • Worms, Crawlers, Guts, and Insect Parts

New Rewards from the Witches Festival Event in 2025

Wickerchain Soul Outfit Style

You can get Wickerchain Soul Outfit Style Pages in a few ways during the Witches Festival:

  • From Dremora Plunder Skulls: These pages have a chance to drop from Dremora Plunder Skulls you earn by defeating specific boss types.
  • From the Impresario: If you're short on luck, you can purchase bound pages directly from the Impresario for 5 Event Tickets each.
  • From Other Players: Since these pages are tradeable, you can also buy them from other players through guild traders or direct trade.

Looking for a good deal or trying to sell your extras? Check out our ESO Market Trade Center page!

Hagmatron's Body Markings

The Hagmatron's Body Markings has a chance to drop from Dremora Plunder Skulls during Witches Festival. You can also buy the it from Impresario for 5 tickets.

Hagmatron's Face Markings

The Hagmatron's Face Markings has a chance to drop from Dremora Plunder Skulls during Witches Festival. You can also buy the it from Impresario for 5 tickets.

Wildgrown Chapel of Julianos house

The Witches Festival Event will present you with the two first fragments for the new Wildgrown Chapel of Julianos house for 10 event tickets each.

Check out our House Catalogue for more details on all ESO homes!

Other collectibles from the Witches Festival Event you might not know about

Exorcised Coven Cottage house is available for purchase for either in-game Gold or Crowns only during the Witches Festival. You can buy the Cottage with 250,000 Gold after completing the An Unsparing Harvest meta-achievement. You don't need the achievement if you buy it with Crowns.

Witch's Infernal Hat is awarded to you after you complete 13 Witches Festival Writs which also gives you the Wicked Writ Apprentice achievement.

Character title: Witch is awarded to you after completing 28 Witches Festival Writs which also gives you the Wicked Writ Witch achievement.  

Quests you can complete during the Witches Festival

There are three unique quests to the Witches Festival. Plucking the Crow and the The Lord of Fear are daily quests which you can repeat once per day, while The Witchmother's Bargain is the Event's Intro quest that you can only complete once per character.

  • The Witchmother's Bargain (intro quest)
  • The Lord of Fear
  • Plucking the Crow

The Witchmother's Bargain Quest

You can redeem The Witchmother's Bargain Quest in the Crown Store. Witchmother Olyve will appear and offer you a quest which asks you to bring her a boon.

You need to acquire Guts and a Pumpkin from the world, guildies or guild store and an Essence of Death from any Delve Boss. Return to Witchmother Olyve in AuridonGlenumbra or Stonefalls.  

Upon completing the quest, you will receive the Witchmother's Whistle memento. The memento is no longer needed for the XP buff as it is passive, but it is still required to complete the Sacking Skeletons and Cauldron Conjurer achievements. 

The Lord of Fear Quest

Warning: Quest contains jump scare(s) and loads of general creepyness.

You can now confront Lord Hollowjack himself! The daily quest giver Priest Maxien Roudille is found inside the Witches Cove in AuridonGlenumbra or Stonefalls

Priest Maxien Roudille will task you with rescuing three Haunted people in the three different base game zones; GrahtwoodDeshaan and Stormhaven. After rescuing the haunted once on a character, the next time you pickup the daily quest with that character, it will ask you to just defeat Lord Hollowjack.

We recommend brining friends as he has some stuns, resources and 6,6 million health. We also have a ESO Lord Hollowjack Boss Fight Guide for you to enjoy!

Lord Hollowjacks Special Loot

You can join groups to defeat Lord Hollowjack and potentially obtain his bust, even if you haven't picked up the associated quest as long as someone in the group has a quest for him.

Plucking the Crow Quest

You will find Witchmother Taerma at Impresarios tents and the Witches Coven. She will offer you the Plucking the Crow Quest. Your objective is to collect 30 Feathers in order to defeat a powerful Crowborne Horror in Evergloam. 

You will receive these feathers from the Plunder Skulls which drop from all boss monsters. As soon as you have received all the feathers, you can return to Olyve’s Brewery and turn to the alchemy table to craft the effigy. You then have to show Witchmother Taerma the effigy and hand it to her.

Following a ritual, a portal will open and lead you to a pocket dimension in which the Crowborne Horror is waiting for you to defeat it. It is absolutely advisable to bring friends!

What does the Impresario sell during the Witches Festival Event in ESO?

Impresario can be found in Daggerfall in Glenumbra, Vulkhel Guard in Auridon, Davon's Watch in Stonefalls, or Belkarth in Craglorn. She has also been added to all major Chapter zones capitals.  

Witches Grab Bag Rewards

Several rewards from previous Witches Festival events can no longer be obtained from Plunder Skulls. These rewards can however be obtained from the Witches Grab Bag, available from the Impresario for 2 Event Tickets each. 

Here are the rewards that you can get from the ESO Witches Grab Bag in 2025:

What does the Event Merchant's Assistant sell during Witches Festival Event in ESO?

The Event Merchant's Assistant Philius Dormier has the following items available during this event:    

What does the Indrik Vendor sell during the Witches Festival Event in ESO?

Nenuluare, the Indrik Vendor, will also make an appearance in Belkarth, Craglorn. She'll be selling a few different Indriks, a special mount and pet that first appeared as an event reward in previous years. 

During this event, Nenuluare will be selling the following items:

Provisioning Recipes from Witches Festival:

You can obtain the following Provisioning Recipes from the Plunder Skulls in the Witches Festival:

Furniture Recipes from Witches Festival:

You can obtain the following Furnishing recipes from the Plunder Skulls in the Halloween Event:

Witches Event Festival Furniture

You can obtain the following furniture from Plunder Skulls in the Witches Festival Event:

If you have further questions about the Witches Festival in ESO (The Elder Scrolls Online) please visit our community Discord server.


Past event dates

  • From: Oct 24th 2024, To: Nov 6th 2024
  • From: Oct 26th 2023, To: Nov 7th 2023
  • From: Oct 20th 2022, To: Nov 2nd 2022
  • From: Oct 21st 2021, To: Nov 2nd 2021
  • From: Oct 22nd 2020, To: Nov 3rd 2020
  • From: Oct 24th 2019, To: Nov 11th 2019
  • From: Oct 18th 2018, To: Nov 1st 2018
  • From: Oct 20th 2017, To: Nov 1st 2017
  • From: Oct 13th 2016, To: Nov 1st 2016

Outfit styles and motifs

Icon icon Crowborne Hunter Witches Festival Event
Icon icon Dremora The Dremora style can be obtained via Dremora Plunder Skulls during the Witches Festival, specifically from slaying World Bosses.
Icon icon Eltheric Revenant Witches Festival Event
Icon icon Hollowjack The Hollowjack style can be obtained by opening Witches Grab Bags during the Witches Festival.
Icon icon Wickerchain Soul Has a chance to drop from Dremora Plunder Skulls during the Witches Festival Event.
Icon icon Witchmother's Servant Witches Festival Event

Frequently Asked Questions

Common questions from other players
When does the Witches Festival start in ESO?
The Witches Festival starts on 24 Oct 2024