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Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom Pirate Manuscript location

No one does sunken treasure better than pirates!

Link searching Cape Cales Cliffside Cave in Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom
Image credit: Nintendo

Everyone loves a glittering chest of jewels, so it's no wonder the Pirate Manuscript location in The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom has piqued the interest of many a fortune-finder.

Pirates and treasure go together like peanut butter and jelly, so it’s no surprise that the Pirate Manuscript promises glittering booty to anyone who can solve its arcane riddle. However, the real prize here is some unique clothes.

Given the point in the game when you come across the Pirate Manuscript, it’s very likely that you won’t have visited the secluded area of the map it’s pointing towards. Claiming this piece of Misko’s Treasure also asks you to take advantage of an underused mechanic which you may have forgotten how to do.

The riddle reads: “A forgotten pirate cavern lurks at the foot of Cape Cales, overlooking the Necluda Sea. The short, shrill song of wind through lips will open the way to my treasure.”

As well as testing your grey-matter, there’s a relatively difficult combat test waiting for you at the end of this quest, so make sure you’re stocked up with food and equipment. Here’s where to look!

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Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom Pirate Manuscript location

A map screen showing the location of the Pirate Manuscript treasure in Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom
Cape Cales is in the far southeastern corner of Hyrule. | Image credit: Nintendo

Cape Cales is found in the bottom right corner of the map, in the southeast corner of Hyrule. You are specifically looking for Cape Cales Cliffbase Cave, which is marked above with an arrow. The nearest fast travel point is Rabella Wetlands Skyview Tower.

Link standing outside Cape Cales Cliffside Cave in Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom
Image credit: Nintendo

Glide down to the cave and land on the driftwood outside. Press the down arrow on the directional pad to whistle. This will open the door to the cave.

Link searching Cape Cales Cliffside Cave in Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom
Image credit: Nintendo

Make your way inside and onto the beach on your left. Here you find the traditional tent where you collect your treasure. However, this time it’s been pilfered by the pirates on board the ship in the middle of the cavern.

To rescue it, you need to make your way onto the ship, defeat the pirates and find the chest.

Link using a spring to jump onto a pirate ship in Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom
Image credit: Nintendo

The pirate ship is wet and slippery, as well as sloped at the bottom, making it very difficult to climb. To get onboard, I attached a fan to some wood to drift across, then a spring Zonai Device to bounce onto the deck.

Link opening a treasure chest in Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom
Image credit: Nintendo

Guarding the ship are a load of skeleton Bokoblins and Moblins. They hit very hard and the two archers on the bow and stern of the ship pepper you with shock arrows, making fighting very difficult and dangerous. Defeat the archers first, then the rest, possibly using the loot from the chest in the crow’s nest to help.

Link collecting the Pirate Manuscript treasure in Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom
Image credit: Nintendo

Once things are a bit quieter, search the ship. You will find the chest you’re looking for at the back of the ship on the main deck!


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