There are multiple reasons for you to explore the vast world of Tamriel in Elder Scrolls Online. One of them is Treasure Maps. On your adventures you might come across these maps which point to a hidden stash of treasure. The concept is similar to the different maps you can find in TES:Skyrim – the map has a drawn picture on it which depicts the location of the hidden treasure, marked with an ‘x’. In Skyrim every treasure map had a fixed location, but this is not the case in ESO.
If you love treasure hunting in Skyrim, ESO will not let you down either.
Treasure hunters will be pleased to know that there’s no shortage of hidden treasures in ESO. The starting areas only have a couple, but every other zone has at least five treasure maps. Rumor has it there’s much, much more of them in Cyrodiil, too.
For exact treasure locations & breakdown of treasure maps see our Treasure Locations Map.
A treasure map pointing to a hidden treasure in Bal Foyen, Ebonheart Pact territory.
How do the Treasure Maps work?
The treasure maps can be obtained as loot from enemies or from containers, such as locked chests and crates. You can get treasure maps for a specific zone only within that zone, so if you want to get your hands on all treasure maps within a zone, chances are you’ll be spending some time there. If you really enjoy exploring and treasure hunting, you can also just buy the maps from other players and guild stores.
It’s worth nothing that each treasure map is unique. This is to prevent you from hogging multiple copies of a single treasure map and opening up the same treasure chest many times in a row.
The treasure map shows a drawing of the treasure’s location, as shown above. It’s up to you to find out where that location is. Look for land marks and see if they match the drawing.
Once you think you’ve figured out where the treasure is hidden, you want to look out for a small mound of dirt, which will only show up if you have the correct map in your inventory and you are at the correct location. So no, you can’t expect to automatically find the hidden treasure even if you are at the correct spot – for the treasure to show up, you must also have the map in your inventory.
You can then use the dirt mound to dig up your precious treasure chest! The loot in the chests is random, but in my experience the treasures are well worth pursuing if you have the map. Also, you don’t have to worry about sneaky players opening the chest and stealing its contents, because that chest is only visible to you.
Happy hunting!