ESO Wave-Tossed Missives is an achievement in High Seas of Tamriel that requires you to find four messages in bottles scattered across the underwater Abecean Depths. There are eight bottles to discover, hidden near rock formations, shipwrecks, creature skeletons and other landmarks. However, the achievement only gives you short clues rather than showing their positions on the map.
You don’t need to collect all eight messages to earn the achievement. In fact, four bottles can be found in the first underwater area, so there’s no need to reach Krelzimar’s Den if you’ve only come for the achievement. Below are the locations of every bottle, including the underwater areas you’ll need to visit and where to look when you get there.
How to start ESO Wave-Tossed Missives
Image credit: ZeniMax Online Studios
The bottles are found during the Bounty of the Abecean Sea daily quest, which becomes available after completing Raising the Riotous Redress.
After the ship battle aboard the Riotous Redress, collect your post-battle loot and use the Dwemer Diving Chamber to descend into the Abecean Depths. You’ll arrive in the first underwater exploration area, where you can begin looking for the messages.
The underwater section contains two main exploration areas, Haj Mota Cavern and Krelzimar’s Den. Bottles are scattered across all four locations, although the first area contains enough to finish the achievement.
ESO Wave-Tossed Missives: All eight bottle locations
Each bottle corresponds to one of the eight clues listed in the achievement. The messages also have their own names, which can help you identify the ones you’ve already collected.
| Message | Where to find it |
|---|---|
| 1. Under Attack | First underwater area, beneath the fossil-covered wall below the passage that returns you from Krelzimar’s Den |
| 2. The Stars Led Me Here | First underwater area, on top of the rocky arch northeast of Coral Forest |
| 3. The Island Appears at Dawn | Ornaug Grotto, inside the cave opposite the large sea beast skeleton |
| 4. The Curled Key | Haj Mota Cavern, beside the nest filled with eggs |
| 5. The Song the Ocean Sings | Second underwater area, at the stern of the Wreck of the Sea Demon |
| 6. Shallows of the Abyssal Sea | Reef Shark Run, resting on bones in the area patrolled by dangerous fish |
| 7. Shadow Over the Midday Sun | Krelzimar’s Den, tucked into a narrow gap between fossil shells |
| 8. Gold Colder than the Sea | First underwater area, on top of the large bones beside the red coral |
The bottles have a faint glow that makes them easier to identify once you’re close. Some are positioned above the seabed, so check elevated surfaces rather than searching only along the ground.
The four easiest ESO Wave-Tossed Missives bottles
You can complete ESO Wave-Tossed Missives without visiting every underwater area. All four of the following messages are found on the first underwater map.
The Stars Led Me Here: Rocky arch
Head northeast of Coral Forest and look for the large natural rock arch. The message is on top of the formation, so make your way up rather than searching underneath it.
This is one of the easier bottles to identify because the arch stands out from the surrounding terrain.
The Island Appears at Dawn: Ornaug Grotto
Enter the Ornaug cave within the first underwater area. Inside, look for the remains of a large sea creature.
The bottle is across from the skeleton, not buried within the bones themselves. Check the opposite side of the cave when you reach the remains.
Gold Colder than the Sea: Red coral and bones
This bottle is also in the first underwater area. Look for a raised section containing red coral and a collection of enormous bones.
The message rests on top of the bones. You’ll need to reach the elevated position to collect it.
Under Attack: Fossil shell wall
The final bottle for this four-message route is beneath a wall covered in fossil shells.
It’s in the first underwater area, below the point where the return passage from Krelzimar’s Den emerges. You can use that passage and the surrounding shell-covered rock formation to identify the location.
Collecting these four messages is enough to complete the achievement. You can then continue the daily quest without needing to hunt down the other bottles.
Where to find the remaining four messages
If you’d like to collect all eight messages, the remaining bottles are found further along the underwater route.
The Curled Key is inside Haj Mota Cavern. Look for the nesting area containing eggs, where you’ll find the bottle beside the nest.
The Song the Ocean Sings is at the Wreck of the Sea Demon in the second underwater area. Head towards the back of the wrecked ship and check the stern for the message.
Shallows of the Abyssal Sea is in Reef Shark Run, the dangerous passage through the second underwater area. The message rests on bones within the section patrolled by hostile fish. Watch your protective bubble while searching, as the Reef Shark attacks can remove it.
Shadow Over the Midday Sun is inside Krelzimar’s Den. Look for the large fossil shells around the cavern and search the narrow gap between them to find the bottle.
You can collect these messages while completing the normal underwater objectives, rather than making a separate journey specifically for the achievement.
What to do if you can’t find a message in a bottle
The biggest difficulty with ESO Wave-Tossed Missives is that the bottles are fairly small compared with the surrounding underwater scenery. They can easily blend into rocks, coral and skeletal remains.
Check the exact position described by the achievement. Two messages are above ground level, while others are hidden beside environmental features that are much larger than the bottles themselves.
Your protective diving bubble is also important. If it bursts during underwater exploration, move into one of the glowing green clams to restore it before continuing your search. You only need to walk into the clam to recover your protection.
If you’re unsure which messages you’ve already collected, open the Wave-Tossed Missives achievement in your journal and check the completed entries.
ESO Wave-Tossed Missives achievement reward
Finding any four of the eight bottles completes ESO Wave-Tossed Missives and awards 10 achievement points.
The achievement is separate from the main Bounty of the Abecean Sea quest, so completing the daily alone won’t automatically finish the bottle collection.
High Seas of Tamriel runs from September 30 until October 14, 2026. If you’re working through the event achievements, make sure you’ve collected your four messages before the event ends.
Completing ESO Wave-Tossed Missives
You only need four messages to complete ESO Wave-Tossed Missives, and the bottles near Coral Forest, Ornaug Grotto, the red coral and the fossil shell wall can all be found in the first underwater area.
The other four are spread across Haj Mota Cavern, the Wreck of the Sea Demon, Reef Shark Run and Krelzimar’s Den. They’re worth collecting if you want to explore the entire underwater region, but they aren’t required once the achievement has registered.
Official source: The Elder Scrolls Online: High Seas of Tamriel Event
