Published , by Sam Chandler
Published , by Sam Chandler
Finding cursed mermaid statues is no simple feat in Sea of Thieves. These giant statues are extremely rare and just as valuable. Players looking to complete the Shrouded Spoils and The Sunken Curse commendations will need to know where to find cursed mermaid statues and how to destroy them.
Cursed Mermaid Statues are, as the name suggests, giant statues of mermaids that spawn in the water around islands. These large stone constructs damage you if you get close, and when destroyed, drop a gem. The gem the mermaid statues drop change depending on their color. A blue mermaid will drop a sapphire gem, a green mermaid statue will drop an emerald gem, and a red one will drop a ruby gem.
Mermaid statue gems can be given to any of the three main trading companies: Gold Hoarders, Merchant Alliance, or Order of Souls. Mermaid gems reward a set amount of gold and experience.
Because mermaid gems also reward experience, it's a good idea to hand them into your preferred trading company. Personally, I would recommend giving them to the Order of Souls. The reason for this is that Order of Souls voyages are the most difficult and time-consuming, and there is no guarantee way to bend the odds in your favor. For example, with Merchant Alliance you can cancel voyages until you get one with gold animals and with Gold Hoarders you can cancel until you get a map with several Xs. As for Order of Souls, even though a bounty might have 4 captains to kill, they might not drop Villainous Skulls.
There are 10 commendations that players can earn from the Sunken Curse Bilge Rat Adventure and 4 commendations from the Shrouded Spoils commendations. Of these commendations, only the Shrouded Spoils only grant the highly-coveted doubloons.
Unfortunately, cursed mermaid statues do not spawn in set locations, instead, they spawn randomly around the many islands in the Sea of Thieves. The only islands they don’t spawn around are outposts and forts. This means that to find a cursed mermaid statue, players will need to swim around an island, looking for a shining blue, green, or red sparkle. A creepy tune also accompanies the statues, so it’s worth turning the music up and listening out for any unusual melodies while underwater.
A good way to find mermaid statues is to assign two players to swim around an island, one clockwise and the other counterclockwise. By having two players go opposite ways, you can cover the whole island in half the time. If you are a solo slooper, set the sail to half mast, put on a good headset or turn up your TV, and listen out for the creepy tunes.
The cursed mermaid statues come in three different types in Sea of Thieves: sapphire (blue), emerald (green), and ruby (red), with each one being tougher than the last. While a two-player sloop can destroy a sapphire and emerald cursed mermaid statue with ease, destroying a ruby statue requires a few more players.
A good tactic can be to use gunwpoder barrels to destroy a statue, provided the statue is in shallow water. When attacking a statue in deep water, try to stay as far away as possible while still ensuring you can hit. When your health gets too low, back away and eat bananas to top up your health. Eye of Reaches, though they do offer range, don't boast the same damage as a close-range blunderbuss shot.
The more damage a cursed mermaid statue takes, the more it will fracture and split apart. The trick is to continually damage it, as any pauses or lulls in damage will result in the mermaid statue healing, undoing all the hard work. It’s a good idea to have all players shoot at it at the same time, and follow up with sustained cutlass attacks. Alternatively, have one player attack with a cutlass while the other shoots it and then swap roles.
It's going to take a long time to find all the mermaid statues, especially the ruby statues. However, it’s worth taking the time to find the cursed mermaid statues, as each commendation awards doubloons – a currency worth earning to help reach Pirate Legend. Be sure to check out the Sea of Thieves Guide and Walkthrough for more helpful pirate articles!