The Jester’s Festival, an annual ESO celebration of the unpredictable and amusing, invites participants to engage in a variety of quests involving pranks and jokes across Tamriel. 

This guide will explore the latest updates for 2024, along with insights on event participation and strategies to optimize your experience.

What’s New For This Year?

Similar to other annual events held in tents, the 100% XP buff that used to require consuming pie every 2 hours is now passive. This eliminates the need to constantly refresh for bonus XP.

During this year’s event quests, you can earn joke outfit style pages, specifically the Jester Seeker suit.

Additionally, the Impressario will offer all three fragments for the Molag Bal Illusion Imp Pet and the Planemeld’s Master Markings. This event marks your last chance of the quarter to acquire these fragments. While we anticipate their return for the New Life Festival, it hasn’t been officially confirmed yet.

Overview Of The Event

To start, obtain the event starter either from the Crown Store for free or by visiting any of the Jester Festival tents situated in Daggerfall (in Glenumbra), Vulkhel Guard (in Auridon), or Ebonheart (in Stonefalls).

At each festival tent, you’ll receive a quest from the Jester Royals, engaging you in pranks and mischief. Jester Queen Ayrenn tasks you with completing “Springtime Flare,” where you sprinkle flowers on stuffy academics in designated locations.

Jester King Emeric assigns “Royal Rivalry,” allowing your pyrotechnic skills to shine as you gather ingredients for fireworks and set them off within the city.

For “A Noble Guest” from Jester King Jorunn, you must rescue the poor king’s lost betrothed. Borrow apples and lure the princess back to her love in the Argonian District of Ebonheart.

Additionally, near any Jester’s tent, you’ll find two extra quests. “Getting the Band Together,” given by Samuel Gourone, has you recruiting a ragtag band of dry for a concert. Visit three locations to collect wine and recruit them. In Mephala’s Nest Delve, recruit either a Scamp or a Wing Twilight, while in An’Old Delve, choose between an Ogrim or a Harvester. The danger that appears on your stage upon completion depends on your choice.

The second bonus quest, “A Foe Most Porcine,” involves fighting King Boar in Stormhaven. During the fight, "the King’s Spoils” quest offers additional rewards of Mudcrab Cider based on the number of apples collected. Before entering the arena, don’t forget to pick up the quest from Rozette the Rapscallion.

Lastly, visit Soars in Laughter near any festival tent for “Prankster’s Carnival.” Use her prank kit to play fun tricks on her friends in the spirit of the season.

Strategies To Optimize Your Experience

However, we have some helpful tips and tricks to enhance your efficiency during the event.

Firstly, to maximize loot, consider completing the entire series of quests daily on all characters. However, be mindful as it may lead to burnout, especially if you have multiple characters. Take it easy on yourself and pace accordingly.

Regarding the “A Noble Guest” quest, if you aim to achieve the Princess Rescuer accolade, guide Princess the Pig back to Jester King Jorunn at the Jester Camp south of Ebonheart without getting caught by her owner.

If you have incurred a bounty from stealing apples, ensure you clear it first to make the pig thieving process a bit easier. Opting for the simplest route, head to the stairs on the east side of Ebonheart. Skirt along the inner walls behind the Ebony Flask to reach the gate, or alternatively, maneuver behind the two southern houses.

Another option from the eastern stairs is to cut behind the Fighters Guild Pavilion, then head southwest to the plaza, avoiding both the Ebony Flask and the Town Hall to reach the gate. If spotted by the butcher, completing the achievement becomes impossible. To retry, abandon the quest, clear your bounty, and start anew, or wait until the following day.

If you're still encountering difficulties, ensure your riding speed is maximized and utilize skills such as the Nightblade's Shadow Cloak or a potion of invisibility to evade detection. Additionally, consider equipping different gear sets like Adept Rider and Jailbreaker to enhance your overall speed.

For the "Royal Rivalry" quest, note that harpies and the Leyawiin Tower are less likely to drop dust compared to bandits. Hence, focus your efforts on eliminating bandits while searching for dust. These shards, sacks, and bone piles are not shared, even in grouped situations. Thus, if you pick up a Dragonfire Crystal, another player must wait for it to respawn to loot it.

To embark on the "A Foe most Porcine" quest, obtain it by reading the flyers titled "A Foe most Porcine" found on posts near the Jester Festival tents in Auridon, Glenumbra, Stonefalls, or at the Hammerdeath Arena. If struggling to defeat the king, consider teaming up with friends to prevent him from consuming apples, which regenerate his health and enrage him.

Regarding the "The King's Spoils" quest, it can be completed simultaneously with "A Foe most Porcine" by collecting apples while battling the king. The more apples gathered, the greater the reward of sparkling Mudcrab Apple Cider, with up to four bottles available. Although not particularly extraordinary, it serves as a pleasant refreshment if lacking other food or drink buffs.

As mentioned, group efforts significantly ease these tasks, so monitor zone chat or the group finder tool for potential assistance. Don't forget to check your guild, as fellow members may also be seeking aid.

General Event Reminders

In addition to that, here are a few general event reminders:

Ensure to check your tickets each day before proceeding with any activities. You can only hold a maximum of 12 tickets, and exceeding this limit will result in loss. While you'll receive a warning when attempting to turn in a quest with exceeded ticket count, it can still be bothersome to have to spend the tickets and return.

Furthermore, before making any purchases from the Impressario, it's advisable to test the drop rate of event items. Since tickets hold value, it's wise to reserve them for items that aren't easily obtained through drops.

Keep in mind that some individuals may have extra tickets they're willing to share. It's recommended to explore all available options before making purchases. Lastly, items acquired from the Impressario are bound, whereas those obtained from coffer drops are tradable and can be sold on Guild Traders. If you intend to trade festival loot for ESO Gold or share it with friends, remember that items purchased from the Impressario cannot be traded.