Talk Like a Pirate Day. Happy Hunting Guide!

5:40 pm: That’s a wrap! Thank you to everyone who played, who laughed, cried and even walked the plank. We’ll see you next time!

This is an easy-peasy "How To Hunt" guide for all you scavenger newbies. People have requested an instruction guide for our hunts (and also a video, which we may still make if we determine that you are in need of Dereck Zoolander’s "school for kids who can’t read good.") Here we’ll break down how things are set up, the playing mechanics and offer some hunting tips and tricks! Remember, if you need extra help we are moderating over at the Rusty Cutlass Tavern on Reddit.

Question: I don’t want to miss this "hunt." Where do I go?

As always, our treasure hunts begin on the Blade HQ website. You can find links to the hunt in emails (sent on hunt day) or by clicking the homepage hunt banner (it’s there, I promise). Clicking the hunt link will take you to the hunt page where you will be introduced to the hunt theme. Last time we hosted a hunt it was Bounty Hunter-themed in honor of "May the 4^th". This time we’re hosting a Pirate-themed treasure hunt in honor of "Talk like a Pirate Day." Arrr.

Below is an example of our Bounty Hunt website page:

In order to play the game, see the hunt specific rules, see the clues as they are revealed, etc., you must have an account with Blade HQ. This is free and simple to create. Make sure you are either logged into your account or that you create an account and log in so that you can play.

The hunt will be revealed at 11:00am MST. At this point you will be able to see all the hunt specific rules for our pirate quest. The first clue will also be revealed.

Summary: Make sure you have an account and are logged in to www.bladehq.com. Find the Pirate Hunt page. At 11:00 MST the hunt is revealed.

Question: What is "the hunt" and what’s the point of it?

Time for some Blade HQ Lore! A few of the peeps here at Blade HQ are obsessed with treasure hunts. As a child one of the owners spent hours creating elaborate treasure hunts for friends and took them on wild journeys of clue-solving intrigue ("It was great until we got to the end and they found the treasure, which was just my stuff that I’d hidden, and took it."). He wanted to bring that experience to customers. The hunts are community focused events with the sole purpose of entertainment and fun (we know that not everyone has had fun in the past, but we’re getting better and better at this).

The idea of the hunts is simple: We’ll drop clues for you. The clues on the Hunt page will lead you to locations around the world (website, social media properties, etc). These locations will have a secret code. Sometimes the code will be easily visible, sometimes you’ll have to work to find it. You type (or copy and paste) the code into the "Promo Code" box on the cart screen and if it’s right you win a knife. That’s it. Really.

Let’s address some of the common code-related questions here (this section will get updated periodically):

1) Do NOT use the code with any other promotions or items in your cart. Use the code by itself for best results. In rare cases customers have been mistakenly charged a fee (i.e. sales tax): If this happens simply contact us and we’ll get it sorted out for you.

2) The code is hidden in the location indicated by the clue. If you don’t see something that could be a clue you’re probably in the wrong place.  

3) The code is not case sensitive

4) You can try and enter a code as many times as you want, but if a code is not working then the code is not correct. And yes, we can see what you type in 😑

5) We know you "can’t find the code." It’s supposed to be challenging- it’s a hunt.

Summary: The hunts are childhood nostalgia driven entertainment. Find the codes. Use the code by itself. Win. Have fun.

Okay, So How Do I Get the Clues?

When the hunt is revealed you will see the clues show up. Below is an example of the clue console where clues are shown:

How does the clue console work? When the hunt begins you’ll see quite a bit of information. For example, you’ll see the potential prize, you’ll see a countdown timer. When the timer hits zero the clue that reveals the location of the code (needed to claim the prize will be revealed), you’ll see the number of available prizes, you’ll see how many prizes have been found and so on.

This clue console updates in real time. You’ll be able to see how many prizes are available and how many have been found. A new clue will be revealed every thirty minutes. Some users have reported that the time shown on the clue console is not correct. While annoying this should not affect the gameplay and clues will still be revealed in thirty minute increments.

Important: During our Pirate Hunt the clues will appear on pieces of a map below the prize scrolls (if you’re on the hunt you’ll know what this means). You say you don’t see the clues? Well, maybe poke around that map piece a bit and you’ll find it. For the grand finale round you’ll need to wait until all the map pieces are assembled.

Summary: The Clue Console is awesome. Clues are revealed every 30 minutes. Prize availability is shown in real time.

Can You Just Run Me Through a Round, Start to Finish?

You bet. Let’s do a treasure hunt round together!

1) You logged in. You’re on the Hunt page. The clock strikes 11 MST.

2) The first clue is revealed! You can see the prize and you decide that’s the one you want. You set to work solving the clue.

3) Maybe the clue says something about a "praying bug." What do you do? Maybe you find a "Mantis" knife. You might be looking through several listings. You might need to check a YouTube video, an Instagram post, etc. But eventually you figure it out.

4) There, on a Blade HQ Mantis knife listing, you find the code hidden on the page. Maybe it was there in plain sight, or maybe it was hidden in the item description. But you have it. The code is M4NTI5.

5) You check the clue console and see that 4/8 of the prizes have been claimed. There is still time, you’ve got this this.

6) You go to the cart page and type "M4NTI5" into the promo code box. Success. You have just scored a free knife. The cost? A few minutes of fun. Blade HQ covers shipping and taxes. The game prizes can only be claimed in the USA (we are sorry!).

7) You sit back and relax while adjusting your eye patch. You can only win one prize per hunt, and you’ve got yours. You can still try and solve the clues and find the codes, but they won’t work. Maybe you’ll do it just for fun though…

Everyone Wins on the Pirate Hunt

One thing to keep in mind for the Pirate Hunt- Captain Forkbane has some deep pirate pockets and he wants everyone to get a chance to win. Even after the physical prizes are claimed there will be a final hunt round where everyone and anyone who didn’t win a knife can still claim a most excellent prize.

Clue Finding Strategies:

In the past we’ve heard that it’s "too hard." And, amusingly enough, we’ve heard it’s "too easy." Well, guys… it’s a free game that we put our at a fairly substantial cost so… Arg. We hear you. So here’s a bit of help to think outside the box–

1) When the clues are revealed it’s important to know where to look- on the website? On Instagram? On Tiktok? Maybe we show you where to look.

2) Let’s say a clue is hidden on YouTube. How would you find it? Our suggestion would be to try to and decipher the clue (riddle) and come up with an idea of what video you might be looking for. Maybe go to our channel and do a search of our videos. Watch a few relevant  videos and see if you find some text that could be a code. Okay, there you go- I feel like that’s feeling good? Rinse and Repeat.

3) It’s a game. The codes are hidden. You might be in the right spot and you might be in the wrong spot. You probably won’t know until you find the code. There’s no penalty for trying the wrong code, so if you see something try it!

4) The codes could be words. They could be symbols. Some codes might require that you do some actual work to "crack" them.

5) Don’t panic. Remember, even if you don’t win a knife in this hunt you’ll get to win something.

6) Remember that Pirate HQ will be in our Blade HQ subreddit. Here you can interact with other treasure hunters and maybe even get a clue or two.

Good Luck Sailers!  

Happy hunting you scallywags! We’ll see you at Cutlass Reef.