Revision 5

Buried treasure is a confirmed exploration mechanic in Windrose that rewards careful investigation of points of interest. Players find clues at camps, locate marked trees, craft a shovel, and dig up chests containing powerful weapons. The demo features one accessible buried treasure location, with the discovery tracker showing 1/7 total, indicating at least seven treasure hunts are planned for the full game.

The Traveller's Camp

On the starting island, players can find a location called the Traveller's Camp, a seemingly empty campsite with a tent and a piece of paper on the ground. Picking up the note stores it in your Curios tab (the game may display a buggy "already have this item" error, but the note still appears in Curios for reading). The note directs you to look for "the tree with the red cloth" visible from the tent.

Finding the Marked Tree

The marked tree has several distinctive features:

Community tip: stand at the ruined tent where the note was found and slowly spin your camera around. The marked tree should be visible not far off. It is easier to spot during daytime. The in-game map also marks the location after reading the note.

Crafting a Shovel

Digging requires a Shovel, crafted at the Workbench:

Copper Ingots require smelting Copper Ore at a Smelting Furnace (6 Copper Ore + 1 Charcoal per ingot). This means you need to have progressed through the copper smelting chain before you can access buried treasure.

Dig Mode

The shovel has multiple modes displayed above your hotbar when equipped:

Press X and Z to cycle through modes. Select Dig mode specifically, then click to begin digging. The treasure is approximately 2 digs deep. When getting close to the correct spot, you can see sparkles showing through the ground. If nothing appears after two digs, try a different angle around the tree's base.

The Decrepit Chest

Digging at the correct spot near the marked tree unearths a Decrepit Chest containing the Rapier of a Thousand Cuts, one of the best weapons available in the demo.

Rapier of a Thousand Cuts

Rare Version (from the Chest)

Flavor text: "An expensive Spanish rapier with a silver hilt. Its thin blade deals dozens of small wounds, each one slowly draining the life from its victim and leaving them to bleed out."

Epic Version (Ascended)

Ascended flavor text: "The scarlet rose on the guard of this elegant rapier blooms by magic when drops of blood fall upon it."

How to Ascend

1. Upgrade the Rapier to level 8 at the Weaponsmith Workshop

2. Use a Tumbaga Ingot at the Weaponsmith Station to ascend from Rare (Blue) to Epic (Purple)

3. The ascension option appears next to the upgrade button in the Weaponsmith menu

Tumbaga Ingots can be found in the Abandoned Buccaneer Warehouse chests on the starting island. The Rapier can also be crafted at the Weaponsmith Workshop (7 Copper Ingots + 2 Rough Hide), separate from finding it in the Decrepit Chest.

Discovery Tracker

The demo's discovery tracker shows "1/7 unique locations for buried treasure," indicating at least seven distinct treasure hunt locations are planned across the full game's archipelago. A developer confirmed that the remaining locations are "just not in the demo" and will be available in the Early Access release. Other tracker categories visible in the demo include Ocean (2/7) and Coastal Jungle (11/31 locations).

Curios Tab

Notes and diary entries found while exploring are stored in the Curios tab within the player's inventory menu. This is where the Traveller's Camp note appears after pickup. The Curios tab functions as a tracker for special discovery items and readable lore. A common issue: some players pick up the note but do not check the Curios tab, leading to a "0/1" completion bug. The note must be read from the Curios tab to properly register the discovery.

Tips for Finding Buried Treasure

1. Read the note first. Pick up the paper at the Traveller's Camp. It goes into your Curios tab.

2. Look south from the camp tent. The marked tree is directly south, about 4 seconds of sprinting past a small grove.

3. Identify the dead white tree leaning at an angle with a red rag wrapped around the trunk (not a flag on top).

4. Craft a Shovel (3 Copper Ingots + 10 Wood at the Workbench).

5. Switch to Dig mode using X and Z keys. Do not use the weapon or flatten modes.

6. Dig 2 clicks deep at the base of the tree. If nothing appears after two digs, try a different angle.

7. Look for sparkles showing through the ground at the correct dig spot.

8. Dig close to the tree but not directly on top of it. Try the base area around the trunk.

9. Visit during daytime. The red rag and sparkles are more visible in daylight.

10. Check your map. The in-game map marks the treasure location after reading the note.

Exquemelin's Journal Collection

The named traveler behind the red-rag-tree notes is Alexandre Exquemelin. Each of the seven notes that make up the Traveler's Journal Collection is written by Exquemelin and left in a tent chest at a Traveler's Camp on a specific island. Reading a note adds it to your Curios tab and directs you to a buried chest marked by a white tree with a red rag tied around the trunk. The chest locations are fixed; the contents are randomized per run.

The first three entries in the chain are established during the opening hours of the game and can be chased in sequence once the Shovel is crafted.

Exquemelin #1: Twist of Fancy

Located at the southwest Traveler's Camp on the starting island. The camp is empty of enemies and the fire is dead. Loot the tent chest to pick up the Twist of Fancy note, then head west of the camp to locate the red-cloth tree. The dig is on the southwest side of the trunk. Documented randomized results for this chest include Homemade Gunpowder, Healing Potion, and Great Healing Potion in varying quantities.

Exquemelin #2: Relative Cost

Located at a Traveler's Camp on the second island. Loot the exterior chest at the camp for the Relative Cost note, then head southwest to find the red-cloth tree. The dig side is the western face of the trunk. Documented randomized results include Rum bottles, Brandy, and Madeira in varying quantities.

Exquemelin #3: A Hat Worth Boarding For

Located on the island that hosts the Fisherman's Hut, a Smuggler's Cache, a Copper Deposit, and a Jungle Cave. This is also the island where the Sacrificial Lamb side quest resolves. Loot the tent chest for the note, head north of the camp, and dig on the northwest side of the red-cloth tree. Documented randomized results include multiple Elixir of Cruelty and decorative trade goods such as a Gold Temple Jug.

Entries four through seven follow the same pattern (camp, note, red-cloth tree, directional dig) on islands you reach later through the main story. The Curios tab tracks your progress through the seven-note total, and unread notes do not register as collected even if you pick them up.

Blackbeard Crew Maps

A separate buried-treasure line runs through three Blackbeard Crew Maps looted from Blackbeard-related locations on other islands. These are not part of the Exquemelin chain and do not use the red-rag-tree landmark. Each map, once picked up, places a dig marker on your world map directly. At the dig site, look for a grave mound or skeleton near the ground; the remains confirm you are standing on the correct tile rather than a close miss.

• First Map. Dropped from a chest inside a Blackbeard Pirate Camp. Tied to the Rescuing the Crew main mission. The island also hosts multiple Pirate Camps, a Smuggler's Cache, and Trial Circle Ruins as distinguishing landmarks.

• Second Map. Inside a locked chest at the Blackbeard Outpost within Ancient Ruins. Opening it requires keys collected by defeating Lieutenants and Musketeers inside the outpost. Tied to the Revenge Is Best Served Cold quest chain.

• Third Map. Inside a tent chest at a Blackbeard Camp near a shipwreck. Also tied to the Revenge Is Best Served Cold quest line.

All three Blackbeard caches reward Piastres, Silver Ingot, and Blackbeard Style Books for ship cosmetics. Style Books are cosmetic only; the Piastres and Silver Ingots matter for gearing.

Loot Overview: Fixed vs Randomized

Buried chests in Windrose are a mix of fixed-reward objectives and randomized loot drops. Understanding which is which before committing the crafting time for a Shovel prevents the common disappointment of expecting a weapon and finding rum.

• [object Object] awards a fixed set of Guineas, Silver Ingots, Pearls, and experience. Treat it as a reliable early-income step rather than a gear source.

• Exquemelin's chests are all randomized. Documented drop pools include potions, gunpowder, elixirs, and trade goods, but amounts vary per run.

• Blackbeard Crew caches reward a consistent type of loot (Piastres, Silver Ingots, Style Books), with variable quantities per map.

• Red-rag tree on the starting island is a fixed reward: the Rapier of a Thousand Cuts in its Rare form, which carries the five-stack bleed effect at 40 damage per second per stack. This is the premier early-game weapon and is sitting under a tree that most players walk past without reading the note.

• General treasure map caches pulled from ruins chests or underwater wrecks are randomized per marker, usually covering gunpowder, bullets, potions, and clothing upgrade materials. The map icon's numeric marker indicates the expected quantity tier.