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Exploration - Version 20 vs Version 21
May 23, 2026, 08:19 PM
Corrected wikilink existence flags
May 24, 2026, 08:34 PM
Add wikilinks to table cells (2 new links)
11Exploration in Windrose happens across a procedurally generated archipelago of islands with multiple biomes. While the island layouts are generated, the game contains over 100 hand-crafted dungeons and points of interest placed throughout the world. Each dungeon has set encounters, loot tables, and environmental puzzles.22World Generation44Every player gets their own world, and every new game generates a different island layout. This gives the game strong replayability since you cannot simply memorize the map. The developers describe it as "vast procedurally generated biomes filled with hidden mysteries" with "handcrafted dungeons and questlines layered into the procedural structure."66Character progression carries between worlds. You can start a fresh world without losing your character's levels, talents and unlocked recipes. The February 2026 demo included 3 islands with 4 to 6 hours of gameplay, a small slice of the planned Early Access launch map. The launch-build figures below supersede this demo-era estimate.88Points of Interest1010Islands are populated with hand-crafted locations, each with their own enemies, loot, and mechanics:1212Smuggler's Cache1515A hidden coastal area with the entrance concealed behind vines and foliage. Players must clear the plants to reveal the path. A dangerous Drowner enemy patrols near the entrance. Inside is a Smuggler's Chest containing the player's first Fast Travel Bell. This is the earliest way to unlock the fast travel system.1717Abandoned Buccaneer Camp1919A warehouse located to the west of the starting island. Contains two unique chests requiring different mechanics to access: one is located high up and requires jumping/platforming to reach, while the other requires pressing a hidden button underneath the stairs. Both chests contain a Tumbaga Ingot (weapon enchant material) and a Sturdy Saber. The camp also contains the second Fast Travel Bell. Guarded by aggressive boars that charge when provoked.2121Pirate Camps2323Enemy outposts scattered across islands, filled with hostile pirates. Supply boxes yield 2 to 3 units of gunpowder each. Defeated pirates also drop gunpowder. Pirate camps and their enemies respawn daily, making them a farmable source of ammunition and resources. Be cautious of enemies two or more levels above you.2525Ancient Ruins2727Located in the center of the starting island, the Ancient Ruins serve as a landmark reference point. Between the ruins and the Copper Deposit, clay deposits can be found. Contains loot chests with equipment and consumables.2929Caves3131The starting island and the other nearby Coastal Jungle Islands all contain caves with copper ore deposits inside. Ore appears as bluish-white colored stone walls. Some caves contain enemies. Players need a pickaxe and torch (torches can be built inside mines). Mining at night is recommended since it is always dark in caves regardless of time of day.3333Shipwrecks3535The "I Need a Bigger Boat" quest sends players to the second island to find three wrecked ships. All three must be discovered for quest progression, but only one can be repaired. The first wreck (northwest shore) is beyond repair. The second wreck (middle of island) is the repairable one, heavily guarded by patrolling enemies. The third wreck must be visited but does not require repair.3737Buried Treasure3939Windrose has a buried treasure mechanic that rewards careful exploration:4141Find a Traveller's Camp on the island. A piece of paper (note/diary) lies on the ground.Read the note. It directs you to dig near "the tree with the red cloth" visible from the tent.Locate the tree: a dead tree at a slight angle, with a red rag or scarf tied around the trunk, south of the camp.Craft a Shovel at the Workbench (requires 3 Copper Ingots + 10 Wood).Switch the shovel to Dig mode (press X and Z to change modes; it defaults to combat stance).Dig directly underneath the marked tree to unearth a Decrepit Chest.4343The chest contains the Rapier of a Thousand Cuts described as "an expensive Spanish rapier with a silver hilt." Its thin blade applies Bleeding (stacks up to 5 times, dealing 25 damage per second per stack). When ascended, kills apply all bleed stacks to the nearest enemy. It is one of the best weapons available in the demo.4545The note and treasure location are tracked in the Curios tab of the player's menu.4747Curios System4949The Curios tab is a section within the player's inventory menu that stores collected notes, documents, and diary entries found during exploration. Players can review discovered lore and quest information from this tab. It is easy to overlook; community members note it "took a while to even find."5151Island Discovery5353Each island has a discovery system with tracked categories:5555CategoryContentsKey DiscoveriesFast Travel Bell, Copper Ore, Copper Ingot, Rough Hide, Misty OrchidMajor DiscoveriesLamp, Clay, Banana, Dodo Egg, Cayenne Pepper, Sweet Potato, Rum Bottle, Healing Herbs, Steel Nails, Crab ShellLocal ThreatA specific enemy encounter tied to the island5757Sea Shanties5858NPC crew members sing sea shanties while sailing, a feature widely praised by the community. Known songs include "Drunken Sailor" (2026 Remaster), "British Tars," and "Sail the Raging Sea." The developers also released "Rolling Home" as their first official sea shanty single. A press reviewer stated the "boisterous sea shanties my crew sings keep me coming back for more." The feature has drawn frequent comparison to other age-of-sail games celebrated for their shanties.6060Navigation6262The game offers multiple navigation tools:6464ToolDescriptionAuto-navigationAvailable for both walking and sailing, letting you set a destination and travel automaticallyWind directionA visual wind direction indicator is visible in the sky. Wind can push your boat left or right if you are not actively steering, though the effect is currently minimalShip summoningPress K to summon your ship to any coastline, eliminating the frustration of losing track of your vesselFast Travel Bells: teleport between placed bells, or return home from your boat via the world map6666Sailing as Exploration6767Traveling between islands happens by ship. The journey itself is part of the gameplay. The open world is largely composed of islands separated by vast stretches of sea. Players encounter enemy vessels, shipwrecks to investigate, and hidden locations that reward curiosity with loot or lore. Planning voyages is important: consider supplies, threats, and destinations before setting sail.6969Risk and Reward7171Venturing to more distant or dangerous islands carries higher risk, including stronger enemies, environmental hazards, and the distance from your base. The payoff comes in the form of rarer resources, better gear drops, and access to higher-tier crafting materials.7373Launch-Build Scale (Supersedes Pre-Launch Demo Figures)7575The April 14, 2026 Early Access launch shipped with three biomes (Coastal Jungle, Foothills, Cursed Swamps), approximately 30 procedurally generated islands per seed, over 90 hand-crafted points of interest (including dungeons, temples, shipwrecks, and Ancient Ruins), and a main campaign of roughly 50 to 70 hours. Earlier wiki phrasing that described the playable area as "approximately 2.5 percent of the planned Early Access launch map" referred only to the February 2026 Steam Next Fest demo and is no longer accurate. The launch build is the full Chapter 1 scope of Early Access.7777Gear-level progression tracks biome order: Coastal Jungle covers gear tiers 1 to 5, Foothills covers 6 to 10, and Cursed Swamps covers 11 to 15. Ashlands, which appeared on older wiki pages as a third-biome candidate, remains a planned future biome and is not live in the launch build. See Procedural Biomes for the current biome tree.7979Curios Tab: Quick Reference8181The Curios tab inside the inventory menu is easy to miss. It aggregates every discovered note, diary, and lore fragment collected during exploration. New players should open it after each Traveller's Camp or Ancient Ruins visit to confirm the current journal trail (for example, the Alexandre Exquemelin buried-treasure leads) is being tracked.8383Resource-Rush Etiquette on Busy Servers8585On crowded dedicated servers, copper, rough hide, and other early bottlenecks can be stripped by overlapping players within hours. The common community-developed habits that came out of launch weekend: check the Discoveries icons on the map before traveling (the map indicator dims when POI chests are exhausted for your character), save overnight trips for biomes where your tier is lower than the local threat, and coordinate who is farming which island so two players do not sweep the same copper vein within the same respawn window.
