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The Chateau is the central hub of HUNGER and serves as home base for all Living between Expeditions. Visually inspired by the island fortress of Mont-Saint-Michel, the Chateau is one of the last human strongholds in the bacterium-ravaged world. It is a persistent multiplayer space where players gather together rather than a private lobby.

Activities at the Chateau

• Accepting quests from NPC quest givers

• Pursuing and managing crafting or gathering Professions

• Buying and selling goods through the player-driven Marketplace

• Forming parties before entering Expeditions

• Interacting with eccentric NPC characters, each with their own questline

• Upgrading equipment and preparing loadouts

Districts

The Chateau is divided into multiple districts that open in order as players progress, and most game systems are introduced gradually by climbing through them. New players begin among the cast-offs in the Outer Ramparts and must complete a district's main questline to unlock the next area and the systems tied to it. The second district, the Cauldron, unlocks major features that are not available earlier, including the ability to form guilds and the ability to begin advancing a profession. Further districts are planned to open as development continues.

Completing the main story questlines at the start of Early Access represents roughly sixty to seventy hours of content for a new player focused on narrative progression, with much more available through repeatable quests, side quests, and exploration.

NPCs and Quests

The Chateau is populated by a cast of eccentric NPCs. Each NPC has a personal questline that contributes to an overarching narrative running through the game. Players can speak with vendors, help resolve the NPCs' personal conflicts, and use their stories to guide deeper exploration of the world. As a player builds trust with a quest giver, new dialogue, new assignments, and sometimes new vendor inventories open up, and certain NPCs can change roles over time.

One early NPC, Louis, can be found in the Outer Ramparts. A player who is left without a weapon, with an empty stash and little coin, can speak with him to receive the Pricker, a humble makeshift blade that ensures even the most desperate survivor still has a way to fight or flee.

As your standing in the Chateau grows, higher tiers of quests unlock, including daily, weekly, and monthly assignments with greater rewards that support long-term play.

The Marketplace

The Chateau hosts a fully player-driven Marketplace. Items crafted through Professions, rare loot extracted from Expeditions, weapons, gear, and cosmetics can all be traded here. The economy is shaped entirely by player activity, rewarding players who specialize in gathering or production Professions. A dedicated in-game Auction House for trading cosmetic Schemas is planned to be introduced during Early Access.

Proximity Voice Chat

Proximity voice communication is available during Expeditions, allowing players to talk to nearby Living, whether friend or foe. This system adds social and tactical dimensions to encounters in the field.