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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:

• Dead and white/whitish in color, standing out from living trees

• Leaning at an angle (described as "at a slight angle")

• Red rag or scarf wrapped around the trunk (around the top section, looking "more like the tree is wearing a red scarf")

• Located south of the camp, approximately 4 seconds of sprinting past a small grove of trees, toward the beach side

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.