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Enemies
April 14, 2026 at 05:33 PM
Add named bosses Thomas Richards (Coastal Jungle) and Tainted Priestess (Cursed Swamps); move Ashlands enemies to planned; clarify Ghost Captain as dungeon boss.
Windrose features a variety of enemies ranging from mundane wildlife to Blackbeard's supernatural undead forces. Enemy difficulty varies by location, with more dangerous foes appearing in harder biomes and dungeons. The April 2026 Early Access launch includes enemies from all three launch biomes (Coastal Jungle, Foothills, Cursed Swamps).
Animals populate the islands and range from harmless prey to dangerous threats:
Enemy | Type | Notes |
|---|---|---|
Dodos | Passive | Easy to hunt for meat and eggs. Good early food source. |
Sows (Wild Pigs) | Aggressive | Level 3 in the starting area. Can one-shot unprepared players early on. Drop Rough Hide. |
Savage Boars | Aggressive | Charge attack (red glow, unblockable); 4-attack combo chains; jump-and-trample (unblockable). |
Crabs | Varies | Found along coastlines. Some corrupted variants appear in later areas. Drop Crab Meat. |
Giant Crabs | Aggressive | Larger, tougher crabs in caves and deeper beaches. |
Crocodiles | Aggressive | Drop Crocodile Tail and Crocodile Hide Piece. Used in higher-tier cooking and armor recipes. |
Human enemies found at pirate camps scattered across islands. Pirates carry weapons and can be looted for gunpowder, gear, and crafting materials.
Enemy | Behavior | Drops |
|---|---|---|
Sailors | Standard melee fighters | Weapons, materials, gunpowder |
Musketeers | Ranged fighters keeping distance, firing slow heavy shots | Gunpowder, ammunition, weapons |
Sergeants | Armed with both pistol and sword; effective at close and medium range; tougher than regular pirates | Better quality drops |
Ranged pirate enemy that throws explosive grenades; revealed at December 2025 PC Gaming Show alongside the greatsword and blunderbuss weapons | Higher-tier gunpowder, grenade components | |
Mercenaries | Guards at key points of interest; tougher mid-tier enemies (levels 3-5) | Better weapons, piastres |
Blackbeard's supernatural pact gives him command over the dead. Undead enemies are the primary threat throughout the game.
Enemy | Behavior | Notes |
|---|---|---|
Cutthroats | Undead swordsmen engaging in melee combat | The most common undead type; appear in groups |
Undead Musketeers | Ranged undead fighters using muskets | Keep distance and fire slow, heavy shots |
Drowners | Zombie-like enemies shambling through coastal areas and swamps | Appear from early game; constant reminder of the supernatural threat |
Swollen Drowned | Undead variants that spit black toxic substance in a 180-degree arc (AoE, unblockable) | Dodge twice around the enemy, pause for stamina, attack from behind |
Drowned Sailors | Found in dark corridors and underwater areas (levels 2-4) | Lore-connected to Blackbeard's fleet |
Plague Thralls | Cursed Swamps supernatural variant; tied to the Tainted Priestess's domain | Apply plague/corruption status effects |
Certain areas of the world are affected by supernatural contamination. The Cursed Swamps biome and the planned Ashlands are most heavily associated with corrupted enemies.
Corrupted Crabs: Revealed in the October 2025 Galaxies Showcase. Mutated by an unnamed dark force.
Swamp Creature: Large boss-type enemy in the Cursed Swamps. Its tooth can be used as a weapon component.
Additional corrupted variants are planned for the Ashlands post-launch.
Each launch biome has a local-threat boss tracked by the community-built discovery map on windrose.tools. Each boss has unique attack patterns requiring observation and adaptation, consistent with the game's Soulslite combat philosophy.
Boss | Location | Notes |
|---|---|---|
Coastal Jungle (local threat, gear tiers 1 to 5) | Starting biome boss. First major named encounter. | |
Foothills (local threat, gear tiers 6 to 10) | Blackbeard's second-in-command. Tall and lean, wears a British Royal Navy coat. Disciplined, tactical fighting style. | |
Cursed Swamps (local threat, gear tiers 11 to 15) | Towering pink-flower entity in a cursed swampland. Also referenced as the High Priestess in pre-launch trailers. Tied to the plague and dark powers storyline. | |
Dungeon boss (challenging instance) | Spectral captain found deep within one of Windrose's most challenging dungeons. Source of the Ghost Captain's Sword weapon (F-attack drains health from nearby enemies, 2 min cooldown). |
The ultimate antagonist is Blackbeard himself, with a multi-stage Blackbeard's Treasure Map questline (community reports references to a third map) that culminates in the late-game confrontation. More bosses are planned for Early Access updates including encounters tied to the Ashlands biome and the later chapters of the Columbus's Book of Prophecies plotline.
Check enemy levels before engaging. Avoid enemies two levels above you until you have better armor.
Different enemies are vulnerable to different damage types (Slash, Pierce, Crude). Carry multiple weapons.
Kite groups and pick off individuals. Do not fight large groups head-on early in the game.
Use a pistol to pull single enemies from a group.
Stack food buffs and apply alchemy oils before boss fights and dungeon runs.
Learn enemy attack patterns. Most attacks are telegraphed with visible wind-up animations. Perfect Blocks (parries) are especially effective against enemies with combo attacks.
Grenadiers telegraph their throw and deal splash damage. Spread out and close to melee range to prevent safe lob angles.
Plague thralls and other Cursed Swamps enemies apply damage-over-time effects. Stock healing potions before entering.
