Revision - guinea - Windrose Wiki

Guineas are the English gold currency of Windrose, used for high-end items, ship upgrades, and late-game faction Provisioner purchases. They are a separate higher-end currency from Piastres (Spanish silver), and are earned primarily from buried treasure rewards and major world quest rewards rather than everyday transactions. The Smugglers of Port Royal operate the only Piastre-to-Guinea exchange in the game, but the rate favors the Smugglers.

Overview

Property	Value
Category	Resource
Rarity	Rare
Item Level	3
Stack Size	9999

Currency Comparison

Currency	Acquisition	Use
Guineas	Buried treasure rewards, major world quest rewards, late-game faction quests	High-end gear, ship upgrades, late-game Provisioner items
Piastres	Selling trade crates and contraband, faction quests, looting Blackbeard ships, daily NPC rewards	Everyday transactions, low-to-mid tier goods

Earning Guineas

The most reliable Guinea sources, ranked by income per hour:

Buried treasure: Following Alexandre Exquemelin's seven journal notes and Blackbeard's Treasure Maps yields large Guinea payouts plus Silver and Gold Ingots
Major world quests: Late-game faction quests at Rank 2-3 reputation pay Guineas instead of Piastres for the largest rewards
Boss kill rewards: Defeating named bosses (Thomas Richards, Israel Hands, High Priestess) drops Guineas as part of their loot table
Smuggler exchange: Convert Piastres to Guineas at the Smuggler base when needed; the rate favors the Smugglers so this is best for emergencies only

Spending Guineas

Sink	Approximate Cost
Late-game faction Provisioner items	100 to 500+ Guineas depending on tier
Ship hull upgrades (Hull Bracing variants)	Variable; mid to high Guinea cost
High-tier weapon and armor plans	Faction-locked, Guinea-priced at Rank 2+ reputation
Recruitment Vendor (NPC workers like Farming Contractor)	Some workers cost Gold Coins (functionally Guineas) instead of Piastres
Smuggler exchange (Guinea to Piastre)	Only when you need silver and have surplus gold

Strategy

Save Guineas for tier-gated late-game Provisioner inventory at Rank 2-3 reputation
Do not convert Piastres to Guineas through the Smugglers daily; the cumulative loss is significant
Buried treasure is the most consistent Guinea source; prioritize Exquemelin's journal trail and Blackbeard's Treasure Maps
Some boss loot tables include Guineas; clearing repeatable boss encounters is a passive Guinea grind

Historical Reference

The historical guinea was an English gold coin minted from 1663 to 1814, named after the Guinea region of West Africa where much of the gold was sourced. Guineas were prestige currency: while Spanish silver pieces of eight (piastres) were the everyday Caribbean currency, English guineas were preferred for large transactions, dowries, and high-status purchases. Windrose preserves this historical distinction: Piastres are the workaday silver, Guineas are the premium gold.

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