The Islander quest is the opening tutorial in Windrose. It begins immediately after the shipwreck prologue, when the player washes up on an unknown island with nothing. Completing the Islander quest introduces Doctor Galen Skelton and teaches the core survival systems that define the rest of the game.
Prologue Setup
Before the Islander quest begins, the game's prologue shows Blackbeard attacking the player's ship in pursuit of a mystical artifact. The player is shot through the chest and thrown overboard, but the artifact merges with the player's body and keeps them alive as they drift to shore. The prologue transitions directly into the Islander tutorial.
Objectives
The Islander quest contains 7 top-level objectives per the in-game quest log, though community walkthroughs break the sequence into more granular steps. A detailed version of the progression:
Build a Bonfire (5 Wood) as your camp center and placement-radius anchor for other stations
Build a Workbench, Cooking Fire, and Tent (Workbench 5 Wood; Cooking Fire 3 Wood + 3 Stone; Tent 10 Plant Fiber + 4 Wood). Craft a Stone Axe and Stone Pickaxe at the Workbench during this step.
Defeat the boars and collect Rough Hide - two boars attack shortly after the Tent is placed. Kill them to obtain Rough Hide.
Build the Armor and Clothing Workshop (5 Wood + 10 Coarse Fabric, requires roof) and craft Survivor's Boots (2 Rough Hide + 2 Coarse Fiber).
Mine Copper Ore from a marked cave using the Stone Pickaxe. Caves appear with bluish-white ore walls.
Craft Charcoal and smelt Copper Ingots - build a Charcoal Kiln (25 Wood + 20 Clay, outdoors) and a Smelting Furnace (15 Clay + 30 Stone, outdoors). Convert Wood to Charcoal at the Kiln, then smelt 6 Copper Ore + 1 Charcoal = 1 Copper Ingot at the Furnace. At least 2 Copper Ingots are needed to progress.
Build the Weaponsmith Workshop (10 Wood + 5 Copper Ingots, requires roof) and craft your first melee weapon: Saber, Rapier, or Club.
The community-detailed breakdown lists 13 granular steps; the in-game quest log groups them into 7 top-level objectives. Either way, completing every step unlocks Doctor Galen's introduction and the subsequent quests.
Meeting Doctor Galen
During the Islander quest (typically after the mining step), the player encounters Doctor Galen Skelton, the first named NPC. He is a scholar connected to Columbus's Book of Prophecies and the missing pages plotline. Speaking with Dr. Galen unlocks subsequent main quests: Rescuing the Crew and I Need a Bigger Boat.
Rewards
Unlocks all core crafting stations and recipes (Bonfire, Workbench, Cooking Fire, Charcoal Kiln, Smelting Furnace, Armor and Clothing Workshop, Weaponsmith Workshop)
Introduces Doctor Galen (who provides a free Minor Healing Potion every in-game hour at his camp)
Grants a starter rowboat after Dr. Galen's introduction, summonable via K from any coastline
Unlocks follow-up tutorial quests (Rescuing the Crew, I Need a Bigger Boat, and Seafarer)
Survivor's Boots armor piece from the boar hunt
XP tied to quest completion
Tips
Collect coconuts from palm trees immediately for early-game food buffs
Gather extra Plant Fiber for Coarse Fabric, Rope, and Bandages
Do not engage level-3 Sows until you have proper armor and weapons
Dodos and crabs are safer early food sources
Build a Tent near the Bonfire so your respawn point is stable
Boars drop up to 2 Rough Hide each; Sows drop 1
Quest Path
Stage-by-stage progression as recorded in the in-game quest log for Islander Quest in Windrose version 0.10.0. The quest runs 8 tracked objectives from start to completion. Stage-level Required Items are objective-gated items the player must bring to progress; Rewards are items granted the moment each stage is closed out.
Completion Text
Narrative journal line the game writes once the final stage closes out:
"I have a roof over my head, food, clothes, and even a new weapon. As for the dodos... they're not a problem anymore."
Stages
The numbered flow below mirrors the objective list in the quest log. Each entry shows the in-game objective title, the journal description the player sees when the stage becomes active, and any stage-bound Required Items or Rewards.
Stage | Objective |
|---|---|
1 | Light the bonfire |
2 | Set up camp |
3 | Kill a boar and obtain its hide |
4 | Craft new boots |
5 | Mine copper ore in the nearest cave |
6 | Smelt copper ingots |
7 | Craft a melee weapon |
8 | Upgrade your weapon at a Weaponsmith's Workshop. The weapon must be equipped. |
Stage 1: Light the Bonfire
The bonfire will be the heart of my camp. I need to pick a good spot, with enough space around it for building structures.
Type | Item | Quantity |
|---|---|---|
Required | x1 | |
Required | x1 | |
Required | x1 | |
Required | x1 | |
Required | x1 | |
Required | x1 | |
Required | x1 | |
Reward | x1 | |
Reward | x1 | |
Reward | x1 | |
Reward | x1 | |
Reward | x1 | |
Reward | x1 | |
Reward | x1 | |
Reward | Homemade Gunpowder | x10 |
Reward | x1 | |
Reward | x1 |
Stage 2: Set up Camp
It's warmer now, but hunger and fatigue are catching up with me. I need the basics for survival: a cooking fire, a workbench, and a tent. After that, I can rest and get some sleep.
Stage 3: Kill a Boar and Obtain Its Hide
The sea has turned my clothes into rags. I need to get some boar hides and try to stitch something together.
Type | Item | Quantity |
|---|---|---|
Required | x1 |
Stage 4: Craft New Boots
I urgently need new boots. Otherwise, I'll keep blistering my heels every time I run in the jungle.
Type | Item | Quantity |
|---|---|---|
Required | x1 |
Stage 5: Mine Copper Ore in the Nearest Cave
My broken saber is a sorry sight. But to forge a new one, I'll need metal. I wonder if I can find a copper deposit on this island.
Type | Item | Quantity |
|---|---|---|
Required | x1 |
Stage 6: Smelt Copper Ingots
I managed to find copper. Now all that's left is to set up a charcoal kiln and a smelting furnace, and make a couple of ingots.
Type | Item | Quantity |
|---|---|---|
Required | x1 |
Stage 7: Craft a Melee Weapon
I can't even scare a dodo with this broken saber. I need to craft a new melee weapon. Any will do.
Type | Item | Quantity |
|---|---|---|
Required | x1 | |
Required | x1 | |
Required | x1 |
Stage 8: Upgrade Your Weapon at a Weaponsmith's Workshop. the Weapon Must Be Equipped.
I should sharpen my weapon, it'll make hunting the local wildlife easier.
Type | Item | Quantity |
|---|---|---|
Required | x1 | |
Required | x1 | |
Required | x1 | |
Required | x1 | |
Required | x1 |
See Also
Doctor Galen - quest-giver introduced during this tutorial
Getting Started - detailed new-player guide
Crafting - crafting overview
Rescuing the Crew - follow-up quest
I Need a Bigger Boat - follow-up quest
Objective 7: Choosing the First Melee Weapon
The final Islander step opens four options at the Weaponsmith Workshop, but only three count as melee. The fourth option, the Pistol, is ranged and cannot close out this step. Pick one of the three melee options below and the quest will complete the moment it is crafted.
Image | Starter Melee Weapon | Materials | Build Fit |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10x Wood, 5x Copper Ingot | Cheapest; no hide required; pairs with Strength | |
| 7x Copper Ingot, 2x Rough Hide | Piercer; pairs with Precision and Fencer talents | |
| 7x Copper Ingot, 2x Rough Hide | Slash; pairs with Agility and Fencer talents |
Recipe planning note: Coarse Fabric needs 3 Plant Fiber per unit at the Workbench, so the 10 Coarse Fabric for the Armor and Clothing Workshop (Objective 4) costs 30 Plant Fiber. The Rapier and Saber options also cost two Rough Hide each, which ordinarily takes two Boar or Sow kills. The Club pathway avoids the hide bottleneck entirely and is usually the fastest finish if the tutorial Boars have already been killed for Objective 3.