Piastres are the primary trade currency in Windrose. They function as the universal currency accepted by all merchants, faction traders, and base vendors. The name reflects the historical Caribbean currency of the Age of Piracy, the Spanish piece-of-eight (peso or piastre), widely used across colonial trade networks in the 17th and 18th centuries.
Sources
Method | Details |
|---|---|
Selling trade goods | Faction traders pay Piastres for Naval Supplies, Medical Crates, Contraband |
Looting treasure | Pirate camps, dungeons, shipwrecks drop Piastres directly |
Completing quests | Main story and side quests often reward Piastres |
Selling excess items | Base merchants buy raw materials and spare equipment |
Defeating certain enemies | Blackbeard's Ketch-class ships drop Piastres among other trade goods |
Primary Uses
Purchasing equipment and materials from faction traders at Tortuga
Hiring NPC workers from the Recruitment Vendor (e.g., Farming Contractor for 10 gold coins)
Paying merchants recruited to your base via Merchant Contracts
Unlocking faction-specific services and questlines
Economy Design
Windrose's economy rewards players who prioritize trade goods over raw resource sales. Contraband fetches higher Piastre prices than Naval Supplies or Medical Crates, so hoarding Contraband for Tortuga traders is a common optimization. The Doctor (Galen) provides a free Minor Healing Potion every in-game hour at each camp, reducing the need to spend Piastres on basic healing and allowing currency to accumulate toward larger purchases.
Currency Distinction
Community guides occasionally reference "silver coins" or "gold coins" separate from Piastres. The relationship between these tokens is not fully documented in primary sources. In-game interactions like the Farming Contractor recruitment (10 gold coins from the Tortuga Recruitment Vendor) suggest multiple currency tiers may exist. Players should check each vendor's interface for accepted currency types.
See Also
Trading and Merchants - trading system overview
Tortuga - main trade hub
Factions - faction reputation