The Starting Island is the tutorial island in Windrose where every new character begins the game. The player washes up on its beach after the prologue ambush by Edward Teach's crew, and the Islander tutorial walks them through their first Bonfire, tools, and base. It sits inside the Coastal Jungle biome.
Starting Inventory
Each new character arrives on the starting island with the same basic kit:
Item | Type |
|---|---|
Hatchet | Wood-gathering tool |
Pickaxe | Mining tool |
Crafting material | |
Starter saber | |
Starter firearm, no initial bullets | |
Starter chest armor |
The Islander Tutorial
The Islander tutorial quest triggers automatically and walks the player through gathering 5 Wood to build the first Bonfire. Placing the Bonfire grants the Rested stamina-regeneration buff, whose duration scales with the Comfort System camp level. Shipwreck debris along the shore provides additional Wood and Nails for the first Workbench and structures.
NPCs on the Starting Island
The starting island hosts named NPCs who matter for the tutorial arc. Doctor Galen Skelton is the player's first major ally. He arrives at your campfire after you mine copper for the first time, and speaking to him kicks off the early questline. He also hands out a free healing potion periodically, anchoring the lesson that the island is inhabited rather than empty.
The island's early questline tasks the player with locating and rescuing seven shipwrecked sailors scattered across the beach, jungle, and cave interior. Each rescued sailor returns to camp to expand the starter crew or provides a small reward. Completing the full seven-sailor rescue is the gate that unlocks the I Need a Bigger Boat quest and the transition off the starting island. Skipping the rescue blocks progression, so it is worth clearing all seven before attempting to leave.
Points of Interest
Alongside the open shoreline, the starting island packs several authored points of interest that teach the wider exploration loop:
POI | Purpose |
|---|---|
West side. Contains a Fast Travel Bell (the second on the starting island after the Smuggler's Cache), two Tumbaga Ingots, and a hidden-button puzzle chest | |
Hidden coastal area with the entrance concealed behind vines. Guarded by a Drowner. Contains the player's first Fast Travel Bell | |
Southwest. Contains the first Alexandre Exquemelin journal (Twist of Fancy), which begins the buried-treasure trail | |
East. The Decrepit Chest contains the Blurry Sketch that triggers Fifteen Men on a Dead Man's Chest | |
Island center. A multi-room dungeon with chests and Healing Herbs. Between the ruins and the Copper Deposits is the clay gathering area |
Key First-Hour Actions
Place the first Bonfire (the Islander tutorial objective).
Craft the Workbench and gather 3 Plant Fiber to make Coarse Fabric and Rope.
Craft the Torn Sailcloth Bag (2 Coarse Fabric + 1 Rope) for the +4 inventory-slot upgrade.
Craft the Shovel (3 Copper Ingots + 10 Wood) after mining the first cave deposits, then search Traveller's Camps for journal notes.
Trigger the Blurry Sketch quest at Pirate Remains on the east side.
Mine copper to make Doctor Galen appear at camp and open the rescue questline.
Leaving the Starting Island
The starting island's resource loops cap out once the player has cleared its caves, chests, and quests. The I Need a Bigger Boat quest leads to a second island where the Ketch is repaired at the Shipwright's Workshop. The starting island can be revisited later as needed, but it is primarily a tutorial space.
See Also
Islander Quest, the tutorial quest
Exploration, broader exploration mechanics
Coastal Jungle, the biome the starting island sits inside
Points of Interest, the wider list of authored world sites