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Tar - Version 17 vs Version 18
Jun 4, 2026, 07:29 PM
Removed duplicate in-body wikilinks
Jun 15, 2026, 02:31 PM
Replaced non-existent bow weapon reference with the in-game firearm option (Accuracy update 2026-06-15)
11Tar is a Common Item Level 3 Resource in Windrose, described in-game as "Thick and sticky. Perfect for proper tarring. Found in the Swamps." Tar is dropped directly by Tarwood Trees in the Cursed Swamps, and it is the gating ingredient for every sealed-surface and enchanted-material recipe in the current Early Access build. Without a Tar stockpile a player cannot craft Tarred Planks for hulls and cannons, Tarred Fabric for sails and armor, or the Arborum enchanted materials that cap the Epic armor tier.44Overview66PropertyValueCategoryResourceRarityCommonItem Level3Weight0.1 per unitStack Size50Max Stack Weight5.0 (0.1 x 50)Where FoundTarwood Tree in Cursed SwampsTool RequiredIron Axe or higherTypical Yield~5 Tar per Tarwood Tree88The weight of 0.1 per unit with a 50-unit stack makes Tar one of the lighter bulk resources in Windrose: a full stack weighs 5.0, so a single inventory slot of Tar can comfortably feed a long crafting session without a dedicated pack mule. Still, because downstream recipes are consumed in large batches (Hull Bracing at 15 Tarred Planks, Wharf construction at 80 Tarred Planks), most players end up hauling several stacks per trip.99How to Obtain1111Tar is gathered by chopping down Tarwood Trees. Tarwood is visually distinct from the sickly plague-corrupted growth around it: the bark is dark and almost black, it appears "wet" or shimmering, and the root system does not stay underground but sprawls out across the mud in large arching loops. Once you learn the silhouette it is easy to pick one out of a grove at a glance, even at range.1313Each Tarwood Tree yields roughly 5 Tar when felled, and the drop appears as refined Tar in your inventory rather than a raw log that needs further processing at a Workbench or sawmill. This makes Tarwood one of the most input-efficient gathers in Windrose: every swing of the axe translates directly into a crafting-ready ingredient.1515Tarwood stumps regrow over several in-game days, so a grove you clear on one trip will be productive again by the time you finish a gear refresh back at base. This matters for long-term ship upgrades, because the same Cursed Swamp island can act as a reliable farm rather than a one-off dungeon.1717Tool Requirement1919Tarwood Trees are hardwood-class trees and cannot be chopped with early-game axes. You need an Iron Axe or a higher-tier variant such as the Swamp Axe to fell them. A Copper Axe will chip at the bark but will not bring the tree down, so any player who skipped the Foothills Iron chain should either craft an Iron Axe (5 Foothills Iron Ingot and 5 Wood at a Workbench Level 2) or rely on the scripted Iron Axe in the Highlands Start Chest before sailing to the swamps.2121AxeCuts Tarwood?NotesStone AxeNoEarly-game gather tool, coastal wood onlyCopper AxeNoFoothills tier, still under the Tarwood thresholdIron AxeYesMinimum viable tool, Foothills-tier recipeSwamp AxeYesHigher-tier upgrade, faster chops and better durability2323Where to Farm2424Every Tarwood Tree in the launch build grows on the Cursed Swamps islands, the third and final biome of the April 14, 2026 Early Access map. They are extremely plentiful across the swamp chain, but a dense cluster of paired trees sits near the High Priestess boss arena on the final Cursed Swamp island. That cluster is worth remembering when you need a bulk run for a ship upgrade: pair trees can be chopped almost back to back, which effectively doubles the gather speed of a trip.2626Look for Tarwoods growing in pairs or small clusters, so one clearing can produce multiple stacks before you move on.Keep your bearings near plague fog pockets, where visibility drops sharply and getting lost wastes minutes of swamp time.Mark a shoreline landing point before diving inland. Tar is light, but you will usually be carrying other swamp mats on the same run.Rotate between two or three known groves so respawn timers overlap and you always have a fresh target to sail to.2828Combat Preparation3030The Cursed Swamps is tuned for gear tier 11 to 15, so most players start dedicated Tar runs only once they have cleared the Foothills and upgraded to iron-tier armor at minimum. The biome is home to some of the most dangerous enemies in the current build, including Plague Crocodiles that rush out of bogs and supernatural plague-corrupted fauna that can stagger an under-leveled player. Expect to fight at least a handful of Creatures on every gather trip, not just harvest wood.3232Before your first Tarwood run, it is worth having the following ready: a full Foothills-tier iron armor set or better, a melee option with decent stagger (a spear or cutlass for the crocodiles), a bow with healing food stacked for kiting boss-level Enemies, and at least one potion of plague resistance if you have access to Alchemy. Players who rush into the swamps in early-game Leather Armor usually burn more time on deaths and corpse runs than they save on Tar gathers.33+Before your first Tarwood run, it is worth having the following ready: a full Foothills-tier iron armor set or better, a melee option with decent stagger (a spear or cutlass for the crocodiles), a firearm with healing food stacked for kiting boss-level Enemies, and at least one potion of plague resistance if you have access to Alchemy. Players who rush into the swamps in early-game Leather Armor usually burn more time on deaths and corpse runs than they save on Tar gathers.3434Crafting Uses3636Tar is consumed in four confirmed recipes in the current build, each one gating an important mid-to-late game system. The table below summarizes the exact station, ingredients, and output for every recipe that lists Tar as an input.3838RecipeStationIngredientsOutputPurposeTarred PlanksWorkbench Lvl 3 (Sawhorse and Toolbox upgrades)1x Wooden Plank + 1x Tar1x Tarred Planks (40s)Ship hulls, cannons, Wharf constructionTarred FabricTanning Rack1x Linen Fabric + 1x Tar1x Tarred Fabric (45s)Sails and mid to late-tier armor setsFabric ArborumEnchanting Table1x Linen Fabric + 1x Essence Arborum + 1x Tar1x Fabric Arborum (45s)Epic-tier cloth armor upgradesHide ArborumEnchanting Table1x Crocodile Hide Piece + 1x Essence Arborum + 1x Tar1x Hide Arborum (45s)Epic-tier leather armor upgrades4040Every Tar unit is functionally equivalent across these recipes: 1 Tar in, 1 refined output. Planning a Tar run is therefore a question of which recipe is gating your next upgrade, and how many Tarred Planks, Tarred Fabric, Fabric Arborum, or Hide Arborum you need before sailing back out.4141Downstream Ship and Cannon Consumption4343Because Tarred Planks feed the entire shipbuilding tree, Tar ends up being the most heavily consumed swamp resource in the mid-to-late game. Below is a breakdown of how much Tarred Planks (and by extension, how much Tar) each major recipe needs.4545RecipeTarred PlanksTar EquivalentStationHull Bracing (all 3 variants)15 each15 TarShipwright's Workshop12-Pounder cannons (all 4 variants)5 each5 TarShipwright's Workshop24-Pounder cannons (all 4 variants)7 each7 TarShipwright's Workshop36-Pounder cannons (all 4 variants)10 each10 TarShipwright's WorkshopWharf (construction)8080 TarShipwright's Workshop4747Ship hulls such as the Frigate, Brig, and Blackbeard Frigate all rely on these bracing and cannon recipes, which means every serious naval upgrade ultimately traces back to a stack of Tar. Expect a single high-tier ship loadout (hull bracing + four cannons) to consume 50 to 100 Tarred Planks, or roughly 10 to 20 Tarwood Trees worth of gathering.4848Plank Progression5050Tar turns a standard Wooden Plank into the moisture-resistant Tarred variant that shipbuilding requires. Plain Wooden Planks are fine for land construction, but they rot out of ship hulls under saltwater stress, which is why the recipe tree pushes every ship and cannon component into the Tarred line. For a quick mental model of the plank tiers:5252Wooden Plank: Coastal Jungle-tier, crafted at Workbench from Wood. Good for early buildings and basic stations.Tarred Planks: Foothills Workbench Lvl 3-tier, crafted from Wooden Plank + Tar. Required for every hull bracing and cannon recipe.Construction use: Tarred Planks also appear in a small number of late-game roof and wall pieces, such as the Leaf Roof 64 degree variant.5454Related Swamp Resources5656Tar is one of three signature Cursed Swamp resources that drive late-game progression. Most players plan their swamp trips around collecting all three at once rather than making separate runs:5858Plague Wood: Harvested from plague-corrupted trees in the swamps and smelted into Essence Arborum at the Smelting Furnace, 30 Plague Wood per Essence. Pairs directly with Tar in all Arborum recipes.Hewn Stone: Stone-tier crafting material used for the Enchanting Table and high-tier stations. Often gathered on the same swamp trip as Tar because both stations end up paired at base.Mire Metal Ingot: The next metal tier after Foothills Iron, used for station upgrades and higher-tier gear. Obtained by smelting Quagmire Powder and Ancient Scraps.6060Tips6262Tar stacks to 50 at 0.1 weight each, so a full stack weighs only 5.0. Bring two or three empty slots for Tar and fill the rest with heavier swamp mats.Chop Tarwood pairs together when possible. A cluster of two trees can cover half a Hull Bracing worth of Tarred Planks on its own.Keep a permanent Tarred Planks and Tarred Fabric buffer at base. Ship upgrades tend to consume them in batches of 4 to 15 at a time, and being short on Tar stalls the entire progression tree.Return to the same Cursed Swamp island every few in-game days to let Tarwood regrow. A rotated pair of groves gives near-continuous supply.Do not spend Tar on decorative construction until your ship hull and cannons are finished. A single 36-Pounder cannon eats 10 Tarred Planks, which is already a significant Tarwood gather.6464See Also6666Tarwood TreeTarred PlanksTarred FabricFabric ArborumHide ArborumCursed SwampsIron AxeResourcesCraftingGathering6868Details7070Properties7272PropertyValueWeight0.1Stack50
