Windrose Resources Guide: The Complete Discovery List
You cannot build a pirate empire if you do not know what the local trees look like.
The progression system in Windrose is entirely tied to a massive checklist called the Discovery tab. The game hides almost every single crafting recipe from you until you physically pick up the required raw materials at least once. If you look at your menu and see a wall of question marks, it means you have not been exploring hard enough.
The problem is that the procedural generation can make finding specific plants or rare animal drops incredibly frustrating. I spent way too much time wandering the swamps looking for specific mushrooms. To save you the headache, I have compiled the complete list of every currently known resource in the game, sorted by the specific biome where it spawns.
If you are playing co-op, there is a massive shortcut to filling out this list. You do not have to personally harvest the item. If your friend drops a piece of iron on the ground and you pick it up, it permanently unlocks in your Discovery tab. You can read my dedicated server setup guide if you want to know how to get a stable multiplayer world running to exploit this trick.
The Coastal Jungle (Tier 1)
This is your starting zone. The resources here form the absolute foundation of your survival and base building infrastructure. Do not leave this biome until you have completely stripped it of copper.
Major Discoveries (Coastal Jungle):
Clay: Brown deposits near beaches. Unlocks the Clay Bottle.
Lamp: Found in specific chests. Unlocks the ability to refill it. Check my Oil Lamp guide for details.
Banana & Sweet Potato: Harvested from wild plants. Used in essential early game cooking.
Dodo Egg & Cayenne Pepper: Found in nests and wild bushes. Unlocks high tier stat boosting meals.
Undead Essence & Healing Herbs: Dropped by zombies and found in ruins. Crucial for crafting Healing Potions.
Rum Bottle: Found in pirate chests. Used for the Homeward Journey potion.
Steel Nails: Looted from sunken ships. Unlocks the Combat Repair Kit for your vessel.
Seeds: Banana, Palm, Ficus, and Shrub seeds drop randomly when harvesting their respective plants.
Other Resources (Coastal Jungle): Plant Fiber, Wood, Stone, Coconut, Triton's Horn, Closed Scallop Shells, Pearl (rare drop from shells/undead), Crab Meat, Bird Meat, regular Meat, Animal Fat, Feather, Boar Tusk, Boar Head (rare), and Dodo Head (rare).
The Foothills (Tier 2)
Once you defeat Captain Thomas Richards, you graduate to the Foothills. This biome introduces farming, advanced iron tools, and specialized combat elixirs.
Major Discoveries (Foothills):
Sulfur: Yellow deposits on large rocks. Vital for crafting Homemade Gunpowder. Read my gunpowder farming guide for the exact recipe ratios.
Wolf Fang & Bezoar: Dropped by Wolves and Goats. Unlocks precision and concentration combat elixirs.
Coffee Beans: Found in chests or bought from the Tortuga vendor.
Nuts: Dropped by pirates. Used in high tier cooking.
Lime & Tomato: Harvested from wild plants. Unlocks various juices and salads.
Other Resources (Foothills): Aloe Leaf, Salt (found in sea caches or bought in Tortuga), Cane Sugar, Wolf Head (rare), and Head of a Mountain Goat Leader (rare). If you need help finding the Tortuga market to buy that salt, check my faction trader locations guide.
The Cursed Swamps (Tier 3)
The endgame biome. It is dark, poisonous, and full of infected crocodiles. The materials here are required to push your gear into the final tier.
Major Discoveries (Cursed Swamps):
Tar & Plague Wood: Harvested from Tarwood and Infected trees. Used for waterproofing and magical essence.
Firefly: Caught in the swamps. Used for the Elixir of Firm Hand.
Tear of Sorrow: A rare drop from high level undead enemies. Unlocks the Great Healing Potion.
Cocoplum, Leek, Beans & Lobster Mushroom: Wild swamp flora. Unlocks the final tier of epic cooking recipes like Swamp Pie and Gazpacho. Check my Windrose cooking guide for the full breakdown.
Mysterious Spice: Looted from chests. Mandatory for high end cooking.
Other Resources (Cursed Swamps): Tainted Bile (from infected crocodiles) and Crocodile Head (rare drop).
Clear the camps, harvest every single plant you see, and empty the chests. If you need help organizing all this junk back at your base, read through the Windrose Hub for more architectural tips.
