Gunpowder stands as a premium commodity within the world of Windrose – and there are several distinct strategies players can employ to keep their horns full.
The combat mechanics of Windrose revolve around two primary weapon categories: traditional blades and powerful firearms. Throughout your journey, you will encounter various armaments, such as halberds, clubs, and muskets. While melee weapons can be swung indefinitely without additional resources, firearms operate under a different set of rules. To keep your guns firing effectively, you will need both bullets and gunpowder, with the latter proving far more difficult to obtain in the wild.
Explosive materials can be scavenged from the environment or produced through manual crafting, though new players will quickly realize that one of these paths is significantly more accessible than the other.
Primary locations for scavenging gunpowder
While the ability to manufacture your own supplies exists, looting is the far more efficient choice during the first few hours of exploration. Crafting involves advanced equipment and high character levels that are simply unavailable until a significant portion of the map has been uncovered.
Fortunately, gunpowder is a relatively common sight in specific regions of Windrose, provided you know where to look. The bulk of these supplies are found within chests and supply caches located in the pirate camps of Blackbeard. As the main story guides you through several of these outposts, a thorough search of every chest should yield a healthy stockpile.
These pirate strongholds are distributed across the various islands surrounding the initial starting area. It is essential to acquire a ship before attempting to reach these locations – attempting to reach these destinations by swimming is impossible and will lead to an early grave.
With a vessel at your command, you can navigate the seas and head toward locations marked with a “?” icon. These markers often indicate the presence of ancient ruins, ore deposits, or pirate camps. Upon arriving at a camp, be prepared to engage in combat with enemy sailors, musketeers, and sergeants who guard the valuable loot caches.
The enemies themselves serve as a secondary source of resources, as they frequently drop gunpowder upon being defeated. However, due to the high volume of hostiles found in these camps, it is highly recommended to stock up on healing supplies before departing from your base.
When viewing the map, icons will display a progress fraction – such as 0/3 – to indicate how many chests have been recovered. Players should keep in mind that while supply caches are worth looting for their contents, they do not contribute to the official completion percentage of the camp.
Technical requirements for independent production
For those who wish to avoid the dangers of pirate camps, the path to self-sufficiency is a long one. Gunpowder production requires a grindstone, which is a specialized station that only becomes available after you have unlocked the ability to mine iron ore. An iron pickaxe is required to harvest sulfur, which must then be mixed with ash inside a furnace. To produce a batch of powder, you must stockpile:
- 25 units of ash
- 25 units of sulfur
Essential mechanics for firearm maintenance
Once gunpowder is added to your inventory, it will automatically fill one of your dedicated ammunition slots. However, having powder is only the first step – if you attempt to pull the trigger without projectiles, the game will prompt you with a “No ammo or powder” message. To actually fire, you must also carry bullets, which can be crafted at a workbench using different materials that determine damage potential:
- Stone bullets for basic use
- Copper bullets for improved ballistics
- Iron bullets for maximum lethality
