Windrose breaks the usual leveling stereotypes for many players. Unlike most games, killing enemies and crafting items doesn’t grant experience. Leveling is achieved solely by completing quests and exploring points of interest (POIs).
How to level up quickly in Windrose
In this guide, we’ll tell you how to level up quickly in Windrose, how to build an effective development strategy, and how to level up quickly.
Why conventional methods don’t work
Many newbies habitually start farming mobs or mass-crafting items, hoping to level up quickly. This approach won’t work in Windrose. Fighting enemies and crafting items don’t contribute to experience gains.
For example, side activities like Blackbeard’s Crew cards may yield useful loot, but they don’t help level up at all. The focus should be shifted to two key activities: completing quests and clearing points of interest.
Quest priority is your main source of experience
The best and most consistent way to earn experience in Windrose is by completing quests. All quests, both story and side, are listed in your journal, and they provide the most experience.
Story missions are especially important—they not only award XP but also unlock new equipment and areas. Key story stages, such as defeating Captain Thomas Richards, are crucial for progress.
As you travel the islands, you’ll encounter additional side quests tied to various points of interest. These are also worth completing—they grant additional experience and help you level up faster.
Points of Interest (POI) are the basis of leveling up
When the supply of quests begins to run low, points of interest become the main source of experience. Each island is marked with numerous such locations—pirate camps, ruins, shipwrecks, outposts, and traveler’s camps. In total, the first coastal jungle awaits you with 32 unique locations to explore.
The mechanics for earning experience for POIs are simple: you receive a reward only after opening all the chests in a given location. The amount of experience you earn directly depends on the number of chests:
- 1 chest – 25 XP
- 2 chests – 50 XP
- 3 chests – 50 XP
- 4 chests – 50 XP
- 6 chests – 100 XP
Some chests are well hidden. For example, in ancient ruins, they’re often found in basements, while others are buried under debris—they can be spotted by glowing particles and dug up with a pickaxe. Pirate locations typically contain chests scattered throughout various rooms and camps. Chests don’t respawn, but resources and supplies (such as healing herbs) do respawn, so some locations are worth returning to.
The rest buff is an underrated benefit.
Before heading out to clear islands, be sure to use the rest buff. Resting at a campfire increases stamina regeneration, which directly speeds up both resource gathering and combat efficiency.
You can extend the duration of this buff by increasing the Comfort level of your base using decorative items. The more comfortable your camp, the longer the stamina regeneration bonus will last. For example, raising the Comfort level to 10 will increase the buff’s duration from the base 5 minutes to an impressive 17.
Tools are more important than weapons in the beginning
One of the most common mistakes beginners make is focusing on upgrading weapons first. But in the early stages, it’s much more effective to invest in tools.
An upgraded pickaxe and axe allow you to gather materials significantly faster, speeding up crafting, quest completion, and overall progress. The long-term benefit of faster resource gathering makes these tools a smarter investment than upgrading your weapons at the start. Furthermore, a copper axe deals more damage (255 vs. 190) than a sabre, making it a useful addition to combat.
Farming pirate camps – after the second island is opened
Once you unlock access to the second island, you’ll gain access to one of the fastest ways to level up: clearing out pirate camps.
Regular pirates roaming the coastline provide good experience and valuable loot, such as gunpowder. Since these camps respawn daily (on in-game days), they create a steady cycle for farming both experience and materials. Set up a fast travel point nearby to easily return to them each in-game day and maintain steady progress.
Who shouldn’t be killed: drowned people
Not all enemies are equally useful for leveling up. Drowned are the ones best avoided. They have high health, nasty and slow attacks, and the reward for killing them is minimal compared to the time spent. Focus on living pirates—you’ll be much more effective.
Speeding up exploration: tent and fast travel
Efficient exploration is the key to rapid leveling. Before you begin clearing an island, gather enough resources to set up a tent and a fast travel point. The tent will serve as a respawn point—if you die, you’ll return to battle much faster than if you had to swim from another island. Once you’re done exploring, don’t forget to destroy the tent and reclaim your resources.
Fast travel points allow you to instantly return to previously explored locations without wasting time swimming. They can only be built near water, on the shoreline. You can place up to nine of these points. This tactic will help you completely clear islands, gaining maximum experience without wasting time on travel.
Stamina management and stat leveling
Stamina is your primary resource in Windrose, especially in combat. Every action in combat consumes stamina, and if you run out, you’ll be extremely vulnerable. Therefore, when allocating stat points, it’s recommended to invest them in Stamina and Health initially, leaving specialized stats like Strength or Dexterity for later.
Windrose’s combat system is souls-lite, so patience is more important than force. Land 1-2 hits and then retreat, especially when fighting groups of enemies. Don’t forget about dashes (default: CTRL )—they allow you to dodge attacks while remaining in danger.
We’ve covered which skills to prioritize in Windrose in more detail in a separate guide.
Quick Leveling Checklist
- Always have a rest buff active before going on a mission.
- First of all, complete story quests – they open up new opportunities.
- Clear the points of interest completely – collect all the chests in the location.
- Upgrade your tools into weapons – gathering resources quickly is more important.
- Farm pirate camps after opening the second island – they respawn.
- Avoid drowned people – it’s not worth wasting time on them.
- Place tents and fast travel points for efficient exploration.
What you should know about character development
As you level up, you gain Stat Points and Talent Points. You can use them through the inventory menu, switching between tabs with the “D” key . Keep in mind that resetting Stat Points requires a rare resource, so spend them wisely.
As for weapons, pistols and shotguns deal great damage at close range, but take a long time to reload. It’s better to use firearms to finish off enemies rather than to initiate combat. When fighting, combine melee and firearms to inflict maximum damage in a short time.
By sticking to this strategy and avoiding wasting time on useless activities, you’ll quickly transform from a beach-dwelling newbie into a true scourge of the pirate seas. The main rule of Windrose: leveling up isn’t about “trying harder,” but about “playing smarter.”
