Windrose Roadmap 2026: Ashlands Biome, Ships & 1.0 Date

The short answer: the next update has a name, a rough shape and a season (this winter), but no exact date. Here is what Kraken Express has actually said on the windrose roadmap, what each post committed to, and what is still open.

Updated 2026-10-09: Ashlands now has a release window: the trailer shown at the October 8 Triple-i Initiative says it is expected this winter, and an October 8 devblog says faction-specific ship variants will be removed in a ship customization rework.

TL;DR: The windrose roadmap has no exact dates yet, but Ashlands is expected this winter. Ashlands, a complete fourth biome with a new boss, new factions, new armor and weapon variants and at least one new ship class, is the next major update. On April 28 the studio said it would take at least 6 months. Early Access should last 1.5 to 2.5 years in total, with around 50% more content and a price increase at full release.

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Windrose roadmap at a glance

The whole windrose roadmap in one view, split into what Kraken Express has committed to and what it has only described as plans.

Everything in that table is broken down below, starting with what the developer has and has not committed to.

What Kraken Express has said

The first real roadmap statement came on April 28, in a community update. The team said it would finish a pack of fixes and then "fully switch to the next big content update, which will introduce the next biome called Ashlands." It was candid about the plan's state: "The roadmap of this update is very high level now," and players should "expect more information to come in a month or two." The same post set the timeline: "our best bet right now this update will take at least 6 months to deliver."

That information arrived in a July 1 devblog, which opened with a disclaimer: "We're talking about plans, and plans may change." It also said the longer view isn't settled: "As for our longer-term plans, those are still taking shape." The closing line is the closest thing to a release promise so far: the studio will share more details, "including an estimated release window, as development progresses."

An August 28 sneak peek showed work-in-progress art with no date. A September 14 Steam announcement said Windrose would appear in the Triple-i Initiative showcase on October 8, and that is where the window arrived. The official Ashlands Release Window Trailer says in its description that Ashlands is "Expected this winter," and the same day's Steam devblog confirms the team "just revealed the release window." No exact date was given. Our Windrose Triple-i Initiative preview covers what was expected going into the show.

That October 8 devblog also opened the first Ashlands feature series, starting with ships. Kraken Express says it is "moving away from predefined faction-specific ship variants": you will pick a ship class and customize it, and "the existing faction-specific ship variants will be removed." The studio says players won't lose progress and that "Any resources from dismantled ships will be fully refunded." It also plans to let you build structures in the hold, "such as a workbench and a cooking fire."

*Video: "Windrose: Ashlands Update Teaser", Windrose official YouTube channel*

Ashlands: what the July 1 devblog confirmed

The July 1 devblog is the most detailed windrose roadmap document so far. Kraken Express describes Ashlands as "a complete fourth biome" that suffered volcanic eruptions long ago. The post lists "a variety of new islands with new enemies, items, resources, recipes, points of interest, and, of course, a new challenging boss."

The story continues too. The devblog says both the main story and side quests should "grow significantly in scope," that "new factions enter the fray," and that the next Obol fragment is hidden "among the ruins of a long-forgotten Spanish colony." New armor and weapon variants are part of the plan, and the studio is "looking into new biome mechanics to experiment with."

Base builders get attention as well: the devblog promises "a plethora of new decorations," new pieces for existing building sets, and an expanded camp NPC system. For anyone worried about a wipe, the studio wrote that it is "working hard to make sure you'll be able to continue your adventure and keep all the progress you've already achieved." Our Windrose Ashlands biome guide tracks what is known about the zone itself.

Image: "Windrose Devblog: Ashlands (WIP)", Kraken Express (Steam). Work-in-progress costume concepts for the Buccaneer faction.

Ships: Brigantine, Fluyt and Galleon

Ships are the part of the windrose roadmap with the most concrete names. The current Early Access build has 3 playable ships, according to the Steam page. The July 1 devblog promises "More ship classes, with at least one being added in Ashlands, plus more faction ship variants," along with more care for naval combat and AI ships that sail "in formations."

It then named the candidates: "We're currently working on the Brigantine, Fluyt, and Galleon. While plans may change, we expect at least one of these ships to make its way into Ashlands." So only one of the three is expected in Ashlands; the other two aren't promised for it.

The popular request to have wind affect sailing is also on the table. Kraken Express says it will explore the idea, with a clear limit: "we want it to be fun and simple." For how the current ships handle in a fight, see the Windrose naval tactics guide and the Windrose ship building guide.

Image: "Windrose Devblog: Ashlands (WIP)", Kraken Express (Steam). Shown in the devblog's ships section, next to the Brigantine, Fluyt and Galleon note.

The August 28 sneak peek

On August 28 Kraken Express posted an Ashlands "development sneak peek." It showed a new armor set for one of the NPCs, "Some love for the Halberds and Greatswords," new faction clothing sets, and "a Brethren of the Coast Galleon variant, along with a little preview of our ship damage FX!"

The studio repeated its caution: "The Galleon and other ships are still very much a work in progress, so the final lineup may change." The same post announced a 10% discount for Steam's PvE Survival Crafting Fest, which ran from August 31 to September 7.

Image: "Ashlands Development Sneak Peek + 10% Off!", Kraken Express (Steam). The work-in-progress Galleon shown in the August 28 post.

GODEEPER: The current progression is built around Journal quests and Site Clears, not enemy kills. Windrose XP Guide: Fastest Ways to Farm XP →

Windrose roadmap: patches shipped since launch

Before any new content, Kraken Express spent the first weeks on fixes. These are the main patches from its Steam posts.

April 30: Version 0.10.0.4.268

The patch notes list "reduced disk and CPU usage" among the headline changes. In detail:

• A new Force Relay Connection setting for players who can't connect directly
• Fixed connection issues for players with non-English Windows usernames
• Fixed unnecessary CPU usage on idle servers and clients
• Reduced disk usage during gameplay
• Ship performance improvements when hosting a server
• Crash fixes (invalid inventory slot IDs, killing Drowned with ship cannon fire)
• Lower crafting costs for a wide range of building pieces
• Around 40 missing wall triangle pieces for various roof angles, plus 3 floor triangle pieces
• 4 new Seedbed variations and new crop and Drowned sound effects

May 4: Version 0.10.0.5.120

This was the Steam Cloud Save fix held back from April 30 for extra testing:

• A new storage and backup system that backs up all data every 10 minutes of gameplay and on exit
• Broken save files no longer block the game from loading; a Data Recovery UI offers a backup instead
• A Save Migration System to move older saves to the new format
• Minor fixes, including a D-pad crafting UI mapping bug and a Wolf Head item icon update

Four smaller patches followed: 0.10.0.6 (May 18, disk-write and performance work plus smoother attack and block animation transitions), 0.10.0.7 (June 25, Docker images with Linux server support and Traditional Chinese), 0.10.0.8 (July 8, projectiles passing through ships at long range and improved Japanese localization), and 0.10.0.9 (August 25, cannonballs now damaging a ship's stern, sails and hull). For the full list, see the Windrose May 2026 patch notes, and for the disk-usage story, the Windrose SSD bug hotfix breakdown.

Timeline and price

On the Steam page Kraken Express says: "We believe it will take from 1,5 to 2,5 years to reach the full release version." Counting from April 14, 2026, that puts the full release window at:

• Earliest estimate: late 2027
• Latest estimate: late 2028

The full version should have "around 50% more content: more biomes, bosses, enemies, ships, loot, etc.," and the story "is supposed to continue, unfolding into an epic adventure with a satisfying finale." The studio also wants to "explore additional gameplay systems." These are estimates, not guarantees.

Price is the other part of the plan. Windrose lists at $29.99 on Steam, and the Early Access notes say: "we plan to increase the price of the game once we release the full version."

What Steam lists today

The Early Access build Ashlands builds on is described on the Steam page as "3 biomes" across "~30 procedurally generated islands with over 90 hand crafted points of interest, 3 playable ships," with Tortuga town, factions and their quests, and NPC workers. The main story takes "around 50-70 hours," depending on playstyle.

Steam calls Windrose "a PvE survival adventure," playable "solo offline or in co-op with friends, supporting up to 8 players," and recommends parties of up to 4 for the best performance. Kraken Express hasn't announced PvP in any update post. For co-op communication, the Windrose in-game chat guide covers what the game offers today.

Reception is still strong but has cooled. On October 8, 2026 the Steam page showed 88% of 28,755 English reviews positive, and 71% of the 653 reviews from the last 30 days.

What players are asking for

Kraken Express runs an official ideas board at windrose.support, where players vote on requests; the July 1 devblog points players to it. When we checked on October 8, the top-voted ideas were ship interactions (crow's nest and similar), ship docking, belts as a sixth armor piece, campfire upgrades, and an aquatic life expansion. Two ideas carry a "Planned" label: more sea shanties and more ship types. Both match the devblog, which says "expect more shanties!" and confirms new ship classes.

On Reddit, the April 28 timeline split the community. One player did the math: "if its a full new area like the others it will be about a third of the size of the current game." Another was less sure: "I personally feel six months is overly ambitious."

Under the August sneak peek, the thread turned to life on board. "The fact that I can't sleep on my boat is very silly," one commenter wrote, a complaint that lines up with the board's top request for more ship interactions.

None of these requests has a date on the windrose roadmap.

GODEEPER: While Ashlands is in development, here is how long the current story and level cap actually take. How Long to Beat Windrose: Game Length Guide →

Our take

The Windrose roadmap is honest about what it is: a direction, not a schedule. Kraken Express has named the next biome, a boss, new factions and three candidate ships, and it has hedged every one of them with "plans may change." The April 28 estimate of at least 6 months put Ashlands no earlier than late October, so today's Triple-i appearance is the most likely place for the promised release window to show up. Until the studio posts a date, treat any specific Ashlands release date you see elsewhere as a guess.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does Windrose have a roadmap? Not a dated one. On April 28 Kraken Express called the Ashlands roadmap very high level. The only window so far came on October 8, when the official Ashlands trailer said the update is expected this winter. There is still no exact date.

What is the next big Windrose update? Ashlands, a complete fourth biome. The July 1 devblog lists new islands, enemies, items, resources, recipes, points of interest, new factions and a new challenging boss, plus at least one new ship class.

When will Ashlands release? Kraken Express revealed a release window at the Triple-i Initiative on October 8: the official trailer's description says Ashlands is expected this winter. No exact date has been given. On April 28 the studio said the update would take at least 6 months.

Is Windrose PvP? Steam describes Windrose as a PvE survival adventure, playable solo offline or in co-op with up to 8 players. Kraken Express has not announced PvP in any of its update posts.

When will Windrose leave Early Access? Kraken Express estimates 1.5 to 2.5 years from the April 14, 2026 launch, which points to roughly late 2027 to late 2028. No date has been set, and the studio plans to raise the price at full release.

Will Ashlands reset my save? Kraken Express says it is working to make sure players can continue their adventure and keep all the progress they have already achieved when Ashlands arrives.

References

• Windrose on Steam: Early Access notes, features, price and reviews
• Community update: new feedback website and other news (April 28, 2026): Ashlands named, "at least 6 months"
• Windrose Devblog: Ashlands (WIP) (July 1, 2026): biome, story, building and ship plans
• Ashlands Development Sneak Peek + 10% Off! (August 28, 2026)
• Triple-i Initiative x Windrose announcement (September 14, 2026)
• Windrose: Ashlands Update Teaser (official YouTube channel)
• Windrose: Ashlands Release Window Trailer (official YouTube channel, October 8, 2026): "Expected this winter"
• Voyage to Ashlands: Ship Customization, pt.1 (October 8, 2026)
• Windrose ideas board: official community feature requests
• r/crosswind (Windrose community)
• Windrose Steam key on Eneba: Global key, compare with the Steam price.
• Windrose Steam key on Loaded: often cheaper than the direct Steam price.

Related Reading

Ashlands is the confirmed next biome: the Windrose Ashlands biome guide covers what the developers have confirmed so far about the fourth zone.

The Windrose complete guide collects everything about the current build in one place.

For how long the current content takes before Ashlands lands, the how long to beat Windrose guide breaks down story completion and the grind to max level.

New to the game? The Windrose beginner guide covers your first hours and which faction to start with, and the Windrose faction tier list ranks the order to level them.

For the reception context around launch, our Windrose review controversy explainer covers the launch-day first-impressions dispute that shaped early coverage.