Who developed Windrose?

Windrose was developed by Kraken Express and published by Kraken Express.

Windrose

Early Access

A PvE survival adventure set in an alternative Age of Piracy. Build, craft and explore procedurally generated biomes solo or in online co-op (Steam lists support for up to 8 players and recommends up to 4), captain your ship through naval combat with boarding actions, and take on challenging bosses.

Survival Action RPG PC

Developer: Kraken Express
Release Year: 2026
Coverage: 30 articles

Why It Matters

Windrose surpassed 1.5 million copies in its first three weeks and holds an 89% positive rating on Steam (21,500+ English reviews). One of the strongest co-op Early Access launches of 2026 and the game GameBrief covers most deeply.

Complete Guide

Hub Article

Windrose Guide 2026: All Biomes, XP, Factions & Ships

Windrose guide hub for 2026: biomes, XP system, factions, ships, combat, co-op, and the road to max level 15. Start here before anything else.

Start here →

Windrose Guides

24 guides

Getting Started

Windrose Character Creation screen with Head, Nose, Ears, and Eyebrows sliders open beside a female pirate preview on a beach

Windrose Beginner Guide: Tips, Factions, First Hours

Windrose beginner guide: use Journal quests and Points of Interest as XP routes, then choose factions and ship upgrades with current-build caveats.

10 min read

Progression

Windrose Blackbeard Transport Ship under cannon fire during a broadside exchange, 2508 damage visible, Commence Boarding prompt on screen

Windrose Naval Tactics Guide: All 5 Tactics Ranked 2026

Windrose naval tactics: what Ambush, No Quarter, Stretch the Supply, Shipshape and Silence the Guns really do, where to buy them, and which to fit first.

8 min read

Windrose character in Iron-tier gear standing on a Foothills hillside above a pirate camp

Windrose Foothills Guide: 5 Priorities for Gear and Boss

Windrose Foothills guide: scout the biome, prioritize Iron tools, mine Sulfur and Hardwood, and prepare for Israel Hands without fixed level claims.

9 min read

Windrose player standing in a Coastal Jungle cave, light falling through the opening above

Windrose Armor Guide: All 6 Rare Sets, Bonuses and Upgrades

Windrose armor guide: the six rare sets and their bonuses, which faction sells each plan, where the other pieces drop, and what each upgrade costs to craft.

7 min read

Windrose Talents screen: a round tree split into four quadrants, one with 4 points spent across a 3/3 and a 1/3 talent, outer rings locked

Windrose Talent Tree Guide: Best Talents and Builds 2026

Windrose talent tree guide: all four trees and 37 talents with max-rank values, where we'd spend the 12 points for each weapon, and how respec works.

8 min read

Windrose ship combat boarding the Blackbeard Transport Ship, cannon fire and explosions during a rainy naval battle at Buccaneers Waters

Windrose Best Ship Build Tier List: Brig and Frigate 2026

Windrose best ship build in 2026: Blackbeard Frigate is S tier for combat. Variant stats, gear slot picks, and the real 5 Naval Tactics explained.

9 min read

Windrose player at the helm firing on a Blackbeard Transport Ship in Buccaneers Waters

Windrose Max Level 15: Fastest XP Paths in Early Access

Windrose max level is 15 in Early Access: the full XP table, the 12 talent points you end with, and why only quests and fully looted POIs give XP.

7 min read

Windrose character screen at level 10, inventory and gear slots open, Progression and Talents tabs along the top

Windrose Leveling Tips: Max Level 15, Fastest XP Path

Windrose leveling tips for the level 15 cap: let the story pick your island, empty every chest at each site, skip kill farming, and plan for twelve talents.

9 min read

Windrose player character walking through a port town with NPCs, crates, a ship, and the hotbar visible

How Long to Beat Windrose: Current Level 15 Guide 2026

How long to beat Windrose? There is no official hour count. The Early Access level cap is 15; here is how quests and Points of Interest set your pace.

8 min read

Biomes & World

A Windrose pirate standing in a corrupted swamp of twisted trees and glowing orange plants

Windrose High Priestess Boss Guide: Attacks, HP and Co-op

Windrose High Priestess boss guide: her four attack zones, health by difficulty and party size, the slow posture regen to exploit, and what co-op changes.

8 min read

Windrose night boarding fight on a ship deck in the Deep Ocean, the Needle in a Haystack quest banner at the top of the screen

Windrose Israel Hands Boss Guide: Foothills Fight & Loot

Windrose Israel Hands boss guide: reaching him through Needle in a Haystack, his spectral attacks and tells, the gear bar, and the Soul Eater in his chest.

8 min read

Windrose pirate in a feathered hat wading through the Cursed Swamps at dusk, red-glowing plants and dead trees all around

Windrose Endgame Guide: What to Do After the Story Ends

Windrose endgame guide: the faction levels worth buying, what the Frigate costs, where Tumbaga and Mire Metal come from, and what's left in the Journal.

10 min read

Combat & Builds

Windrose player sword-fighting boss Thomas Richards on a wooden dock in the Coastal Jungle, quest marker reading Defeat Richards visible

Windrose Thomas Richards Boss Guide: 5 Attack Patterns

Windrose Thomas Richards boss guide: Level 5 gear, five attack tells, poise shields, dodge timing, and Foothills plus Iron unlocks for the Revenge quest.

7 min read

Windrose player at the helm firing on a level 14 Blackbeard Transport Ship in Buccaneers Waters, 2508 damage and a Commence Boarding prompt on screen

Windrose Ship Combat Guide: Chain Shot, Raking & Sea Tips

Windrose ship combat: fire from the helm, sit at three-quarter speed, chain shot the masts, rake the stern, and fit Keelhold so repairs survive the hits.

11 min read

Windrose player swinging a halberd at a Swollen Drowned and a Drowner on a Coastal Jungle beach, posture shields under both enemy names

Windrose Combat Guide: Fighting Tips, Builds & Gear 2026

Windrose combat guide: Perfect Block with a weapon that allows it, break Posture shields, then punish. Weapon types, armor set bonuses and the buffs to use.

15 min read

Windrose boss fight against Israel Hands inside a torchlit Foothills ruin, five posture shields under his health bar and the Weapon Infused buff active

Windrose Bosses: All 3, Loot, Weak Spots & Attacks

Windrose bosses: all 3 Early Access bosses with health by difficulty, attack tells, loot, gear checks for Richards, Israel Hands and the High Priestess.

14 min read

Decorated Windrose house interior with a lit fireplace, bookshelf, paintings, potted plants and a candle chandelier

Windrose Comfort Level Guide: Max Comfort and Rested Buff

Windrose comfort level guide: how long Rested lasts at each Comfort level, why 16 is the number that matters, and what players report about the 35 cap.

6 min read

A Windrose warship with red sails and skull flags cutting through the waves at sunset

Windrose Ship Building Guide: Ketch, Brig and Frigate

Windrose ship building guide: the Wharf and Shipwright's Workshop, full Ketch, Brig and Frigate recipes, variant stats, and the faction levels behind each.

10 min read

Windrose player on a Coastal Jungle beach near carved stone ruins, 'Forgotten Relics' quest text and a Bulwark buff icon visible

Windrose Faction Tier List 2026: Best Order to Level

Windrose faction tier list 2026: Smugglers S-tier, Buccaneers A, Brethren B, Tortuga C. Reputation costs, what each vendor sells, and best leveling order.

11 min read

Resources & Crafting

Windrose crafting station interface with recipe list and material requirements visible, copper ingots and planks in the sidebar

Windrose Crafting Guide: All 5 Stations & Best Recipes

Windrose crafting guide: station outputs, best material-to-output ratios, and what to craft first at each biome tier to stop wasting resources.

15 min read

Multiplayer

Windrose co-op crew looting a pirate camp chest with ship docked at the coast behind them

Windrose Multiplayer Tips: Full Co-op Guide for 2026

Windrose multiplayer tips: Shared Quest Progress setup, co-op XP mechanics, ship crew roles, quest splitting, and solo vs. 4-player efficiency.

15 min read

Windrose boarding fight on a ship deck, a pirate firing a pistol at close range with the crew behind

Windrose In-Game Chat: Voice Chat, Proximity Chat & Discord

Windrose in-game chat explained: no built-in voice, proximity or text chat in Early Access, so crews use Discord and the Nexus text chat mod instead.

6 min read

News & Updates

Windrose Journal quest screen showing active faction quests for Rogue Buccaneers and Smugglers with bonus objectives highlighted

Windrose Faction Guide: All Factions and How to Progress

Windrose faction guide: all four factions covered, Journal quest XP system explained, Insignia types, which to prioritize first, and what each sells.

12 min read

Windrose player walking down a rainy port street lined with stacked crates and wooden sheds

Windrose Faction Reputation Guide: Quests and Insignias

Windrose faction reputation guide: what insignias and Letters of Favor are worth, the four faction quests, rank thresholds, and which faction to level.

7 min read

Windrose News & Reviews

Windrose pirate port town with wooden plank structures, stone-arch buildings, and stacked lumber under a stormy sky

GeneralJun 14

Windrose Next Update: 40+ Building Pieces & 50 QoL Fixes

Windrose next update: Ashlands is due this winter. The April 30 patch added 40+ building pieces and 50+ fixes; here is every patch since and what is next.

The number 1,500,000+ built from wooden Windrose building pieces on a beach with Thank you, Captains! written over the water

GeneralMay 14

Windrose Patch Notes 2026: Every Update and Hotfix So Far

Windrose patch notes from the April hotfixes to 0.10.0.9: what each update fixed, what the SSD patch really said, and why the next one is Ashlands.

Windrose key art showing a smiling pirate captain in front of a ship

GeneralMay 8

Windrose SSD Bug Fixed: What the Hotfix Actually Changed

The Windrose SSD bug wrote up to 108GB per hour to players' drives. What caused it, what the April 30 and May 18 patches changed, and whether you must act.

Windrose player in a feathered tricorn aiming a flintlock pistol at a Sergeant and a Sailor on a palm beach, weapon hotbar below

GeneralApr 26

Windrose Best Weapons Tier List 2026: All 8 Ranked

Windrose best weapons tier list 2026: Rapier and Saber are S-tier, Club ranks weakest. All 8 dedicated weapon types ranked with stats and sources cited.

Windrose naval combat: player ship firing cannons at enemy vessel in stormy Buccaneers Waters

GuidesApr 23

Windrose Ashlands: Release Window and Confirmed Plans

Windrose Ashlands release date: no exact day, but the official trailer says this winter. What Kraken Express has confirmed for the biome and how to prepare.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is Windrose?: A PvE survival adventure set in an alternative Age of Piracy. Build, craft and explore procedurally generated biomes solo or in online co-op (Steam lists support for up to 8 players and recommends up to 4), captain your ship through naval combat with boarding actions, and take on challenging bosses.
What platforms is Windrose on?: Windrose is available on PC.
Who developed Windrose?: Windrose was developed by Kraken Express.