Windbound is a wonderful seafaring adventure that lets you explore, survive and thrive in the wilderness. You play as Kara, a shipwrecked warrior, that’s on the search for the rest of her tribe. Armed with only a knife at first you’ll hunt for resources, craft tools and work with the wind to explore this everchanging archipelago.
The game has a fairly extensive crafting system and almost everything in your surroundings – from grass and sticks to animal bones and hides – can be gathered and converted into tools of survival. In this guide, we’ll go through the where and what all the main crafting materials you’re going to need in Windbound to thrive.
All the islands in Windbound are procedurally generated making finding resources a challenge. Additionally, some materials are locked away until you complete certain chapters, which the game won’t tell you. You can be on the hunt for Gloomharrow Jaw for hours without realising you need to get to Chapter 3 to find them. So here’s where our materials guide is going to help. We’ve divided it into:
Windbound is out now for free on the Epic Games Store until the 18th of February. So for those of you that enjoy exploration over combat then be sure to pick this one up.
Boat Materials
Thick Grass
An essential crafting resource that’s used for boat building, weapon crafting and more.
Location: Found on most islands
How: Cut at it with your base knife
Availability: Immediately
Wood
A heavy-duty construction material used for boat building and other crafting recipes.
Location: Dead trees are the only source of Wood in Windbound.
How: Chop down trees with an axe. When you attempt to cut down a dead tree you will unlock the axe recipe.
Availability: You can discover trees immediately but you’ll need the Axe to harvest them. This involves defeating the Gloomharrow in Chapter 3.
Bamboo
Bamboo is a plant with light, tough woody stems used most notably as a material to build your boat.
Location: Located in certain forests. More common on larger islands.
How: Cut at it with your base knife
Availability: After Chapter 2
Palm Frond
A broad, sturdy leaf that is great for weaving. It is a common plant that looks small and grows out palm-like on the floor. Use it to create bamboo masts for your ship.
Location: Nearby beaches
How: Pick it up
Availability: After Chapter 2
Plainstalker Horn
Plainstalkers in Windbound look like large mountain lions with goat horns. They can be found sleeping on rocks during the day in the tropical or desert biomes. These beasts are powerful enemies and are quick enough to dodge the player’s attacks. When it is dead, it will drop Skin, Raw Meat, and the Plainstalker Horn.
Use the horn to make bag racks and figureheads for your boat, amongst other things.
Location: Tropical or Desert islands on rocks.
How: Kill a Plainstalker
Availability: After Chapter 2
Crude Metal
This unrefined ore is used in the construction of upgraded weapons and defences. Use it to reinforce your boat or mould weapons with it in a clay kiln.
Location: Found in islands with dead trees and fog
How: Mine it from metal deposits using a hammer
Availability: After Chapter 3
Shell Fragment
The armoured hide of a hardy beast – The Pondwomper. Use it to create scale hull armour for your boat.
Pondwompers are large frog-like creatures with a shell exterior. They are hard to kill and the best way to defeat them is with a parry attack. They are most vulnerable right after an attack.
Location: Swampy Islands. You’ll know you’re about to encounter a Pondwomper if you hear plodding, trombone-led music as you explore the island.
How: Once killed the Pondwomper will drop Shell Fragments and Poison Glands.
Availability: From Chapter 4
