Windrose's first big update brings a new biome, new ships, and maybe actual wind

Kraken Express has outlined the first major update coming to Windrose, its early access pirate survival game, and the list is substantial — a new biome, new ship classes, more story content, and a wind system that may or may not make the final cut.

The headline addition is the Ashlands, a volcanic biome scarred by ancient eruptions, described as home to new islands, enemies, items, resources, recipes, and a new challenging boss. The update also adds new building pieces and decorations, new ship classes and variants, and smarter NPC ship behavior — instead of looping in circles, enemy vessels will sail in actual formations. On wind: the studio confirmed on Steam that it's "definitely exploring" the idea, noting it was part of the original vision. The caveat is deliberate — Kraken Express wants any wind system to stay "fun and simple," explicitly distancing Windrose from hardcore simulation territory.

That's a meaningful design tension to navigate. Windrose is built around frictionless adventure — gear doesn't degrade, your crew can't die, and right now your ship moves at full speed in any direction regardless of conditions. The game draws clear inspiration from Valheim, which does have a wind system that forces slow sailing into headwinds. That system adds atmosphere and makes the ocean feel genuinely dangerous, but it can also drag out what should be a short crossing into a tedious ordeal. Kraken Express seems well aware of that tradeoff and is signaling it won't just copy Valheim's approach wholesale.

No release window has been announced for the update yet — the studio says it will share timing details as development progresses. Given that wind is still in the "exploring" phase, it's possible the rest of the update ships first and wind follows later, or gets cut entirely if it doesn't feel right.