Quick answer
Current live-game guidanceWhat to do first
For a standard survival world, follow Eikthyr → The Elder → Bonemass → Moder → Yagluth → The Queen → Fader. Each stage supplies tools or materials for the next. Treat this as the normal preparation route, not a rule that prevents experienced players from entering a biome early.
Find your next milestone
| Stage | Work toward | What the boss unlocks |
|---|---|---|
| Meadows · Eikthyr | A sheltered base, cooked food, a bow or melee weapon, and two deer trophies. | Hard antlers for the antler pickaxe; start mining copper and tin. |
| Black Forest · The Elder | Surtling cores, smelting, a forge, bronze tools and three ancient seeds. | The Swamp key opens Sunken Crypts for a dependable iron route. |
| Swamp · Bonemass | Iron equipment, poison resistance mead and ten withered bones. | The Wishbone helps locate buried silver in tall Mountains. |
| Mountains · Moder | Frost protection, silver equipment and three dragon eggs. | Dragon tears enable the Artisan table and the next production tier. |
| Plains · Yagluth | Padded equipment, barley food and five Fuling totems. | Torn spirits enable a Wisp fountain; collect wisps for mist-clearing equipment. |
| Mistlands · The Queen | Black cores, refined eitr and nine Sealbreaker fragments. | Majestic carapaces are part of the Artisan press path needed for Ashlands sailing. |
| Ashlands · Fader | An established landing, upgraded Ashlands gear and three Bells. | Keep the trophy and relics; do not assume a final Deep North use before its release. |
Use the row for your current biome. The useful question is not just which boss comes next: it is whether you have the food, tools and crafting stations needed to use the next biome's resources.
If progression seems stuck
- 1
Pick up each newly acquired material yourself. Discovering a resource is not the same as having its recipe available to your character.
- 2
Check the required station and its level. A new metal alone does not unlock every item at your old workbench.
- 3
Build a food supply before a harder expedition. A weapon upgrade cannot replace the health and stamina needed to use it.
- 4
Set up a return route and repairs before moving your whole base. Scout first; transport valuable cargo once you know where you are going.
You do not need to craft every item in a biome. Choose equipment for your preferred combat style and the next obstacle. For example, an iron mace has a clear purpose against Bonemass; a full collection of iron weapons does not.
Can you skip bosses?
Some resources can be obtained early or through alternative routes. That does not make a sequence break the safest first-playthrough plan. Use the normal unlock chain when you are unsure; specialized shortcuts often exchange a crafting requirement for a much harder fight or journey.
World modifiers and mods can change transport, combat and resource pressure. If your world uses different settings, check them before assuming a guide's difficulty or hauling requirements match yours.
Version & sources
Sources & what may change
- Applies to
- Live 0.221.12 through Ashlands; check world settings and mods.
- Last verified
- September 4, 2026
- When to check again
- Recheck after the September 9 release, a relevant patch, or a change to the linked documentation. This page is not yet verified for 1.0.