The Ashlands update is Windrose's largest content expansion to date, adding a sprawling new volcanic region, a new endgame boss, three new weapon types, two new ship modules, and a raised level cap from 15 to 20. The update represents approximately 30 hours of new content and is designed for players who have completed the base game's main story and reached max level. This guide covers everything you need to know to prepare for and enjoy the Ashlands expansion.
The Ashlands region is located in the far southwest of the map, accessible by sailing through a dangerous volcanic archipelago. The region features active volcanoes, lava rivers, ash storms, and unique fire-themed flora and fauna. The environment itself is a hazard, with extreme heat that damages players without fire resistance gear and ash storms that reduce visibility to near zero.
The centerpiece of the update is the Ashbringer, a level 45 fire elemental boss that serves as the expansion's final encounter. The Ashbringer is the hardest boss in Windrose, requiring a party of 4 level 40+ players with ice weapons and extensive preparation. Defeating the Ashbringer rewards the phoenix feather, a unique item that revives you once per day upon death.
The update also introduces a new faction, the Ashborn Covenant, a group of fire-worshiping cultists who offer unique questlines and rewards. Joining the Ashborn Covenant provides access to fire-themed blueprints, including the fire cannon ammunition recipe and the phoenix armor set, which provides the highest fire resistance in the game.
The level cap increase from 15 to 20 comes with a new skill tree extension, adding 5 new skill points to spend. The extended skill tree offers powerful new abilities including Lava Walk (immune to lava damage), Phoenix Rise (heal 50 percent of health on lethal hit, once per hour), and Volcanic Fury (50 percent damage boost for 10 seconds after taking fire damage).
| Feature | Details | Requirements |
|---|---|---|
| Ashlands region | New volcanic area | Level 15, completed story |
| Ashbringer boss | Level 45 endgame | Level 40+, 4-player party |
| Ashborn Covenant | New faction | Level 15 |
| Level cap 20 | 5 new levels | Level 15 |
| New skill tree | 5 new abilities | Level 16-20 |
Ashlands Update Overview and Release Info
The Ashlands update is Windrose's largest content expansion to date, adding a sprawling new volcanic region, a new endgame boss, three new weapon types, two new ship modules, and a raised level cap from 15 to 20. The update represents approximately 30 hours of new content and is designed for players who have completed the base game's main story and reached max level. This guide covers everything you need to know to prepare for and enjoy the Ashlands expansion.
The Ashlands region is located in the far southwest of the map, accessible by sailing through a dangerous volcanic archipelago. The region features active volcanoes, lava rivers, ash storms, and unique fire-themed flora and fauna. The environment itself is a hazard, with extreme heat that damages players without fire resistance gear and ash storms that reduce visibility to near zero.
The centerpiece of the update is the Ashbringer, a level 45 fire elemental boss that serves as the expansion's final encounter. The Ashbringer is the hardest boss in Windrose, requiring a party of 4 level 40+ players with ice weapons and extensive preparation. Defeating the Ashbringer rewards the phoenix feather, a unique item that revives you once per day upon death.
The update also introduces a new faction, the Ashborn Covenant, a group of fire-worshiping cultists who offer unique questlines and rewards. Joining the Ashborn Covenant provides access to fire-themed blueprints, including the fire cannon ammunition recipe and the phoenix armor set, which provides the highest fire resistance in the game.
The level cap increase from 15 to 20 comes with a new skill tree extension, adding 5 new skill points to spend. The extended skill tree offers powerful new abilities including Lava Walk (immune to lava damage), Phoenix Rise (heal 50 percent of health on lethal hit, once per hour), and Volcanic Fury (50 percent damage boost for 10 seconds after taking fire damage).
| Feature | Details | Requirements |
|---|---|---|
| Ashlands region | New volcanic area | Level 15, completed story |
| Ashbringer boss | Level 45 endgame | Level 40+, 4-player party |
| Ashborn Covenant | New faction | Level 15 |
| Level cap 20 | 5 new levels | Level 15 |
| New skill tree | 5 new abilities | Level 16-20 |
New Weapons, Ships, and Gear
The Ashlands update introduces three new weapon types that expand Windrose's combat options. The lava whip is a new melee weapon with extended reach and a unique mechanic where it deals increasing damage the longer it is in contact with an enemy, rewarding sustained attacks. The volcanic crossbow fires explosive bolts that deal area damage, making it ideal for crowd control. The ash staff is a new magic weapon that casts ash clouds, blinding enemies and reducing their accuracy by 50 percent.
Each new weapon has an elemental affinity tied to the Ashlands theme. The lava whip deals fire damage with a burn effect, the volcanic crossbow deals explosive damage that staggers enemies, and the ash staff deals shadow damage with a blind effect. All three weapons can be crafted at the new Ashlands Forge, which requires materials only found in the volcanic region.
Two new ship modules expand naval customization. The lava cannon is a new naval weapon that fires molten projectiles, dealing fire damage and applying a burn effect to enemy ships that deals 100 damage per second for 10 seconds. The heat shield module reduces fire damage to your ship by 50 percent, essential for navigating the volcanic archipelago and surviving lava cannon attacks in PvP.
The phoenix armor set is the expansion's premier gear, craftable from phoenix feathers dropped by the Ashbringer and volcanic materials from the Ashlands. The full set provides 40 percent fire resistance, 20 percent increased damage with fire weapons, and a set bonus that grants immunity to lava for 5 seconds. This armor set is essential for comfortable exploration of the Ashlands region.
New consumables include the lava resistance potion, which provides complete immunity to heat damage for 60 seconds, and the phoenix feather consumable, which is a single-use revival item that brings you back to full health on death. Stock up on these consumables before venturing into the Ashlands, as the region's environmental hazards make them essential for survival.
- Lava whip: sustained fire damage melee weapon
- Volcanic crossbow: explosive area damage ranged
- Ash staff: shadow damage with blind effect
- Lava cannon: naval weapon with burn DoT
- Phoenix armor: 40% fire resist, lava immunity
Exploring the Ashlands Region
The Ashlands region is Windrose's most dangerous and rewarding area, and exploring it requires careful preparation. Before entering, ensure you have fire resistance gear or lava resistance potions, as the ambient heat deals 10 damage per second to unprotected players. The phoenix armor set or at minimum fire-enchanted gear is strongly recommended for extended exploration.
The region is divided into three zones of increasing danger. The outer Ashlands feature cooled lava fields with scattered resource nodes, including obsidian (a new crafting material) and sulfur (used for explosive consumables). This zone is relatively safe and is the recommended starting point for Ashlands exploration. Enemies here are level 35 to 38 fire elementals and ash wolves.
The inner Ashlands feature active volcanic terrain with lava rivers, ash storms, and stronger enemies. Lava rivers deal 200 damage per second on contact and must be crossed using the Lava Walk skill or lava resistance potions. Ash storms reduce visibility to 5 meters and deal 5 damage per second, making navigation extremely difficult. Enemies here are level 38 to 42, including magma golems and fire serpents.
The Ashbringer's lair is at the center of the inner Ashlands, inside the largest volcano. The approach to the lair is guarded by elite fire elementals and requires navigating a narrow lava-filled corridor. Only attempt this approach with a full party of level 40+ players, fully equipped with ice weapons and lava resistance potions. The Ashbringer encounter itself is covered in our boss guide.
New resources in the Ashlands include obsidian (used for volcanic weapons and the Ashlands Forge), sulfur (used for explosive bolts and bombs), phoenix ash (used for phoenix armor and revival consumables), and volcanic steel (a superior material that replaces refined steel for high-end crafting). Gather these resources during exploration to fund your Ashlands gear progression.
| Zone | Enemy Levels | Hazards | Key Resources |
|---|---|---|---|
| Outer Ashlands | 35-38 | Heat damage | Obsidian, sulfur |
| Inner Ashlands | 38-42 | Lava, ash storms | Phoenix ash, volcanic steel |
| Ashbringer's Lair | 42-45 | Extreme heat, lava | Boss loot |
How to Prepare for the Ashlands Update
Preparing for the Ashlands update before it launches gives you a significant head start, allowing you to dive into the new content immediately rather than spending hours on prerequisite grinding. The most important preparation is reaching level 15, the base game's max level, as the Ashlands content is designed for max-level players. If you are not yet level 15, follow our fastest XP path guide to reach max level before the update.
Stockpile resources that will be in high demand after the update. Iron ingots, hardwood planks, and refined steel will be needed for crafting the new weapons and ship modules. The Ashlands Forge requires 100 iron ingots and 50 refined steel to construct, so having these materials ready saves significant post-update grinding. Aim for a stockpile of 200 iron ingots and 100 refined steel.
Save your gold. The new content introduces several expensive purchases, including the Ashborn Covenant joining fee of 2,000 gold, the lava cannon blueprint at 1,500 gold, and various consumables that cost 100 to 500 gold each. Having 5,000 to 10,000 gold saved ensures you can purchase everything you need without delay.
Assemble a co-op group. The Ashbringer encounter requires 4 players, and the inner Ashlands are extremely dangerous to explore solo. Find 3 other players who are also preparing for the update and coordinate your schedules. A regular group that plays together consistently will progress much faster through the Ashlands content than solo players.
Finally, clear your weekly boss lockouts before the update launches. The Ashbringer shares the weekly lockout with other endgame bosses, so if you have already killed your weekly bosses, you will need to wait for the Tuesday reset before attempting the Ashbringer. Time your pre-update boss farming to leave the Ashbringer's lockout available for launch day.
- Reach level 15 before the update launches
- Stockpile 200 iron ingots and 100 refined steel
- Save 5,000 to 10,000 gold for new purchases
- Assemble a 4-player co-op group
- Clear weekly boss lockouts before launch day