Windrose Walkthrough: Crushing “Revenge Is Best Served Cold”

Let’s get straight to it. This quest is your first real skill check in Windrose. You finally built your ship, and now the game expects you to dismantle an entire pirate operation across three different islands. It takes patience. If you rush through and leave a single enemy alive, you will find yourself staring at a locked chest, wondering where your missing loot is.

Here is exactly how you clear the zones, grab the marks, and put Thomas Richards in the dirt.

How the Black Marks Actually Work

You need four Black Marks to track down the boss, but you will not find them dropping randomly from pockets. You get them exclusively from Richard’s Crew Chests.

Here is the trick: those chests stay permanently locked until every single marked enemy in the area is dead. Most players get completely stuck because they missed one guy hiding behind a palm tree. Clear the zone entirely—perhaps by bringing along one of the heavy-hitting weapons from my other combat guides—and the chest will finally open.

Step 1: Blackbeard Outpost

Head over to the Ancient Ruins island. You are looking for enemies with specific icons floating over their heads. Take them out methodically. If you pull too many at once, they will swarm you quickly.

Once the coast is clear, four chests will become accessible. Loot all of them. You will find your first two Black Marks here. Search every single corner, because the chest placements can be sneaky and you do not want to leave one behind.

Step 2: The Enemy Camp

Next up is a densely populated camp. Do not just charge into the middle swinging your weapon. The smartest play is to lure small groups out into the open ground. Fighting in tight spaces against a crowd is a quick ticket back to the respawn screen.

Clear the entire camp, locate the main chest, and grab your third mark.

Step 3: Boarding the Ship

Your final target is Richard’s Lieutenant. He guards the last chest on his ship. The deck is incredibly cramped, giving you almost zero room to back away. Manage your stamina closely and prioritize dodging over landing extra hits. Once you put him down, the final chest unlocks. Grab that fourth Black Mark.

The Boss: Defeating Thomas Richards

With all four marks in your inventory, Richard’s hideout lights up on your map. Clear out the henchmen hanging around outside his wooden gate first so they do not interrupt the main event.

Thomas Richards is a tank. He swings a massive two handed weapon and tosses grenades that will absolutely melt your health bar.

Here is the winning strategy:

• Play strictly on the defensive.
• Wait for him to finish his slow, heavy combos.
• Strike only while he is recovering.
• Back off immediately when he winds up for a grenade throw.

Greed gets you killed in this fight. Take your time. The good news is that if you mess up and die, you can fast travel right back to his camp without doing the whole Black Mark run all over again.

After he drops, head back to your base and talk to Doctor Galen. You will walk away with a nice chunk of XP, a Seafood Platter, and Thomas Richards’ Journal.

What Else Do You Get?

While you are clearing these zones, you will pick up plenty of solid loot. Here is a breakdown of what drops from the NPCs and chests along the way:

Take the time to smash every barrel and open every side chest you see while hunting down those Black Marks. It is an excellent opportunity to stock up on these essentials before moving on to tougher challenges!

Looking to optimize your game or need help with another tough quest? Check out my other guides and get the upper hand.