The Underground Network is one of Windrose's earliest major quests, and it hits differently from the opening survival missions. You're no longer just keeping your ship afloat — you're getting pulled into the politics of Tortuga's smuggling operation, chasing a missing contact through a hidden cave, and eventually sinking a named ship in open water. Developer Kraken Express designed this quest as a proper introduction to the game's naval and boarding combat systems, and it shows.
The recommended player level is 3, you can clear it with your starter loadout — though the final naval fight will punish you if your ship hasn't been repaired. Seven objectives stand between you and the rewards, so here's exactly how to get through all of them.
What does Underground Network involve?
The quest triggers right after you complete the opening "How My Sea Adventure Began" mission and cross the pier into Tortuga. Your mini-map will show a blue icon pointing toward the local tavern. The full objective chain, as documented across multiple Windrose walkthroughs, runs as follows:
- Ask around Tortuga about the smugglers
- Talk to Long Ben in the tavern
- Talk to Marita at the smuggler's base (Smuggler's Waters)
- Find Hale (sail to the marked location southeast of camp)
- Return to Marita
- Talk to Long Ben again (at Undead Waters tavern)
- Find and sink Marlowe's ship (the Bony Sue)
The quest dialogue system rewards specific choices. Look for the option marked with an exclamation mark when reporting back to Marita — that's the one that actually advances the quest rather than cycling lore dialogue.
Quest objectives at a glance
Step 1: Talk to Long Ben in the Tortuga tavern
Follow the blue mini-map icon to the tavern on the far side of the Tortuga market. Long Ben is behind the bar. Two dialogue choices matter here: pick the second option first to get straight to business, then select "Someone has wrecked the smuggler's caches. One of them had a letter for Henry." Ben will direct you to Marita, who handles cargo logistics at the main smuggler's camp.
If you pick other dialogue options, you'll get world-building context but no quest progression. The exclamation-mark option is always the one that moves things forward.
Long Ben behind the bar
Step 2: Enter the smuggler's base and speak to Marita
Sail or fast-travel to Smuggler's Waters. The cave entrance requires pressing F to enter. Marita is standing immediately to your right once you're inside. For her dialogue, choose "Someone's hitting the caches…" on the second prompt. She'll task you with tracking down a missing man named Hale.
If you have the Smuggler's Waters fast travel point unlocked, this leg takes under a minute. If not, sail from your camp — it's a short trip.
Step 3: How to find Hale's hidden cave
This is the step that trips up most players. Hale's location is southeast of your starting camp, marked by a blue mission blip on the map. Sail there and land on the island.
Here's what most players miss: the cave entrance is disguised as a patch of wooden planks laid out on the grass. It doesn't look like a door. Swing your sword at the wood to shatter it, revealing an underground passage. Head down, defeat the enemy crab guarding the room (watch for its heavy claw swipe, per community reports), and interact with Hale's body. The interaction completes the objective.
Before you leave, loot the chests in the cave. According to xboxplay.games' walkthrough of the quest, these often contain quality crafting materials useful for early-game gear upgrades.
Step 4: Report back to Marita, then Long Ben
Return to Smuggler's Waters and speak to Marita. Select the dialogue option with the exclamation mark to inform her about Hale. She'll send you back to Long Ben — this time at the tavern near Undead Waters, not Tortuga. Fast-travel there and choose "Who's Henry?…" as your opening line. The conversation will reveal that Marlowe is behind the sabotage and has broken the smugglers' code by siding with the authorities.
Step 5: How to sink the Bony Sue and defeat Marlowe
The final objective sends you northwest to Blackbeard Waters. This is the quest's difficulty spike. Marlowe's ship, the Bony Sue, is a level 3 vessel accompanied by a Blackbeard Gunboat.
Combat strategy for the naval fight
The smart play is to eliminate the gunboat before focusing on the Bony Sue. Once the Bony Sue's health is critical, maneuver alongside and initiate the boarding prompt. Help your crew clear the sailors, then focus on Marlowe himself. He parries, so wait for him to finish a combo before attacking, as documented in xboxplay.games' detailed combat breakdown for this quest.
Do not skip the boarding phase and simply sink the ship from range. Killing Marlowe on his deck is required to confirm the kill for Long Ben and complete the objective properly.
If you're not yet level 3, a few Hunt contracts in the Coastal Jungle will get you there fast. Also repair your ship at the dock before sailing northwest — it's easy to forget after the Smuggler's Waters leg.
Rewards for completing Underground Network
Once you return to Long Ben and report Marlowe's fate, the quest closes out. Here's what you earn, per Destructoid's confirmed reward list:
The Letters of Favor are the real prize here. These are a special faction currency you can trade with Marita and other friendly NPCs for high-end pirate gear and ship upgrades that regular Piastre can't buy.
Don't spend all your Piastre on cosmetics before this quest wraps up. You may need Whetstones or Ship Repair Kits if the Bony Sue fight goes badly.
For more Windrose content and guides covering the game's quests, naval mechanics, and progression systems, browse more guides on GAMES.GG.