Fast travel in Windrose doesn't work the way most open-world survival games handle it. There's no universal map teleport, no preset waypoints scattered across islands, and no menu toggle that whisks you home. Instead, the game uses a point-to-point system that requires you to physically craft and place structures at every location you want to revisit. The central piece of that system is the Fast Travel Bell.
Quick answer: Craft a Fast Travel Bell at a Workbench (10 Copper Ingots + 3 Rope), then use it alongside 20 Wood to build a Fast Travel Point near the shoreline. Place at least two Fast Travel Points on different islands, and you can teleport between them via the world map.
How the Fast Travel Bell works
The Fast Travel Bell is not a usable item on its own. It's a crafting component that goes into building a Fast Travel Point — the actual structure you interact with to teleport. Think of the bell as the key ingredient and the Fast Travel Point as the finished station. You need one bell per point, and you need a minimum of two points placed in two separate locations before the system activates.
The game caps you at ten Fast Travel Points total, so you'll want to be strategic about which islands get one. Fast Travel Points also cannot be placed near trading posts.
Getting a Fast Travel Bell — exploration or crafting
There are two ways to obtain a Fast Travel Bell. The first is looting one from the world. On the starting island, chests at the Smuggler's Cache and the Abandoned Buccaneer Camp (located to the west) contain bells. Be prepared for tough enemies at both locations. The downside to this method is that the supply is limited — once you've looted the chests, they're gone.
The second and more reliable method is crafting. At any Workbench, you can make a Fast Travel Bell with these materials:
| Material | Quantity | How to get it |
|---|---|---|
| Copper Ingot | 10 | Smelt raw Copper Ore in a Furnace |
| Rope | 3 | Craft at a Workbench using Plant Fiber gathered from bushes |
Crafting lets you produce as many bells as you need, so it's the better long-term approach — especially in co-op, where each player may want their own set of travel points.
Building a Fast Travel Point
Once you have a Fast Travel Bell, you can construct a Fast Travel Point. The recipe requires 1 Fast Travel Bell and 20 Wood. You'll find the option under Building Mode → Crafting & Utilities → Utilities.
Placement is the part that trips most players up. Fast Travel Points must be placed near the water — on a coastline, at the edge of a pier, or in shallow water. If you see a "coastal distance not met" error, you're too far inland. The game's in-game description is vague about this, but the rule is straightforward: the structure needs to be touching or nearly touching the ocean.
Step 1: Head to a suitable coastline on the island where you want to set up fast travel. Look for a relatively flat area near the water's edge.
Step 2: Build a short pier using wooden floor tiles that extend out into the ocean. This gives you a valid placement surface close enough to the water.
Step 3: Open the Building menu, navigate to Crafting & Utilities → Utilities, and select Fast Travel Point. Position it at the end of your pier or in the shallow water immediately next to it. Move it around until the placement indicator turns green.
Step 4: Place a Bonfire near the Fast Travel Point. The Bonfire validates the travel point and is required if you also want to use a Wharf for vessel management at that location.
Once placed, the Fast Travel Point appears as an icon on the world map.
Using fast travel once points are placed
With at least two Fast Travel Points on different islands, you can teleport between them. Walk up to any placed Fast Travel Point and interact with it — this opens the world map, where you can click on another Fast Travel Point to instantly travel there.
You can also fast travel from your boat or ship. Board your vessel, open the map, and select the destination Fast Travel Point. This is particularly useful when you're already at sea and want to skip a long sail back to your main base.
Wharf and vessel access at Fast Travel Points
If you plan to manage your ship at a Fast Travel Point, you'll also need to build a Wharf nearby. The Wharf handles vessel spawning and management, but it only functions when a Bonfire is placed close to the Fast Travel Point. Without the Bonfire, the Wharf won't activate. Setting up all three structures — Fast Travel Point, Bonfire, and Wharf — at each major island creates a fully functional forward operating base.
Windrose's fast travel system is deliberately hands-on. It rewards players who invest time in setting up infrastructure across the map, turning each new island into a potential hub rather than a one-time visit. With only ten slots available, choosing where to place your Fast Travel Points is one of the more meaningful logistical decisions you'll make as you explore the open seas. The system may change as the game moves beyond its current demo phase, but for now, stock up on Copper Ingots and Rope — you'll burn through both quickly.