Short answer: Fragrant Cape is where every Isles of Abyss character starts, and it is the only sea with no Haywire weather. Use it to gather basic supplies, search stranded wrecks and follow the main quest that teaches you to build your first ship.
Weather: no Haywire zone
C1start
No Haywire weather
- effect
- None. Fragrant Cape is the one sea of the five without a Haywire Zone, so there is no weather debuff to counter here
- plan
- Use the calm to stock food and gear before you sail into the other four seas, each with its own Haywire weather
How the four Haywire seas compare: Isles of Abyss map.
Resources
C1gather
- basics
- Basic supplies along the shore, plus stranded wrecks to search
- beachcombing
- Sand holes, bubbling holes in shallow water and gaps in the rocks hold seafood and other pickups; drift bottles can contain treasure maps, books or ship blueprints
- wood
- Trees for your first wooden hull: How to build a ship
- settlement
- A fisherman NPC with side quests (fish into fuel, Fish Paste) and a shop that sells blueprints test-server report
Dangers
C1hazards
- Giant Squid
- A large sea creature you can meet once you put to sea (exact spawn areas not confirmed yet). Its tentacles grab your ship and hold it still. Shoot the tentacles and it lets go and flees. It can also climb aboard through gaps in the hull one player report
- sharks
- Sharks track you and attack between pauses; a Harpoon Cannon can hit through the water surface. Which seas they spawn in is not confirmed yet
- beachcombing
- Some pickups pinch or cut; Sea Urchins prick you when you gather them
- swimming
- Seawater is polluted, and deeper water is more dangerous: Diving guide
- night
- More dangerous enemies show up on the islands after dark test-server report
What’s here
C1terrain
- terrain
- Flower fields, coconut groves, rocky shallows, city ruins and stranded wrecks
- start
- The starting island and the first main quest, which walks you through building a ship
- names
- Island and POI names aren’t published yet; this section grows when they are
More for Fragrant Cape
- Beginner guide: your first day
- How to build a ship
- Isles of Abyss map: all 5 sea areas
- Isles of Abyss hub: dates, guides and the other seas
Sources
- Starry Studio (oncehuman.game), New Survival Scenario Isles of Abyss Launches Officially on October 21 (dev blog, 16 Oct 2026)
- Starry Studio (Steam), Ocean Expansion: Isles of Abyss Is Now Live (patch notes, 21 Oct 2026)
- momsbisburi (YouTube), Isles of Abyss Fully Explained: Ships, Haywire Zones & Sunken Lord
- Gotcha Beast (YouTube), How to Be Ready Day 1: The Ultimate Isles of Abyss Guide
- SysFem64 (YouTube), Once Human Boat Guide: sail vs engine, Giant Squid
- Grizl (YouTube), Once Human Isles of Abyss: Build a Better Ship & Upgrade Smarter
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