Beachcombing

Beachcombing walks the tideline for wrack, the driftwood, rope ends, sailcloth, tar and iron the water gives up on its own schedule. It is the gathering trade that rewards rhythm rather than session length. Every beach quietly banks what washes in while you are away, so the player who checks a shore every morning finds more there than the player who grinds it for an hour and leaves.

How Beachcombing works

There are seven shores, opening in order as your level climbs: Sandflat Cove, Wreckmark Strand, Gullscream Shingle, Tidewrack Reach, The Bonefield, Stormglass Beach, and the Drowned Market. Each sits in a region of the tide almanac, and the published tide for that region colors what the shore is holding when you arrive.

The part that makes Beachcombing different from every other gathering trade is the wrackline ledger. A beach accumulates while you are not there, up to a cap, and hands the banked haul over on your next visit. Combing the same shore twice in a row pays the ordinary rate. Rotating between shores, or simply coming back tomorrow, pays the banked one. Nothing is missable and nothing expires into nothing, but the trade is built to reward looking in on the coast rather than parking on it.

Beachcombing has a mastery pool like the other gathering trades, and its checkpoints pay the house rewards, including the doubling chance every gathering skill shares.

Tips for training Beachcombing

1. Rotate shores instead of repeating one. The wrackline banks per beach, so four beaches on a rotation pay more than one beach four times.
2. Beachcombing is the supply line for Shipwrighting. If the Slipway is waiting on rope or sailcloth, this is the trade that unblocks it.
3. Check the tide for a shore's region before you walk it. A rich tide is visible days ahead, so you can plan a walk rather than be surprised by one.
4. It is a legitimate first trade for a new keeper. Beachcombing is the one Tidal Trade that comes with the free game.

Skills that pair with Beachcombing

The 28 trades aren't isolated. Beachcombing works best alongside these:

Frequently asked about Beachcombing

Do I lose wrack if I do not visit a beach?

No. A shore banks what washes in up to a cap and hands it over when you next arrive. Nothing is missable, and nothing is on a timer you have to beat.

Is Beachcombing part of the paid unlock?

No. Beachcombing is free. Scrimshaw, Chartwork and Shipwrighting are part of the one-time $9.99 unlock.

What is wrack actually for?

Mostly Shipwrighting, which turns rope ends, sailcloth, tar and iron fittings into the parts of your vessel. Scrimshaw takes the bone and shell for charms.