Wild West Pioneers quest order and achievements
Traced through its achievements, the Early Access story runs through 16 main quests, from Residents’ Needs to Where Is My Father, and the game has 89 achievements on Steam. One of them marks the end of the Early Access content. About seven in ten players have finished the first quest; the later ones are still rare.
The main quests, in order
The first four come up in this order in the gameplay footage released at launch, with Margaret’s search starting while Growing Family is still open. (Shown in Wild West Pioneers Gameplay (PC) (GameZine, YouTube, launch-day footage)) From Debt onward, Steam numbers the quest achievements in sequence, and the share of players holding each one falls in that same order, so until more players get that far it is the best guide to what comes next. (Numbered on the game's Steam achievements page) Blocked Passage asks you to gather 20 settlers, a change made during the playtest. (Changed in Steam announcement: Playtest Hotfix)
| # | Quest | Achievement | Players who have it |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Residents' Needs · Unlock tents, house all 30 residents, feed them from the Food Shop, water every house. | Hunger Games | 73% |
| 2 | Satisfaction · Shown on screen as Happy Residents: reach a satisfaction level of 60. | Five stars, would visit again | 62% |
| 3 | Growing Family · Welcome 20 new pioneers to the settlement. | The more, the merrier | 44% |
| 4 | Where Is She? · Find Glenn's wife Margaret with your scouts and bring her back to Dust Creek. | Lost and Found | 40% |
| 5 | Debt · Gold for Bill. Separate achievements count finding enough gold to pay him off, and later paying him off for real. | Always pay their debts | 1% |
| 6 | Freedom | Freedom! | under 1% |
| 7 | The End of Peace | This means war | under 1% |
| 8 | Order from Behind the Desk | I am the Law | under 1% |
| 9 | Suspicious Customer | Trust no one | under 1% |
| 10 | Retired Bandit | Just when I thought I was out... | under 1% |
| 11 | On the Trail of Bandits | Wanted: Dead or Alive | under 1% |
| 12 | Blocked Passage | You shall not pass! | under 1% |
| 13 | The End of Bandits Is Close | Follow the White Rabbit | under 1% |
| 14 | End of Bandits | The Endgame | under 1% |
| 15 | Government Swamp | House of Cards | under 1% |
| 16 | Where Is My Father · The last main quest with an achievement. | I am your father | under 1% |
How the first stretch plays is in your first two hours; the gold for Bill is on gold and the debt, and Margaret is found with the scouts. After Where Is My Father there is one more achievement, Father's friend is my friend, for reaching the end of what Early Access currently holds.
Achievements you can miss on day one
Most achievements come with the story. These don’t, and the first one closes when your first in-game day ends.
| Achievement | What it asks | How to get it |
|---|---|---|
| Ain't my first rodeo | Build two wood outposts within the first day | Only counts on your first in-game day, so plan the two wood outposts from the start. |
| Four dollars a pound! | Try some local mushrooms | Mushrooms are among the first foods your gatherers bring in, so this can come early. |
| Who's a good boy? | Pet dog in Shrubby Glade | The achievement names the place: find the dog in Shrubby Glade. |
| Zero Stars, Would Revolt | Reach 0 Happiness after "Residents Needs" quest | Asks you to let happiness hit zero after Residents' Needs. Do it on a spare save. |
| Just the two of us | Have only one resident remaining | Down to a single resident. Spare-save territory too. |
| Fine, I’ll Pay | Pay a fine | Paying one fine is enough, so pay the first you are given. |
| Hit the Road Jack | Place 20 buildings along main road | Easiest if you lay the main road early and keep building along it instead of around it. |
| Wild Venice | Build 20 bridges in one settlement | All twenty have to be in the same settlement, so pick one with plenty of water to cross. |
| Yes Jamie, Kaboom | Blow up all the rocks in Sand Storm | The debt sends you to Sand Storm to find gold under the rocks, so finish the job while you are there. |
| Gimmie, gimmie | Place every type of decoration | Decorations cost 10 cash each in the launch footage, so this is cheap once they are all unlocked. |
Choices that split achievements
A few pairs describe two ways through the same situation. The game does not say whether you can come back for the other side, so keep a save from just before each of these and take the second path from there.
- The native tribe asks for help against the bandits. Bandit Removal Service (help the native tribe with the bandits) or Not in My Quest Log (don't help the native tribe with the bandits).
- Tracking down the ex-bandit: the right one or the wrong one. The Good, the Bad, and the Reformed (find proper ex-bandit) or Not the Bandit You’re Looking For (find wrong ex-bandit).
- Dealing with the bandits: guns or poison. Kids with Guns (kill the bandits with guns) or Don't you know that you're toxic? (poison bandits).
- The rogue moonshiners: destroy the operation, or go behind the priest's back and take the alcohol. Holier-than-thou (destroy the rogue moonshining operation) or From behind (go behind the priest's back and steal all the alcohol).
Jesse, your right-hand man, has a pair too: Source: Trust me, Partner for asking his advice and Hold my whiskey for turning it down. These two are not either-or: their shares add up to more than 100%, so at least 8% of players hold both. Ask him once and turn him down once.
Five ways out of jail
Getting locked up is an achievement of its own (Behind Bars), and so is each way out: three for escaping prison, two for the government prison.
- I mean, they were right there. Escape from prison by stealing the keys.
- Playing With Fire Escape from prison using fire.
- Divide and Conquer Escape from prison by exploiting the conflicts among the criminals.
- Below the Law Escape from the government prison through the underground passage.
- Through the Front Door Escape from the government prison through the door.
The most common way out so far is escaping by stealing the keys, held by 14% of players; next is escaping using fire, at 2%. If you want every way out, save before you break free.
Side quests with achievements
17 side quests carry an achievement. The buried treasure is not among them by name, but finding it earns X marks the spot; the shovel page covers it.
| Side quest | Achievement | Players who have it |
|---|---|---|
| New Beginnings | A New Hope | 25% |
| Secret Admirer | You've got mail | 13% |
| Forever and After | Happily ever after | 5% |
| Spare Change Boss | Sugar Mayor | 5% |
| Moonshine Scandal | Say my name | 4% |
| Band of Ghosts | Ghostbusters | 3% |
| Broken Business | Thou Shalt Not Distill | 2% |
| Natives | Diplomacy achieved | 2% |
| Priest | The power of Christ compels you | 1% |
| Bit boring Here, Partner... | Exterior decorator | 1% |
| Traveling Merchant | No Refunds | under 1% |
| Mother-in-Law | The Real Final Boss | under 1% |
| Cattle for Natives | Dances with cows | under 1% |
| Red Ghost | The Phantom Menace | under 1% |
| Breeder Problem | Life finds a way | under 1% |
| Whack-A-Mole | It's getting out of hand | under 1% |
| The Lumberjack Saga | Timberrrrr! | under 1% |
Every achievement
All 89, most-held first. The shares are Steam’s global figures and shift daily while the player base grows, so read them as how far people have got, not as difficulty. None of them is hidden. (From the game's Steam achievements page)
| Achievement | What it asks | Players who have it |
|---|---|---|
| You're Finally Awake! | Start the new adventure | 100% |
| Welcome to the Colony! | Establish your first settlement | 100% |
| The paperwork begins | Appoint the first Official in Dust Creek | 97% |
| Trust the process | Buy first Idea | 95% |
| Factori-oh! | Establish first resource chain | 89% |
| Source: Trust me, Partner | Ask Jesse for advices | 78% |
| Hunger Games | Complete the Quest: Residents Needs | 73% |
| One small upgrade for a man... | Unlock the first Improvement in the Idea Tree | 70% |
| Sleep is for the weak | Skip the night | 67% |
| Five stars, would visit again | Complete the Quest: Satisfaction | 62% |
| The more, the merrier | Complete the Quest: Growing Family | 44% |
| Ain't my first rodeo | Build two wood outposts within the first day | 42% |
| Lost and Found | Bring Margaret to town | 40% |
| A fresh coat of paint | Upgrade the first building in the settlement | 32% |
| Hold my whiskey | Reject Jesse's advices | 30% |
| Who's a good boy? | Pet dog in Shrubby Glade | 29% |
| We need... we need... MONEY! | Find enough Gold to pay off Bill | 26% |
| A New Hope | Complete the Side Quest:New Beginnings | 25% |
| It's 100% legal! | Start producing moonshine | 24% |
| Stay awhile and listen. | Trade with a merchant for the first time | 23% |
| Should've packed more | Resupply scouts in the field | 22% |
| Gotta Build 'Em All | Unlock all buildings | 18% |
| Behind Bars | Get thrown in jail | 17% |
| I mean, they were right there. | Escape from prison by stealing the keys | 14% |
| Zero Stars, Would Revolt | Reach 0 Happiness after "Residents Needs" quest | 14% |
| X marks the spot | Find the treasure buried in Hidden Grove | 14% |
| You've got mail | Complete the Side Quest: Secret Admirer | 13% |
| Now We're Multitasking | Establish your second settlement | 9% |
| Ministry of Silly Paperwork | Appoint the first Official in Sand storm | 8% |
| Master Chef | Unlock all recipes for the Kitchen | 6% |
| Happily ever after | Complete the Side Quest: Forever and After | 5% |
| Where you make your own luck | Reach +100 Happiness | 5% |
| Sugar Mayor | Complete the Side Quest: Spare Change Boss | 5% |
| Bandit Removal Service | Help the native tribe with the bandits | 5% |
| Say my name | Complete the Side Quest: Moonshine Scandal | 4% |
| Ghostbusters | Complete the Side Quest: Band of Ghosts | 3% |
| Thou Shalt Not Distill | Complete the Side Quest: Broken Business | 2% |
| Hit the Road Jack | Place 20 buildings along main road | 2% |
| Playing With Fire | Escape from prison using fire | 2% |
| Diplomacy achieved | Complete the Side Quest: Natives | 2% |
| The power of Christ compels you | Complete the Side Quest: Priest | 1% |
| Holier-than-thou | Destroy the rogue moonshining operation | 1% |
| From behind | Go behind the priest's back and steal all the alcohol | 1% |
| Exterior decorator | Complete the Side Quest: Bit boring Here, Partner... | 1% |
| The Office | Appoint all three officials in Dust Creek | 1% |
| Always pay their debts | Complete the Quest: Debt | 1% |
| Bye bye Bill! | Find enough Gold to pay off Bill, for real this time. | under 1% |
| Freedom! | Complete the Quest: Freedom | under 1% |
| Moar, Moar Residents | Reach the resident amount limit | under 1% |
| This means war | Complete the Quest: the End of Peace | under 1% |
| No Refunds | Complete the Side Quest: Traveling Merchant | under 1% |
| I am the Law | Complete the Quest: Order from behind the desk | under 1% |
| Four dollars a pound! | Try some local mushrooms | under 1% |
| The Real Final Boss | Complete the Side Quest: Mother-in-Law | under 1% |
| Praise the Sun! | Bring a priest to town. | under 1% |
| Trust no one | Complete the Quest: Suspicious Customer | under 1% |
| Dances with cows | Complete the Side Quest: Cattle for Natives | under 1% |
| Just when I thought I was out... | Complete the Quest: Retired Bandit | under 1% |
| Dysentery won't stop us! | Visit all locations in the game (without secret ones) | under 1% |
| Wanted: Dead or Alive | Complete the Quest: On the trail of bandits | under 1% |
| You shall not pass! | Complete the Quest: Blocked Passage | under 1% |
| Follow the White Rabbit | Complete the Quest: The end of bandits is close | under 1% |
| The Endgame | Complete the Quest: End of bandits | under 1% |
| The Phantom Menace | Complete the Side Quest: Red Ghost | under 1% |
| The Good, the Bad, and the Reformed | Find proper ex-bandit | under 1% |
| Not in My Quest Log | Don't help the native tribe with the bandits | under 1% |
| Wild Venice | Build 20 bridges in one settlement | under 1% |
| Just the two of us | Have only one resident remaining | under 1% |
| Father's friend is my friend | Reach the end of the early access content | under 1% |
| Cowboy Ramsey | Finish cooking the poison | under 1% |
| House of Cards | Complete the Quest: Government Swamp | under 1% |
| I am your father | Complete the Quest: Where is my father | under 1% |
| Life finds a way | Complete the Side Quest: Breeder Problem | under 1% |
| It's getting out of hand | Complete the Side Quest: Whack-A-Mole | under 1% |
| Timberrrrr! | Complete the Side Quest: The Lumberjack Saga | under 1% |
| Kids with Guns | Kill the bandits with guns | under 1% |
| Don't you know that you're toxic? | Poison Bandits | under 1% |
| Not the Bandit You’re Looking For | Find wrong ex-bandit | under 1% |
| Oops, my bad. | Mistake a regular citizen for a bandit | under 1% |
| Divide and Conquer | Escape from prison by exploiting the conflicts among the criminals | under 1% |
| Yes Jamie, Kaboom | Blow up all the rocks in Sand Storm | under 1% |
| Gimmie, gimmie | Place every type of decoration | under 1% |
| Papers, please | Appoint all three officials in Sand Storm | under 1% |
| Knowledge is Power | Buy all available Ideas | under 1% |
| Where's Dudu? | Find your doppleganger | under 1% |
| This is how we do things 'round here. | Brew a poison for the interrogation. | under 1% |
| Fine, I’ll Pay | Pay a fine | under 1% |
| Below the Law | Escape from the government prison through the underground passage | under 1% |
| Through the Front Door | Escape from the government prison through the door | under 1% |
Related
Your first two hours, journey points and ideas, residents’ needs and whims for the happiness achievements, and gold and the debt.