Uncharted Waters Origin adds new S Grade mates and revamps the Salvage system in New Year's update
Sailing into 2026 strong
- Two new S Grade Mates - Arkan Verdad and recruitable innkeeper Rabout
- Salvage has been fully revamped with new regions and improved rewards
- New Year celebrations bring login bonuses, ranking rewards, and valuable growth items
If you’ve been looking to dust off your spyglass and head back out to sea, Uncharted Waters Origin has entered the new year with a major content update. The seafaring sandbox RPG is welcoming fresh Mates, reworking one of the game’s core systems, and rolling out a generous run of New Year events that’ll keep you busy well into February.
The headline additions are two new S Grade Mates. Arkan Verdad arrives as a straight-up recruitable powerhouse, while Rabout takes a slightly more old-school route. You’ll find him working the inn in Bremen, and with enough effort (and patience) building up his Friendship, he can be convinced to leave hospitality behind and join your crew.
Salvage, meanwhile, has had a full refresh. The old regions are gone, replaced by a clearer split between Beginner and Advanced Salvage zones that span everything from the North Atlantic to the South Pacific. Rewards have been given a serious boost, too, with items like Slot Expansions, Fortifiers, and Enhance Protectants now part of the loot table.
There are also some quality-of-life tweaks to make things smoother sailing. Trade Goods prices and recommendations can now be checked directly from the World Map, while new achievement categories and profit rankings add a bit more structure to your voyages. New Discoveries tied to Investment Season Five help flesh out the North Sea region further.
All of this feeds into a slate of New Year's events running until February 10th. The Northern Wind Winter Festival tasks you with dipping into Salvage, Combat, Production, and Trade to earn North Sea Amber, which can be exchanged for high-value growth items. Additional login rewards, limited-time Salvage regions, and ranking-based prizes round out the event period.
And if you're looking for more open-ended exploration, you might want to look at our picks for the best sandbox games on mobile right now!
