I want more crafting options
Unlock the Workshop
This opens the Workshop and Forge Shop, which removes a major crafting bottleneck.
Open the Workshop →Steam 1.0 check in progress
Core progression is being compared with the full release.
Welcome to Elderfield Progression Guide: What Unlocks What
There isn’t one fixed quest order in Welcome to Elderfield. The main systems open in parallel, and each one can have its own unlock requirement, so the useful question is usually not “which quest number is next?” but “which system have I not opened yet?”
Open the branches as they become available, then continue whichever one gives you what you need right now. If something isn’t available, check whether you’re waiting on a quest, a day, an item, an NPC or another system before assuming the route is broken.
Not sure what applies to your save?Find My Next Step →
Quick Answer
Progression at a Glance
4 branches have no prerequisite at all, and only the farming chain and the Catacombs build on themselves. The map below groups steps by how far into the game they sit. Tap a node to see whether it is available, what it actually requires, and what it opens.
Filter by system
START
4 of these branches have no prerequisite at all, so you can open them in whichever order suits you. Tap any step to see what it actually requires.
Early: open the core systems
These are the branches that unlock farming, crafting and fishing. They do not wait on each other unless a step says so.
Mid: continue the main routes
Once a system is open, its own chain continues. Each step below names what it requires.
Optional: the Catacombs route
A separate branch with its own entrance. Not required for farming, crafting or the Ranch.
Not part of normal progression yet
These can be started, but a required source sits outside the current build, so they cannot be finished normally.
Extreme optional grinds
Technically possible, but the requirements make it a poor use of early time.
No prerequisiteNeeds a step firstOptional secretLater or optionalWant a personalized answer? Find My Next Step →
What Should You Prioritize Right Now?
There is no universally correct order. Pick the branch that matches what you actually want next — these are the four answers that come up most often.
I want the next farming unlock
Complete The Skull Chalice
This unlocks Pumpkin Seed and several new recipes.
Farming chain →I need money and materials
Add a second producing system
Farming, fishing and the Ranch all produce sellable goods. Fishing has no day gate, so it opens as soon as its quest is done, while the Ranch has to wait for Day 5.
Fishing guide →I want to explore secrets
Unlock the Catacombs through By the Gods
This opens the legitimate secret route into the Catacombs.
Catacombs route →What Unlocks What?
Start from the thing you want rather than the quest you are on. Every row below is taken from the unlock recorded on that system, not from the order quests appear in a list.
| I want | What unlocks it | Guide |
|---|---|---|
| Farming | Start farming with Farmer Hans | Open guide → |
| Workshop | Help Molly and open the Workshop | Open guide → |
| Forge Shop | Help Molly and open the Workshop | Open guide → |
| Ranch | Open the Ranch | Ranch unlock guide → |
| Animal Shop | Open the Ranch | Ranch unlock guide → |
| Pumpkin Seed | Complete The Skull Chalice | Open guide → |
| Corn Seed | Complete A Fast Food Fiend | Open guide → |
| Lakefront fishing | Unlock fishing at the Lakefront | Open guide → |
| Catacombs 1F | Unlock the Catacombs through By the Gods | Open guide → |
| Large Hammer | Complete Feed the Mold | Open guide → |
| Steel-Knuckled Glove | Complete Hidden Shrines | Open guide → |
| Catacombs Mines 2 | Open the deeper Catacombs Mines | Open guide → |
Core Progression: Open the Main Systems First
You do not need to finish every early side quest before opening the main systems. Farming, Molly’s Workshop, fishing and the Ranch are the early unlocks that give you the most new options, and they do not have to be done in a fixed order.
FarmingAvailable early
Start Farming with Farmer Hans
Talk to Farmer Hans in the Farmhouse to start farming and begin The Farmer’s Path. Your first important farming objective is to grow and harvest Wheat. Finishing the quest gives you the Grinder, opens the Recipe Shop, and prepares Hans’s next farming progression.
Unlocks: FarmingGrinderRecipe ShopThe Skull Chalice
WorkshopAvailable early
Help Molly and Unlock the Workshop
Helping Molly is a parallel progression route, not something you need to wait until the farming chain is finished to begin. Find Molly on the Farm Path, get Copper Ore, and bring it back to her. Completing the quest opens the Workshop and Forge Shop.
Unlocks: WorkshopForge ShopFurnace / crafting progression
FishingAvailable early
Open Fishing at the Lakefront
Fishing is another independent early system. Head to the Lakefront, talk to Fisherman Herb, and complete Casting Your Line to begin the normal fishing route.
Unlocks: Lakefront fishing
RanchDay 5+
Reach Day 5 and Open the Ranch
The Ranch is primarily a day gate, not the reward for completing a long chain of early quests. Once you reach Day 5, the Ranch route becomes available from the Farm area. Opening it gives access to the Ranch, animal and building systems.
Unlocks: RanchAnimalsBuildingsAnimal products
Farming Progression
Farming Progression: Wheat → Pumpkin → Corn
Unlike the four main system unlocks, the farming chain runs in sequence: each quest depends on the one before it, and each one unlocks the next seeds and recipes.
Step 1
The Farmer’s Path
- Requires
- Start farming with Farmer Hans.
- Do
- Grow and harvest Wheat, then return to Farmer Hans.
- Unlocks
GrinderRecipe ShopThe Skull Chalice trigger
Step 2
The Skull Chalice
- Requires
- Finish The Farmer's Path
- Do
- Craft the Giant Skull Chalice at the Workbench. This quest starts from its own trigger after The Farmer’s Path rather than the moment you hand that quest in.
- Unlocks
Pumpkin SeedPumpkin PiePumpkin MuffinSpecial Donut
Step 3
A Fast Food Fiend
- Requires
- Complete The Skull Chalice
- Do
- Defeat the Denizen of the Deep Fryer in the Mall Kitchen. This is also a Day 21 farming step, so it stays locked early even after The Skull Chalice is done.
- Unlocks
Corn SeedCornbreadMana MuffinSpecial BurgerHarvest Stew
What Can You Do in Parallel?
Progression usually stops in one branch while another branch is wide open. Every route below has no prerequisite, so none of them are waiting on the quest you are stuck on.
Start farming with Farmer Hans
This opens the farming progression and gives you the first crop objective.
Open this route →Help Molly and open the Workshop
This opens the Workshop and Forge Shop, which removes a major crafting bottleneck.
Open this route →Open the RanchDay 5
The Ranch opens animals, buildings, animal products, and several production chains.
Open this route →Unlock fishing at the Lakefront
Fishing opens another repeatable source of fish, treasure, bait-related resources, and later item requirements.
Open this route →Unlock the Catacombs through By the Gods
This opens the legitimate secret route into the Catacombs.
Open this route →Waiting for Day 5?
The Ranch is a day gate rather than a quest reward, so being locked out before Day 5 means nothing is missed. Spend those days on the branches above.
Waiting for a crop or a delivery?
Growing time does not block the rest of the game. Use it to visit an NPC, open another branch or work on the Workshop instead of standing on the farm.
You are usually not stuck just because one NPC has nothing new to say. Check another system before assuming you missed a quest.
OptionalSpoilers
Secret Progression: Unlocking the Catacombs
By the Gods → two shrines → Pete → hidden stairs → Catacombs. Not required to open the main farming, Workshop, fishing or Ranch systems.
Show the Catacombs route (spoilers)
The Catacombs are one branch with its own entrance, its own tools and its own pacing. Nothing here is required for farming, the Workshop, fishing or the Ranch, so treat it as optional content rather than a route you have to finish.
- 01Unlock the Catacombs through By the GodsYou can work on this now.
- 02Establish your Catacombs tool supplyFinish Unlock the Catacombs through By the Gods first.
- 03Work through Secrets of the CatacombsFinish Establish your Catacombs tool supply first.
- 04Complete Feed the MoldFinish Unlock the Catacombs through By the Gods first.
- 05Complete Hidden ShrinesFinish Establish your Catacombs tool supply first.
- 06Open the deeper Catacombs MinesFinish Unlock the Catacombs through By the Gods first.
Some quests in this branch can start before their later requirements are normally available, so finding one early does not mean you can finish it early.
Quests You Can Start but Shouldn’t Grind Yet
These quests begin from the secret Catacombs branch, but you cannot realistically finish them yet. Open a quest page for the full explanation.
Later progression required
Farming Supplies
Common Mushroom and Green Mushroom come from later areas.
Don’t grind this yet →Later progression required
Forbidden Snack
Shyfish depends on a fishing upgrade route that continues beyond normal current progression.
Don’t grind this yet →Later progression required
The Strange Orb
The quest explicitly continues into Old Woods at night.
Don’t grind this yet →Extreme RNG / optional
False Idols: Possible, but an Extreme Grind
False Idols does not have the same hard later-area blocker as the quests above. The route looks theoretically possible, but the required Bone Ingots and Verdite Bars make it an extreme grind in the current build. Treat it as an optional challenge, not a normal progression target.
Why Has My Progression Stopped?
Pick the wall you are hitting. Most of these resolve by opening a different system, not by re-checking the same NPC.
›Hans has no new quest
Finish The Farmer’s Path first, then give the later trigger time to occur. The Skull Chalice does not appear immediately after the Wheat turn-in, so waiting in front of Hans will not help. Work on another system, rest, and check back. Back to The Farmer’s Path →
›The Workshop is still locked
The Workshop opens with Molly, not with any later farming step. Complete Helping Molly and bring her Copper Ore from the Farm Mine. If the quest is done and the Workshop is still shut, the turn-in has not registered yet. Check Workshop Requirements →
›The Ranch is still locked
The Ranch is a day gate, not a quest reward. If you are before Day 5, you almost certainly have not missed a prerequisite — there is simply nothing to unlock yet. Keep farming, fishing or working on the Workshop and come back on Day 5. How to Unlock the Ranch →
›I can’t find Pumpkin Seed
Pumpkin Seed is not sold or foraged — it comes from The Skull Chalice. Finish The Farmer’s Path, wait for the later trigger, then craft the Giant Skull Chalice. No earlier farming quest rewards it.
›I can’t find Corn Seed
Corn Seed comes from A Fast Food Fiend, which needs The Skull Chalice first. Until you have finished both, pumpkin recipes are the end of the farming chain — do not search shops for Corn Seed.
›I started a Catacombs quest but can’t finish it
Some Catacombs quests begin before their full later-game requirements are available. Farming Supplies, Forbidden Snack and The Strange Orb are the common ones. Check the quest page before grinding materials. Explore the Catacombs →
›I still don’t know what to do
Tell the assistant what you have already completed and it will pick the next high-value step for your save.Find My Next Step →
Your Progression
Tick what you have already finished and the page works out what is worth doing next. This tracks the high-value progression steps, not every quest in the game. Your progress is saved in this browser.
0 of 8 done
Best next step
Start farming with Farmer Hans
This opens the farming progression and gives you the first crop objective.
Open the guide →Waiting on
- Open the Ranch — Reach Day 5
- Complete A Fast Food Fiend — Complete The Skull Chalice, Reach Day 21
Want the same answer without ticking boxes? Open Progression Assistant →
Progression FAQ
Is Welcome to Elderfield progression linear?
No. 4 of the main branches have no prerequisite at all, so you can start them in any order: Start farming with Farmer Hans, Help Molly and open the Workshop, Unlock fishing at the Lakefront, Unlock the Catacombs through By the Gods. Progression overview →
When does the Ranch unlock?
Ranch access is a Day 5 gate, so a closed gate before then is expected rather than a missed quest. Ranch unlock guide →
Do I have to finish The Farmer’s Path before helping Molly?
No. Help Molly and open the Workshop lists no prerequisite, so the Workshop route can run alongside farming. Helping Molly guide →
What does The Farmer’s Path unlock?
Recipe Shop, Grinder, The Skull Chalice trigger. The Farmer’s Path guide →
What does Helping Molly unlock?
Workshop, Forge Shop, Furnace progression. Helping Molly guide →
Something has stopped and no new quest appears. What now?
Check the requirement on the step itself before assuming a bug. Several steps wait on a quest, an item or a day rather than on talking to the same NPC again. Check what you are missing →
Do I need the Catacombs to progress?
No. The Catacombs are a separate optional branch. Farming, the Workshop, fishing and the Ranch do not require them. Catacombs overview →
Is any quest stuck on later content?
Yes — 4 steps cannot be finished normally in the current build because a required source sits outside it. They are listed separately rather than presented as normal progression. See quest availability →
Choose Your Next Route
Farming
Seeds, crop unlocks and Hans’s quest chain.
View Farming Progression →Workshop & Crafting
Molly, Forge, processors and item dependencies.
Unlock the Workshop →Fishing
Rods, bait, locations and later catches.
Fishing Guide →Ranch
Buildings, animals and production.
Open the Ranch →Secrets
Catacombs routes, quests and mysteries.
Explore the Catacombs →Not sure which one applies to your save?
Find My Next Step →