The Mound: Omen of Cthulhu is an expedition game about deciding when greed has become a liability. A strong crew reads the contract before touching the weapon racks, assigns the scarce tools, keeps the ox-wagon close, banks important treasure early, and leaves before noise, injuries, or distorted perception make the return route collapse. Fighting well helps, but most failed contracts begin with a planning mistake rather than a missed shot.
This guide covers the current full release: how to launch an expedition, how contracts and equipment fit together, a reliable route to the first Fort logbook, how to manage the wagon, noise, sanity, combat, revives, solo play, launch-day crossplay, progression, and low-backtracking achievement cleanup. It does not pretend that every jungle event has one fixed answer.
The first expedition in 90 seconds
- Complete the solo Prologue. The full game separates the solo onboarding from the campaign. Use it to learn interaction, melee spacing, shooting, item handling, and the difference between a real threat and a perception effect.
- Read the whole contract at the Captain’s table. Identify the main objective, required treasure value, supplied gear, and reward before anyone claims equipment.
- Assign tools, not just weapons. Give one player dependable light and navigation, one player emergency ranged damage, and make sure healing or revival supplies are carried by someone who will not wander alone.
- Preload the ox-wagon. Put shared or situational items in the wagon before departure instead of filling every personal slot.
- Choose the landing point on the map. For a logbook contract, the logbook is the route priority; random treasure is secondary until that objective is safe.
- Board together. Stand inside the marked area in front of the Captain. After the short countdown, the group departs for the rowboats.
- Move the wagon in stages. Scout a short distance, clear the immediate problem, bring the wagon forward, bank valuable loot, and repeat. Do not drag it blindly into an ambush.
- Extract by decision, not exhaustion. The release build no longer forces an end-of-mission hard cap, but the jungle can still become increasingly unsafe. Once the objective and value target are secured, every extra detour should justify its risk.
| Before departure | Question to answer | Ready when |
|---|---|---|
| Contract | What must return, and what value is required? | Every player can state the objective in one sentence |
| Weapons | Who handles quiet threats and who spends firearm charges? | The crew has both close-range control and emergency range |
| Supplies | Who carries healing, light, utility, and rescue items? | No critical item exists only in a lone scout’s inventory |
| Wagon | What belongs in shared storage before landing? | Personal slots still have room for objective loot |
| Stop rule | Which event means the team turns back? | The crew agrees before fear and greed change the answer |
How to start an expedition on the galleon
The galleon is not a decorative lobby. It is the preparation phase, upgrade hub, and the last place where the whole crew has perfect information. Do the following in order so the contract, gear, and destination match.
1. Sign the contract
Approach the table in the middle of the ship beside the Captain and interact with it. The contract screen shows the expedition objectives, including the required treasure value, the equipment made available for that job, and the completion rewards. On keyboard, press Enter to sign after the group has read it. Do not sign first and explain later; the value target changes how much inventory space and risk the route can tolerate.
2. Take supplies from the correct places
Supplies are placed on the table, while weapons are stored in the racks behind the Captain. A sensible solo baseline is one melee weapon, one ranged weapon, a bandolier, available gunpowder charges, and food for recovery. Gunpowder charges stack, so consolidate them rather than scattering individual charges across several small inventories. A crew can distribute the same coverage across players instead of duplicating every item.
Check the contract pool before judging a weapon by its appearance. The full release includes an Anvil for improving weapons supplied by contracts, so a familiar upgraded tool can be more valuable than grabbing the loudest option on the rack. Always leave space for treasure and objective items.
3. Load the wagon before the jungle
The wagon can be accessed from the boat side of the ship before departure. Put spare ammunition, shared tools, and items that are important but not needed in the first minute into its inventory. The release build allows multiple players to interact with the wagon storage at the same time, which makes a fast regroup possible. It does not make disorganized storage harmless: agree on which section holds rescue items and which holds treasure.
4. Select the landing area
Return to the Captain’s table and use the map to select the destination. Fort logbooks matter beyond the current job because the official game description says recovered logbooks unlock forts as new starting points for later expeditions. That makes a logbook contract a progression run, not a normal value run with a book somewhere on the side.
5. Board the rowboats
After the destination is chosen, move into the marked white area on the deck in front of the Captain. A three-second countdown begins when the group is in position. Use that countdown as a final equipment check. If the healer, light carrier, or objective reader is still at the racks, step out and reset instead of turning a forgotten item into a failed contract.
Loadouts for solo and co-op crews
The characters are less important than the answers your equipment provides. The crew needs quiet damage, emergency stopping power, light, recovery, storage capacity, and a way to bring a fallen explorer home. A role is a responsibility, not a class.
| Crew size | Practical split | Failure to prevent |
|---|---|---|
| Solo | Carry melee, emergency range, light, and recovery; command the bot to use silent weapons while moving and the rifle only when the threat justifies noise | Spending every firearm charge before the return journey |
| Two players | One pathfinder/light carrier and one rear guard/ranged responder; both carry a recovery option when possible | Both players investigating different sounds and leaving the wagon between them |
| Three players | Scout, wagon keeper, and combat support; rotate the scout before low health or low sanity becomes a secret | The wagon keeper becoming a stationary pack mule far behind the team |
| Four players | Navigator, close-range controller, ranged rescue, and wagon/recovery lead | Four specialists refusing to help with the one urgent problem beside them |
Equipment rules that save runs
- Give scarce rescue items to the middle of the formation. The first scout is most likely to trigger danger; the last player is most likely to be cut off. The center can reach either.
- Do not make every player a gunner. Firearms provide fast control at range, but noise and limited charges make them poor default answers to every isolated enemy.
- Keep one inventory lane flexible. A player with every slot committed cannot secure a logbook, high-value relic, or emergency tool without dropping something under pressure.
- Store value before extending the route. Treasure on a player who enters the next unknown space is still at risk. Treasure placed in the wagon has already done part of its job.
- Say who took the medallion, map, or other route tool. A critical tool silently changing hands can look like a puzzle failure when the real problem is inventory confusion.
The contract, wagon, and extraction loop
Think of an expedition as repeated short commitments rather than one long march. The crew advances from a known safe point, solves the next encounter, moves the wagon, stores the result, and reassesses. This rhythm keeps the return path short and gives a frightened or injured group somewhere obvious to regroup.
A repeatable movement pattern
- Anchor. Identify the wagon, coast, gate, landmark, or light that the crew can use to describe its current position.
- Scout one decision ahead. Find the next path, trap, group of enemies, shrine, or loot room without committing the entire inventory to it.
- Control the immediate area. Pull enemies into a space where several players can help. Avoid shooting through teammates or into unknown foliage.
- Move and load the wagon. Bring the shared storage forward only after the route is understandable. Place the objective and top-value treasure first.
- Read the team state aloud. Health, sanity concerns, firearm charges, rescue items, wagon value, objective status, and the direction home should not be private information.
- Choose: extend, finish, or extract. Continuing is justified when the likely reward exceeds the risk to the secured contract, not merely because an unexplored path exists.
When to turn around
The removal of the mandatory mission-end hard cap does not mean the mainland is safe indefinitely. It only means the game no longer ends the route for you. Treat any two of the following as a serious extraction vote: the main objective is complete, the required value is banked, the crew has lost its route, the team is split, rescue supplies are gone, several players distrust what they see, firearms are nearly empty, or the forest’s response has clearly escalated.
| Run state | Default call | Reason |
|---|---|---|
| Objective incomplete, team healthy | Follow the objective route, not side treasure | Value cannot replace a required logbook or contract item |
| Objective secured, value below target | Search close to the wagon and known return path | The contract still needs value, but deep exploration risks the objective |
| Target met, route stable | Extract unless the crew has a specific, nearby reward | Unplanned greed puts a completed contract back at risk |
| Teammate down or corrupted threat active | Stop looting and solve the rescue | A four-player plan can collapse quickly when one body becomes another danger |
| Calls no longer match what players see | Regroup at the wagon and verify reality together | Personal perception effects punish independent reactions |
First Fort logbook route
The early logbook expedition introduces the route-unlock loop. The map has vertical paths, loops, and dead ends, while the visible Fort gate is locked from the wrong side. The following route is for that onboarding Fort contract. If a later mission uses a different landing or modified objective, follow the live contract and map instead of forcing this sequence onto it.
- Turn left after moving slightly inland from the landing. Visit the tent and collect the magical medallion. Striking it points toward treasure, so assign it to the player responsible for route calls rather than passing it silently.
- Follow the coast to the circular rock mound. You can pass on either side. The right side contains a suspicious statue used as bait for a hidden pit trap; the left side is the safer default and also has a chest.
- Check behind the rock. A metal idol is available before the path climbs. Bank optional value mentally, but keep the logbook as the reason for the route.
- Take the rising path and curve right. The next grassy stretch has hostile undead. Clear space before the sturdier attacker closes distance, because its leap can knock a player down and leave them unable to act briefly.
- Reach the Fort gate. Another enemy guards the area. The gate is the correct destination but cannot be opened from this side, so do not waste time searching it for an interaction prompt.
- Find the ladder left of the closed gate. Climb the small cliff and follow the upper path around the Fort.
- Collect deliberately, not automatically. A metal idol sits along the upper path. A cave ahead contains another enemy and another idol. Only take the detour if the group still has light, health, and a clear retreat.
- Return from the cave and look left. Find the lantern beneath a fallen tree. Pass through that opening to reach the camp.
- Stay together during the camp distortion. Dropping into the camp triggers a flash and a dark altered version of the area. Avoid scattering after the first alarming shape or sound. The scene resolves back into the normal camp after a short interval.
- Take the logbook from beneath the tent. Confirm who holds it, then regroup before looting anything else.
- Open the Fort gate from inside and descend toward the shore. Move toward the left side of the beach to find the boats and depart. Do not let a post-objective treasure detour separate the logbook carrier from the exit group.
Noise, sanity, hallucinations, and revives
The game’s most dangerous information problem is that a perception effect can be personal. One explorer may see or hear something the rest of the crew does not. The correct response is neither blind trust nor immediate dismissal: call the observation, ask a nearby player to verify it, and avoid spending ammunition or abandoning formation until the team agrees that the threat is real.
Use a two-call verification system
- Observer: state the direction, distance, and behavior: “movement behind the shrine, ten meters, closing.” Do not begin with a theory about which monster it must be.
- Verifier: answer with what you actually see: “clear,” “same target,” or “cannot see through foliage.” Silence is not confirmation.
- Team lead: name the action: hold, retreat to wagon, use melee, fire once, or rescue. A group that argues about reality while continuing to walk forward has made the worst possible compromise.
Spatial voice chat is part of the intended co-op tension, so short directional calls outperform long descriptions. Push-to-talk was added for the release build. Test the microphone before a contract, use the same landmark names, and agree on a regroup phrase that means everyone returns to the wagon without debate.
Noise is a route-level resource
The jungle reacts to noise and destruction. A gunshot can be the right answer to a grab, a dangerous ranged attacker, or a rescue window; it is expensive when used to solve every lone enemy. The solo bot’s release-build command explicitly distinguishes silent weapons from a more effective but noisier rifle. Human crews should make the same choice deliberately.
When the group fires, finish the immediate problem, reload, move the wagon or retreat, and listen. Do not treat the first kill as permission for four players to shoot in different directions. The important question is what the sound has changed around you.
A downed player changes the objective
Official game information warns that a dead explorer who is not revived promptly can return corrupted and hostile. The moment someone falls, pause the treasure route. Identify the body, remaining enemies, rescue item carrier, and safest approach. If an immediate revive is impossible, pull the fight toward a known position rather than feeding another player into the same trap.
Three Steam achievement chains reward reviving other players at 10, 30, and 50 revives. That makes rescue a long-term progression task as well as good tactics. Do not farm it by creating avoidable failures during an important contract; natural co-op play will build the counter.
Combat priorities without a block mechanic
At launch, ACE Team said it was still developing a block-and-counterattack system for certain weapons. Current melee survival therefore depends on spacing, timing, terrain, target control, and teammates rather than holding a universal guard button.
Default fight order
- Stop the grab or leap. A creature controlling a teammate is more urgent than a closer enemy still walking predictably. The Just in Time achievement specifically rewards interrupting a Y’m-bhi as it is about to grab an ally.
- Create one safe side. Back toward the wagon, coast, wall, or cleared trail so the group does not become surrounded while retreating in four different directions.
- Use reach and spacing. Spears and other long tools should control an approach rather than chase a target through foliage. The One Clean Throw achievement asks for a spear headshot on a Y’m-bhi, but an objective run is not the time to repeat low-percentage throws.
- Reserve firearm charges for control. Shoot the threat that will otherwise down someone, not the target already contained by two melee players.
- Confirm the end of the fight. Reload, recover thrown equipment when safe, check the rear, and listen before opening the nearest chest.
Friendly-fire discipline
Use lanes. The front melee player owns the center; ranged players offset left or right and call before shooting past a teammate. If the target crosses behind a player, release the shot rather than trying to thread it. A single missed opportunity costs less than a damaged ally, a rescue interruption, and the noise of a second panicked volley.
Do not solve hallucinations with ammunition
If only one player sees the target, move away from it while another player verifies. If two players confirm the same physical threat, assign the attack. This procedure is intentionally slower than reflex shooting because the game is designed to make reflexes unreliable.
Tokens, the Anvil, logbooks, and progression
Progression comes from successful contracts, recovered treasure, explorer ranks, discovered logbooks, Codex pages, characters, tools, artifacts, and ship upgrades. The useful habit is to decide the run’s progression purpose before departure.
| Run purpose | Primary success | What not to risk it for |
|---|---|---|
| Contract clear | Required objective and value safely returned | Unmarked detours after the target is met |
| Fort unlock | Logbook recovered and expedition completed | Low-value treasure beyond the open shortcut |
| Rank and tokens | Consistent completions at a difficulty the crew can survive | Jumping to advanced contracts before the loadout is ready |
| Codex or artifact | New discovery reaches the galleon | Filling remaining slots with ordinary value first |
| Achievement setup | One clearly understood condition attempted on a stable route | Combining several fragile challenges in one contract |
Spend tokens with the route in mind
The release build adds a Weapon Upgrade Anvil on the main ship. It spends tokens to improve or upgrade weapons supplied by contracts. Upgrade equipment that solves a recurring problem for your actual crew: a reliable melee tool for quiet control, a ranged weapon that repeatedly saves grabs, or a familiar weapon used across several contract types. Avoid emptying the token reserve only because an upgrade is available.
The live rank rewards can also increase how many copies of an item are available from the ship’s inventory barrel. That is supply capacity, not necessarily a new object placed directly into the current character’s hands. Check the barrel and contract inventory after ranking up before assuming a reward failed to appear.
Logbooks deserve a separate checklist
Steam’s official achievements require seven logbooks for Records of the Lost and thirteen for The Full Account. Because logbooks also open later starting points, record each Fort as soon as it is recovered. A simple list prevents the crew from replaying an early route while missing a branch much deeper in the campaign.
Solo play, online crews, and crossplay
Solo is supported, but the workload is not smaller
Single-player is an official mode. The bot companion can be directed to switch between silent weapons and a rifle in the release build. Use silent behavior for normal travel and reserve rifle behavior for a target that threatens to control or down you. Before leaving the wagon, make sure the bot has not been left on the noisy setting after the last fight.
Solo routes should be shorter. You have fewer independent inventories, no human verifier for a personal hallucination, and less freedom to rescue while controlling enemies. Bank treasure after each meaningful find, do not carry both the objective and every valuable item on an extended loop, and retreat sooner when navigation becomes uncertain.
Launch-day crossplay status
ACE Team reported that crossplay itself was working at launch, but direct crossplay invitations had a known problem. The official temporary workaround was to find friends through the online server list. If a mixed-platform crew cannot join through an invitation, agree on the host, server name, language, and refresh timing before repeatedly rebuilding the lobby. This is a launch-status note and may change after an update.
Once connected, verify voice chat before taking a contract. A crew that cannot hear the player carrying the logbook or rescue item should fix the lobby first, not hope that pings will replace every sanity and direction call.
Achievement cleanup without wasted runs
Steam lists 25 achievements for the full release. The efficient approach is to let campaign progression build the long counters, then create focused runs for unusual combat conditions. No trustworthy source in this research set proved that a specific achievement is permanently missable, but a failed expedition may not preserve what you did not successfully return with.
| Achievement group | Verified requirement | Low-backtracking plan |
|---|---|---|
| A Little Extra / Greed Rewarded | Return 20% / 50% more treasure than demanded | Attempt on a familiar low-risk contract after the objective is secured; calculate against the displayed target |
| A Dire / Fateful / Legendary Commission | Complete mid-level, advanced, and legendary missions | Progress in order and upgrade contract weapons before forcing the hardest tier |
| Proven in the Field / Scarred but Standing / Tempered by Madness | Reach Ranks 10, 20, and 30 | Prioritize reliable completions; failed greed runs are poor rank farming |
| Pulled from the Brink / Refusing the Grave / Too Stubborn to Die | Revive another player 10, 30, and 50 times | Carry rescue supplies in co-op and let the counter grow naturally |
| Records of the Lost / The Full Account | Recover 7 / 13 logbooks | Keep a Fort checklist and finish the expedition after each new book |
| Pages Best Left Blank / The Horrors Named | Unlock 7 / 13 Creature Codex pages | Track new pages separately from ordinary treasure and return them safely |
| Just in Time | Interrupt a Y’m-bhi just as it is about to grab an ally | Assign one ranged responder when fighting Y’m-bhi instead of having everyone attack the same target |
| One Clean Throw / Aim True | Kill a Y’m-bhi with a spear headshot / perform 50 headshots on Y’m-bhi | Use stable early encounters and avoid practicing with the objective carrier exposed |
| Like Moths to a Flame | Lure 5 creatures at once with one jar of Black Ichor | Save the jar for a route with open sight lines and a planned escape |
| Long Shot | Shoot down a Bandurria in flight from at least 50 meters | Attempt from a measured open area; do not estimate distance through dense canopy |
| Relics of Blasphemy | Bring back 5 new occult tools or artifacts for the galleon’s shop | Give new finds wagon priority over duplicate value items |
| Nine Guardians / Patron of the Arts | Have 9 Sacred Figures crafted / find 2 additional songs for the Lute Player | Check ship NPC progress between expeditions instead of treating every unlock as jungle loot |
| Seven Willing Souls / The Mound | Unlock 7 playable characters / reach The Mound | Let contract and logbook progression open the campaign before starting a separate cleanup pass |
Common mistakes and quick corrections
| Mistake | Why the run collapses | Correction |
|---|---|---|
| Signing before reading the value target | The crew brings the wrong storage and extracts short of the requirement | One player reads objective, value, gear, and reward aloud |
| Taking four similar weapons | The group has damage but no light, rescue, quiet control, or inventory flexibility | Build the loadout around problems, then divide weapons |
| Leaving the wagon behind | The return grows longer while important value remains on vulnerable players | Advance in short scout-clear-move-store stages |
| Dragging the wagon into uncleared ground | Shared storage becomes trapped inside the next fight | Scout one decision ahead before moving the team anchor |
| Shooting a threat only one person can see | A hallucination creates noise, friendly fire, and separation | Use observer, verifier, and action calls |
| Searching the locked Fort gate for a key | The route stalls at the correct destination but the wrong entrance | Take the ladder to the left and enter from above |
| Looting after someone falls | The rescue window closes and the dead player can become another threat | Make the body the objective until the team is stable |
| Staying because the hard cap was removed | The crew confuses unlimited permission with unlimited safety | Use a stop rule based on value, objective, route, and team condition |
| Expecting a universal block | Launch-build melee does not yet have the planned block/counter system | Control distance, alternate attacks, use terrain, and preserve an exit |
| Believing every demo guide literally | Launch changes altered timers, storage access, upgrades, solo commands, and contracts | Use the live contract, ship stations, and current patch notes as the final authority |
Final field card
- Read the objective and treasure target before signing.
- Bring quiet control, emergency range, light, recovery, and free inventory space.
- Keep the objective carrier near the wagon, not at the tip of the formation.
- Move in short loops: scout, clear, move the wagon, store, reassess.
- Verify personal sights and sounds before shooting.
- Stop looting when a teammate falls.
- For the first Fort, take the ladder left of the locked gate and follow the lantern beneath the fallen tree.
- Once the contract is complete, make every extra detour defend its risk.
Sources & credits
Release metadata, current systems, achievement requirements, launch changes, and screenshots were checked against the official Steam materials and ACE Team/Nacon announcements. The official launch trailer is published by Nacon. Route details were independently paraphrased after cross-checking community guides and verified walkthrough references. Screenshots belong to ACE Team and Nacon.