Quick answer
Start Story if you want the game to teach its settlement, production, and voyage loop through authored objectives. Choose Uncharted when you already understand the core systems and want a less directed run. Community players describe Uncharted as a freer mode where you choose your own direction, not as a separate shortcut through the same tutorial.
Version and source notesUpdated 2026-09-06 · Within source review window
- Updated
- 2026-09-06
- Works with
- Current PC mode selection and first-session guidance
- What this guide covers
- Mode comparison keeps player preference separate from hard requirements
- Version notes
- Mode descriptions and content may change after updates
- Update status
- Within source review window
Story mode
Story is the safer first-session choice when you still need to learn what a Pirate Camp, route, ship, or Principle objective is asking you to do. Keep the objective banner visible and treat each requirement as a small test: connect, supply, observe, then expand. If a tutorial hint sticks, use the Pier fix instead of disabling unrelated buildings.
Uncharted mode
Uncharted suits a second run or players who prefer setting their own build priorities. The freedom is also the risk: without a guided sequence, it is easier to open too many jobs, spread routes across cliffs, or commit a ship before the home camp is stable. Keep a manual save at each expansion milestone and use the progression roadmap as your own checklist.
Which mode should you pick?
| Your situation | Better starting point | Why |
|---|---|---|
| First city-builder session | Story | Objectives expose the basic loop in smaller steps |
| Returning after a long break | Story | Rebuild context before expanding |
| You know routes, upkeep, and ships | Uncharted | Fewer prompts, more room for your own plan |
| Testing a risky layout | Uncharted with manual saves | Keep experiments separate from your stable run |
The mode choice does not remove the need to watch food, drink, beds, workers, storage, or route reach. If pirates become unhappy, check the camp panel and open cohesion and mutiny.
A good first session in either mode
Build one readable camp, complete one essential production delivery, make the Pier requirement explicit, and only then prepare the first expedition. The first-two-hours guide gives you the same observable milestones without forcing a single island blueprint.
Sources and caveat
The official store and game materials establish the game’s settlement and exploration loop; the concise Story-versus-Uncharted distinction comes from recent player discussion. The modes can receive content or balance changes, so check the current in-game descriptions after a major update.