FIELD NOTE 01

What is officially confirmed

The current full-release announcement says players gain access to a whole new map with progressively larger and more complex levels. The full-game Steam description connects those areas to cleaning, mining, resources, refinery processing, upgrades and quests.

Regional Expansion separately confirms region unlocking. These sources establish current expansion and structure, but they do not state how many levels exist, name them or publish a complete order, so this guide does not turn screenshots into a false map database.

An official Sludgineers region map with several locations and objectives.
Official Sludgineers press-kit media · documented in the site manifest

FIELD NOTE 02

How areas fit the progression loop

An area is not an isolated checklist. Field work supplies cash or resources, the refinery processes materials, upgrades remove constraints and quests point toward the next required system. An unlock can therefore depend on progress made across more than one screen.

When the next destination is unclear, read the currently visible quest, map marker and completion summary before repeating a job. Record the exact message you see; it is stronger evidence than a remembered demo route.

  • Check the current quest or objective
  • Read the job-completion summary
  • Inspect visible map markers
  • Confirm whether an upgrade or resource is blocking progress
  • Keep demo observations labeled

FIELD NOTE 03

Demo map versus full-game areas

The demo proves that map navigation and limited progression exist, and official updates document improvements to gamepad map navigation. The same updates say the full game contains new levels, resources, tools, upgrades, power-ups and quests.

That means a demo route can teach the interface without proving the final area order, thresholds or rewards. Use the demo/full comparison whenever advice depends on content scope or balance.

An official Sludgineers map view with a covered area awaiting progression.
Official Sludgineers press-kit media · documented in the site manifest

FIELD NOTE 04

Current full-release region evidence

Regional Expansion — Unlock a region is direct current evidence for region progression. The exact catalog still needs each name, position, unlock requirement, relevant quest, completion behavior, source and verification date before it can enter a structured list.

Until those fields can be reproduced, the dedicated level-completion guide handles the historical 100% and next-map problem while the progression and quest guides explain the wider system.

  • Exact current name
  • Unlock trigger
  • Required completion state
  • Quest or resource dependency
  • Build and verification date

EVIDENCE LOG

Sources