How to Unlock Way Stations and Use the World Map in Scroll of Taiwu
Stuck in the starting region or confused by the World map button? Way stations gate travel between provinces. Here is how they work in the 1.0 English client — including the June 22 patch that removed the adjacency requirement.
Patch note (June 22)
The June 22 patch (#260622) changed way-station rules: you can now activate way stations in regions that are not adjacent to your currently opened stations. Before this patch, many players assumed they had to unlock every station along a contiguous path — that adjacency requirement is gone as of #260622.
Prestige cost per station and travel Energy/Silver costs are unchanged. You still spend Prestige to open each new station; the difference is you can skip intermediate regions and jump to a distant province directly if you have enough Prestige.
- As of #260622: non-adjacent regions can be activated — no contiguous path required.
- Prestige cost formula and travel costs are unchanged.
- Taiwupedia's Travel entry (screenshot below) predates this patch; the adjacency rule is the main difference.
Short answer
Travel between provinces in The Scroll of Taiwu requires an active Way Station network. Way stations near Taiwu Village are open by default — you do not need a special quest to unlock those. To reach farther provinces, spend Prestige to activate way stations in the regions you want to travel to.
As of the June 22 patch (#260622), you no longer need to activate every station along a contiguous path — you can open non-adjacent regions directly. The local tile grid you walk on every day is the Region view. The broader province map used for long-distance travel is the World view — tap the World button in the bottom-right corner of the map screen when you are ready to travel between regions.
- Way stations near Taiwu Village: open by default.
- Farther travel: spend Prestige to activate stations in target regions.
- Since #260622: non-adjacent regions can be opened — no contiguous path required.
- Region view = local tiles; World view = province travel map.
- Travel also costs Energy and Silver (distance-dependent).
How way stations work
The in-game Taiwupedia (World → Province and Region → Travel) states that characters move between regions by traveling, and way stations are required for that travel. Stations around Taiwu Village start open, which is why you can move locally early on without grinding unlocks first.
When you want to leave the immediate area and cross into another province, spend Prestige to activate the way stations in your target regions. Each activation spends Prestige, and the cost rises as you open more stations overall. As of patch #260622 (June 22), you can activate stations in non-adjacent regions — you do not need to unlock every intermediate station first. Travel itself then consumes Energy and Silver; longer routes cost more. Vehicles with a Travel Cost bonus reduce those expenses.
- Default-open stations: the ones near Taiwu Village.
- New stations: spend Prestige to activate each region you want to reach.
- Since #260622: non-adjacent regions can be activated directly.
- Prestige cost scales up the more stations you have already opened.
- Travel events (encounters, battles, trials) can trigger while moving.
Way station Prestige cost (Grandmaster formula)
Taiwupedia’s Grandmaster info gives a direct formula for the Prestige required to establish the next way station. Use it as a planning reference before you commit Prestige to a long route.
Prestige required to establish a way station = 50 × (Current way stations opened − 26). Because the multiplier grows with each station you already control, long cross-map routes are a mid-campaign Prestige investment, not a free early-game unlock.
Important boundary: this Grandmaster formula only becomes meaningful once you have opened a large number of way stations (the counter in the formula must stay positive). On a first run, you usually only need to know that farther stations cost Prestige and that Taiwu Village’s nearby stations are already open — you do not need to math out the formula on day one.
- Formula: 50 × (stations already opened − 26) — mid/late-game planning, not day-one homework.
- Early game: nearby stations are open; farther ones cost Prestige when you reach them.
- Plan Prestige before activating a long chain of stations.
- Regional Favor and village Prestige income matter for travel planning.
Region view vs World map button
New players often confuse the local Region map (the tile grid where you walk, fight, and interact) with province-scale travel. They are two layers of the same map UI.
While exploring locally, you stay in Region view. When you need province-level travel, open World view from the circular World button at the bottom-right of the map screen (next to Region). If travel options look limited, you usually need more way stations activated in your target regions — not a hidden rooster quest or a bug.
- Region = local tile grid (daily gameplay).
- World = province travel map (bottom-right button).
- Limited travel options usually mean missing way station activations in target regions.
- No verified 1.0 quest named “rescue rooster” unlocks the map — ignore that rumor.
Related paths
FAQ
How do I unlock way stations in Scroll of Taiwu?
Stations near Taiwu Village are already open. For farther regions, spend Prestige to activate way stations in the provinces you want to reach. Since patch #260622 (June 22), you can activate non-adjacent regions directly — you no longer need to unlock every station along a contiguous path first. The Prestige cost per station follows Taiwupedia’s formula: 50 × (current stations opened − 26).
Why is my world map locked or not showing travel options?
You may still be in Region view (local tiles only). Press the World button at the bottom-right of the map screen for province travel. If World opens but routes are missing, you likely have not activated enough way stations in your target regions — spend Prestige to activate them before trying again.
How do I leave the starting area / starting village?
Use the World map once you have activated way stations in the province you want. Early on, focus on local Region exploration and village stability while you earn Prestige for farther station activations. There is no separate “unlock world map” quest in the verified 1.0 Taiwupedia travel rules.
Do I need to unlock every station along the path?
Not since patch #260622 (June 22). Before that patch, many players assumed they had to activate every adjacent station in order. The June 22 update removed the adjacency requirement — you can now open way stations in non-adjacent regions directly, as long as you have enough Prestige.
Does rescuing a rooster unlock way stations?
Not according to the verified 1.0 English Taiwupedia Travel entry. Way stations are a Prestige-gated travel network — not a rooster side quest. Community posts may mention a rooster event, but we do not document mechanics without in-game evidence.