Tropico 5 Waterborne: Mission 1 - Treasure Hunt walkthrough

El Presidente needs guidance on how to overcome the Waterborne DLC campaign! I prepared a detailed walkthrough guide on how to sort the missions in Tropico 5 Waterborne's Lord of The Pearl campaign.

Settings: Missions were played on default settings:

  • Economic difficulty: Medium

  • Political difficulty: Medium

  • Disasters: Occasional

  • New dynasty ($$0)

This guide is for those who played the base game and know the basics. However, you can check my other T5 guides if you need to.

 

 

Mission 1: Treasure Hunt - Explore the deeps of the Caribbean Sea in search of a mystic treasure

How to win: 

Basic T5 economy knowledge is enough to win this mission. You need to have sufficient money to import "TIKEA" parts (just pick the cheapest good available in your trade routes). Pirates will launch a minor attack on the island, but you are going to be warned and have enough time to prepare. Other than that this mission is pretty much like any Colonial era T5 game. It is recommended that you use this mission to set yourself up for the next ones by taking care of your citizens, research and economy.

Beginnings: El Presidente embarks on a treasure hunt. I picked Costa Maldecido, upon arriving on the island our old friend, Lord Oaksworth, suggests we should dissimulate our treasure hunt by building Oyster Farms:

You will find Oyster Farms in the water building tab, placing the over fish deposits is pretty straightforward and a great way of starting the island's economy.

 

Penultimo obsessed with the Black Pearl

Penultimo goes to the bar, talks to a stranger and decides that we are going to dedicate our lives to finding the Black Pearl.

 

Get the TIKEA parts!

One way or another Sweden comes often enough when playing Tropico 5. We will build a TIKEA bathyscaphe. Importing any goods from the trade routes will grant you bathyscaphe parts. It is better if you choose the cheapest product available. However, don't start doing this right away. Instead complete all possible quests.

 

(Optional) Build 2 smuggler’s docks

Penultimo will ask you to build 2 Smugglers Docks, which will be attacked by pirates:

 Two well placed towers and 1 Fort is enough to defend from this attack (I built 4 towers and it was unnecessary)

 

Delay the main mission, grow the island's economy and citizens wellbeing

Next missions are going to be easier if your island is well setted up. From this point onwards it is better if you dedicate yourself to build up the island by bringing more population, building houses, economy and completing Colonial era quests:

  • Build one Logging camp
  • Export 5000 logs
  • Research Planks technology
  • New lumber mill
  • Export 10.000 planks
  • Explore the island to find gold: (Big red dot)

I generally picked extra population rewards or swiss account money ($$) as I had enough mandate time. We are not really trying to win this mission, but to set up for the rest of the campaign.

 

The mission will end when you have imported 9999 TIKEA parts. Strangely enough building a bathysphere this way will work, and you will find the Black Pearl