Rescue order that keeps progression smooth
In Enshrouded, your core early craftspeople are the Blacksmith, Hunter, Alchemist, Carpenter, and Farmer. You unlock them by freeing survivors from Ancient Vaults, which are small rescue dungeons, then placing them at your base with the Summoning Staff. Newer updates also add some base survivors through non-vault questlines, like the Barber’s dedicated quest, so not every survivor now comes from an Ancient Vault.
If progress starts feeling stalled, this is usually why: most crafting recipes in a world are tied to which NPCs and crafting stations you have unlocked. For a fresh run, Blacksmith first is still a reliable momentum start for early weapon and armor upgrades.
After Blacksmith, pick based on your current bottleneck. Choose Hunter for ranged ammo and fur/leather processing, Alchemist for potions and extra Shroud-time support, Carpenter for building unlocks and utility stations like the Kiln, and Farmer for Farm Soil and Seedbeds so you can grow crop ingredients at base. This bottleneck-first order is usually smoother than forcing every rescue in one long sprint.
Fast unlock loop for vault-based craftspersons
For Ancient Vault rescues, run the same loop each time: track the quest, bring food and repaired gear, clear the vault, free the survivor from the glowing pod/capsule, return to base, place them with the Summoning Staff, and build their first high-value station. Keeping that rhythm tight gets new recipes online faster and cuts downtime.
Set key workstations in one compact lane near storage, including refining, leather/fur, alchemy, and cooking, so upgrades feel quick instead of chaotic. If a recipe looks missing, check two things first: the right craftsperson is placed at base, and your NPC/workstation progression in that world is current.