Nightwater GuideHow Milestones Work and Why They Stop Counting
Milestones track raw resource collection to unlock buildings. Manual gathering counts, but machine output can be tricky. This guide explains the rules and known bugs.
What Milestones Are
Milestones are per-resource goals tied to the item's progression track. The Milestones screen shows two tabs: Milestones and Unlocks. The left panel lists collectible resources like oak wood log, grey stone, wheat, coal, sand, quartz ore, cactus, and more. Each resource has its own milestone goal. When you hit it, you unlock a building, craft, or buff shown in the Unlocks panel. For example, the Simple Jetpack requires collecting 1000 Quartz Ore. The progress bar reads 1/1000 until you gather the rest. The game has 20+ resources across biomes, and each one tracks separately. You can view your progress anytime from the Milestones screen. The demo showed the first biome fully, but the full release adds more resources and milestones. Milestones are about raw resources, not processed materials. That distinction matters for how you automate.
What Counts Toward Milestones
Manual gathering counts. When you pick up oak wood from a tree, the toast shows 'Oak Wood x4' and the milestone counter increases. Holding the mouse button does 1 damage per hit, so you can speed up gathering. Machines also count, but with a condition. Harvesters claim their collected items progress milestones, and that is true only if you take the items out of the harvester. If you leave them inside, the counter does not move. Once you remove them, the milestone updates. This was confirmed by a developer reply in the Steam forums. Assemblers do not count. If you craft items in an assembler, those do not add to any milestone. The rule is: raw resources from harvesters count when retrieved, but processed or crafted items never count. The primitive ore crusher also has a known issue where copper ore it mines does not count toward milestones, as reported by a player. That may be a separate bug.
The Harvester Issue
Players reported that harvesters were not progressing milestone goals, which made factory progression feel stuck. The developer clarified: it does count, but you must take the items out. Crafting them via an assembler won't count toward the milestone. Otherwise it works. So if your harvester is full and you never empty it, the milestone stays frozen. The fix is to regularly collect from harvesters. The demo and full release both have this behavior. Some players found it confusing because the UI does not explain it. If you rely on automation, you need to manually retrieve the raw resources to trigger the milestone. This is not a bug, it is a mechanic. However, the copper ore crusher issue is separate and seems to be a genuine bug, as no developer fix has been confirmed yet.
The Iron Ingot Bug
A player reported that the iron ingot recipe did not unlock after reaching 70+ iron ore out of 70 on the milestone track. This appears to be a bug, because the milestone requirement was met but the unlock did not trigger. No official fix has been documented. The developer has not replied to that specific thread. As of patch 1.0.10, the listed fixes are: corrected spelling in the Oasis minigame, fixed icons in the Oasis minigame, stopped the Primary Only upgrade from giving Stone, and reworked the Gauntlet Data Rush part. The iron ingot issue is not mentioned. No confirmed fix is documented yet. If you encounter it, you may need to reload or check if the milestone actually registered. Since no confirmed fix exists, you can try gathering more iron ore or restarting the game. But official sources are silent on a workaround, so treat this as an open issue.
Why Milestones Stop Counting
Several reasons milestones stop advancing. The most common is processing resources before they count. For example, if you feed raw ore into an assembler to make ingots, the ingots do not count. Only the raw ore counts when picked up from a harvester or by hand. Another reason is leaving items in harvesters. The game only counts when you remove them. A third reason is the copper ore crusher bug, where mined copper does not count at all. Also, some players noted that only the original ore, sand, etc. is counted toward harvesting milestones when picked up, not materials that have been processed. So if you mine sand and then process it, the processed form does not help. The solution is to always collect raw resources from machines and avoid crafting them until you have enough for the milestone. If you are stuck, check whether the resource is raw or processed.
Tips for Reliable Progression
To keep milestones moving, empty harvesters regularly. Build storage units near harvesters so you can dump items quickly. Do not craft raw materials into processed forms until you have passed the milestone goal. For example, if you need 70 iron ore, collect 70 raw iron ore first, then start making ingots. The same applies to copper. If you use the primitive ore crusher, be aware that copper may not count due to the bug. You can manually mine copper to progress. Also, the game lets you move or deconstruct buildings without losing items, so you can reorganize without penalty. Use the 'B' key to open the crafting menu and 'V' to build. The Milestones screen shows your progress in real time. If a milestone seems stuck, check the resource type and whether it came from a machine. The demo and full release have similar mechanics, but the full version may differ.
Last updated: 2026-09-20. Game builds change; cross-check details with your installed version.