Warhounds Map Progression Guide

Quick Answer

A post-launch Warhounds developer answer describes 15 story missions and 200+ locations for optional play, divided into nine optional mission types. After the available location pool is exhausted, locations begin repeating.

That does not mean every city should be open immediately. Hotfix #4 and Hotfix #5 addressed missing-city bugs, while Hotfix #6 lists a separate fix for story missions occasionally failing to appear. None of those notes publishes the full map unlock sequence or proves that every blocked-progression symptom shares one cause.

Story missions versus optional locations

Content layer	Developer description	Important boundary
Story campaign	15 story missions	No official public mission-order walkthrough here
Optional play	200+ locations for upgrading gear and characters	Locations are not claimed to be 200+ unique rule sets
Optional categories	Nine mission types	The developer reply names examples, not the full list
After pool exhaustion	Locations begin repeating	Repetition alone is not proof of a progression bug

The developer explicitly mentioned Sweep, zone defense, and character capture as examples among the nine optional types. Public achievements separately name Recon, Covert, Sweep, Rescue, Antiterror, Subversion, Capture, Escort, Joint Operation, combat missions, and random combat missions.

Those two public taxonomies should not be added together as if they were one official internal list. Achievement labels can describe strategic activities, failure-recovery missions, or completion conditions rather than the nine optional-location categories in the developer reply.

When optional locations repeat

The developer says repetition starts after the available location pool is exhausted. That supports a finite pool with reuse, not a promise that every optional visit remains visually or mechanically unique forever.

Before classifying repetition as a bug, record:

the location and mission name;
mission type and objective;
campaign and story-mission stage;
whether the map, enemy placement, reward, or briefing repeated;
how many distinct optional locations were observed beforehand;
patch and save history.

A repeated map can be expected pool behavior even if the objective or reward changes. Conversely, a mission repeating before completion, a missing progression trigger, or a city disappearing can be a different state problem.

Normal progression versus the missing-city bug

Hotfix #4 listed a fix for missing cities and soldiers stuck on recon missions. Hotfix #5 then listed further fixes for missing cities, confirming that more than one case existed.

Use this distinction:

Symptom	Initial classification
New region or city has not opened yet	Unknown progression gate until objective evidence exists
Optional location repeats after extended play	Consistent with the developer-described pool behavior
Previously visible city disappears	Possible missing-city state; preserve the save
Soldier remains unavailable after recon	Compare with the Hotfix #4 recon fix
Rescue or other mission repeats unexpectedly	Separate community lead; needs objective-state reproduction

Do not edit progression flags or follow an undated community sequence to force the map open. Preserve the affected save, capture the current objectives and map, and compare a clean progression path where possible.

Hotfix #6 and story-mission visibility

Hotfix #6 lists a fix for story missions occasionally failing to appear. Treat that as a developer-listed fix for that named symptom, not an all-clear for every strategic-map issue.

A missing story mission, a city that disappears, a normal progression gate, and an optional-location pool that starts repeating are different states. If progression still appears blocked, preserve the save and record the current story objective, visible cities, contracts, recon state, and the exact transition where the expected mission failed to appear.

What Patch 1.0.1 changes for mission state

Patch 1.0.1 does not mention missing cities directly. It does list fixes for:

errors during squad rotation between double missions;
certain statuses failing to persist across save/load cycles;
a VIP rescue failure state;
specific mission scripts and mission objects;
incorrect portraits in random events.

These fixes can affect campaign continuity, but none supplies the full Africa-map unlock order. If a map state changes after loading, record the before-load and after-load objectives, cities, squad availability, and status flags without overwriting the only reproduction save.

How to document a blocked map

Create a compact evidence set before reporting the problem:

Record Patch 1.0.1 + Hotfix #6 and the storefront.
Capture the complete strategic map and current objective list.
Note the last completed story mission and optional mission.
Record available contracts, recon states, timers, and unavailable soldiers.
Save a copy of the current .mdb files while the game is closed.
Reload once and capture any changed city, objective, or roster state.
Report the exact transition through an official support channel.

This gives the developer a progression state to inspect and prevents “the map will not open” from collapsing normal gates, location repetition, missing cities, stuck recon soldiers, and repeated missions into one unsupported explanation.

Frequently asked questions

How many story missions are in Warhounds?

A developer said there are 15 story missions.

How many optional missions are there?

The developer described 200+ optional locations, divided into nine mission types. That is not the same as 200+ permanently unique objectives, and the location pool eventually repeats.

Why are optional locations repeating?

The developer said locations begin repeating after the available pool is exhausted. Repetition can therefore be expected behavior; record timing and context if it appears to block progression or repeat an unfinished mission.

How do I open the rest of the Africa map?

No first-party source used here documents a universal step-by-step unlock order. Follow the current story objectives, contracts, and recon information. If a previously visible city disappears or progression stops, preserve the save and compare the symptom with the official missing-city history.

Did Patch 1.0.1 or Hotfix #6 fix every map problem?

No such all-clear was published. Patch 1.0.1 contains broad mission-script, object, save-state, and double-mission fixes; Hotfix #6 addresses story missions occasionally failing to appear. Neither note documents every city/map trigger or says all progression problems are resolved.

Warhounds Map Progression and Optional Missions Guide