Iconic outside view of the Blackrock Federal Penitentiary
| “ | Yeah, you know. Blackrock Federal Pen. Where they put the worst of the bad people...the bad people, bad people. People too bad for the Mainland. Its like an old penal colony or some damn thing. Hobbs explaining Blackrock to Mackenzie
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Blackrock Prison is a federal penitentiary located on Great Bear Island, in the region of Blackrock Mountain. Additionally, a Prison Transport Bus from Blackrock can be found near Milton in Episode 1.
History[]
Blackrock is a maximum-security prison built in the shadow of Blackrock Mountain in the early 20th century. The brutal island wilderness that surrounds the prison is one of the reasons the site was chosen as a prison meant to hold "the worst of the worst" of convicted criminals.
Wintermute[]
Sometime during or after the First Flare, when the aurora first appeared in the night sky, a Blackrock prison bus carrying a dozen inmates crashed at the mouth of the collapsed mountain tunnel outside the town of Milton. A few of the inmates attempted to escape, and one of their corpses can be found a short distance away from the bus in Story and Survival modes.
After the First Flare, riots broke out in the penitentiary, with the inmates overwhelming the guards. The prisoners swiftly took over the facility, gaining control of the local arms stockpile, incarcerating the prison warden, and executing the prison workers one by one in a marsh just outside the prison gates. After finally gaining their newfound freedom, the convicts found themselves in a new kind of prison; being surrounded on all sides by an unforgiving wilderness with no option of calling for help.
Early in the story, in Episode 1, Grey Mother cryptically mentions that, shortly before Will Mackenzie arrived, she heard a group of people chasing a stranger who passed through town, possibly referring to the inmates and Dr. Astrid Greenwood. Also revealed later in Episode 1--it seems Astrid passed through the town of Milton and somehow managed to escape through the collapsed tunnel through the Blackrock bus. She is likely the person who left the message scrawled on the bus's floor--a single word written in blood: PERSEVERANCE.
In the REDUX version of Wintermute, an inmate named Hobbs appears as a minor character, having escaped the bus and helped caused the deaths of dozens of Milton residents by locking them in the Old Schoolhouse, which caught fire during an aurora event.
Blackrock is the primary setting for Episode 4 of Wintermute, where Mackenzie is held captive by the remaining inmates, led by Mathis. The majority of the episode follows Mackenzie helping the inmates with their plan to release Mathis's son Donner from solitary, and Mackenzie's efforts with Jace to prevent Donner's release. By the end of the episode, Blackrock is destroyed by an explosion caused by the inmates themselves and Jace, which leaves the entire facility in flames.
Survival Mode[]
In Survival Mode, the main prison building has burnt down (similar to the aftermath of Episode 4) making it mostly inaccessible. However, a small portion featured in the escape sequence at the end of Episode 4 is accessible through the Warden's office, via a rope in the back section of the penitentiary. This inside location is the only spawn location for the Ballistic Vest, inside Cell Block C through the rubble, where it is guaranteed to spawn and always at 100% condition. The front reception desk is also accessible, but the rest of the prison is caved in behind it.
The outside grounds are fully accessible in Survival Mode. This includes the infirmary, a guard tower, and, after retrieving the passcode from the depths of the mine at Last Prospect, the workshop locked behind a Keypad. Once the workshop is opened, the player will have access to a Milling Machine and Ammunition Workbench, one set of only 2 in the game, with the other being on the other side of the island at the Cannery Pier in Bleak Inlet. Regular Wolves also spawn in both the front yard of the prison near the buses and cars, and in the small forest behind the prison. Unlike most areas with closable gates, the wolves are capable of pathing through the gates if they are left open, which may leave wolves wandering the open grounds. Large amounts of mid-tier and high-tier loot, easy access to rare crafting stations, abundant resources on grounds, along with Rabbit Groves and a potential Bear spawn location inside the rear section makes for an ideal Safe House in the region.
Gallery[]
