Home / Flotsam Specialists
Flotsam Specialists
Flotsam has 12 specialists plus the quest-only Islay Hopper. The Radio DJ opens radio contact. The Electrician is the strongest upgrade. The Astronaut gates the ending.
13 namesChecked 2026-11-07
Twelve plus one
A Steam guide and a Korean walkthrough list the same twelve: Radio DJ (the achievement text says Radio Technician), Farmer, Electrician, Botanist, Architect, Doctor, Engineer, Birdkeeper, Aquaculturist, Chemist, Cook and Astronaut. Islay Hopper is recruited by a quest and does not unlock a technology. Everyone else arrives through a quest or a radio signal. Radio DJ is first. After the Radio Station exists you can call the others. Two specialist quests can be active at once. About half the research tree is locked until the right person is simply in town. They do not have to perform the research themselves.
Only Radio DJ and the Electrician have their own pages. The other eleven are rows, because a name without a search record and without a fourth unique fact does not deserve an essay that repeats this paragraph. There is no official stat block. Favourite foods are described as random. I will not print a gift guide.
What each role is for
Engineer’s Tug adds 2,500 to the 5,000 weight cap. The Doctor is immune and is the only one who cures other people, and that quest line upgrades air filters. Birdkeeper opens the Birdhouse. Aquaculturist farms Nibbler, Gobbler and Flounder. Chemist handles oil, acid and the bio-boiler. A Korean note gives the oil generator 56 energy while the wiki says 200 Eels; that split is on the power page and is not smoothed here. Astronaut opens the space programme, the ship, and the alternate ending. Farmer, Botanist, Architect and Cook are in the table with the unlocks those two guides actually name.
13 entries
| Name | Recruit | Unlocks | Building | Effect | Version | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aquaculturist | Radio signal quest. | Fish farms and animal chow | Fish Farm, Chow Grinder | Breeds Nibbler, Gobbler and Flounder; removes reliance on wild fishing. | — | 2 sources
|
| Architect | Radio signal quest. | Architect mode, bridges, decorations, upgraded housing | Architect Station, bridges, parks | Free rearrangement mode, bridges boats can sail under, prettier houses. | — | 2 sources
|
| Astronaut | Late-story radio signal quest. | Space programme, spaceship parts | Spaceship / launch pad | Final specialist; research the space programme and launch the spaceship to reach the ending. | — | 2 sources
|
| Birdkeeper | Radio signal quest. | Birdhouse, seagull rescue | Birdhouse | Seagulls spawn on the map and salvage floating plastic, wet wood and seaweed; they eat Bird Chow. | — | 2 sources
|
| Botanist | Radio signal quest. | Parks, paths, decorative plants, tree farming | Park decorations, tree farm | Greenery and decoration; can grow trees in farmland for wood. | — | 2 sources
|
| Chemist | Radio signal quest. | Chemistry Lab, Oil Refinery, Eel Generator, Bio-Boiler | Chemistry Lab, Oil Refinery | Synthesises oil and acid; enables the high-end energy chain. | — | 2 sources
|
| Cook | Radio signal quest. | Advanced cooking recipes, Restaurant | Restaurant, advanced cooking stations | Unlocks the recipes not obtained from the Food Truck; top-quality dishes. | — | 2 sources
|
| Doctor | Radio signal quest. | Medicine crafting, patient treatment, Air Filter and Sleep Respirator upgrades | Apothecary / medical buildings | Personally immune to disease; only drifter who can cure disease in others. | — | 2 sources
|
| Electrician | Radio signal quest; mid-game. | Electric versions of firewood buildings, Bio-Boiler | Electric Desalinator, Electric Scrapsmith, Electric Grill, Bio-Boiler | Turns firewood buildings electric; one firewood burned for power can cook 12 grilled nibblers versus one on a wood grill, and electric buildings hurt beauty less. | — | 2 sources
|
| Engineer | Radio signal quest. | Tug | Tug | Adds 2,500 to the town's 5,000 weight limit. | — | 2 sources
|
| Farmer | Radio signal quest. | Farmland, crops (potato, wheat, corn, tomato) | Farmland | Only reliable way to grow corn, wheat and tomatoes; removes food shortages. | — | 2 sources
|
| Islay Hopper | Story quest. | Nothing | None | Recruited by a quest; does not unlock technology. Treated as a specialist by the game's quest flow only. | — | 2 sources
|
| Radio DJ | First proper specialist; quest chain after the opening. | Radio technology, Radio Station, Radio Signals | Radio Station | Unlocks radio research and lets you contact every other specialist by radio; radio broadcasts trigger when crossing a biome border. | — | 2 sources
|
Blank cells mean no public source was found. They are not estimates. Checked 2026-11-07.
Status counts source families for the row, rather than confirmations of every field. Expand it for provenance. The wiki and its derivative codex count as one family. Cost sorting compares the written material lists alphabetically; unknown values stay last in either order.
Questions
Who should I recruit first?
Radio DJ. The station is how every later contact starts.
Who is the Radio Technician?
The same person. Steam’s achievement calls them Radio Technician. The specialists guide says Radio DJ.
Sources
- Steam guide: Specialists — checked 2026-11-07
- mmnight specialist guide (Korean) — checked 2026-11-07
- Steam global achievement stats — checked 2026-11-07