Permafrost The Lost Wife: Tape Locations and Quest Bugs
Find The Lost Wife's three recording areas in Permafrost, follow the Logan Boyce lead, and diagnose a missing second tape or an empty quest marker.
Short answer: The Lost Wife's first recording is mapped at Rat Queen's Crossing; recordings #2 and #3 are mapped at Solar Power Plant. Follow Frank's warehouse lead and speak to Logan Boyce when your journal asks for information about Frank. If tape #2 is missing despite having #1 and #3, an acknowledged recording-registration issue may be involved; there is no confirmed universal repair for that affected save.
PC Early Access, checked October 14, 2026. This is a source-based guide. Named areas and quest clues are documented; exact indoor pickup routes and a guaranteed stuck-save fix are not independently verified.
Where to find the three recordings
| Recording | Named area |
|---|---|
| The Lost Wife #1 | Rat Queen's Crossing |
| The Lost Wife #2 | Solar Power Plant |
| The Lost Wife #3 | Solar Power Plant |
Recording #1 introduces Frank's search for Helen and a warehouse lead. Recording #2 continues the investigation toward the solar complex. Recording #3 contains the later evidence; finding it early does not establish that previous objectives will complete retroactively.
Solar Fields is the quest-line and travel-post name; Solar Power Plant is the named place used for the two later recordings. Your journal may instead refer to the broader Solar Facility. These labels describe different parts of the same investigation, not three unrelated destinations.
Use the recording markers on this map
Open Layers, enable the recordings layer, then search The Lost Wife. The three records in our map snapshot match the area list above. Click a marker to inspect its named area; map labels are in English.
The dataset comes from an earlier Early Access build, not your current save. A pin cannot show whether you have collected its tape or whether the quest credited it. See the map guide for other places and the fast travel guide for the Solar Fields post.
Follow the active objective, including Logan's dialogue
The community quest map describes five objectives. MetaBot's extracted quest data identifies Logan Boyce as the conversation target, but repeats some tracker labels in its later steps. Use the current journal rather than treating either listing as an exact script for every build.
| Stage | Practical next action |
|---|---|
| Follow the tape's location clue | Investigate the warehouse lead around Solar Fields. |
| Search for another lead | Check the active area for the next recording and review your journal. |
| Obtain information about Frank | Speak to Logan Boyce when this objective is active. |
| Find Frank's workstation or hideout | Follow the journal's Solar Facility destination. |
| Investigate the final evidence | Interact with the relevant clue and check whether progress registers. |
If the journal asks you to obtain information, searching for another physical tape may be the wrong next action. The community recording pages also describe replaying collected recordings from MEMOS; use that to check which message you already have.
Tape #2 missing or the question-mark marker empty?
A Steam player report from October 12 describes collecting #1 and #3, missing #2 and finding nothing at the marker. The player later said the workaround thread did not help. This documents one affected case, not a proven cause for every empty marker.
- Check the exact active objective in your journal.
- Confirm the recording belongs to The Lost Wife, rather than Hopes and Dreams.
- Review MEMOS and compare the Solar Power Plant markers with the stage you need.
- In co-op, have the host check the journal and quest interaction. Our co-op guide explains the world and character relationship.
- If nothing registers, preserve the save and report the failure instead of assuming a hidden switch or guaranteed reset exists.
The developer's quest issue post groups Hopes and Dreams / The Lost Wife under recording-registration problems, especially after out-of-order collection. Its host-action advice is a general workaround; it does not promise recovery for an already-broken Lost Wife save.
Has a patch fixed The Lost Wife?
The October 10 change to quest-item persistence was a general progression improvement. The October 11 hotfix specifically names Hopes and Dreams and High Frequency, not a universal Lost Wife repair. It also warns that some earlier Hopes and Dreams saves may remain stuck.
Those are separate quests. Do not treat a fix for Hopes and Dreams as confirmation that your Lost Wife recording problem is resolved. Consult the Hopes and Dreams guide only if that is the quest named in your journal.
Rewards and reporting a broken quest
The community quest map lists three Whiskey and a Miniature Tower recipe, while MetaBot lists no formal rewards. Current-build rewards remain unverified because those sources disagree; neither outcome is guaranteed here.
The developer recommends backing up world saves before major quest steps. Preserve your current .pfs file separately before experimenting with an older backup. This guide provides no save-editing or console-reset procedure.
Use the developer's file hub to submit the affected save and logs. Include your build, solo or co-op role, exact objective, collected recording numbers, and a screenshot of the journal and empty marker. Mention any tapes collected before the relevant objective appeared.
Permafrost Wiki is an independent fan site. Permafrost and all related names, artwork and assets belong to SpaceRocket Games and Toplitz Productions. This site is not affiliated with or endorsed by them.