Starsand Island is similar to other life simulation games, but it also has unique features that make it stand out. Some of these features might not seem important at first, but you’ll likely discover how helpful they are as you play and complete tasks.
Starsand Island effectively introduces you to island life and the game’s core mechanics. As you progress, you’ll pick up on subtle details and advanced techniques that can make gameplay smoother – you might even wish you’d learned them sooner!
10. Talk to NPCs
Take the Time to Stop and Talk to NPCs Daily
It looks like this is a tip for becoming friends with the characters in Starsand Island, which is a great idea! Besides increasing your relationship with them, talking to everyone – even visitors – can also get you gifts.
When you begin talking to a character in the game, they’ll immediately give you a free gift. These gifts are often common items you might not need, but sometimes you’ll receive something rare and valuable. And who doesn’t appreciate free food to help restore your stamina?
9. Build a Request Bulletin
Accept Requests from Your Home
This change makes the game much more convenient. Previously, you had to physically go to the Community Center to check the daily requests from islanders and then gather those items. While it wasn’t a major problem, it could be a bit repetitive and time-consuming.
If you complete the quests given by Zerine, you can buy a Request Bulletin Blueprint from her shop. Once crafted, this blueprint lets you build a request board on your land that works the same way as the one found in town.
8. Build a Shipping Box
You’ll Always Have Too Many Items
Okay, so if you’re coming from Stardew Valley, the biggest difference I’ve noticed in Starsand Island is this: you don’t get a shipping box right away! That means when my bag fills up – and trust me, it will – I can’t just magically send stuff off. I either have to cram everything into storage chests, or make a trip to town to sell the extras at the shops. It’s a little more work, but you get used to it.
You can create your own Shipping Box! The plans are obtained through crafter quests at Zerine’s General Store, alongside the Request Board Blueprint. Building these boxes helps you organize your storage and earn extra money by selling unwanted items.
7. Stockpile Resources
You’ll Always Need Materials
Throughout Starsand Island, you’ll constantly need a large amount of resources. As you progress and unlock new crafting stations and blueprints, you’ll start requiring more advanced materials, which are often created using the basic resources you gather from the very beginning.
It’s smart to consistently gather ores, gems, wood, and plants because you’ll always need these materials. Also, starting a small garden will be helpful when you begin raising animals. Don’t discard anything the animals produce, even if it seems useless – each animal type creates a byproduct that’s essential for making feed for the others.
6. Upgrade to the Machete and Hammer
These Tools Let You Harvest High-Level Materials
The basic Axe and Pickaxe are good enough to start with, particularly the Impact and Impulse versions. But you’ll need better tools to handle the challenges in the later parts of the game.
As you progress, your Axe turns into a Machete and your Pickaxe becomes the Impact Hammer. These upgraded tools are crucial because you need them to collect important resources like Gold and Premium Wood. You’ll need these resources to craft items and complete the various quests and activities in the game.
5. Upgrade Your Bag
Space is Valuable
You can improve your bag pretty early in the game, but the upgrade icon is small and easy to overlook – it’s in the bottom left corner of the bag screen. The good news is, once you start upgrading, you unlock all eight upgrades at once! You just need to collect the materials needed for each one.
As you improve your base, materials become harder to find, which can stall your progress if you haven’t completed enough quests to gather them. This is especially true when you need Premium Wood Planks, as these require a level III Worktable to create. However, even a small number of upgrades can provide useful extra storage space.
4. Focus on Crafter and Explorer
They Unlock the Most Material
Solara suggests starting with crafting early in the game because it’s essential for almost everything else. Crafting lets you create items needed for activities like farming – you’ll need a trellis – and building homes for your animals as you develop your ranch.
It’s also a good idea to talk to Zephyria as soon as possible and begin her explorer quests. Completing these will unlock access to Moonlit Forest, which is where you’ll find most of the materials needed for the rest of the game.
3. Use Charity Boxes
You Might Get Something Useful
Each mentor has a Charity Box somewhere on their property, usually right outside the building where they shop. It looks a lot like a shipping box, so it’s easy to miss if you don’t look closely.
When you open a Charity Box, it gives you an item connected to the box’s theme. For instance, the ranching box might give you Feathers, as they’re a common product from animal care. You don’t always get something you need, but you might get lucky and receive a helpful item.
2. Build a Realm Box
It’s Like Magical Storage
Okay, so I finally figured out the Realm Box! You don’t just find it, you have to craft it. It takes a bit of skill – you need to be pretty good at crafting already – but it’s totally doable once you get to the mid-game. First, you have to buy the blueprint from Zerine’s General Store, and honestly, it’s not cheap! But trust me, putting in the time and effort to craft one is so worth it. It’s amazing!
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A Realm Box lets you quickly find your stored items, no matter which box they’re in. Instead of searching through everything, you can just carry the box with you for easy access.
1. Keep Storage Boxes Together
Place Them in One Spot
You’ll likely accumulate a lot of items, so having several storage boxes is a good idea. However, it can be frustrating to constantly move between boxes when organizing or searching for things. To make things easier, try to keep all your storage boxes in the same location.
If you place your Storage Boxes side-by-side, you can easily switch between them while viewing their contents. Simply use the arrows on each box to cycle through the ones nearby. This makes it easier to see all your items without having to constantly open and close your inventory.
Starsand Island is designed to be played at your own pace, without forcing you to grind through boring or complicated tasks. The more you understand how the game works, the easier it becomes to manage things and efficiently complete objectives, even while enjoying the relaxed island lifestyle.
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2026-02-21 20:40