Starsand Island Beginner’s Guide - How to Stop Being Broke and Confused
So you’ve decided to abandon modern civilization for a life of farming and hitting rocks, but the game dropped you in with zero cash and a tutorial that barely explains the HUD.
I have been there. You create your character, you pick a cute hairstyle, and suddenly you are standing in front of a dilapidated shack with a childhood friend who seemingly hasn't aged a day. Starsand Island is a cozy game, sure, but it has a few systems that will absolutely wreck your day if you aren't paying attention. I spent my first few hours running around like a headless chicken trying to figure out where to sell a fish. I’m writing this so you don't have to do the same.
Understanding the HUD and Not Dying
The game throws a lot of UI elements at you without much context. The most important thing you need to watch is the top left corner. You have your calendar and your clock. This isn't just for show.
You pass out at 2:00 AM sharp. It doesn't matter if you are mid-swing with a pickaxe or running back to your bed. If the clock hits 2:00 AM, you drop. When you wake up, you will only have 50% of your energy for the next day. It is a punishing mechanic for a game that looks this cute. If you do this three days in a row, you sleep through an entire day. Do not be that person.
Your Health (the hearts) only really matters when you go into the Moonlit Forest to fight things. Your Stamina (the yellow bar) is what you use for everything else. Chopping trees, watering crops, and even just existing sometimes feels like it drains it.
How to Actually Save Your Game
I have seen people panic about this. The save file location is buried deep in your AppData folder on PC, but you don't need to touch that. The game saves when you sleep. It also has an auto-save function that triggers periodically, but if you want to be safe, just go to bed.
The Tutorial is a Lie (Sort of)
You start with Solara yelling at you to fix up your house. She gives you a blueprint for an Axe and a "Matcha Double Bed." Here is the first pro-tip I figured out: you do not have to put the bed inside the house.
If you are lazy like me and don't want to deal with the loading screen of entering your house just to sleep, put the bed outside. It works perfectly fine. You can sleep under the stars and save yourself five seconds every night.
Solara will eventually ask you to pick a profession. You have three choices presented to you: Crafter, Farmer, or Rancher. Pick Crafter.
I know you want to grow pumpkins. I get it. But the Crafter profession (mentored by Zerine) is the backbone of everything else. You need it to make the tools for farming and ranching anyway. Plus, Zerine gives you a skateboard. Walking in this game is painfully slow until you get a mount, so unlocking that skateboard early is a godsend. (For a full list of rides, check out our guide to Vehicles and Fast Travel).
Where to Find the Mentors
The game tells you to find these people but doesn't exactly drop a neon sign on them. Open your map (M) and look for the "Mentors" tab on the left.
Zerine (Crafting): She is at the General Store.
Graminova (Farming): He is usually wandering near the fields or his house.
Delphin (Fishing): Down by the AquaBlue Outpost.
Zephyria (Exploration): At the Exploration Club (West).
Pastelle (Ranching): Green Pasture Ranch.
You can actually start all the professions at once. You don't have to lock yourself into one. I recommend grabbing the starter quests for all of them immediately so you can multitask. If you are unsure which one to prioritize after Crafting, read our Starsand Island Profession Guide.
Also, keep in mind that most of these mentors are single. If you want to bribe them into liking you, check our Romance & Gift Guide to see what items they love.
Inventory Management: The Real Boss Fight
The inventory space in Starsand Island is criminal. You start with 30 slots. That sounds like a lot until you pick up three types of wood, stone, fiber, and a random bug. Suddenly you are full and can't pick up the quest item you need.
You can craft storage chests (requires 8 Softwood), and you can craft directly from them if you are at your house. That is a nice quality-of-life feature. But you need to expand your actual bag space ASAP.
There is no "Bag Vendor." You do it right from the menu. Open your inventory, look at the bottom left, and click "Expand." It costs materials, not just money.
How to Make Money (And Where to Sell Stuff)
You will realize very quickly that you are poor. You need money (Coins) for everything, from seeds to blueprints.
Here is the confusing part: You cannot sell items from your inventory menu. You have to physically go to a shop.
Zerine’s General Store is your best bet early on. Walk up to the register (or Zerine herself), hit the Shop tab, and then switch to the "Sell" mode. You can dump pretty much anything on her.
Later, you can build a Quick Shipping Box for your farm. This lets you dump items in a box and get paid the next day, similar to Stardew Valley. However, the blueprint costs 3,500 Gold and requires Iron Sheets and Gears. Do not worry about this early on. Just walk to the store. It is annoying, but you need the exercise.
Best Early Game Money Makers
Fishing: Once you get the rod from the tutorial or Delphin, fish everything. Fish sell for a decent amount and don't cost energy if you are careful with the mini-game. If you want to know which fish sell for the most, check our Fishing Guide.
Foraging: Pick up every shell, flower, and random item on the ground. It adds up.
Don't Sell Wood/Stone: You need these for building. Hoard them.
Farming 101: Don't Waste the Good Stuff
Eventually, you will want to plant things. You need to talk to Graminova to become an Apprentice Farmer. He will give you some "Ripening Fertilizer IV."
Do not use this fertilizer on your first wheat crops.
It is high-tier stuff. Save it for something expensive later. Just plant the wheat, water it with the Wooden Watering Can, and wait. It takes about 18 in-game hours for wheat to grow.
While you wait, craft a Stump Stool. Sitting down in this game regenerates Stamina. It’s slow, but it’s free. If you are low on energy and have no food, just sit on your stump and scroll through TikTok on your real phone for a minute.
The Next Steps
Once you have your bag upgraded once and a few crops in the ground, your next goal is the Moonlit Forest. This is your mine. You need to break the rock barrier south of your house (requires the Slingshot from Zephyria) to get in.
That is where you get Copper, Tin, and Quartz. The drops can be confusing, so if you are looking for specific materials or Gachapon tokens, refer to our Blueprints, Loot & Ore Guide.
Starsand Island is a slow burn. Don't try to rush the fast travel stations (they are expensive to build) or the fancy vehicles right away. Just focus on hoarding resources, keeping your stamina up, and for the love of god, go to bed before 2:00 AM.
