Cahaya Main Island

Overview

Cahaya Main Island is the largest and most populated island in the Cahaya archipelago, introduced in the free Island Getaway DLC released on August 20, 2025. Located on the western side of the map, the Main Island serves as the residential and economic hub where Zois can build a life from scratch. The island supports a "rags-to-riches" playstyle, with activities focused on farming, mining, fishing, and crafting to earn a living.

The Cahaya archipelago comprises three islands: the Main Island, the Sri Lestari Resort island to the east, and a Deserted Island between them. No bridges or roads connect the islands; travel between them requires boats, water taxis, or swimming.

Geography and Atmosphere

The Main Island is inspired by Indonesian locales such as Bali, Lombok, and Yogyakarta. The landscape blends lush tropical vegetation with rural farmland on the outer edges, transitioning to a small-town center with markets, vendors, and community buildings. The island has a tropical climate year-round with warm temperatures and occasional heavy rain. Unlike Dowon and Bliss Bay, heavy rain in Cahaya can prevent Zois from driving cars entirely, a weather restriction unique to the island.

Key Locations

Street food vendors are scattered throughout the island, selling kebabs, grilled fish, fruit platters, coconut drinks, and shaved ice. Multiple restaurants and rural cafes serve local cuisine.

Activities

Farming

Zois receive a home farming kit upon arriving on the island. Crops include tomatoes, bananas, mangoes, sweet potatoes, potatoes, and corn. Fertilizer choices affect the rarity and quality of harvested crops. Using a Jewel Can creates unusual crop variants with higher value. Farms are vulnerable to flood damage from heavy rain, so monitoring weather forecasts is important for protecting crops.

Mining

Mining spots are color-coded by quality: ordinary, silver, gold, copper, and mixed deposits. Players start with a basic pickaxe and can upgrade through copper, silver, iron, golden, and diamond tiers to access rarer materials. Mining spots respawn daily, so returning to the same locations each morning is a reliable income strategy. Materials can be sold at the Corner Store or used in crafting.

Fishing

The island's fishing system is expanded compared to the base game. Players start with a wooden rod for common fish and can upgrade to steel and diamond rods for rarer species. Fish species differ between day and night, so fishing at various times maximizes the collection log. Designated fishing spots are marked with blue bags along the shoreline. A diamond rod is required to catch sharks.

Crafting

Crafting benches on the island allow Zois to build and upgrade tools including pickaxes, watering cans, fishing rods, and pitchforks. Tool upgrades improve gathering efficiency and unlock access to rarer resources. Jewelry crafting is also available for creating wearable accessories from mined gems.

Gathering

Natural resources such as rocks, branches, sand patches, and shells can be collected from around the island. These materials serve as ingredients for crafting recipes and can also be sold for income.

Residential Lots

Four additional pre-built homes in Cahaya architectural style are available for placement. The Deserted Island also offers free accommodation with 0 currency per night, featuring cardboard beds and a campfire for Zois pursuing a survival-oriented lifestyle.

Selling and Economy

Zois can sell harvested crops, mined materials, fish, and crafted items through several channels. The Corner Store accepts raw materials for Meow. The Market Extension north of the central market allows direct sales to visitors. Players can also place a Market rug on the ground, stand on it, and activate "Start selling" to set up a personal vendor stall.

Careers

Cahaya offers nine careers, all operating as rabbit-hole (automatic) jobs. These range from professional positions to entry-level resource gathering.

The Farmer and Miner positions are single-tier jobs with no promotions, operating seven days a week. All other careers follow a standard promotion track with increasing pay.

Transportation

Travel on and around the Main Island relies on a combination of methods. Within the island, Zois can walk, drive (when weather permits), or ride motorcycles and mopeds introduced with the Island Getaway update. To reach the Resort Island or Deserted Island, Zois use blue boat rental huts at the docks, which offer five boat types: Old Jet Boat, Skiff, Troller, Hydrojet, and Catamaran. Yellow water taxis provide free instant fast travel between the three islands. Swimming between islands is also possible, though the waters around the Deserted Island are shark-infested.

Nearby Islands

• Sri Lestari Resort: Luxury vacation resort on the eastern island with villas, pools, spa, snorkeling, arcade, and bowling

• Deserted Island: Uninhabited island between the Main and Resort islands. Free accommodation, high concentration of rare mining spots, and items that wash ashore. Accessible in favorable weather conditions.

• Miatara Temple: Sacred temple on a small island to the southwest, featuring Guardian Cats, yoga, meditation, and a Wish Tree

Tips

• Start with farming and gathering to build initial capital, then invest in tool upgrades for mining

• Upgrade your fishing rod before attempting to catch sharks; a diamond rod is required

• Fish at different times of day to discover species that only appear during daytime or nighttime

• Use the Market rug for direct selling if you want to roleplay as a market vendor

• Check the weather before driving, as heavy rain prevents car usage entirely on the island

• The Deserted Island has the richest mining deposits, so bring upgraded pickaxes there when weather allows

• Water taxis are free and instant; prefer them over boat rentals unless you enjoy manual sailing