Axe
Complete guide to axes in Starsand Island, covering all tiers from the starter Axe to the Chainsaw. Includes crafting recipes, materials, blueprint costs, profession requirements, and which wood types each tool can harvest.
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The Axe is the primary woodcutting tool in Starsand Island. Axes are used to chop trees and gather wood, one of the most important resources in the game. Wood is needed for crafting tools, building furniture, constructing crafting stations, and dozens of recipes throughout the game.
The axe upgrade chain follows the Crafter profession tiers: Axe, Impact Axe, Machete, and Sharp Machete. The Chainsaw is a separate endgame branch that does not require a previous axe as an ingredient. Higher-tier axes cut faster, harvest rarer wood types, and consume less stamina per swing.
There are five woodcutting tools in total. The first four form a linear upgrade chain where each new tool consumes the previous one as a crafting ingredient. The Chainsaw branches off separately at the Senior Crafter tier.
Tool | Crafter Tier | Blueprint Source | Blueprint Cost | Worktable | Key Materials |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Axe | Apprentice | Tutorial (Solara) | Free | 2 Softwood, 2 Stone | |
Impact Axe | Junior | 500 Coins | |||
Junior | 2,500 Coins | 4 Hardwood Planks, 4 Iron Sheets, 2 Radiant Crystals, 3 Bronze, 1 Impact Axe | |||
Sharp Machete | Intermediate | 7,000 Coins | 20 Premium Wood, 5 Alloy, 5 Starflare Crystals, 5 Rubber, 1 Machete | ||
Senior | 22,000 Coins | 6 Meteor Planks, 5 Chips, 6 Eternal Alloy, 8 High-Performance Wire Sets |
All blueprints except the starter Axe are purchased from Zerine's General Store. Each Crafter certification level unlocks the next tier of blueprints. The Axe blueprint is given automatically during the tutorial by Solara.
Each axe tier unlocks access to new tree species and their corresponding wood types. Higher-tier axes can still harvest lower-tier wood, so the Machete can chop Softwood trees just as well as the basic Axe.
Tool Required | Tree Species | Wood Type | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
Axe | Palm trees, small deciduous trees, shrubs | Available everywhere from the start of the game | |
Axe | Bamboo stalks near Cloudrest Lake | Technically a grass; grows in clusters near water | |
Impact Axe | Banyan trees (large, dark-barked trees) | Found in forested areas and the Moonlit Forest | |
White Fig trees (pale bark) | Found in highland and forest zones; drops all three wood types | ||
All tree species | All wood types | Cuts any tree in one or two swings |
White Fig trees are notable because they drop Softwood, Hardwood, and Premium Wood from a single tree, making them the most efficient wood source in the game once you have the Machete.
The Axe is the first woodcutting tool you craft. Solara teaches you to build it during the tutorial quest "Recent Returnee." It requires only 2 Softwood and 2 Stone, both of which are abundant near your cabin. The Axe can harvest Softwood from palm trees, shrubs, and small deciduous trees, plus Bamboo from bamboo groves near Cloudrest Lake. It cannot chop Banyan trees or White Fig trees.
Beyond gathering wood, the Axe is needed to clear debris on your farm during the first few days. Chopping shrubs also yields Fiber and sometimes Pasture Grass seeds alongside Softwood.
The Impact Axe is the first major upgrade and unlocks Hardwood harvesting. You need Junior Crafter certification to buy the blueprint from Zerine's General Store for 500 Coins. It is crafted at Worktable I using 10 Copper, 10 Fluorite, 5 Softwood, 5 Quartz, and your existing Axe.
Hardwood is essential for building Worktable II, Furnace II, the Spinning Wheel, the Loom, and many mid-game recipes. Plan ahead when upgrading: the Impact Axe is also consumed as a component for the Machete, so you may want to gather plenty of Hardwood before upgrading further.
The Machete is the third-tier chopping tool and the first one that requires Worktable II to craft. Its blueprint costs 2,500 Coins from the General Store, available at Junior Crafter rank. The recipe calls for 4 Hardwood Planks, 4 Iron Sheets, 2 Radiant Crystals, 3 Bronze, and your Impact Axe.
The Machete unlocks Premium Wood harvesting from White Fig trees. It also has a wider swing arc that can hit multiple objects, making it more efficient than the Impact Axe for clearing areas. The Machete doubles as a melee weapon in a pinch, though dedicated weapons deal significantly more damage.
The Sharp Machete is the top-tier manual woodcutting tool, requiring Intermediate Crafter certification. Its blueprint costs 7,000 Coins from the General Store. Crafting it at Worktable II requires 20 Premium Wood, 5 Alloy, 5 Starflare Crystals, 5 Rubber, and your Machete.
The Sharp Machete represents a major power spike for woodcutting. It swings faster and consumes less stamina per chop compared to the regular Machete, making extended logging sessions much more productive. It harvests the same wood types as the Machete but at significantly higher speed.
The Chainsaw is the endgame woodcutting tool, unlocked at Senior Crafter rank. Unlike the rest of the axe chain, the Chainsaw does not consume a previous axe or machete as a crafting ingredient. Instead, it requires advanced materials from the deeper levels of the Moonlit Forest: 6 Meteor Planks, 5 Chips, 6 Eternal Alloy, and 8 High-Performance Wire Sets. The blueprint costs 22,000 Coins and is crafted at Worktable III.
The Chainsaw cuts any tree in one or two swings regardless of size, making wood gathering trivial. It shares the exact same recipe as the Electric Drill, so gathering materials for both simultaneously saves time. Since the v0.3.2537 patch, Explorer profession skills partially recover stamina during Chainsaw use, making extended logging sessions sustainable.
Upgrading through the axe chain follows a straightforward progression tied to the Crafter profession. Here is the step-by-step path from the starter Axe to the Chainsaw.
Craft the Axe during the tutorial. Gather 2 Softwood and 2 Stone near your cabin and build it at Worktable I.
Reach Junior Crafter by completing Zerine's Apprentice Crafter trial quests. Purchase the Impact Axe blueprint (500 Coins) from the General Store.
Build the Impact Axe at Worktable I. Mine Copper and Fluorite in the Moonlit Forest to gather the required ores. Stock up on Hardwood before upgrading further.
Upgrade to Worktable II by advancing your Crafter rank. This unlocks the Machete recipe.
Craft the Machete at Worktable II. You will need Hardwood Planks (process Hardwood at the Cutter), Iron Sheets, Radiant Crystals, and Bronze. The Impact Axe is consumed in the recipe.
Reach Intermediate Crafter and purchase the Sharp Machete blueprint (7,000 Coins). Craft it using Premium Wood, Alloy, Starflare Crystals, Rubber, and the Machete.
Reach Senior Crafter for the Chainsaw. This is a separate branch that does not consume the Sharp Machete. You keep your Sharp Machete even after building the Chainsaw.
Because each upgrade consumes the previous tool, you will only ever have one axe-line tool at a time (until the Chainsaw, which is independent). Build a spare Axe before upgrading to the Impact Axe if you want to keep a backup for early-game tasks.
Build a spare Axe first. Since the Impact Axe consumes your only Axe, craft a second Axe before upgrading. This gives you a backup if you need basic woodcutting while saving your Impact Axe for Hardwood gathering.
Gather Hardwood before making the Machete. The Machete consumes your Impact Axe. Stock up on Hardwood while you still have the Impact Axe, because the Machete's recipe itself requires Hardwood Planks.
White Fig trees drop all three wood types. Once you have the Machete or Sharp Machete, farming White Fig trees near the Explorer's Club and around Cloudrest Lake is the most efficient way to gather wood.
The Machete works as a melee weapon. In a pinch, the Machete and Sharp Machete can deal damage to monsters. They are not as strong as dedicated weapons, but they let you defend yourself while gathering wood in the Moonlit Forest.
Chainsaw materials overlap with the Electric Drill. Both tools share the same recipe. If you are working toward Senior Crafter, double the material amounts and craft both at once.
Trees near shops and landmarks cannot be chopped. If a tree will not fall, check whether it is near a public building or NPC area. These trees are decorative and cannot be harvested.
Chopped trees respawn daily. Softwood trees reappear each morning. Banyan and White Fig trees also respawn, so you never run out of wood permanently.