Overview
Charged attacks are a core combat mechanic in Starsand Island. By holding down the fire button before releasing, players deal significantly more damage than a quick shot. This applies to all ranged weapons, including the slingshot, bow, and crossbow. Because Starsand Island has no melee weapons, no blocking, and no dodge rolling, mastering charged shots is the single most important skill for surviving encounters with enemies and bosses.
A charged strike costs only one additional stamina point compared to a regular hit, yet it deals far more damage. This means players actually save stamina overall by charging every shot, since fewer total hits are needed to defeat an enemy.
How Charged Shots Work
To perform a charged shot, hold the fire button. A visual indicator shows the charge building up. Once the charge is full, release the button to fire. The projectile will deal its full charged damage on impact. Releasing the button early fires a quick shot at reduced damage.
Quick shot: Tap the fire button for a fast, low-damage projectile. Useful when an enemy is almost dead or when stamina is critically low.
Charged shot: Hold the fire button until fully charged, then release. Deals roughly 2x to 4x the damage of a quick shot depending on the weapon and ammo type.
Stamina cost: A charged shot consumes only 1 extra stamina point compared to a quick shot, making it far more stamina-efficient per point of damage dealt.
Damage Values by Weapon and Ammo
The table below lists approximate damage values for each weapon and ammo combination. All values are based on player-tested data. Actual damage may vary slightly depending on Explorer profession upgrades and enemy resistances.
Weapon | Ammo | Quick Shot | Charged Shot | Weakpoint (Quick) | Weakpoint (Charged) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Stone | ~30 | ~65 | ~60 | ~130 | |
Simple Pellet | ~31 | ~131 | ~62 | ~262 | |
Blast Pellet | Higher than Simple Pellet | Higher than Simple Pellet | 2x normal | 2x normal | |
Moderate | ~600 | 2x normal | ~1,300 | ||
Similar to Bow | Similar to Bow | 2x normal | 2x normal |
Note: The crossbow and bow deal roughly the same damage per shot, but the crossbow has a significantly faster fire rate. This gives the crossbow higher overall DPS at the cost of consuming ammo much faster.
Weakpoint Mechanics
Every enemy in Starsand Island has at least one weakpoint. Hitting a weakpoint doubles the damage of that shot, whether it is a quick shot or a charged shot. This 2x multiplier stacks with the charged shot bonus, so a fully charged weakpoint hit deals the highest possible single-shot damage.
Weakpoints are not always exposed. They typically appear only during specific enemy animations, such as when a creature is winding up an attack or is briefly stunned. Learning each enemy's patterns is essential for landing consistent weakpoint hits.
Visual cue: Weakpoints usually glow yellow or pulse when exposed. On boss enemies, the glowing area is often large and easy to spot.
Boss example: The Crystalith's core glows during certain phases. Shooting the glowing core deals weakpoint damage. When bosses are distracted (for instance, draining energy from a crystal), they take double damage from all hits.
Forced weakpoint damage: Certain specialized ammo types, such as Bomb Arrows, can force an enemy into a vulnerable state. A successful Bomb Arrow hit cracks the enemy's health bar, causing all follow-up shots to deal weakpoint-tier damage for a short window.
Stamina Efficiency
Stamina management is critical during combat. Every shot (quick or charged) costs stamina, but the difference between the two is minimal. A charged shot costs only 1 extra stamina point on top of the quick shot cost. Since a single charged shot can deal 2x to 4x the damage of a quick shot, players get far more damage per stamina point by always charging.
If stamina runs low during a fight, players can recover it by sitting on any chair or bench. Crafting Stump Stools from Softwood and placing them near combat areas provides free stamina recovery without consuming food. Eating food also restores stamina but is less efficient in the early game when supplies are limited.
Explorer Profession Upgrades
The Explorer profession skill tree includes several upgrades that directly improve charged attack performance. These upgrades are unlocked through the Workpedia app and cost Starsand to purchase.
Upgrade | Effect |
|---|---|
Charge Time Reduction | Reduces the time needed to fully charge a ranged shot. Allows players to fire charged shots more quickly, increasing overall DPS. |
Critical Damage (Power Strike) | Grants a chance to land a critical hit when attacking enemies. At higher levels, the critical hit chance increases from small (Level 1) to great (Level 3). Critical hits deal increased damage to regular enemies and bosses. |
Ammo Recovery | Grants a chance for ammo to drop when striking enemies. Helps sustain prolonged fights, especially when using the crossbow's rapid-fire style. |
Charge Time Reduction is particularly valuable because it lets players fire more charged shots in the same time window, effectively boosting damage output without any extra stamina cost.
Combat Strategy Tips
Always charge your shots. The 1-stamina penalty is trivial compared to the damage increase. Quick shots should only be used as a finishing blow on low-health enemies.
Learn weakpoint windows. Each enemy type exposes its weakpoint at predictable moments. Time your charged shots to land during these windows for maximum damage.
Use Bomb Arrows on bosses. A single Bomb Arrow can crack a boss's defenses and open a vulnerability window where all follow-up shots deal weakpoint-tier damage. Follow up with rapid slingshot or bow shots during this window.
Bring enough ammo. Charged shots are more efficient per shot, but boss fights still require large quantities of ammo. Craft Simple Pellets or arrows at the Ammo Maker before heading into the Moonlit Forest or other dangerous areas.
Deploy Sentry Bots for support. Purchasing Sentry Bots from the Exploration Club (190 Gold each) provides 30 seconds of automated fire support per bot. Deploying multiple bots during a boss fight lets you focus on aiming charged weakpoint shots while the bots chip away at the enemy's health.
Place Stump Stools near boss arenas. If a boss fight drags on, having a nearby stool lets you recover stamina between attack phases without wasting food.