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Overview
Managing your time and stamina efficiently is one of the most important skills in Starsand Island. Each in-game day runs from 6:00 AM to 2:00 AM, and your character passes out automatically at 2:00 AM, losing 50% stamina the next morning. Dying in the Moonlit Forest ends the day immediately. This guide covers an optimal daily routine for each stage of the game.
The table below provides a quick-reference schedule for a typical day. Adjust the order and timing based on your current profession and goals.
Time Block | Activity | Location | Stamina Cost | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
6:00 AM | Harvest and replant crops | None | Farming actions (planting, watering, harvesting) are free. Do this first every day. | |
6:00 AM | Tend livestock | Low | Feed, brush, and collect animal products (eggs, milk, wool). Brushing costs stamina. | |
6:00 AM | Check Island Life phone tasks | Anywhere | None | Open your phone and claim daily rewards. Checking in ties to achievements like "Drop by Anytime." |
8:00 AM | Check Bulletin Board | None | Board refreshes at 6:00 AM daily with up to four NPC requests. Great source of Coins and Starsand Points. | |
8:00 AM | Talk to NPCs and give gifts | None | Speak to each NPC once for +5 affection. Give a daily gift to your priority target for +10 to +15 affection. | |
8:00 AM | Buy supplies from shops | None | Most shops open at 8:00 AM. Buy seeds, bait, blueprints, and cooking ingredients early. | |
10:00 AM | Primary profession work | Varies | Medium to High | Focus on crafting, fishing, mining, or ranching depending on your current profession goals. |
10:00 AM | Check and restock crafting stations | None | Collect finished items from Furnace, Cutter, Brewing Barrel. Queue new batches. | |
4:00 PM | Turn in Bulletin Board requests | None | Deliver gathered items. Each request awards Coins, Starsand Points, and NPC affection. | |
6:00 PM | Catch evening-only bugs | Various | None | Fireflies and other nocturnal species spawn from 6:00 PM to 2:00 AM. |
8:00 PM | Moonlit Forest resource respawn | High | All ore nodes and forage spots inside the Moonlit Forest respawn at 8:00 PM. | |
10:00 PM | Process and sell goods | Workshop / Home | None | Most shops close at 10:00 PM. Set up overnight timed crafts before bed. |
10:00 PM | Organize storage and decorate | Home | None | Building and placing furniture costs no stamina. Good late-night activity. |
Before 2:00 AM | Go to bed | Home | None | Sleeping before 2:00 AM restores full stamina. Passing out at 2:00 AM only restores 50%. |
Morning Routine (6:00 AM to 10:00 AM)
The morning is your most productive window. Shops open at 8:00 AM, and several time-sensitive tasks should be handled first.
Step | Activity | Details |
|---|---|---|
1 | Check your farm | Harvest any mature crops, replant empty plots, and water everything. If you have sprinklers, watering is automatic; just harvest and replant. Farming actions (planting, watering, harvesting) consume zero stamina, so do this first. |
2 | Tend your animals | Feed your livestock, brush them if needed, and collect products (eggs, milk, wool). Cleaning consumes stamina, so use this time while you are at full energy. You can claim two free bags of feed daily from the Green Pasture Ranch. |
3 | Check the Bulletin Board | Visit the Community Center to pick up daily requests. The board refreshes every morning at 6:00 AM with up to four NPC requests. These are one of the best sources of Coins and Starsand Points. |
4 | Talk to NPCs | Speak to nearby NPCs once for +5 affection each. If you have a daily gift ready, give it to your priority relationship target for +10 or +15 affection. After building friendship, NPCs will start gifting you items when you talk to them each day. |
Midday Activities (10:00 AM to 4:00 PM)
The middle of the day is best spent on your primary progression goals. Choose activities based on which profession you are advancing.
Profession | Primary Activity | Secondary Activity | Key Locations |
|---|---|---|---|
Crafter | Check timed crafting stations (Furnace, Cutter, Brewing Barrel). Collect finished items and queue new batches. | Work on profession trial objectives if you have pending certification goals. | Workshop, Home |
Farmer | Process harvested crops at the Separator (flour, pulp) or Jam Maker (fruit jams). | Cook meals at the Campfire or Gas Stove to stock up on food for stamina recovery and gift-giving. | Kitchen, Workshop |
Angler | Head to the best fishing spot for your current quest target. Check the Bait Guide to bring the right bait type. | Consider taking the Parrot Ship to deep-sea zones for rare catches worth more Coins. | Half-Moon Bay, Deep Sea |
Explorer | Run the Moonlit Forest for ores, materials, and combat experience. Resources respawn at 8:00 PM daily. | Stock up on arrows and food before entering. Bring at least 50 ammo for a full run. | Moonlit Forest |
Rancher | Check breeding progress in the Breeding House. Manage animal DNA traits. | Harvest beekeeping products if you have beehives set up. | Ranch, Breeding House |
Afternoon and Evening (4:00 PM to 10:00 PM)
Use the afternoon and evening to handle secondary tasks and social activities.
Activity | Details | Time Sensitivity |
|---|---|---|
Complete Bulletin Board requests | Turn in any items you have gathered throughout the day. Each completed request awards Coins, Starsand Points, and affection with the requesting NPC. | Before midnight |
Shop before closing | Most shops close at 10:00 PM. Buy seeds, blueprints, and supplies before they close. Zerine's General Store and the Soluna Cafe Lodge are open 24/7 if you need late-night supplies. | Before 10:00 PM |
Give daily gifts | If you haven't gifted your target NPC yet, find them using the map tracking feature (M, then Residents, then Track). | Before NPC goes home |
Catch bugs | Some bugs only appear in the evening (fireflies spawn 6:00 PM to 2:00 AM). Evening bug catching fills out your Islandpedia. | 6:00 PM to 2:00 AM |
Chat with tourists | Random tourists wandering the island will often gift you items after a short conversation. Keep an eye out while running errands. | Anytime |
Night Activities (10:00 PM to 2:00 AM)
Activity | Details | Stamina Cost |
|---|---|---|
Process and sell | Use this time to sell finished goods and process raw materials at crafting stations. Set up overnight timed crafts so they finish by morning. | None |
Organize storage | Sort your storage boxes and move items to the correct containers. Keeping organized saves time the next morning. | None |
Decorate and build | Building and placing furniture does not consume stamina, making it a good late-night activity. | None |
Go to bed | Sleeping before 2:00 AM restores full stamina. Passing out at 2:00 AM only restores 50%. Sleep as early as possible if you have accomplished your goals for the day. | None |
Stamina Management Tips
Method | Details | Cost |
|---|---|---|
Cook food in bulk | Cooking meals like Mushroom Soup (2 Moondew Shroom, +45 Energy) and Smashed Cucumber (2 Cucumber, +80 Energy) are cheap stamina refills. Keep a stack in your hotbar. | Ingredients only |
Visit the Hot Springs | The Hot Springs restore approximately 1 stamina per real-time second. Use them whenever you are near one. | 1 Hot Spring Ticket (100 Coins) |
Sit on furniture | Sitting on chairs, benches, or couches slowly restores stamina. Place a Stump Stool (3 Softwood) near your farm for quick breaks. The Recuperate perk boosts sitting recovery speed. | Free |
Prioritize stamina-free activities | Farming (planting, watering, harvesting), decorating, shopping, and talking to NPCs consume no stamina. Save stamina-heavy activities (mining, chopping, combat) for when you are well-fed. | Free |
Use charged strikes | Holding down the action button when mining or logging deals much more damage for only one extra stamina point per swing. This saves stamina overall and clears resource nodes faster. | Stamina-efficient |
Profession stamina refund perks | Certain profession upgrades give a chance for stamina to be refunded when mining or logging. Each hit on a resource node can trigger this proc. | Profession unlock |
Weekly Priorities
Task | Details | Frequency |
|---|---|---|
Merchant Ship | Check the Merchant Ship at Starsand Port when its inventory refreshes for rare items you cannot find elsewhere. | Weekly |
Profession trials | Track your profession progress through the phone app and complete certification trials as soon as you meet the requirements. | Ongoing |
Land expansion | Save up Coins for land expansion when it becomes available. More land means more farming plots, animal enclosures, and building space. | As available |
NPC room treasure chests | Once you reach 3 hearts with an NPC, you can enter their room and loot a treasure chest. These chests respawn weekly and often contain valuable items. | Weekly |
Automation upgrades | Save up for gathering robots and mining robots. Each robot terminal generates resources passively, reducing daily labor. You can deploy up to 25 terminals. | Ongoing |
Shop Hours Reference
Knowing when shops open and close helps you plan errands efficiently. The two 24-hour shops (Zerine's General Store and Soluna Cafe Lodge) are lifesavers for late-night supply runs. Marlo's Morning Delights closes at 11:00 AM, so grab breakfast buffs early. All other shops follow the standard 8:00 AM to 10:00 PM schedule.
Shop | Owner | Hours | Location |
|---|---|---|---|
24 hours | Starsand Town, main road | ||
24 hours | Starsand Town, across from Ethereal Styles | ||
6:00 AM to 11:00 AM | Next to Ethereal Styles | ||
6:00 AM to 10:00 PM | Green Meadow, northwest | ||
8:00 AM to 10:00 PM | Near plaza by Ethereal Styles | ||
8:00 AM to 10:00 PM | South side of plaza | ||
Lex's Woodworks | 8:00 AM to 10:00 PM | South Starsand Town | |
8:00 AM to 10:00 PM | South Starsand Town, near Lex | ||
8:00 AM to 10:00 PM | Right side of plaza | ||
8:00 AM to 10:00 PM | Main road near Half-Moon Bay | ||
8:00 AM to 10:00 PM | Docks, right side of Half-Moon Bay | ||
8:00 AM to 10:00 PM | North Starsand Town | ||
8:00 AM to 10:00 PM | Northeast Starsand Town | ||
8:00 AM to 10:00 PM | North Starsand Town | ||
8:00 AM to 10:00 PM | |||
Rotating vendor | 8:00 AM to 10:00 PM | Docks at Half-Moon Bay |
Seasonal Activity Priorities
Your daily routine shifts depending on the current season. Each season brings different crops, weather patterns, and seasonal events that affect how you should allocate your time. The table below summarizes what to prioritize in each season.
Season | Top Priority Crops | Key Activities | Special Events |
|---|---|---|---|
Spring | Plant spring-exclusive seeds early. Process Star Plums into bayberry juice for high sale value. Begin flower hybridization for cross-breeding experiments. | Spring Festival (runs Winter 25 through Spring 4) | |
Summer | Dedicate extra plots to Watermelon (4-day cycle, high value). Watch for giant crop variants for bonus yield. Deep-sea fishing is productive in warm weather. | Beach Festival (Summer 27 at Half-Moon Bay) | |
Fall | Bell Pepper, Aloe Vera, Reishii Mushroom, Pumpkin | Grow Pumpkins in a dedicated patch for size upgrades. Stock up on preserved foods and processed goods for the coming winter. Prepare Moonlit Forest supplies. | Harvest-themed activities |
Winter | Jadelume (5-day cycle) is your best winter earner. Focus on indoor activities: crafting, cooking, and Moonlit Forest runs. Upgrade tools during downtime. | Chinese New Year Festival (Winter 25 through Spring 4) | |
All Seasons | Pasture Grass (12h), Wheat (18h), Garlic, Potato | Keep a rotation of all-season crops for steady income. Pasture Grass and Wheat provide quick cash and cooking materials year-round. | N/A |