Gathering Materials Guide

Overview

Gathering is one of the most fundamental activities in Starsand Island. From chopping trees for wood to mining ores in the Moonlit Forest, nearly every crafting recipe, building project, and profession quest requires gathered materials. This guide covers all the major resource types you can find in the world, the tools needed to collect them, and the best locations for efficient farming.

Foraging Basics

Forageable items appear throughout the world and are marked by small yellow stars when you walk near them. Picking up ground items like mushrooms, flowers, shells, and wild plants costs zero stamina. Chopping trees, mining rocks, and catching bugs all cost stamina, with the exact amount depending on the tool and the resource. Higher-tier tools generally reduce stamina cost per hit and increase yield.

Resources respawn after several in-game days. Trees typically regrow in 2 to 3 days, and ore veins in the Moonlit Forest respawn after a couple of days as well. White Fig trees (the source of Premium Wood) reportedly regrow every day.

Wood Types

Wood is essential for crafting tools, building furniture, constructing buildings, and processing into planks. There are three main wood types, plus bamboo as a related material.

White Fig trees are particularly valuable because a single tree drops all three wood types (Softwood, Hardwood, and Premium Wood). Banyan trees drop Softwood and Hardwood. Small shrubs drop Softwood, Fiber, and sometimes Pasture Grass seeds.

Wood is processed into planks at the Cutter station: Softwood Plank, Hardwood Plank, Premium Wood Plank, and Meteor Plank (endgame). Premium Wood can also be purchased from Zerine's General Store for 25 coins each after unlocking the Supply Boost skill at Senior Crafter rank.

Fiber and Plant Materials

Fiber is processed through a chain: Fiber becomes Thread at the Spinning Wheel, which becomes Cloth, Linen, or Fabric at the Loom. Raw Hemp becomes Hemp Rope at the Loom. Carbon Line (used in fishing) is also spun from Fiber at the Spinning Wheel.

Ores and Minerals

Surface Island

The surface island has limited mining resources. Stone deposits are scattered throughout the island and can be mined with a basic Stone Pickaxe. Clay deposits also appear in some areas. Surface mining is primarily useful for Stone, Clay, and occasional Soil Mounds that drop random items.

Moonlit Forest Mining

The Moonlit Forest is where serious mining happens. Ores become progressively rarer and more valuable as you push deeper through the 12 zones. Each ore requires a specific minimum tool tier to mine.

All mining veins can drop bonus items including Common Ore Chunks, Uncommon Ore Chunks, Treasure Maps, blueprints, and Simple Pellets. Common Ore Chunks can be processed in the Ore Analyzer (crafted from 8 Hardwood + 2 Copper Sheets at Worktable II) for a chance at Ancient Precision Parts, a rare material exclusive to the Analyzer.

Foraged Plants

Surface Island Plants

The surface island has a smaller selection of forageable plants compared to the Moonlit Forest.

Moonlit Forest Plants

The Moonlit Forest is the richest gathering zone for plants and fungi. Most items can be hand-picked from the ground at no stamina cost. Many also drop seeds that can be planted on your farm.

Bug Catching

Bugs are caught with the Bug Net, crafted from 2 Softwood + 2 Fiber at the Worktable. Each catch attempt costs 4 stamina. Most bugs flee when you approach, so walk slowly and time your swing carefully.

Butterflies only appear in sunny or snowy weather and disappear during rain. Fireflies are exclusively nocturnal (18:00 to 2:00). Cicadas, Glazed Cicadas, and Mantises disappear in Winter. Bumblebees placed in a beekeeping setup produce Honey. Bugs can be sold for coins, given as gifts (Bruce loves insects), fulfilled for Bulletin Board requests, or processed into Protein Powder at the Separator.

Gathering Tools

Tools are crafted at Worktables and upgraded as you progress through profession ranks. Better tools unlock access to higher-tier resources and improve efficiency.

Chopping Tools

Mining Tools

Collection Tools

Endgame Automation

At Expert rank, you can build a Robot Terminal (55,000 coins + rare materials including Eternal Alloy and Spirit Cubes) to deploy automated gathering robots. Mining Robots collect ore, Logging Robots collect wood, and Gathering Robots collect general resources in their assigned areas.

Stamina Costs

Stamina is the main limiting factor for gathering. Managing your stamina bar is essential for efficient resource runs.

The Recuperate perk (Apprentice Crafter tree in the Workpedia) increases stamina recovery when sitting on benches or chairs. Eating cooked food also restores stamina. Build cooking stations near your most-used gathering areas for quick stamina refills during long runs.

Gathering by Region

Hopeland

Hopeland is your starting area and has the most accessible basic resources. Small trees and shrubs provide Softwood and Fiber. Stone deposits are scattered throughout. Banyan trees near your home provide Hardwood once you craft the Impact Axe. Wild flowers attract butterflies and bumblebees for bug catching.

Cloudrest Lake

The northern area around Cloudrest Lake is the best surface-world gathering zone. White Fig and Banyan trees provide all three wood types. Wild beehives hanging from large trees yield Honeycomb and occasionally Queen Bees. Fresh Bamboo Shoots grow on the eastern side near the Panda House. Hydrangeas bloom here in Summer and Autumn.

Windflute Island

Windflute Island (accessible by hoverboard) has White Fig trees for Premium Wood and wild beehives. It is the last area to unlock via the Island Life progression, but once available it provides a reliable Premium Wood farming route.

Moonlit Forest Zones

The Moonlit Forest is divided into 12 zones with progressively more valuable resources. The early zones (Evernight Forest, Gate of Life) have Copper, Tin, Fluorite, and common mushrooms. Mid-zones (Dreamfall Garden through Mural Valley) add Iron, Gold, Coal, and Sleep Lilies. Deep zones (Harvest Yard through Moonlight Meadow) contain Diamond, Oilstone, Flamecore Ore, Aurorite, and Moonstone plus exclusive plants like Fluffweave, Eldergrain, and Echo Bean Seeds.

Repair Moonweaver crystals (5 Fluorite each) at every camp to build a fast travel network within the forest. This lets you teleport directly to deep zones for high-tier ore runs without walking through every earlier area.

Tips for Efficient Gathering

• Grab every forageable item you walk past, even if you do not need it immediately. Ground items cost zero stamina and sell for easy early-game income.

• Invest in the Efficiency Boost perk from the Crafter Workpedia tree as early as possible. It increases resource yield from chopping and mining, saving you time and stamina on every gathering run.

• Prioritize crafting the Impulse Pickaxe as soon as you reach Junior Crafter rank. It unlocks access to Copper, Tin, Iron, and most of the Moonlit Forest ores.

• Keep a stack of cooked food in your inventory during gathering runs. Eating restores stamina, letting you mine or chop longer before needing to return home.

• Target White Fig trees near the Explorer's Club and Cloudrest Lake for the most efficient wood farming. Each tree drops Softwood, Hardwood, and Premium Wood in one chopping session, and they regrow daily.

• For Moonlit Forest ore runs, repair all Moonweaver camps with Fluorite so you can teleport directly to zones with the resources you need.

• Catch butterflies during sunny or snowy weather between 6:00 and 18:00. They disappear in rain. Save firefly hunting for nighttime (18:00 to 2:00).

• Once you reach Senior Crafter rank, unlock the Supply Boost skill to buy Premium Wood and other materials from shops. This supplements your gathering when you need large quantities.