Overview
Items in Starsand Island have a quality rating represented by stars. Higher-quality items sell for more at shops and produce better results when used as crafting or cooking ingredients. The quality system applies primarily to crops, animal products, and fish. Understanding how quality works and how to improve it is one of the best ways to increase your income.
Crop Quality
Crops harvested from your farm have a star quality rating that affects their sell price. Higher-star crops sell for more and produce better cooking ingredients when processed at the Separator or used directly in recipes at the Campfire or Gas Stove.
How to Increase Crop Quality
The primary way to improve crop quality is through fertilizer. Fertilizers are purchased from Graminova at the Happiness Seed Shop and applied to tilled soil before or after planting.
Fertilizer | Profession Tier | Price | Effect |
|---|---|---|---|
Ripening Fertilizer I | Apprentice Farmer | 15 coins (pack of 5) | Speeds growth by 8 hours |
Ripening Fertilizer II | Junior Farmer | 60 coins | Speeds growth by 13 hours |
Ripening Fertilizer III | Intermediate Farmer | 180 coins | Speeds growth by 25 hours |
Yield Fertilizer I | Apprentice Farmer | 120 coins (pack of 5) | +50% crop quantity |
Yield Fertilizer II | Junior Farmer | 780 coins | +150% crop quantity |
Gmax Fertilizer III | Intermediate Farmer | 320 coins | +15% mutation probability for seasonal Gmax crops |
Nutrient Soil IV | Senior Farmer | 250 coins | +15% pollination probability for flowers; stackable with other fertilizers |
Yield Fertilizer increases the number of items harvested per crop, while Ripening Fertilizer shortens the growth cycle. Gmax Fertilizer III is specifically for Gmax crops (Pineapple, Watermelon, Pumpkin, Winter Melon planted in 3x3 plots) and increases the chance of a mutation into the giant Gmax variant.
Other Factors
Animal Product Quality
Animals on your ranch produce products at different quality levels. The key factor is animal happiness. Animals need at least 150 Happiness Points for a chance to produce premium-tier products.
How to Increase Animal Happiness
Standard vs. Premium Products
Premium animal products sell for significantly more than standard versions. Gold-quality products can sell for 2 to 3 times the standard price.
Animal | Standard Product | Premium Product | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
Milk | Premium Milk | Premium Milk sells for significantly more | |
Black Rabbit | Fur (55 coins) | Premium Fur | Highest fur quality; requires two Spotted Rabbit parents |
Rainbow Sheep | Wool (20 coins) | Rainbow Wool | Most valuable wool; requires Pink + Golden Sheep parents |
Mandarin Duck | Feathers | Premium Down | Highest feather quality |
Rare animal variants (obtained through breeding) tend to produce higher-quality products than common variants. Breeding specifically for premium-product traits is one of the most effective long-term income strategies.
Animal Byproducts
Animals also produce byproducts with distinct quality variants. Golden Poop and Silver Poop are quality-variant byproducts that can be sold for high prices, especially at the Merchant Ship.
Fish Quality
Fish in Starsand Island have size variants that function similarly to quality tiers. The most notable is the King size, which is a significantly larger and more valuable version of a species. King-size fish are rare catches that appear in the same locations as their regular counterparts.
For detailed bait information, see the Bait Guide. For fishing locations and rod details, see the Fishing article.
Processing and Sell Price Multipliers
Beyond raw quality, you can significantly increase item value by processing raw materials before selling. Each processing method applies a multiplier to the base sell price.
Processing Method | Station | Approximate Multiplier |
|---|---|---|
Juicing | Juicer | ~1.1x |
Brewing | Brewing Barrel | ~1.03x to 1.06x |
Cooking | Campfire / Gas Stove | ~1.1x to 1.5x |
Jam Making | Jam Maker | ~1.4x to 1.5x |
Pickling | Pickling Jar | ~1.85x to 2.78x |
Merchant Ship | Merchant Ship (docks periodically) | 2x (on top of item's base value) |
The Pickling Jar offers the highest processing multiplier for vegetables (up to 2.78x), while the Merchant Ship doubles the sell price of any item it accepts. Combining high-quality items with processing and selling to the Merchant Ship is the most profitable approach in the game.
Maximizing Quality and Profit
The following table summarizes the best strategies for each item category:
Category | Best Strategy |
|---|---|
Crops | Use fertilizer, water daily, process via Pickling Jar or Jam Maker before selling |
Animal products | Keep happiness above 150, breed rare variants, sell premium products at Merchant Ship |
Fish | Use correct bait, target King-size variants, sell rare fish or process into Fish Fillet for cooking |
Cooked food | Use higher-quality input ingredients for better dishes; sell complex recipes for 1.1x to 1.5x base value |