How to Unlock Land Expansion
You cannot buy more land until you unlock the Buy Land app on your phone. The app appears automatically after you complete the fifth set of Island Life tasks. To reach that milestone you must clear five quests in strict order:
Long Time No See (automatic on arrival): gather branches and stones, craft an axe, place a bed.
Apprentice Talent: reach Apprentice rank in any profession by speaking with a mentor and completing their initial tasks.
Decorate Your Home: place at least 6 furniture items in your house (purchase from Lex Woodworks).
First Pot of Gold: accumulate 2,000 Coins and meet 10 Islanders.
Junior Talent: reach Junior rank in any profession and complete 5 requests from the Bulletin Board at the Community Center.
Important: Island Life quests must be completed in strict order. Actions done before a quest is active may not count retroactively. Once you finish the Junior Talent tasks and claim the rewards, the Buy Land app adds itself to your phone. Open it with Tab (PC) or Y (Xbox), navigate to Buy Land, select a plot, and confirm the purchase. All land purchases are permanent with no refund option.
How to Reach Junior Level
Continue the questline for whichever profession you pick and register each new level with both Solara and your mentor. If you do not have an active quest, check with your mentor directly. The mentors are:
Graminova for Farming, at the Happiness Seed Shop.
Pastelle for Ranching, at Green Pasture Ranch.
Zerine for Crafting, at the General Store.
Delphin for Fishing, at the AquaBlue Outpost.
Zephyria for Exploration, at the Exploration Club.
If you cannot find your mentor, open the map and look at the icons on the left side. The graduation-cap icon lists all mentors. Select a portrait to track them.
Hopeland Expansion Costs
Hopeland is your starting property, laid out as a 3x3 grid of 9 equal-sized tiles. Your house sits in the center tile. The 8 surrounding tiles can be purchased in any order through the Buy Land app. All tiles are the same size, so the choice comes down to personal preference for where you want to build first.
Both Coins and Starsand are required for each expansion:
Expansion | Coins | Starsand |
|---|---|---|
1st tile | 2,000 | 50 |
2nd tile | 15,000 | 75 |
3rd tile | 30,000 | 90 |
4th tile | 50,000 | 130 |
5th tile | 75,000 | 160 |
6th tile | 100,000 | 200 |
7th tile | 130,000 | 250 |
8th tile | 160,000 | 300 |
Total: 562,000 Coins + 1,255 Starsand for all eight Hopeland tiles.
Cloudrest Lake
Cloudrest Lake is a secondary property north of Starsand Town. It becomes available through the Buy Land app after you reach the Home Builder rank in Island Life (the 3rd rank) and have purchased at least 6 tiles on Hopeland.
The initial purchase costs 6,000,000 Coins + 750 Starsand, a massive late-game investment. Once purchased, the property offers a separate homestead with its own buildable area and farmland. Notable features include:
A central lake with a pier on the southern shore and a pavilion to the east.
Bamboo groves around the eastern lake shore where Fresh Bamboo Shoots spawn daily.
Banyan and White Fig trees on the western hills, many carrying beehives (a prime location for honeycomb farming).
Booboo, a panda NPC, lives in the Panda House east of the lake. You can build friendship with Booboo by feeding it Fresh Bamboo Shoots.
A lake fishing zone stocked with Topmouth Culter, Kissing Gourami, Chinese Perch, Betta, Bighead Carp, Crucian Carp, Koi, Lake Trout, and Grass Carp.
Additional plots at Cloudrest Lake can be purchased once you own the initial property.
Blue Beach
Blue Beach is a coastal property that unlocks after you reach the Bright Star rank in Island Life (the 4th rank) and have purchased all Cloudrest Lake plots. It features ocean views, beach access, and tropical scenery. Blue Beach is also the site of the Beach Festival each Summer. You can swim southwest from Blue Beach to reach Windflute Island.
Windflute Island
Windflute Island is a small offshore island southwest of Blue Beach. It unlocks after you reach the Starsand Legend rank (the final Island Life rank), have purchased all Blue Beach plots, and have built at least 10 crafting stations. The island is home to multiple Banyan Trees with beehives, making it an excellent spot for honeycomb and bumblebee farming. The bridge to Windflute Island is built during the "Paving the Way" quest.
Island Life Rank Progression
Each new land area unlocks at a specific Island Life rank. The following table summarizes the progression:
Rank | Title | Key Requirement | Land Unlock |
|---|---|---|---|
1 | Long Time No See | Basic integration tasks (gather, craft, place bed) | None |
2 | Junior Talent | Junior profession + 5 Bulletin Board requests | Buy Land app (Hopeland) |
3 | Home Builder | Purchase 6 Hopeland tiles + housing tasks | |
4 | Bright Star | Purchase all Cloudrest Lake plots + economic goals | |
5 | Starsand Legend | Purchase all Blue Beach plots + build 10 crafting stations |
Each additional property has its own set of purchasable expansion tiles. You can plant World Trees on any homestead plot.
Tips
The first Hopeland expansion (2,000 Coins) is affordable early. Prioritize it for more farming space.
Later expansions require significant Starsand. Complete StarNote achievements (50 to 1,500 Starsand Points each) and Island Life goals to stockpile.
If you need Coins for land, check the money-making guide for the fastest methods.
Do not rush expensive expansions. Focus on filling your current plots with productive farms, barns, and crafting stations first.
All Hopeland tiles are the same size and have no gameplay advantage over one another. Pick based on personal layout preference.
The 6,000,000-Coin price tag on Cloudrest Lake is a long-term goal. Do not feel pressured to save for it early; spend Coins on bag expansions, tools, and blueprints first.