Stamina

How Stamina Works

Almost everything in Starsand Island costs stamina: farming, mining, fishing, chopping trees, catching bugs, and fighting enemies. When your stamina bar empties, you cannot perform any work actions. Sleeping fully restores stamina but ends the day, so managing your energy throughout the day is the difference between a productive session and a wasted one.

If you are not in bed by 2:00 AM, you pass out wherever you are. Days last approximately 40 real-time minutes, so keep an eye on the clock during Moonlit Forest runs and late-night exploration.

Stamina Costs

Here is what common activities cost in stamina. Knowing these numbers helps you budget your daily energy and decide which tasks to prioritize.

Pass-Out Penalties

Beds can be placed outdoors and work identically to indoor beds. Place one near your main work area to save time walking inside when the night runs late.

Recovery Methods

Hot Springs

The Hot Springs in Maple Reed are one of the best early-game stamina recovery methods. Buy a Hot Spring Ticket from the General Store or any vending machine (100 Coins each) and interact with any hot spring spot. You recover approximately 1 stamina per real-time second (about 2 to 3 per in-game minute). The Hot Springs restore stamina roughly 3 times faster than sitting on furniture, making them the better option when you can afford the travel time to Maple Reed. Filling a completely empty bar takes several minutes, so plan your visit during a lull in the day.

Food

Eating food provides instant stamina recovery. Eventually this becomes the fastest and most convenient method since you can eat anywhere without traveling. Keep a stack of stamina food in your inventory at all times, especially before Moonlit Forest runs.

See the full Cooking Recipes article and Cooking Buffs guide for all food options and their buff effects.

Sitting (Recuperate Perk)

Craft a Stump Stool (3 Softwood) or any chair and sit on it to passively regenerate stamina for free. No items consumed, no travel required. The Recuperate perk from the Workpedia (Apprentice Crafter) significantly speeds up sitting recovery, making this viable even in mid-game. Place Stump Stools at key work areas around your farm and near mining spots for convenient free recovery between tasks.

Sleeping

Going to bed fully restores stamina the next morning, but it ends the current day. Use this when you have no more productive tasks left or when your stamina is too low to justify using consumables.

Workpedia Perks

Several Workpedia perks directly affect stamina management. Investing in these early pays off throughout the entire game.

Stamina Bar Expansion

Your maximum stamina capacity is not fixed. As you progress through Workpedia milestones and complete certain achievements, your stamina bar expands, giving you more total energy per day. Focus on filling out multiple profession tracks in the Workpedia to unlock these expansions. Higher max stamina means more actions per day before needing to rest or eat.

Mechanical Tiller

The Mechanical Tiller is a late-game farming upgrade that automates tilling with zero stamina cost. Once unlocked and placed, it handles soil preparation for you, completely eliminating the most expensive stamina drain on the farm. Combined with sprinklers for watering, the Mechanical Tiller makes farming nearly stamina-free, freeing your energy bar for mining, combat, and exploration.

Combat and Stamina

Combat attacks consume stamina, with heavier weapons costing more per swing. Dodge rolls are free, so use them liberally during boss fights. If you are defeated in combat, you wake up the next day with only 50% stamina, the same penalty as a pass-out from staying up past 2:00 AM. Always bring stamina food into the Moonlit Forest so you can recover mid-run. Chicken Stewed with Mushrooms is ideal because it restores 105 stamina and grants the Battle Spirit buff for extra combat damage.

Tips

• Always go to bed before 2:00 AM. The 50% stamina penalty from passing out adds up fast over consecutive days.

• Place a bed outdoors near your main work area. You can sleep anywhere a bed is placed, avoiding the walk home.

• Skip watering some plots to conserve stamina until you unlock sprinklers. Rainy days water your crops for free; use the saved stamina for mining or fishing.

• Striking crops with an axe to harvest is faster than pressing the interact key, costs no stamina, and clears weeds at the same time.

• Rush sprinklers and the Mechanical Tiller. Together they make farming nearly stamina-free.

• Invest in Recuperate early. Free stamina from sitting on a Stump Stool is invaluable in the first few days.

• Stack Nutrient Absorption. At max rank (+48%), Chicken Stewed with Mushrooms restores over 155 stamina instead of 105.

• Cook food before Moonlit Forest runs. Bring at least 3 to 5 high-stamina dishes so you can recover mid-dungeon without ending your run early.

• If you die in combat, you lose the same 50% stamina as a pass-out. Treat combat death as seriously as missing your bedtime.