Stamina

How stamina works

Almost everything in Starsand Island costs stamina: farming, mining, fishing, fighting. When it runs out, you cannot work. Sleeping fully restores stamina but ends the day, so managing your energy is the difference between a productive day and a wasted one.

If you are not in bed by 2:00 AM, you pass out wherever you are. This is less punishing than it sounds since days are approximately 40 real-time minutes long, but watch the clock during Moonlit Forest runs.

Stamina costs

Here is what common activities cost in stamina. Knowing these helps you budget your daily energy.

Pass-out penalties

Beds can be placed outdoors and work identically to indoor beds, saving you the time of entering a building.

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 second (about 2–3 per in-game minute). Filling an empty bar takes a while, making it difficult to use twice in one day, but early on this is a solid deal.

Food

Eating food provides instant stamina recovery. Eventually this becomes the fastest option since you can eat anywhere without traveling to Maple Reed. Key stamina foods:

See the full cooking recipes article for all options.

Sitting (Recuperate perk)

Craft a Stump Stool (3 Softwood) or any chair and sit on it to passively regenerate stamina for free. The Recuperate perk from the Workpedia app (Apprentice Crafter) significantly speeds up sitting recovery. This is the cheapest recovery method, no items consumed, no travel required.

Sleeping

Going to bed fully restores stamina the next morning, but ends the current day. Use this when you have no more productive tasks left.

Workpedia perks

Two Workpedia perks directly affect stamina management:

• Recuperate (Apprentice Crafter): Increases stamina recovery while sitting on furniture. One of the best early-game investments.

• Nutrient Absorption (various tiers): Increases stamina gained from cooked food. At max rank (+48%), every meal is nearly 50% more effective. The tooltip does not update, the bonus is applied silently.

Tips

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

• Place a bed outdoors near your main work area to avoid wasting time walking inside when the night runs late.

• You do not need to water every crop plot every day. Skipping some watering conserves stamina before you unlock sprinklers.

• Rainy days water your crops for free. Use the saved stamina for mining, fishing, or exploring.

• 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 towards unlocking sprinklers. They are the single biggest quality-of-life upgrade for stamina conservation on the farm.

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

• Cook food before Moonlit Forest runs. Chicken Stewed with Mushrooms gives 105 energy and the Battle Spirit combat buff.