Weather system

Overview

Starsand Island has three weather states: Sunny, Rainy, and Snowy. Weather changes between days and affects which bugs appear, which fish bite, how NPCs behave, and the overall look of the island. It is not just cosmetic. If you want a specific insect or fish, you may need to wait for the right weather.

Weather types

Weather varies within each season. A Winter week might have snowy, sunny, and rainy days in sequence. There is no fixed pattern.

Effects on bug spawns

Rain shuts down butterfly spawns. All five butterfly species (Moonshade, Swallowtail, Luminwing, Solarwing, Rainbowing) require Sunny or Snowy weather to appear. If it is raining and you need butterflies, you have to wait for the weather to change.

All other insects are unaffected by weather. Bumblebees, dragonflies, cicadas, mantises, hornscarabs, fireflies, and Moonlit Forest bugs (Celeb Moth, Velbee) spawn in any condition.

This matters most for the Luminwing Butterfly puzzle in the Moonlit Forest. If you enter Dreamfall Garden on a rainy day, Luminwing Butterflies will not spawn and you cannot progress until the weather clears.

Effects on fishing

Weather is a major factor in fishing. Each fish species has a weather column in the Islandpedia. Some fish only appear in specific weather:

Rain-exclusive fish (16 species)

Alligator Gar, Anchovy, Arowana, Common Rudd, Crucian Carp, Emperor Angelfish, Flathead Catfish, Guppy, Ink Phoenixfish, Lionfish, Mackerel, Paradise Fish, Potato Grouper, Snakehead, Trevally, and Upside-Down Catfish.

Rainy days are especially profitable for ocean fishing. Lionfish and Emperor Angelfish are high-value rain-only ocean catches, making rainy weather one of the best early-game money opportunities.

Sunny-exclusive fish (12 species)

Alaska Blackfish, Betta, Bighead Carp, Carp, Chinese Perch, Foureye Butterflyfish, Holland's Carp, Koi, Noodlefish, Siberian Taimen, Tilapia, and Whitefish.

Snowy-exclusive fish (7 species)

Baikal Sculpin, Barracuda, Lake Trout, Lungfish, Rainbow Trout, Royal Twig Catfish, and Whitefish.

All-weather fish

Many common species (Clownfish, Catfish, etc.) bite regardless of weather. Deep-sea fish are also all-weather; the three ocean zones (Coral Sea, Luminwave, Celestwave) are not affected by surface weather conditions.

Effects on NPCs

Rain changes NPC behavior:

• Ginger (crossover character from My Time at Portia) stays inside her house during rain.

• Gust (crossover character from My Time at Portia) only leaves his house to visit Ginger at night during rainy weather.

The game uses a dynamic AI system where NPCs autonomously adjust their behavior based on personality, mood, and conditions. Weather likely affects more NPCs beyond Ginger and Gust, but individual rain behaviors for other characters have not been documented yet.

Effects on farming

Rain does not auto-water your crops. This is a departure from similar games like Stardew Valley. In Starsand Island, the only ways to water crops are manually with a watering can (refilled at a hand pump) or automatically with sprinklers (unlocked at Intermediate Farmer tier). Weather has no documented effect on crop growth speed or quality.

Seasons and weather

The game has four seasons (Spring, Summer, Autumn, Winter), each lasting 28 in-game days. Weather is not fixed per season. You can get rainy days in any season and sunny days in Winter. That said, snowy weather appears primarily in Winter, and certain weather patterns are more common in some seasons than others.

The practical advice for completionists: to catch every fish and bug species, you need to visit every fishing spot and bug habitat across different weather types and seasons. The Islandpedia tracks what you have caught and what conditions each species needs.

Weather forecast

No weather forecast system has been confirmed in the current Early Access build. There is no TV report, phone app, or NPC that tells you tomorrow's weather. You find out the weather when the day starts. This makes it hard to plan around weather-dependent species, so many players keep a stockpile of bait and bug nets ready to take advantage of whatever conditions appear.

Tips

• Rainy days are great for fishing. Prioritize ocean fishing on rainy days for high-value rain-only species like Lionfish and Emperor Angelfish.

• Sunny days are best for bug catching. All five butterfly species only spawn in Sunny or Snowy weather.

• If you need Luminwing Butterflies for the Moonlit Forest Luminpath, check the weather before entering. Rainy weather means no Luminwings in Dreamfall Garden.

• Do not wait for rain to water your crops. It does not work that way in Starsand Island. Invest in sprinklers at Intermediate Farmer tier.

• Keep different bait types in storage so you can switch strategies based on the day's weather.

• Snowy weather in Winter opens up 7 exclusive fish species. If you see snow, grab your rod.

• Deep-sea fish in the three ocean zones are not weather-dependent. Rain or shine, the same species bite at the same times.

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