5 Beginner Tips For My Time At Sandrock (2024)

Fans of My Time At Portia can rejoice with the early access release of My Time At Sandrock. Set near an oasis in the desert, players can settle in at Sandrock to become the next amazing builder who can save the town from economic catastrophe.

RELATED: Things Farming Simulators Get Wrong

Similar to Portia, My Time At Sandrock is a life simulator that has players dealing with crafting, base building, combat, farming, and exploring. A bit of everything if you will. After creating a character players will be dropped into the world and can begin putting together their base of operations. However, dealing with all these various aspects of the game can feel overwhelming but with a little guidance and some tips, players will be able to grasp the basics.

5 Stamina

The game emphasizes several things in the game including XP, water, and Gols (Sandrock currency). These can be acquired via resource gathering or exploring (basically anything that requires exertion). However, to do all these things, players require stamina. Since there isn’t any coffee or quick access to energy bars, in the beginning, players will have to manage this resource by going to be at a reasonable time. Sleeping past midnight and your character will complain whilst going past 3 am will cause your character to completely pass out and have reduced stamina the next day.

Players should have their characters retire at a decent time to ensure their stamina levels remain solid. Some other activities don’t require stamina such as talking to NPCs, shopping, or crafting. The key is always to balance and see what needs doing.

4 Baby Steps

When players first arrive, there won’t be that much they can do since machines require water to do anything and money is limited. Players should first make the recycler since it’s what the game first tasks players with. Once that is completed, players won’t have much stamina left.

RELATED: My Time at Sandrock: How to Make a Recycler

However, there are still things players can do to maximize their first day. The town (as it's in decline) has trash that players can pick up and acquire scraps, which will grant additional resources. Players can explore the nearby town for treasure chests which are dotted around the town and on buildings themselves. Players can also punch or run into nearby tumbleweeds as doing so will give scraps that can be fed into the recycler.

Players should also head over to the commission board and pick up a side quest (they can do so 1 at a time). The player can also try and top up their water by making it (which requires 10 dew) or buying it from town, which can be a little expensive. Players are also advised to get acquire a bronze pickhammer and a feather duster to clean up their machines and areas as sand buildup can debuff them.

3 Salvage Area

The salvage area is one of the most important areas of the game. Located on the hill behind the player’s workshop, gamers can hack away at the junk piles and receive all sorts of various resources which can be fed into their recycler. More importantly, is that these piles can give players data disks which will allow players to head on over to the research center (east side of town) to then develop their base of operations. Players are advised to start with the processor or grinder as it will tremendously speed things up for them later on in the game.

RELATED: Best Games With Immersive Crafting

Players should also be on the lookout for shiny scorpions who will occasionally pop out when bashing at junk piles. Players will need to give chase and pick them up before they can escape. Why are they useful? These scorpions can sell for quite a bit of Gols, and add some much-needed cash into the bank.

2 Talk to NPCs

As this action requires no stamina, players can interact with various characters within the town of Sandrock by chatting with them once a day. Players can receive gifts from NPCs depending on their standing with them. Alternatively, players can give gifts to particular NPCs to increase their standing and rapport.

The player may also choose to play a cute minigame (critters) with them which is similar to rock, paper, scissors, or even engage in a duel to the death (it’s a sparring match). Sparring with NPCs will initiate an arena mode where players and the NPCs will fight in a duel. A quick note is that underneath each health bar are a series of circles. These circles represent the break meter and the more attacks inflicted on an enemy, the fewer circles there are. When these circles deplete, the target will receive critical damage.

Players are advised to wear away their opponent’s break meter and then do as much damage as possible to inflict maximum pain as the break meter does recover. Should players emerge victorious, they will be granted some money, increased reputation, and XP for combat.

1 Skill Trees

The skill tree is divided into 4 distinct pathways: Gathering, Workshop, Combat, and Social. Starting players are recommended to put points into the workshop as it not only improves workshop capacity but affects and adds bonuses to production, planting, home, and ranching. Moreover, players should specifically invest points into water conservation and fuel-saving knowledge. Water conservation has machines that require less water and can help produce more water with less dew whilst fuel-saving knowledge just has machines that require less fuel.

Combat is another area players will need to focus on. As there are several types of weaponry to choose from, players should select 1 melee weapon type and stick with it. This is important because a maxed-out weapon will also maximize the combo sequence of that weapon, which helps players destroy enemy break meters. If players aren’t happy with their skill tree choices, they can always go to Fang located in the medical clinic, and select the acupuncture option to respec skills.

My Time at Sandrock is available in Early Access for PC.

MORE: The Legacy Of Stardew Valley: My Time At Portia, Coral Island, And More