- Sandustry shaker setup: Essential for automating gold collection from dry sand.
- Slag management: Use flamethrowers or lava to burn slag into burnt slag.
- Water duplication: Build a reservoir with an alm launcher to create infinite water.
- Factory layout: Use filters and conveyor belts at the bottom of storage boxes.
- Flux site: Process void blooms on a flux eminator for late-game upgrades.
Understanding the Shaker Setup
The Sandustry shaker setup is the backbone of your early economy. By placing a shaker, you can convert dry sand into gold and slag. However, simply placing one isn't enough; you need a system to handle the byproducts efficiently.
Video Highlights:
- Introduction to basic shaker mechanics and resource collection.
- How to use launchers and filters to sort materials.
- Tips for managing water and preventing lava disasters.
Core Components
To build a functioning setup, you need three primary buildings: the Shaker, the Collector, and the Conveyor Belt. The Shaker processes sand, the Collector counts your gold, and Conveyor Belts move items between points. As you progress, you will unlock Filters and Launchers, which are crucial for sorting materials and moving items vertically.
Never place your water reservoir directly above or below your lava pits. Accidental steam generation can rain down and solidify your lava, destroying your fuel source.
Resource Flow
The standard flow begins with dry sand entering a shaker. The output is gold (which you want) and slag (a waste product). If you have water, you can also produce wet sand, which yields different outputs. The table below summarizes the basic resource flows you will manage in your first factory.
| Input Material | Processing Method | Primary Output | Byproduct | Next Step |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dry Sand | Shaker | Gold | Slag | Burn Slag |
| Wet Sand | Shaker | Gold | Slag | Burn Slag |
| Slag | Flamethrower / Lava | N/A | Burnt Slag | Slag Press |
| Burnt Slag | Kinetic Slag Press | Gold | Spores | Wash Spores |
| Spores | Water / Washing Station | N/A | Wet Spores | Planter Box |
Step-by-Step Construction Guide
Building an efficient factory requires planning. Follow these steps to create a robust shaker setup that minimizes clogging and maximizes gold output.
Initial Placement
Place your shakers so they drop output directly onto a conveyor belt. Ensure this belt leads to a storage box or the next processing machine. Use collectors at the end of the line to count your gold.
Slag Containment
Slag accumulates quickly. Build a large containment box using filters and blocks. Crucially, place a conveyor belt at the bottom of this box before it fills up. This allows you to transport slag out later once you unlock burning methods.
Sorting with Filters
Use filters to separate gold from slag. Set a filter to "Allow Only Gold" to let currency pass into your collectors while directing slag into your containment pit. This prevents your machines from clogging with waste.
Vertical Transport
Use launchers to move materials upwards. Diagonal launchers are particularly effective for bringing items from deep mines to your surface factory. Remember that launchers shoot in the direction of the arrow on the block.
Automation
Once you unlock the flamethrower (Tools 1 research), you can manually burn slag. For full automation, aim for the Cinder upgrade to create lava pits, which automatically burns slag passing over them.
If your slag press gets stuck, place small launchers pointing back into the input tube. This recycles unburnt slag and prevents the machine from jamming.
Advanced Optimization Strategies
Once your basic shaker setup is running, you need to optimize for resource management and late-game materials like Flux Site.
Water Management
Water is a limited but vital resource for making wet sand and washing spores. You can duplicate water using an alm launcher.
- Build a reservoir high up, ideally near where steam condenses into rain.
- Use an alm launcher to shoot water, creating excess steam.
- Ensure the rain falls back into your pit. This creates a net positive water loop, ensuring you never run dry.
Slag Processing & Spores
Burning slag is only the middle step. The real value comes from processing Burnt Slag in a Kinetic Slag Press to get Spores. These spores are difficult to handle; they cannot be washed by simple sprinkling. You must construct a dedicated washing station using liquid vents to keep a pool of water constantly full, then submerge spores to create wet spores.
Focus on "Filters" and "Tools 1" immediately after the basic shaker setup. Filters are essential for sorting, and the Flamethrower is required to manage slag buildup.
Late Game: Flux Site
To obtain Flux Site, you must grow Void Blooms.
- Mix Amethyst (from wet spores) with Red Sand.
- Plant the resulting Void Bloom in a contained box (they grow aggressively).
- Place the bloom on a Flux Eminator.
- Destroy the mature bloom to collect Flux Site.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
Many new players make errors that halt their progress. Review these common pitfalls to ensure your factory runs smoothly.
Poor Foundation
- Mistake: Building storage boxes without conveyor belts at the bottom.
- Consequence: You cannot empty the box later without demolishing it.
- Fix: Always lay conveyor belts and filters under your storage areas first.
Flower Containment
- Mistake: Not containing Void Blooms or Amethyst flowers.
- Consequence: Flowers spread and overrun your factory, causing chaos.
- Fix: Use solid blocks, conveyor belts, and launchers to create a sealed enclosure.
Lava Placement
- Mistake: Placing lava pits under water sources or steam paths.
- Consequence: Rain turns lava back into stone/obsidian, stopping production.
- Fix: Keep lava operations isolated from the water cycle.
Gold Overflow
- Mistake: Underestimating how much gold you will produce.
- Consequence: Collectors overflow, stopping production.
- Fix: Build massive gold storage arrays early; you will have more than you can spend.
Essential Tools
As you expand, you will need various tools to manage your factory. The table below details the key tools and their specific uses in a shaker setup.
| Tool Name | Unlock Requirement | Primary Function | Usage in Setup |
|---|---|---|---|
| Shovel | Default | Digging sand | Manual collection |
| Flamethrower | Tools 1 Research | Burns slag | Converts slag to burnt slag |
| Cryo Blaster | Research | Freezes lava | Solidifies lava for safe transport |
| Vacuum | Research | Moves piles | Clears old mines efficiently |
| Grappling Hook | Research | Mobility | Reaches high places for launchers |
Progression Checklist
Use this checklist to track your progress from a manual digger to an automated factory tycoon.
Factory Milestones:
- Build first Shaker and Collector array
- Construct a Slag containment box with bottom conveyors
- Unlock and place Filters for sorting Gold
- Research Flamethrower (Tools 1) to burn Slag
- Build a Water Reservoir with Alm Launcher
- Unlock Kinetic Slag Press for Spore production
- Construct automated Lava pit using Cinder
- Contain and farm Void Blooms for Flux Site
FAQ
Q: Why is my shaker setup producing only slag?
Shakers always produce slag alongside gold. If you aren't seeing gold, ensure you have Collectors placed correctly to catch it, or check if your filters are accidentally blocking gold from reaching the collector.
Q: How do I wash spores efficiently in Sandustry?
You cannot simply sprinkle water on spores. You must build a washing station—a containment box with a liquid vent keeping it full of water. Submerge dry spores in this water to produce wet spores.
Q: What is the best way to deal with excess gold?
Gold is used for research, but you will quickly produce a surplus. Build massive storage arrays using collectors. Since gold has no other use late-game, efficient storage is the only goal.
Q: Can I move items horizontally without conveyor belts?
Yes, launchers can move items horizontally and vertically. While conveyors are best for steady transport, launchers are excellent for crossing gaps or shooting items up diagonal shafts.