- Sandustry beginners guide: Start by digging dry sand and collecting gold in collector blocks.
- Core loop: Shake sand to get slag, burn slag for gold, and research upgrades.
- Water duplication: Use the alm launcher bug to create infinite water for your factory.
- Slag management: Build a conveyor belt floor in storage boxes to automate burnt slag sorting.
- Flower containment: Keep void blooms and amethis in sealed boxes to prevent overgrowth.
Getting Started: The First 30 Minutes
Video Highlights:
- Start with a shovel and dig dry sand in the starting pit.
- Use Shakers and Collectors to generate your first gold income.
- Prioritize Guns 1 and Tools 1 research to unlock the gun and flamethrower.
- Use the Material Scanner (bought with Flux Site) to view crafting recipes.
Your first goal in Sandustry is to establish a steady gold flow. You begin in a pit with a shovel. Dig up dry sand and place it on a Shaker. The shaker produces gold (currency) and slag (a byproduct material).
Gold is only counted towards your total when it sits inside a Collector Block. Gold on the ground or in conveyors does not add to your balance.
Use your starting gold to research Guns 1 immediately. This unlocks the gun, which is far superior to the shovel for digging and defense. Next, research Tools 1 to get the Flamethrower. You will need this desperately to deal with the massive amounts of slag your shakers produce.
| Resource | Source | Primary Use |
|---|---|---|
| Gold | Shaking Sand | Researching upgrades, buying tools |
| Slag | Shaking Sand | Burning into Burnt Slag |
| Flux Site | Void Blooms (Late Game) | High-tier upgrades, Material Scanner |
| Water | Natural Lakes | Wet Sand, cooling, steam generation |
Understanding the Material Chain
Sandustry features a complex production chain. Understanding how materials transform is key to building an efficient factory. The Material Scanner, purchasable for 1 Flux Site, is essential for visualizing these recipes.
Always check the Material Scanner before building a new production line. It shows exactly what elements combine to create new products.
The basic chain involves turning sand into gold, but the real money lies in refining slag.
Basic Production Chain:
- Sand + Water = Wet Sand
- Sand (Shaken) = Slag
- Slag (Burnt) = Burnt Slag
- Burnt Slag (Pressed) = Gold + Spores
- Spores + Water = Wet Spores
- Wet Spores (Planted) = Amethis
- Amethis + Red Sand = Void Bloom
- Void Bloom (Flux-emanated) = Flux Site
| Building Block | Function | Unlock Tier |
|---|---|---|
| Shaker | Shakes sand to produce gold and slag | Starter |
| Conveyor | Moves items linearly | Starter |
| Launcher | Throws items in a specific direction | Early |
| Filter | Blocks or allows specific elements | Early |
| Slag Press | Presses burnt slag into gold and spores | Mid (Refining 2) |
| Planter Box | Grows plants from wet spores | Mid |
Advanced Slag Management & Lava
As your factory expands, you will generate tons of slag. Burning it manually with a flamethrower is tedious. The solution is automation using Lava.
Unlock Cinder
Research Guns 2 to unlock the Rocket Launcher. You need this to harvest Cinder from lava lakes. Use a Cryo Blaster (Tools research) to freeze lava into solid blocks, then mine them.
Build a Lava Pit
Construct a pit lined with Filters set to "Allow Only Cinder". Fill this pit with Cinder blocks. Ignite them to create permanent lava.
Automate Burning
Drop slag onto the lava. It will automatically burn into Burnt Slag. Ensure you have Conveyor Belts lining the bottom of the pit to move the burnt slag out to your processing line.
Never build a lava pit directly underneath a water reservoir or steam condensation point. If water touches lava, it turns into steam and disappears, ruining your lava setup.
This setup allows you to process massive amounts of slag without manual labor.
| Tool | Function | Usage |
|---|---|---|
| Flamethrower | Burns slag manually | Early game slag cleanup |
| Cryo Blaster | Freezes water/lava | Safe lava harvesting, pathmaking |
| Rocket Launcher | Destroys blocks, harvests Cinder | Mining lava lakes |
| Vacuum | Pulls items forward | Cleaning out old mines |
Water Duplication Strategy
Water is a finite resource on the map, but you can duplicate it using an "unintended bug" involving the Alm Launcher.
By creating more steam than water lost, you can generate infinite rain. This is essential for late-game factories that require vast amounts of wet sand and spore washing.
How to execute:
- Build a reservoir high up, ideally near the cloud layer where steam condenses.
- Use Alm Launchers to shoot water into the air, creating steam.
- Ensure the rain falls back into your reservoir.
- Over time, the water level in your reservoir will rise, effectively duplicating the resource.
| Method | Efficiency | Risk Level |
|---|---|---|
| Alm Launcher Loop | High (Duplicates water) | Medium (Requires height) |
| Direct Pumping | Low (Depletes source) | Low (Simple setup) |
| Rain Collection | Medium (Passive) | Low (Requires surface space) |
Common Mistakes to Avoid
Many new players make errors that can halt progression or clutter their factory. Learn from these common pitfalls to ensure smooth operation.
The Flower Problem
Void Blooms and Amethis grow rapidly. If not contained, they can overrun your base.
- Solution: Build containment boxes using solid blocks or conveyor belts.
- Tip: Flowers cannot pass through solid blocks, conveyors, or launchers.
Slag Jams
Slag often gets stuck on Slag Presses, causing backups.
- Solution: Install small launchers pointing back into the input tube to clear jams.
- Tip: Use filters to separate burnt slag from raw slag automatically.
Gold Overflow
You will accumulate more gold than you can spend.
- Solution: Build massive containment systems early.
- Tip: Do not underestimate the space needed for gold storage.
Poor Factory Layout
Building narrow factories makes expansion difficult.
- Solution: Always build conveyor belts and filters at the bottom of storage boxes.
- Tip: Plan for vertical expansion to save horizontal space.
When building large storage boxes, place Conveyor Belts on the bottom and Filters on top of them. This allows you to sort items (e.g., extracting only Burnt Slag) without manually moving the pile.
Progression Checklist
Use this checklist to track your progress from a lonely digger to a factory tycoon.
Factory Milestones:
- Unlock Gun and Flamethrower (Guns 1, Tools 1)
- Build first automated Sand Shaker line
- Construct a Slag storage box with conveyor floor
- Unlock Filters and Slag Press (Refining 2)
- Harvest Cinder and build a Lava Pit
- Set up Water Duplication system
- Produce first Void Bloom and Flux Site
- Unlock Drones for autonomous digging
Beginner FAQ
Q: How do I get Flux Site?
Flux Site is obtained late-game by growing Void Blooms. You first need to produce Spores from Burnt Slag, wash them in water to get Wet Spores, plant them in Planter Boxes to get Amethis, and then mix Amethis with Red Sand to create Void Bloom. Place Void Bloom on a Flux-emanator to harvest Flux Site.
Q: Why is my gold count not increasing?
Gold is only counted when it rests inside a **Collector Block**. If your gold is sitting on a conveyor belt, launcher, or the ground, it does not count towards your total. Ensure your production lines end in collectors.
Q: How do I wash Spores effectively?
You cannot simply sprinkle water on dry spores. You must build a washing station where water and spores mix. A common method is using a pit with liquid vents spraying water while spores are dropped in, or using conveyor belts to move spores through waterfalls.
Q: What is the best use for Cinder?
Cinder is primarily used to create **Lava Pits**. By lining a pit with filters (set to allow Cinder) and filling it with Cinder, you can ignite it to create permanent lava. This lava is used to automatically burn slag into Burnt Slag.