Home/Guides & Walkthroughs

Sandustry Beginner Guide: First 2 Hours Walkthrough

Welcome to the brutal desert of Sandustry. Here is the exact progression path from manual digging to your first automated power grid and logistics network.

🏆 First 2 Hours Milestones

✓1. Mine 50x Dry Sand & find nearest Water Basin

✓2. Craft first manual Shaker & pan for Gold

✓3. Unlock Logistics Tier 1 in Tech Tree (Conveyors)

✓4. Construct first automated Launcher + Shaker Loop

Phase 1: The Manual Era

You begin with a simple hand shovel. Start digging downward through dry sandstone. Store dry sand in designated dry bins away from water sources (sand exposed to water turns into wet sand and will begin settling/clumping prematurely).

💡 Pro Tip: Never dig directly underneath water bodies without building retaining walls, or you risk flooding your underground shafts.

Phase 2: Unlocking the Tech Tree

Collect 100 gold coins using your manual sifter. Approach the Ancient Research Terminal to unlock:

Conveyor Logistics: Grants basic conveyor belts and diagonal shoots.
Hydraulic Launchers: Essential for lifting materials upward without jamming.
Kinetic Slag Press: Reclaims valuable gold and organic spores from burnt residue.

Phase 3: Managing Waste (The Slag Law)

Every 100 units of wet sand produces approximately 25 units of gold and 75 units of Slag. If you do not plan an exit pathway for Slag, your factory will grind to a halt within 10 minutes of operation. Refer to our Gold Factory Blueprint → for the optimal waste routing diagram.