World & artifacts

Sandustry Exploration Guide

The planet is both your mine and your puzzle box. Sandustry combines open-world exploration, destructible terrain and artifact hunting with the practical question of whether your factory can support one more expedition.

Three exploration priorities

Field note

Map the next resource pocket

A factory expands because its input changes. Mark sand, water, ice and other useful pockets before committing to a permanent logistics route.

Field note

Treat ancient structures as objectives

The game places artifacts, vaults and secrets from an ancient civilization beneath the planet. Exploration is not separate from progression; it can unlock new options.

Field note

Protect the return route

A destructive tool can create a shortcut and a flood at the same time. Leave a readable path back to the factory before opening a new chamber.

When to expand

  1. Expand when the current line is stable enough to keep producing while you are away.
  2. Bring a basic transport option and a way to mark the route before mining deep.
  3. Use optional structures and vaults as reasons to explore, not as excuses to abandon a failing input line.
  4. Return with notes: the best exploration reward is a new production possibility you can reproduce.
World rule: every shortcut changes the material around it. Treat the terrain as a system, not a static background.

Sources

Exploration and artifact details are checked against the Steam store page, the official site and the developer's demo page.