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.
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
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
- Expand when the current line is stable enough to keep producing while you are away.
- Bring a basic transport option and a way to mark the route before mining deep.
- Use optional structures and vaults as reasons to explore, not as excuses to abandon a failing input line.
- 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.
Tools that open the map
Deep exploration is gated by materials, not distance. Basic tools stop at Crackstone, so the Rocket Launcher, Drill and Laser on the research order are exploration unlocks as much as factory ones. Water pockets found underground feed the loops on the water and steam page, and everything you carry home should pay for itself in the Gold line.
Sources
Exploration and artifact details are checked against the Steam store page, the official site and the developer's demo page.