Pathea Games left Early Access with My Time at Sandrock on 2 November 2023, moving the Portia formula into a desert town where water is rationed and the last workshop just closed. You collect a Builder License from Matilda at City Hall, then take commissions from Yan at the Commerce Guild while Mi-an competes for the same board. Progress runs through machines rather than through farming: a Recycler breaks down scrap, a Furnace smelts bars and glass, a Grinder makes gears and rivets and a Processor cuts planks, all feeding an Assembly Station that rebuilds the town.
This walkthrough takes you from your first session to endgame content. Each phase has specific goals, priorities, and milestones. New to the game? Start with our beginner's guide first.
Quick Progression Summary
| Phase | Area | Focus | Build | Duration |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Start | Sandrock | Commission board and workshop ranking basics | Salvage and ruin diver | 1-2 hours |
| 2. Early | Eufaula Salvage | Machine chain from scrap to parts mastery | Salvage and ruin diver | 3-5 hours |
| 3. Mid | Gecko Station | Data Discs and the Research Center + gear | Commission specialist or Salvage and ruin diver | 5-10 hours |
| 4. Late | Breach Valley | Build optimization | Commission specialist | 5-10 hours |
| 5. Endgame | Dead Sea Ruins | Min-max | Commission specialist or Museum and relationship completionist | Ongoing |
See our maps guide for detailed area breakdowns.
Phase 1: Getting Started (Sandrock)
The town itself, holding City Hall where Matilda issues the Builder License, the Commerce Guild where Yan posts commissions, Owen's Blue Moon Saloon, Fang's clinic, Qi's Research Center and Burgess at Water World. Almost every mission chain starts inside these few streets.
Level/Difficulty: Available from day one Key Rewards: Builder License, the Commission Board, research access and every relationship track
What to Do in Sandrock
- Learn Commission board and workshop ranking. After registering your workshop at City Hall during Becoming Official, the Commission Board inside the Commerce Guild opens up. Spend your first session getting comfortable with this.
- Pick Salvage and ruin diver as your starting build. See our builds guide for why.
- Spend Data Discs before hoarding them. The Ore Refinery at 10 Data Discs turns ordinary ore into rarer materials and crystals, and the Dew Collector at 8 produces one Dew every eight hours, which compounds across a whole save.
- Acquire your first equipment upgrade: Bronze Sword and Shield or whatever's available.
- Clear all main content before moving on.
Phase 1 Checklist
- Understand Commission board and workshop ranking fundamentals
- Salvage and ruin diver selected and functional
- Sandrock main content cleared
- Ready for Eufaula Salvage
Phase 2: Early Game (Eufaula Salvage)
The scrapyard run by Rocky and Krystal, and the gateway to the Eufaula Salvage Abandoned Ruins behind it. The ruins open after the Picking Up the Slack mission installs the Crane Lift, and they run eleven layers deep.
Level/Difficulty: Unlocks with Picking Up the Slack Key Rewards: Copper and tin ore, power stone nodes, Data Discs and relics across eleven layers
What to Do in Eufaula Salvage
- Work on Machine chain from scrap to parts. The Recycler turns salvaged scrap into usable materials, the Furnace smelts ore into bars, bricks and glass, the Grinder produces pipes, wires, gears and rivets, the Processor cuts planks, plates and boards, and the Blender mixes medicine, sandfishing bait, cooking ingredients and fertiliser. This system becomes critical from here on.
- Farm for Bronze Sword and Shield if you haven't already. It's the key upgrade for this phase.
- Machines run while you are away from the yard, so the correct last action of every morning is loading all of them. A day spent salvaging with an idle Furnace throws away half the day's output.
- Complete all objectives before pushing to Gecko Station.
- Consider whether Commission specialist might suit your playstyle better than Salvage and ruin diver.
Phase 2 Checklist
- Machine chain from scrap to parts integrated into gameplay
- Bronze Sword and Shield acquired
- Eufaula Salvage fully cleared
- Ready for Gecko Station
Phase 3: Mid Game (Gecko Station)
Reached after clearing the geckos in The Breach, with its ruins and mine unlocking once In Trusses we Trust is complete. Electric fences are scattered through the interior and they will punish careless movement.
Level/Difficulty: Unlocks with In Trusses we Trust Key Rewards: Tin, chromium, magnesium and nickel ore in varying quantities
What to Do in Gecko Station
- Master Data Discs and the Research Center. Data Discs pulled out of ruins are spent at the Research Center to unlock blueprints and machine upgrades. This unlocks a new layer of gameplay.
- Start working toward Pickhammer. It's the best equipment and becomes accessible around now.
- The Assembly Station cannot be upgraded by walking up to it. Use the Construction Junction catalog or enter Home Editing Mode, which catches out a lot of players who assume the interaction works like the other machines.
- This area is the main skill check. If you can clear it, you're ready for late game.
- Start investing in Stamina, water and sandstorms for the tactical depth you'll need going forward.
Phase 3 Checklist
- Data Discs and the Research Center mastered
- Pickhammer acquired or in progress
- Gecko Station fully cleared
- Ready for Breach Valley
Phase 4: Late Game (Breach Valley)
The area west of town containing The Breach Hazardous Ruins, which are populated by enemies rather than by quiet salvage. This is the first place a player genuinely needs a weapon rather than a Pickhammer.
Level/Difficulty: Mid game, combat required Key Rewards: Combat loot, gecko clearing progress toward Gecko Station
What to Do in Breach Valley
- Finalize your build. You should be running Commission specialist or Salvage and ruin diver with optimized gear.
- Pickhammer should be your primary. If you don't have it yet, prioritize getting it.
- Mi-an takes commissions you leave on the board. Check the Commerce Guild first thing in the morning, because the high value jobs do not sit there waiting for a convenient day.
- Relationships and Civil Corps missions optimization starts here. Small improvements compound into massive advantages.
- Farm this area for the resources needed to push into Dead Sea Ruins.
Phase 4 Checklist
- Build fully optimized
- Pickhammer upgraded to max
- Breach Valley fully cleared
- Ready for Dead Sea Ruins
Phase 5: Endgame (Dead Sea Ruins)
The deepest and most dangerous ruin set in the game, holding the Bee-wing Blade on the third level and the Solarflare on the final level. Clearing it is an endgame project rather than something to attempt during the main story.
Level/Difficulty: Endgame, deepest ruin Key Rewards: Bee-wing Blade on level 3 and the Solarflare on the final level
What to Do in Dead Sea Ruins
- Dead Sea Ruins tests everything. Come prepared with your best build and gear.
- The Eufaula Salvage Abandoned Ruins hold explosive barrels and the Gecko Station Ruins hold electric fences. Both are avoidable hazards that will end a deep run instantly if you are running with low health.
- The endgame loop: run Dead Sea Ruins, optimize gear, push harder content.
- Experiment with Museum and relationship completionist for a fresh take once you've mastered the standard builds.
- This is where Relationships and Civil Corps missions mastery separates good players from great ones. See our tips guide for advanced strategies.
Phase 5 Checklist
- Endgame content on farm
- Best-in-slot gear acquired
- Dead Sea Ruins fully cleared
- Ready for challenge content
Common Progression Mistakes
- Treating Sandrock as a farming game. Crops are a support economy for the Blender, and the actual progression runs through commissions, machines and Data Disc research.
- Leaving machines empty overnight. The Recycler, Furnace, Grinder and Processor all keep working while you are out, so an unloaded yard is a wasted in-game day.
- Diving deep into a ruin with no stamina food. Stamina, not health, is what usually ends a ruin run, and running out on layer eight means walking back up with an empty pack.
- Skipping the Crane Lift commission from Picking Up the Slack. Without it the Eufaula Salvage Abandoned Ruins stay closed, and those eleven layers are the main early source of Data Discs.
- Entering hazardous ruins with only a Pickhammer. The Breach and Gecko Station have real enemies, and a bronze sword and shield from Hammer Time solves the problem in one purchase.
Key Tips for Smooth Progression
- Spend Data Discs before hoarding them. The Ore Refinery at 10 Data Discs turns ordinary ore into rarer materials and crystals, and the Dew Collector at 8 produces one Dew every eight hours, which compounds across a whole save.
- Machines run while you are away from the yard, so the correct last action of every morning is loading all of them. A day spent salvaging with an idle Furnace throws away half the day's output.
- The Assembly Station cannot be upgraded by walking up to it. Use the Construction Junction catalog or enter Home Editing Mode, which catches out a lot of players who assume the interaction works like the other machines.
- Mi-an takes commissions you leave on the board. Check the Commerce Guild first thing in the morning, because the high value jobs do not sit there waiting for a convenient day.
- The Eufaula Salvage Abandoned Ruins hold explosive barrels and the Gecko Station Ruins hold electric fences. Both are avoidable hazards that will end a deep run instantly if you are running with low health.
For more advanced strategies, see our tips & tricks guide.
More My Time at Sandrock Guides
- My Time at Sandrock My Time at Sandrock Overview
- My Time at Sandrock Best Builds
- My Time at Sandrock Tier List
- My Time at Sandrock Beginner's Guide
- My Time at Sandrock Tips & Tricks
- My Time at Sandrock Weapons Guide
- My Time at Sandrock Combat Guide
- My Time at Sandrock Boss Guide
- My Time at Sandrock Maps & Locations
- My Time at Sandrock Crafting Guide
- My Time at Sandrock Classes & Characters
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