Life as a builder in My Time at Sandrock doesn’t have to be lonely. In addition to building, farming, fishing, and managing your workshop, players can attempt to snag a romantic partner.
But what exactly does getting a romantic partner in the game offer to players? What should players know about romance? This article provides the top 20 tips on everything you should know about romance in My Time at Sandrock.
1. There are a total of 21 characters that you can date and marry!
An overwhelming amount of love is in the air
You read that right; there are a total of 21 characters that players can potentially romance in the town of Sandrock: 12 male characters and 9 female characters. That’s a lot!
With that big pool of romanceable townsfolk, there will surely be someone for every player. Each character comes with their personality, profession, and backstory, and you as the newcomer to Sandrock will naturally get to know them as you progress through the game. Go pick your favorite!
2. How to know which characters are romanceable
Keep an eye out for the hearts, instead of the stars
With so many townsfolk, a player may forget which among them they can potentially date and which ones they cannot. Fortunately, there is an easy way to tell: take a peek at your Social Tab. Romanceable characters have hearts instead of stars as their social meter.
3. Not all romanceable characters are available at the start of the game
Nia is always happy to see her best friend. Will the friendship evolve?
Not all characters are available to date when you begin your journey in Sandrock. Some make their debut later as the story progresses.
Nia for example is known from the start of the game to be your childhood friend. She keeps in touch with you via letters but will eventually move into the town at a later point in the story.
4. Cold approaching won’t work; earning their friendship is a must
A builder having a good time with the artsy Amirah, one of the romanceable characters in Sandrock
Friendship is necessary to start dating the romanceable townsfolk of Sandrock. You need to reach the friend status with a character to confess your love to them and start dating them.
The sole way of getting characters to open up to you is by earning Relationship Points with them. One way in which you can earn these points is by interacting with them.
Some ways that you can interact with them are by chatting with them, playing a card game with them, and gifting them presents. If you don’t mind getting dirty and rough, you can even spar with them to earn relationship points!
5. Charm them with thoughtful gifts
So many items that can be collected and crafted in Sandrock... can you figure out their favorite gifts?
Okay, so earning relationship points is required to start dating your favorite character, but what are the fastest ways to earn relationship points?
Gifting them items is a good way to earn relationship points fast. Gifting them their favorite items is even better. If you gift a character an item that they like or love, you will gain more relationship points than usual. But the opposite is true: you can lose points if you gift them an item that is disliked or hated.
Here’s a bonus tip: bachelors and bachelorettes will find it incredibly thoughtful of you if you remember to give them an item that they love on their birthday, netting you even more relationship points! Score!
6. Delight them with playdates
A builder taking out Amirah out on a date. They are riding the tram cart and enjoying the beautiful views from up high
Another good way of earning relationship points with townsfolks is to take them out on playdates and immerse them in activities with you.
The types of activities that players can participate in with a character are numerous: dining, chatting, lighting fireworks, sand painting, stargazing, and playing games to name a few. More activities are unlocked as you progress through the game’s story.
7. Ready to confess? Declare your love with a Heart Knot!
What will she say?
Once a player reaches the friend status (3 hearts) with a romanceable character, they unlock the ability to confess to them and evolve their relationship into a romantic one.
To confess, a Heart Knot is needed, which is sold cheaply at Arvio’s shop. Once you have one, you will have to gift it to the character of your choosing.
It’s important to note that characters can reject you. The higher your relationship level with them, the lower the rate of rejection when gifting them a heart knot. So if you want to have a higher success rate, it is best to reach a higher relationship level with them first.
8. Some townsfolk will confess to you
Nia awaits a player's approval after confessing her romantic feelings
For some bachelors and bachelorettes, a heart knot is not required. Instead, they can confess their love to you during one of their special side missions, which the player can accept or reject. The player may need to choose the appropriate dialogue options and show their romantic interest so that they can confess. These special side missions appear naturally as you gain relationship points with them and evolve your friendship further.
Of course, if you change your mind after rejecting them, you can proceed with the heart knot. It’s okay, love is complicated, and sometimes it takes a while to figure things out.
9. Some townsfolk cannot be confessed to until certain missions are completed
Fang has a lot to resolve before he can open to up to intimate feelings
One last thing that is important to take note of about confessions is that a few characters have the prerequisite of needing to complete certain missions in the story before they can accept or reject your confession. For instance, Fang the mysterious doctor is one of these characters; you will have to get to know him better first during one of his side missions.
10. I am now in a romantic relationship. Now what?
A player and Amirah enjoying a moment together
Congratulations, your relationship with your chosen townsfolk has evolved into a sweet romantic one after your heart knot was accepted or they confessed to you. But what is new when you are partnered up?
Differences that players will immediately notice are the new romantic dialogue and interactions when interacting with their partner. The relationship status with the character in the Social tab will be different as well: the character will be referred to as your boyfriend or girlfriend.
Playdates are also replaced with Dates and are less platonic. Going out on a date with your partner will have you two holding hands if you two walk close enough, which is a nice touch!
Lastly, you can marry your romantic partner if you are sure that they are the one for you.
11. Some characters have unique Romance Missions
Owen is pictured here, proposing to the player
Some characters have unique missions that only appear if they are in a romantic relationship with you, and like with other missions in My Time at Sandrock, these come with their own dialogue and cutscenes.
12. I no longer want to be in a romantic relationship. What do I do?
Much care is needed to not accidently gift this item to a loved partner
From the same place where heart knots are bought, Dead Branches are also sold. This item is dangerous for lovers everywhere in Sandrock as gifting this piece of wood to your boyfriend or girlfriend will immediately end the romantic relationship.
In other words, gifting a Dead Branch to your partner is how you break up with them.
13. You can date multiple characters at once but tread carefully
She's behind me isn't she?
There is some good news for all of you heartbreakers out there: you can date multiple bachelors and bachelorettes at once. As you can expect, it comes with consequences if you are caught.
If you are in a romantic relationship with at least two characters and you choose to go out on a date with one and another one catches you, they both will rightfully get upset.
How forgiving a character is depends on them. Some are willing to stay in a romantic relationship with you if you gift them an Apology Bear. Others will outright break up with you on the spot if you get caught cheating!
14. Marriage
A special cutscene for a beautiful moment
Marriage is the natural next step for players who want to take their romantic relationship to the next level. A few characters can propose to you during a romance mission, but for most of them, an Engagement Ring is needed, which is an item that is bought from the Mysterious Man.
If you are dating multiple characters, choosing to marry one will end all romantic relationships with the others; no cheating is allowed in marriage.
Soon after proposing to a chosen bachelor or bachelorette, a wedding ceremony will take place and will be attended by all of your friends in Sandrock to congratulate you and your partner.
15. What happens after Marriage?
Spouses don't just idle around in your workshop; they help with chores
In addition to the promise of eternal love, there are several benefits to marriage in the game.
Soon after proposing, your partner will move into your workshop. If you haven’t expanded your workshop or made your home bigger, now is probably the time to do so. And hopefully, you have a bed for two!
Your partner will also be available as a Helper in your workshop. This means that they will help you with your chores in your workshop’s perimeters and do tasks such as harvesting crops, cleaning the barn, and clearing sand from machines to name a few.
As your spouse, the character that you have chosen to marry will cook for you once daily and will refer to you as a pet name of your choice. They will occasionally ask favors from you in the form of small side quests.
Lastly, the option of having kids opens up after marriage.
16. Each marriage candidate is unique in what they offer
As soon as you successfully propose, you get to choose the pet name that your spouse will refer you by
To expand from the previous point, each character in My Time at Sandrock offers different options when it comes to post-marriage benefits. These differences are small, but they can make a big difference for certain types of players.
These differences include giving you unique pet names, doing different tasks that they can do as helpers, and cooking unique dishes for you.
Fang for example can plant seeds in your workshop as a helper and can refer to you as “My Swan”, while Elsie replaces that with the ability to clean after your barn animals and can call you “Sugar Dumplin’”.
17. Parenthood
A builder is never too busy for their family
Having kids is an option with your partner once you marry them. You may ask your spouse provided that you have a Baby’s Crib in your home, or they may ask you.
As expected, taking care of and raising kids requires effort, and currently, they don’t do anything other than age a little and be cute; they remain as kids forever! They take after your appearance, which is a nice detail.
18. Adoption
Like father, like son
If you and your partner are of the same sex, the only option to get kids is to adopt them. Adopting kids as opposed to conceiving them works similarly to the latter.
Regardless of the method, a maximum of two kids can be raised.
19. I want a divorce!
Fang is about to be divorced... poor guy
Not happy when your marriage decision? Similar to the Dead Branch given to break up in a romantic relationship, a Broken Mirror can be gifted to your spouse to divorce them.
Like the Dead Branch item, one must utilize the broken mirror item carefully. Once divorced, your spouse will lose an incredible amount of relationship points and will promptly move out of your workshop.
20. Romance serves as a way to explore more of the game’s content
Pictured here is a cutscene that will only play if you are in a romantic relationship with Mi-an
Overall, diving into the romantic aspect of My Time at Sandrock is not needed to complete the game’s story but can serve as a way to explore more of the game’s content. Cutscenes, dialogue, and more of a character’s past can be known by romancing them. Your adventure in My Time at Sandrock is yours to craft.
