Coral Island has officially launched in version 1.0, bringing new and returning players an incredible farming and life-sim experience. With over 700 hours of experience in Early Access, I’ve compiled the best beginner tips and tricks to help you get started. Whether you’re a casual explorer or a strategic planner, these insights will guide you through your first days on the island.
Optimize Your Game Settings Before Playing
Before you even step foot on the island, take a moment to tweak your game settings for a smoother experience:
- Movement Settings: Choose between Sprint or Jog as your default movement type. Sprinting helps you move faster, but if you prefer a slower pace, jogging might be ideal.
- Time Speed Adjustment: You can slow down in-game time to 50% for a more relaxed experience (days last around 40 minutes instead of 20).
- Quest HUD: Turn this on if you want constant quest tracking on your screen, or keep it off for a cleaner UI.
- Time Format: Switch between AM/PM and a 24-hour clock to match your preference.
- Combat Mode: If you prefer a peaceful mining experience, set combat to “Hit to Aggro” so monsters leave you alone unless attacked.
- Accessibility Options: Coral Island offers dyslexic-friendly fonts, colorblind modes, and adjustable UI sizes—be sure to set these to your liking before diving in.
Getting Started: Your First Day on Coral Island
1. Character Customization
Take your time designing your character—you can change most aspects later except for your name, honorifics, and farm name.
2. Craft Your First Chest
Storage is extremely limited at the start, so craft a chest immediately with 20 Wood and 10 Trash. Gather materials using your Axe (wood) and Scythe (trash). If your inventory is full, temporarily place items in the shipping bin until your chest is ready.
3. Organize Your Chests
Make multiple chests as soon as possible and label them for forageables, crafting materials, valuables, and museum donations. Later, upgrade to bigger chests when you unlock new recipes.
4. Explore the Island
Your first days should be spent getting familiar with key locations, NPCs, and gathering resources. Meet everyone to unlock their locations on the map.
5. Start Your First Crops
- Plant your starter seeds and water them daily.
- Purchase additional seasonal seeds from Sam’s General Store.
- Hold on to at least one of each harvested crop for quests and temple offerings.
- Crops are seasonal—plan ahead so they don’t wither at the season change.
6. Find Wild Seeds
Clearing weeds and hitting lucky clover spots with your Hoe can yield free seeds, saving you money.
7. Use Strafing for Precision
Hold Ctrl (keyboard) or Left Trigger (controller) to move in straight lines when farming, making crop placement easier.
8. Protect Your Crops with a Scarecrow
Crows will eat your crops unless protected. You’ll unlock the Makeshift Scarecrow recipe as you level up farming—craft and place it ASAP.
9. Identify Planted Crops
If you forget what you’ve planted, hold Right Mouse Button over crops to see their name and remaining growth time.
10. Upgrade Your House for Free
Visit the Carpenter’s Shop north of your farm on Day 1 with 50 Wood and 20 Stone for a free house upgrade. This unlocks furniture placement, a wardrobe, and a TV.
11. Use Your TV Daily
The TV provides weather updates, farming tips, and entertaining in-game shows—don’t ignore it!
Money and Inventory Management
12. Get the First Bag Upgrade ASAP
The 500-coin bag upgrade at Sam’s General Store is crucial—it expands your inventory, making life much easier.
13. Sell Forageables Immediately
To quickly earn 500 coins, sell forageables at Sam’s store or shells at the Beach Shack instead of using the shipping bin (these vendors pay instantly!).
14. Check Trash Cans
Rummaging through trash cans can yield crafting materials, forageables, and even rare fish or bugs.
15. Never Throw Away Trash
Trash is essential for crafting and recycling—store it in a labeled chest instead of discarding it.
16. Dig for Treasure
Cleaning up trash on your farm or beach may reveal treasure coffers containing valuables.
Fishing, Bug Catching, and Exploration
17. Get Your First Fishing Rod and Bug Net on Day 3
Visit Sunny and Eleanor at the Beach Shack to receive these tools and start catching critters.
18. Keep One of Each Bug and Fish
You’ll need them for museum donations and temple offerings.
19. Donate First, Sell Later
Before selling fossils, artifacts, and gems, donate them to the Museum and Lake Temple. If an item is needed for both, prioritize offerings.
Energy Management and Stamina
20. Eat Candy Tree Seeds for Quick Stamina
You start with a few Candy Tree Seeds—use them to restore energy early on.
21. Find More Candy Tree Seeds in Treasure Chests
Scattered throughout the island, these help you recover stamina when needed.
22. Craft Candy Tree Seeds
Unlock this early-game stamina snack by collecting tree seeds and sap.
23. Use Trees for Renewable Resources
Shake trees to get seeds without cutting them down.
Miscellaneous Tips
24. Keep Scythe and Hoe in Your Inventory
These tools are handy for clearing obstacles and digging up Lucky Clover spots.
25. Meet NPCs to Unlock Their Map Locations
Talking to villagers for the first time adds them to your map, making them easier to track for quests.
26. Avoid Giving NPCs Violets
Most characters dislike violets—craft them into flower bouquets instead.
27. Check the Town Calendar
Find it outside Sam’s General Store to track birthdays and festivals.
28. Buy a Personal Calendar
Purchase one from the Carpenters to track events from home.
29. Don’t Miss Festival Days
Festivals pop up on your map in the morning—check it to avoid missing them.
30. Sleep Before Midnight
Staying up too late or running out of stamina makes you pass out and incur medical bills.
31. Keep Farm Entrances Clear
Create clear paths at farm entrances so you don’t get stuck when rushing home.
32. Use Dash for Speed
Press Space Bar to dash—no cooldown, no stamina cost!
Final Advice: Play Your Way!
There’s no right or wrong way to play Coral Island. Take your time, explore, and enjoy the journey at your own pace!
With these beginner tips, you’re set to have an amazing adventure. Have fun farming, fishing, and making friends on Coral Island!
My Gaming Tutorials 
Leave a comment