SAND: Raiders of Sophie puts you in command of a trampler, a massive land-crawling vehicle that you customize, arm, and expand as you push deeper into the world. The Tech Tree is how that customization actually happens. Split across three factions, it unlocks everything from basic crew rooms and steering modules to Tier IV weapons and Royal Chassis variants. Getting a handle on what each faction offers, and what it costs to unlock each recipe, will save you a lot of wasted Crowns.
The tree runs four tiers deep. Tier I upgrades are cheap and mostly structural. By Tier IV, you're spending 12,000 Crowns and rare materials like Ficus, Crystal, and Black Box items just to unlock the recipe, before you even start crafting it. That cost gap matters when you're planning your progression path.
How are the Tech Tree factions organized?
The three factions are Godlewski's Expedition, K.K. Landwehr, and Kaiser's Friends. Each one covers a different aspect of your trampler's development. Godlewski's Expedition focuses on structural and propulsion upgrades. K.K. Landwehr handles weapons, armor, and combat modules. Kaiser's Friends covers cargo systems, cannons, and chassis variants. You'll need all three to build a well-rounded vehicle.
Tech Tree faction overview
Godlewski's Expedition upgrades
This faction handles the backbone of your trampler: engines, chassis, corridors, and crew facilities. The Tier I options are light on materials and heavy on Crown costs, making them accessible early. The Motor-Reactor appears across multiple tiers with escalating requirements, so prioritize the version that matches your current progression.
K.K. Landwehr upgrades
If you want your trampler to actually fight, K.K. Landwehr is where that happens. This faction covers weapons, armor plating, artillery decks, steering, and throwable equipment like the Time Bomb and Grenade. The Battering Ram at Tier II (4,500 Crowns, 40 Alloy Steel, 2 District Officer's Portable Safe) is worth noting as a unique structural combat option.
Tier IV in this faction is expensive. The Weapons upgrade at Tier IV runs 12,000 Crowns plus 750 Weapon Parts, 3 Black Box items, 15 Crystal, and 1 Ficus. The Enclosed Artillery Compartment at Tier IV costs 9,000 Crowns and requires 350 High-Grade Gunpowder, 5 Black Box items, 2 Ficus, and 50 Crystal.
Kaiser's Friends upgrades
Kaiser's Friends is the most cargo and firepower-focused of the three factions. You get access to Shotgun Cannon, Autocannon, and Cannon upgrades across all four tiers, alongside a deep roster of Cargo Hold, Cargo Bay, and Cargo Deck options. The Tier I entry points are cheap (600 Crowns for Wooden Decks), but the Tier IV weapons all land at 12,000 Crowns each.
The Autocannon at Tier IV requires 150 Reinforced Leather Strips, 5 Black Box items, 2 Ficus, and 75 Alloy Steel on top of 12,000 Crowns. The Shotgun Cannon at Tier IV swaps the Alloy Steel for 80 Weird Coral, keeping the same Crown cost and Black Box count.
Kaiser's Friends cannon tiers
What materials should you stockpile first?
Looking across all three factions, a few materials show up repeatedly at every tier:
- Coral Chunk and Coral Dust appear throughout Godlewski's Expedition from Tier I through Tier III.
- Scrap Metal and Scrapped Ammo are the backbone of K.K. Landwehr progression.
- Fabric Scraps, Threads, and Metal Rods drive Kaiser's Friends upgrades.
- Alloy Steel appears in mid-to-high tier upgrades across all three factions.
- Black Box and District Officer's Portable Safe become mandatory from Tier II onward in both K.K. Landwehr and Kaiser's Friends.
- Ficus and Crystal are Tier IV gatekeepers. You will not reach the top of any faction's tree without them.
Raw Aurogen Crystal is another one to watch. It appears in Godlewski's Expedition from Tier II onward and keeps showing up through Tier IV. Hoard it early.
Godlewski's Expedition upgrades
How do you unlock Tech Tree upgrades efficiently?
The most common mistake is spending Crowns on Tier I unlocks you don't actually need. Several Tier I entries in all three factions require nothing but Crowns, which makes them easy to grab, but that doesn't mean you should grab all of them immediately. Focus on the upgrade categories that match your current playstyle and trampler configuration.
For combat-focused builds, K.K. Landwehr Tier I and II unlocks give you the fastest return. The Small Armament Workshop at 700 Crowns and Artillery Decks at 1,000 Crowns are low-cost entry points that open up the combat side of the tree without a major material investment.
For players building out cargo and mobility, Kaiser's Friends Tier I is the cheapest starting point in the entire tree: Wooden Decks at just 600 Crowns. Pair that with Godlewski's Crew Room at 700 Crowns to get your trampler's living space sorted before you start scaling up the chassis.
For the full picture on building your trampler effectively, the Sands of Aura guides collection has additional resources covering other systems in the game.