Aloft is a fun survival game where you explore floating islands, each packed with secrets, challenges, and various resources.
If you’re just starting, the world can feel huge, and the mechanics might throw you off.
Juggling everything from island adventures to ecosystem upkeep is no small feat.
But don’t sweat it; this guide will help you hit the ground running.
Want to Get the Most Out of Aloft? Try These Tips
Aloft throws you into a world of floating islands where survival is key.
The game allows you to explore countless floating islands, each with its own resources, strange creatures, and hidden mysteries.
The mission is to explore, restore ecosystems, and discover the world’s mysteries.
You’ll pick up resources, build your tools, fight corrupted creatures, and bring balance to the environment while overcoming various obstacles.
It's pretty manageable, but you must be mindful of the ecosystem on every island you visit.
Here’s a quick rundown to help you kickstart your adventure.
1. Claim Your Home Island as Soon as You Can
The first thing you’ll need to do in Aloft is set up a Home Island.
Once you wrap up the tutorial and pass the first cave, a Knowledge Stone shows you how to craft a Home Kite.
This is important because the Home Kite helps you claim an island to call your base.
Once you set it up, your home island will be where you respawn if you die, and you can teleport back quickly.
This means you’ll always have a safe place to return to, where you can store your resources and craft items without fear of running out of space.
You'll need storage containers to organize your materials while you gather wood, stone, leaves, and other resources.
Make sure to periodically offload items into these to free up space for more exploration.
2. Glide & Cruise with Momentum on Your Side
You’ll mostly use the glider to get around in the early game.
You can glide between islands when you have it, but there are a few things to watch out for.
Just a heads up, gliding doesn’t last forever—your stamina (momentum) will wear out if you don’t stop and rest occasionally.
The good news is that you can pick up momentum again by gliding through updrafts or diving sharply.
Momentum helps with things like using special moves in battle or boosting your speed while gliding.
The key to lasting longer and moving smoother is managing your momentum wisely.
3. Sketch Anything You like to Unlock New Blueprints
The Sketchbook is one of your best resources.
Use this item to unlock new crafting recipes by sketching the structures you encounter on your travels.
Simply craft the Sketchbook on your workbench (using paper, charcoal, and wood) and equip it in your hot bar.
While out there, look for interesting structures or items you can interact with using your Sketchbook.
If you see a structure highlighted in yellow, you can sketch it to unlock new blueprints for your crafting menu.
Discovering new buildings and crafting ideas you wouldn't have found otherwise is a simple trick.
4. Don’t Let the Island Go Bad on You
Each island in Aloft has its own ecosystem, and it’s up to you to keep it running smoothly.
Some islands are corrupted and require cleaning up by fighting off fungal creatures and restoring the flora.
Other islands might even be off-limits due to poor ecological health, meaning no resources to gather.
If you're curious about an island's health, the Field Guide is your best bet.
When you put it on, you’ll know exactly what to tackle—planting trees, moving animals from your Home Island, or cleaning up the environment.
Keep an eye on the health of these islands, as getting them back to full health will unlock more resources and speed up your progress.
5. Be Smart About Resource Gathering
In Aloft, you'll need to pick up various resources for crafting and building, but be careful not to overdo it on any island.
Over-harvesting can deplete an island’s ecosystem and make it impossible to gather more resources until it’s restored.
That’s why it’s best to scatter your gathering across different islands. Only take what’s necessary, and remember the environment as you go.
If you encounter mushrooms, worms, or other decomposers, collect them. They can help restore the balance of an ecosystem.
Don’t forget to look for wind stones while harvesting—these glowing rocks are essential for leveling up your island’s flight abilities, so pick them up whenever you can.
6. Don’t Wipe Out an Island
The exploration in Aloft is a blast, but you might miss some secrets if you're not paying attention.
Don’t skip checking behind waterfalls, under rocks, and beneath islands as you glide by.
Lost atlases and blueprints are tucked away in secret places you might miss if you don’t look closely.
Use these atlases to mark important places on your Table Map and locate the islands you still need to explore.
Don’t miss the caves and hidden spots where you can find valuable loot and materials for crafting.
You never know when a treasure chest, blueprint, or hidden resource will pop up.