Fast Route for the Four Bottlenecks
In My Time at Sandrock, these four resources usually bottleneck you early (meaning they are the ones most likely to stall your progress): ore, Water (keeps workshop machines cooled and running), Dregs (a common fuel for workshop stations), and Data Discs (relic items you give Qi for research at the Research Center). If you only have time for one farming loop each day, prioritize this one.
Start in town: buy the lowest-price Water tier at Water World first, then use Eufaula Salvage Shop as your emergency top-up for ore, Data Discs, or Dregs when a commission deadline is close. Next, clear scrapyard debris for salvage, especially the large piles for extra Data Discs, then spend stamina in Eufaula Salvage Abandoned Ruins. In the ruins, focus on breaking mineable ground patches, not just chasing relic pings. Data Discs can drop from ruin quarrying, while the Treasure Detector is mainly for relics, exits, and traps.
Best Farming Spots by Resource
Ore: Eufaula Salvage Abandoned Ruins is your early core for copper, then copper plus tin on deeper levels. When Gecko Station Abandoned Ruins opens later in the main story, shift your mining there when you need iron. Dregs: farm them from salvaging debris piles and by feeding scrap into Recyclers consistently. Data Discs: mine Abandoned Ruins regularly and salvage large scrapyard piles; buy extras only when research is stalled. Water: craft it from Dew at your Worktable and prioritize Dew Collector research early so your supply grows passively.
Use this priority rule to avoid downtime: if research is blocked, target Data Discs; if crafting is blocked, target ore; if machines are about to stop, secure Water and Dregs first. This keeps your workshop moving without wasting stamina or gols.