The game won’t hand you a pickaxe until a key story beat triggers. After the Owl takes Aunty, you can meet the character who issues your first tool. Speak to Bufo and deliver the exact materials they ask for—five Pebbles and two Twigs—to receive a Sandstone Pickaxe.
That exchange is the intended first step. It happens early, but only after Aunty is gone.
Find Bufo (route and staying warm)
Head past Aunty’s house and cross the bridge into the next area. Follow the path to the right, then up—there’s an abandoned backpack with kindling you can use to light the nearby fire pit if the cold starts biting. From that fire, angle northeast through the darker trees to reach Bufo’s stonework nook. The cold doesn’t apply while you’re inside with Bufo, so it’s a safe place to regroup.
What the Sandstone Pickaxe does
Sandstone is your entry-level rock breaker. It’s strong enough for the small rock piles blocking early routes, including the obstruction north of your burrow. Clearing these opens new resource loops and story paths you couldn’t access before.
Granite Pickaxe: when it actually arrives
Don’t expect Aunty to unlock pickaxe upgrades. She teaches only the basic shovel. The Granite Pickaxe comes later and the recipe is learned from a different character. In other words, you won’t be crafting Granite immediately after getting Sandstone, and you don’t need to hold back early progress waiting on it.
“Learn from Aunty” marked, but she’s missing — is this a soft lock?
No. If Aunty was taken before you wrapped that objective, you are not stuck. The intended move is to push past her house, meet new NPCs, and keep gathering. Players regularly fix the basement stairs and similar tasks later, after picking up additional tools and recipes elsewhere.
Winter Burrow pickaxe progression (quick reference)
| Tool | How to get | When available | Primary use |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sandstone Pickaxe | Give Bufo 5 Pebbles and 2 Twigs | After Aunty is taken by the Owl | Breaks basic rock piles; opens early routes (e.g., north of your burrow) |
| Granite Pickaxe | Learn the recipe from a different NPC (not Aunty) | Later in the story | Heavier rock work and further progression |
Once you have Sandstone, start clearing the obvious chokepoints and keep exploring past Aunty’s bridge. The game funnels you toward Bufo’s follow-up requests and the next major character you’ll need for continued upgrades. If a quest step points back to Aunty while she’s missing, ignore it for now and keep moving forward—the systems and recipes you need to circle back will arrive naturally.
