Samin’s Special Research Report is the final step in his questline, challenging you to locate and capture the rare Sandstar. This unique creature only appears at night during the Season of Plenty in the Windward Plains. Since it flees on sight, you’ll need a strategic approach using Screamer Pods or a Seikret mount. This guide will walk you through finding, catching, and completing the quest efficiently.
How to Begin Samin’s Special Research Report
Head to the Base Camp in the Windward Plains, where you’ll find Dareel and Samin inside the large research tent. Once you’ve completed all the previous Research Reports, including Dareel’s task to locate a Gillopod, you can speak with Samin. After briefly apologizing for involving you in his rivalry with Dareel, he will present you with one final request.
This time, he needs you to find the Sandstar. He admits this one is more specific than his previous requests and even provides extra details to aid in your search—information you’ll definitely need.
How to Locate and Capture a Sandstar in Monster Hunter Wilds
You can find the Sandstar in areas 11 and 13 of the Windward Plains, near the sand dunes by the desert oasis. You’re looking for a bright blue, bird-like orb creature with long legs and a long black tail, which has another small blue orb at the tip. However, there’s a catch—the Sandstar only appears at night during the Season of Plenty. This is when the region is revitalized, the skies are clear, and the land is covered in lush grass.
To check if it’s the right time, open your map and look at the top left corner. It should display “Nighttime/Plenty.” If you’re eager to speed up the process, you can spend Guild Points at your tent to change the time, though this doesn’t guarantee the Sandstar will spawn since it’s quite rare.
Catching the Sandstar won’t be easy, as it flees at high speed the moment you approach. Stealth isn’t an option, so your best strategy is to use a Screamer Pod to stun it. These are the same projectiles used to stun the Balahara swarm during the introduction. You can craft them by using your Hook Slinger to grab an Echo Feather from a Baunos. These flying reptiles are commonly found in area 4 on the upper level of the Windward Plains, though a few also appear in area 11, close to where the Sandstar spawns. Once you spot the Sandstar, fire the projectile near it, then quickly equip the capture net from your essential items hotwheel to catch it while it’s stunned. A clip below demonstrates the process.
If you’d rather not go through all that effort, another method is chasing it down while riding your Seikret. The Sandstar often doubles back toward you at certain points, creating an opportunity to capture it. If you manage to chase it through the area 12 ravine into areas 7 and 8, it may get stunned by thorny grass or a stampede of Ceratonoth, making it easier to catch.
Successfully capturing the Sandstar unlocks the “I Caught a Shooting Star!” achievement. As a reward, Samin will give you five Wild Herbs, ten Honey, and 300 Guild Points.
