Every friend you can make in offers something unique as a perk for your builder, but what about the characters themselves? You spend an awful lot of time chatting with these characters and getting to know them on the way to them offering💛 you their sweet perks, and💃 some naturally shine a bit brighter than others.

Whether it’s in spite of their quirks or because of them, it’s pretty easy to pick a favorite townsperson i🥃n S𒊎androck. We’re all plenty busy courting the romance options, sure, but here are our picks for our favorite non-romanceable NPCs.

10 Pebbles

The Tiniest Tot In Town

There aren’t that many small children in the town of Sandrock, especially not toward the beginning of the game, so when you meet little Pebbles after finishing the Crane Lift mission at Eufꦦala Salvage, he seems like a spry little breath of freshﷺ air.

You don’t often find Pebbles outside of one of his parents’ shadows, but talking to him is always worthwhile. He’s got fun quips about life growing up🌱 in Sandrock, and the only thing cuter than ♔the kid himself is how much both his parents love him.

9 Hugo

The Iron-Strength Blacksmith

Hugo is one of your most immediate neighbors, selling his top-nꩵotch metal workings over at Hammer Time just across the railroad tracks from your Workshop. You’ll get to know him well before long, too, as he’s not only able to supply you with a plethora of weapons, but he also sells some critical upgrade parts for your workshop.

The man himself is a bit downtrodden, a widower living with his mother, Vivi, and daughter, Heidi, together in town.🦂 Exploring their home exposes your builder to plenty of sentimental moments between the man and the three women he loves the most.

8 Mabel

The Rancher's Much More Pleasant Wife

It’s no surprise that My Time at Sandrock includes a ranching mechanic, and Mabel is the adorable wife of the town’s steadfast rancher, Cooper. While her 🔴husband’s personality leaves quite a b♛it to be desired, Mabel herself is a downright sweetheart.

Not only is she keen to chat anytime you stop by the ranch for some Yakmel Milk from their store, but Mabel is also one of the few characters who will happily discuss new recipes with you. Not only can you learn new recipes from Mabel, but she’ll also occasionally pay you in Gols to teach her yours. Can't she just run the ranch and send Cooper to a farm upstate?

7 Vivi

The Sweet, Spirited Old Tailor

The old-fashioned owner of Tailor-Made, the clothing store in Sandrock, Vivi is the spirited elderly woman you&rsqu💧o;ll often find slowly making her way around town. Not only does she keep your builder looking their best (and therefore earning the best stat bonuses), but she’s an absolute delight to chat with when you make the time.

One of the oldest citizens of Sandrock, Vivi has plenty of stories to keep you entertained when you stop to chat. You and Mi-an even thoughtfully build her a few benches a bit later into the story, so the old woman has a place to stop a🔯nd rest on her ja💟unts through town.

6 Yan

The Sneakiest Snake (And Also Your Boss)

Possibly our most contentious pick for this list, Yan is an absolute conman, a weasel if ever there were one, as you see as 🐲soon as you’re introduced to Rocky. Yan is the leader of the Commerce Guild, and though he calls you “pal,” he prides himself on delegating work.

But there’s something hilariously charming about ho🧜w brazen he can be. There’s no hiding that Yan is only out for his own self-interest, and some of the wormy ways he gets himself into (and out of) messes can’t be understated.

5 Krystal

Tough As Nails, Sweet As Sugar

The blonde, heavyset wife of Rocky and Pebbles’ doting mother, Krystal spends the majority of her days behind the desk at her husband’s salvage yard. Her old-school-cool New York accent carrie♐s well through her written dialogue, and it’s easy to crack a smile every ti♋me you speak.

A tough cookie w🍷ith a heart of gold, Krystal loves her friends and family, and there’s no room for doubt she’d do anything for them. Keen to reminisce and make friends, Krystal always has a story to tell you when you stop by for a chat.

4 Zeke

Sandrock's Gardening Grandpa

Though you don&rsqꦛuo;t meet him until you’re about a month or so into the story of My Time at Sandrock, Zeke runs the Moisture Farm on the northernmost edge of Sandrock, and if it weren’t for him and his always-diligent work, the people of Sandrock would have starved long ago.

Once you help him fend off some Geeglers and replace his hydrogel machine, Zeke even teaches you how to defy nature and st♛art growing your own crops at home. Thanks to the two of you working hard together, y♓ou’re able to grow veggies to keep the entire town nourished.

3 Mort

The Aptly-Named Mortician

Though youꦇ don’t get to see Mort all that often, he’s definitely one of the more intriguing townspeople in Sandrock. Widower to Mart﷽le, the woman to whom a statue was dedicated in the middle of the Oasis, he’s been living in Sandrock since its very foundation.

But that was a while ago, though, and plenty of📖 the people Mort knew in his youth have passed on. When Martle died, Mort became the keeper of the town’s only graveyard, keeping an eye on all those who have moved on before him.

2 Matilda

Church Leader, Acting Mayor, All-Around Sunshine

The leader of the Church of Light in Sandrock (and its de facto mayor for the time being when you first arrive), Matilda has never shied away from a challenge. Having trained for her ministry work in the big city of Meidi, Matilda requested to be stationed in Sandrock in an attempt to help bring telesis to the ailing desert settlemen🐷t.

And though her work may be d🌄ifficult, Matilda never ꦬso much as flinches. She gives a rousing speech about ousting the Geeglers and securing Sandrock’s future, which is enough to rouse the tired town into fighting back for what’s rightfully theirs.

1 Rocky

The Toughest Guy In Town (And Probably Once Also In Brooklyn)

Your introduction to Rocky is him being the first person you see to put Yan in his 𝓡place, when you enter the Commerce Guild to see the rough-and-tumble scrapyard leader threatening Yan over missed deadlines. Jagged around the edges, Rocky is a huge man who looms over most characters with his muscle and amusing old-school New York accent.

But when you stay on his good side, Rocky is a real pal, always 🐎with an amusing quip. Not only that, but he’s remarkably easy to befriend, a fan of tools and ores you find🌌 within the Abandoned Ruins. It’s heavily implied that everyone on the Eufala Salvage team loves Rocky, and we definitely do, too.

NEXT: Thi༺ngs Everyone Completely Missed In My Time💯 At Sandrock