SAND: Raiders of Sophie Guide | How to Unlock Armors

Here's a guide on how to unlock armors in SAND: Raiders of Sophie.

Game Guide by Groot on Jul 05, 2026

The item shop is quite limited at first in SAND: Raiders of Sophie. This is normal at this point, as most gear must be unlocked in the Tech Tree before it can be sold to you in the shop. These jackets are the armor pieces of the game, and you might have already collected some jackets on your looting trips.

After you do your research and find the right upgrade, you won't have to wait for a lucky drop anymore, since you can simply purchase that same armor directly from the shop.

SAND: Raiders of Sophie Guide How to Unlock Armors

Finding the Right Branch

To begin, click the Tech Tree in the top left navigation bar. Then turn into the Land branch (green). Here you will find the node you need, which is marked with a jacket icon and is labeled Shop Armor.

Meeting the Prerequisite

You won't be able to research the armor node right away. It is located before the Shop Weapons upgrade in the same branch, and you must unlock the Shop Weapons upgrade first. After you meet that requirement, the armor node is available for research.

SAND: Raiders of Sophie Guide Collecting Armors From Tech Tree

Unlocking the First Armor Tier

The first armor unlock will cost you 1,500 Crowns and 200 Scrap Metal. After paying for that, the Old Smuggler's Jacket is available in the item shop. The Tech Tree continues to provide better armor the deeper you go, but each new tier requires more Crowns and rarer materials than the previous, so you'll need to do lots of expeditions to maintain a healthy stockpile.

One Thing to Remember

You can't just research a piece of armor and have it in your inventory. It makes it available for purchase. You still need to go to the shop and purchase it before you can equip it for your next raid.

Also, check our SAND: Raiders of Sophie Review and other guides below: