Mini-games and side activities are by no means new to the Like a Dragon franchise, but Dondoko Island in Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth almost feels like an entire second game packed inside. Once you’re introduced to the titular island and shown the ropes, you never have to interact with it again if you don’t want to, but on the other hand, you could sink dozens of hours into doing nothing else. You’re tasked with trying to return this once-thriving resort to glory, but there’s quite a bit that needs to get done before that dream can become a reality. The key here is to get up to a 5-Star ranking, which may initially seem very daunting. Time to grab your bat, net, and harpoon so we can bring Dondoko Island back to glory with these key tips.
Best Dondoko Island tips and tricks
When you’re just getting your feet wet with Dondoko Island, try to focus on the simple things first to get your first star. Start your days clearing out all the trash you can with your bat, collecting basic resources like rocks and wood, and snagging any bugs and shiny objects you happen upon. Following that, do all your daily tasks to start saving up some Dokobucks. The goal in this stage is to increase the satisfaction meter by building DIY objects with the highest satisfaction value, which will also raise your building skill. By clearing the track each day, you will reduce the cost of renovating that area for use down the line. Try to wait until they are A or S rank to save cash.
Once guests start arriving, the game really gets going. At this point, use all your Dokobucks to get the best-rated lodgings possible from the shop and place them down for guests. From this point, focus on what each guest’s requirements are and make sure to satisfy them. If you’ve been collecting things passively and building a variety of DIY items, you shouldn’t have any trouble with that. Finally, start buying and stacking the waste dumps and woodworking and stoneworking areas. Each of these increases your daily collection area materials, and they can be stacked five times each.
Once you unlock the Dondoko Farm, get it up and running ASAP and fill it with as many Sujimon as you can. Always have a project going, noting that the longer it takes for a project, the better the payoff, and it will essentially automate your Dondokobuck income. For your guests, it’s time to upgrade your basic lodgings to the Sturdy Wooden Shack, which is the best one available at this stage. Now is also the time to start expanding by building the bridge to the fields and the lake island and start clearing out the junk there to lower the renovation price. This will bring you up to a 3-Star resort.
Rather than waste time and money, go straight from your Sturdy Wooden Shacks to the S-tier lodging first. It is big enough that all your guests can stay in one, so it will save you space and money in the long run. You can also expand to the caves and forest, but only if you’ve also been upgrading your bat and decorating Ichiban’s house to buff his stats since the enemies here are brutal. By now, almost all your materials will be gathered automatically so you can start working on building the highest-value items for your island, such as the Traditional Japanese Building and Cabaret, which alone can get you to a 5-star level. All you need to do is make sure you start paying for advertising to bring in A- and S-rank guests.
