Your Trampler spawns unarmed — load cannon kits and their ammo into its cargo hold back in the preparation lobby, then board the Trampler after deploying to Sophie, install each kit into an empty cannon slot, and load it with ammo to make it battle-ready.
If you have just started playing SAND: Raiders of Sophie and are wondering why your Trampler doesn’t have built-in cannons, you are not alone. The Trampler is a customizable mobile base, not a pre-armed vehicle, so you have to manually load and install your own weaponry. The single most common misconception is treating it like a standard vehicle that spawns ready for a fight. In reality, every cannon and its matching ammunition must be packed into your cargo hold before you ever leave the hangar.
Why your Trampler spawns without cannons
New raiders often drop onto the planet of Sophie expecting their Trampler to bristle with guns out of the box. It does not. The Trampler is a walking mech base that you outfit yourself, meaning its defensive capabilities are entirely dictated by what you pack before departing. If you do not load cannon kits and their respective ammunition into your cargo hold in the preparation lobby, your Trampler will spawn completely unarmed. You cannot simply build or conjure cannons mid-expedition; the hardware has to physically travel with you from the hangar.
Cannon classes and their roles
| Cannon | Caliber / Class | Typical role |
|---|---|---|
| 40mm Autocannon | 40mm Autocannon | Fast-firing suppression and anti-personnel |
| 70mm Shotgun Cannon | 70mm Shotgun | Close-range burst damage against nearby threats |
| 80mm Basic Cannon | 80mm Standard | General-purpose broadside firepower |
| Rusty 80mm Naval Cannon | 80mm Naval variant | Ship-style heavy bombardment |
How to load and install cannons on your Trampler
STEP 1/5
Load cannons and ammo in the lobby
While in the preparation lobby, pack your desired cannon kits and their respective ammunition into the Trampler’s cargo hold along with any other essentials.
STEP 2/5
Begin your expedition
Depart from the lobby to travel to the planet of Sophie with your cargo in tow.
STEP 3/5
Board the Trampler
Once you are on the planet, board your Trampler and you will find the cannons packed as kits.
STEP 4/5
Install the cannon kits
Pick up the packed kits and install them into the empty cannon slots on your Trampler’s chassis.
STEP 5/5
Load the ammunition
Don’t forget to load the installed cannons with their required ammunition to make them battle-ready.
Video help
Mistakes that leave your cannons useless
Poor cargo planning is another common pitfall. Because the Trampler serves as your main base and loot storage, it is easy to fill your cargo decks with loot at the expense of weapons crates. You have to balance your available space between the weapons you need to survive and the loot you plan to bring back. Layout matters just as much as capacity; mounting cannons without enough surrounding deck space or a clear line-of-sight makes them hard to reach and aim during a fight.
Choosing your main cannons and layout
Once your guns are mounted, players naturally ask which cannons to main for different activities. For casual Voyage mode, a balanced spread of a 40mm Autocannon for suppression and an 80mm Basic Cannon for heavier targets is reportedly a solid starting point. For intense PvP loot raids, players often lean into high-burst options like the 70mm Shotgun Cannon or the 80mm Naval Cannon to maximize damage during close-quarters ship-to-ship combat. Because no hard balance data exists yet, optimizing your Trampler’s interior layout — ensuring walkable decks around every turret and easy access to ammo storage — is just as critical as the cannons themselves.
Always pack your ammo crates right next to their matching cannon kits in the cargo hold so you can install and arm a turret in one fluid motion without running across the deck.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do Tramplers come with built-in cannons?
No. The Trampler is a customizable mobile base, not a pre-armed vehicle. It spawns completely unarmed unless you manually load cannon kits into its cargo hold in the preparation lobby before departing.
What happens if I forget to load ammo crates?
If you forget to load ammo, your installed cannons will be completely inert. A cannon without linked ammunition is dead weight, so you must pack and assign the correct ammo for each weapon system.
Which cannon is best for Voyage mode vs PvP raids?
For Voyage mode, a balanced setup like the 40mm Autocannon for general suppression is reportedly effective. For PvP raids, players often favor high-burst weapons like the 70mm Shotgun Cannon or the 80mm Naval Cannon for close-quarters combat, though exact balance data is still unverified.
How much do cannons and ammo cost in credits?
Precise credit costs for each cannon and ammo crate are not shown in the available tutorials or official promos, so current prices are uncertain and unverified. The game is newly released, and exact numerical data for in-game currency and resource costs has not yet been confirmed.
