How to Keep Ringtail Slimes: A Rancher’s Guide to These Tricky Copycats

Keeping Ringtail Slimes happy and healthy in Slime Rancher 2 requires understanding their unique quirks and needs. Unlike other slimes, these mischievous mimics possess a fascinating (and sometimes frustrating) ability: they turn to stone when exposed to sunlight. Successfully ranching them hinges on managing their light exposure and being mindful of their insatiable appetites. Mastering their care is essential for any seasoned rancher seeking to maximize their plort production and maintain a thriving ranch.

Understanding the Ringtail Slime: More Than Just a Pretty Face

Ringtail Slimes aren’t your run-of-the-mill bouncing blobs. Their mimicry extends beyond appearances. They’re notorious for their constant eating habits and their unique reaction to sunlight. Let’s break down the key aspects of their care:

• Light Sensitivity: This is the defining characteristic. When exposed to sunlight, Ringtail Slimes transform into inert stone statues. This isn’t just a visual change; they become completely inactive, halting plort production.
• Voracious Appetite: Ringtail Slimes are omnivores and eat everything. Unlike other slimes that eat only when hungry, Ringtails munch constantly if food is available. This can lead to food waste if you’re not careful.
• Plort Production: They only produce plorts when they’re hungry. This means you need to be strategic about feeding them, avoiding constant overfeeding to maximize plort output.
• Rarity: Ringtail Slimes are considered a rare spawn in Slime Rancher 2. This makes finding and capturing them a rewarding feat in itself.

The Essentials of Ringtail Slime Ranching

Here’s a comprehensive guide to keeping your Ringtail Slimes content and productive:

1. Corral Setup: The foundation of any successful ranch. You need a sturdy corral to keep these copycats from escaping. Upgrade the corral with high walls and an air net just to be safe.
2. Solar Shield is a MUST: This is non-negotiable. The Solar Shield upgrade is crucial to prevent your Ringtail Slimes from turning to stone during daylight hours. This upgrade effectively creates artificial darkness within the corral.
3. Strategic Feeding: Resist the urge to overfeed! Observe your Ringtail Slimes. Feed them only when their hunger indicators appear. This will ensure that you aren’t wasting food and that the slimes are producing plorts.
4. Consider Largo Creation Carefully: Think twice about making Ringtail Largos. While they might seem appealing, remember that their Ringtail side will override certain behaviors of their partner slime. A Ringtail Phosphor Largo, for instance, won’t disappear during the day.
5. Location, Location, Location: Ringtail Slimes are primarily found in the Starlight Strand biome. Knowing where to look drastically increases your chances of finding these elusive slimes.
6. Utilize the Ringtail Gordo: Finding the Ringtail Gordo on Starlight Strand’s eastern side is a great way to obtain multiple Ringtail Slimes. Bursting the Gordo will release several Ringtail Slimes for you to capture.

Advanced Tips for Ringtail Slime Management

Once you have the basics down, consider these advanced techniques to maximize your Ringtail Slime ranching:

• Automated Feeding: While tempting, an Auto-Feeder can be problematic. Ringtail Slimes’ constant eating habits combined with an auto-feeder will likely lead to significant food waste and minimal plort production.
• Plort Collector is essential: Invest in a Plort Collector. Because Ringtail Slimes eat so much, there are potentially many plorts to collect.
• Free-Ranging (Not Recommended): Free-ranging Ringtail Slimes in your main ranch area is strongly discouraged. Their tendency to eat everything in sight, including other slimes’ plorts, can quickly lead to the creation of unwanted Tarr and chaos across your ranch.
• Monitor Largo Diet: If you do choose to create Ringtail Largos, closely monitor their diet to prevent Tarr outbreaks.
• Nighttime Collection: If you don’t have a Solar Shield yet, venture out at night to collect Ringtail Slimes. They’ll be in their active slime form then, making them easy to vacuum up.

Ringtail Slimes and the Tarr

It’s important to note that Ringtail Slimes are a bit of a double-edged sword in relation to Tarr. Their indiscriminate eating habits make them prone to triggering Tarr outbreaks if they consume plorts they shouldn’t. However, they can also potentially consume Tarr plorts before other slimes do, thereby preventing a more serious Tarr outbreak. It is very important to carefully monitor their consumption to prevent plort mismanagement.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) About Ringtail Slimes

Here are some common questions ranchers have about keeping Ringtail Slimes, along with their answers:

How rare is a Ringtail Slime?

Ringtail Slimes are considered relatively rare compared to common slimes like Pink Slimes and Rock Slimes. Expect to spend some time searching in Starlight Strand to find them.

Do Ringtail Slimes need dark, or just no sunlight?

They need darkness to remain in their slime form. Sunlight triggers their transformation into stone. Artificial light does not have the same affect.

Can Ringtail Slimes starve to death?

Yes, slimes can starve if not fed regularly. However, Ringtail Slimes are more likely to overeat than starve, so focus on controlling their food intake.

Why don’t Ringtail Slimes always give plorts?

Ringtail Slimes only produce plorts when they are hungry. If they’re constantly eating, they won’t have that hunger trigger, preventing plort production.

What do you do with Ringtail Slime statues?

If you find a Ringtail Slime statue, bring it to a dark area like a cave. It will revert to its slime form, allowing you to vacuum it up.

Do Ringtail Slimes disappear like Phosphor Slimes?

No, Ringtail Slimes do not disappear in the same way that Phosphor Slimes do. They turn into stone statues during the day, but they don’t vanish entirely.

What is a Ringtail Slime’s favorite food?

Ringtail Slimes are omnivores, meaning they eat both fruits, vegetables, and meat. They don’t have a favorite food, per se, as they will eat almost anything!

Can you keep Lucky Slimes with Ringtail Slimes?

No, you cannot keep Lucky Slimes. Lucky Slimes cannot be captured. They disappear after a short time.

Can you tame Tarr with Ringtail Slimes?

While you can contain a Tarr in a corral temporarily, Tarr cannot be truly “tamed”. They will eventually disappear, and keeping them near Ringtail Slimes is incredibly risky due to the potential for further Tarr outbreaks.

Do Batty Slimes do well with Ringtail Slimes?

While potentially manageable, it is recommended to keep Batty Slimes and Ringtail Slimes in separate environments as they both have unique light and eating habits that could cause problems if combined.

Which Slimes need solar shield in Slime Rancher 2?

The only slimes that benefit from using a solar shield are phosphors and Ringtail Slimes, though Ringtail Slimes are more reliant on the shield to survive.

What do you need to keep Angler Slimes?

Angler Slimes can be kept in regular corrals upgraded with standard features. They don’t need water, but they prefer meat.

Can you keep pink slimes?

Yes! Pink Slimes are the most common and easiest to keep. They are a great starting slime for any rancher.

What is the most annoying slime in Slime Rancher 2?

Most ranchers would agree that Tarr Slimes are the most annoying, due to their destructive nature and ability to replicate.

Is the moon in Slime Rancher a slime?

According to in-game lore, the Moon is made of Moon Slimes.

In conclusion, keeping Ringtail Slimes requires careful management of their light exposure and diet. With the right setup and strategies, you can successfully ranch these unique slimes and reap the rewards of their plort production.

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