Guide to Xenobiology

Xenobiologists are in charge of the creation, care, and eventual culling and harvesting of slimes, which are dangerous to handle without the right equipment. Slimes yield **slime plorts** (also called extracts) when processed after death; injecting reagents into a plort triggers reactions. The in-game book Slime plorts and reactions lists all plort reactions and links to this guide.

Familiarize Yourself

You and your slimes are typically located in a remote area referred to as Xenobiology. There is an airlock leading into the lab. Inside are multiple cells to place slimes in. Each cell usually has a disposals chute to safely give food to slimes and a way to lock down the cell if the glass breaks. Some layouts have extra isolation cells; use main cells when possible so you have disposals and lockdown.

Get Equipped

You'll need these items to do your job.

• **Fire extinguisher** – to efficiently kill slimes. Some slimes can set you on fire. For best effect, move the slime into a corner so the water hits them.
• **Syringe and/or dropper** – to inject reagents (e.g. plasma, blood, water) into **slime plorts**. Plorts are obtained from dead slimes (e.g. by sawing corpses in the operating room).
• **Slime baton** – works like a stun baton but is only effective against slimes (and Prometheans). One hit stuns and disciplines the slime. Can be used to build a slime securitron with Robotics.
• **Slime taser** – an energy weapon effective only against slimes and similar. Shorter stun than the baton but works at range and through windows. More can be made in R&D.
• **Welder and welding helmet** – for minor repairs and for mending cracks in cell windows (slimes may smash them when they see food).

Optional but useful:

• **Slime securitron** (Robotics) – optimized to fight slimes.
• **Medibot** (Robotics) – for healing when medical is far.
• **Temperature gun** (R&D) – cold setting can kill slimes at range and can replace the fire extinguisher.

Basics of Slime Care

You usually start with one or more **grey slime plorts** in the lab. To get a grey baby slime: take plasma (e.g. from the grinder in the lab), put liquid plasma into a syringe, and inject it into a grey plort. The plort will spawn a baby grey slime.

Keep at least one cell dedicated to grey slimes so you have a renewable source of monkey cubes (grey plort + blood). When greys reproduce, keep one grey alive and move or cull the rest. Keep a spare grey plort in reserve in case all greys are lost; injecting it with plasma gives a new grey slime.

• • Never put more than one colour in a cell** – slimes of different colours fight each other and make it hard to tase the right one.

Plorts have a limited number of **uses** (typically 1; they can be enhanced with a slime steroid agent to 3). Each reaction consumes one use; when uses reach zero the plort becomes inert. Most reactions need 1 unit of a reagent; some need 5 (or 10). Slime jelly is unique (e.g. compresses at 100 units for certain uses).

Priority colours to work toward:

• **Dark purple** – renewable plasma (plort + plasma → plasma sheets; grind for liquid plasma). Essential for many other reactions.
• **Grey** – monkey cubes (blood), roach cubes (blattedin), spiderlings (pararein). Always keep a grey line.
• **Blue** – frost oil (water) and glass/plasma glass (plasma). Frost oil is used with metal plorts for some materials.
• **Metal** – steel and plasteel (plasma), plastic (water), uranium (radium 5u; causes radiation burst). First step for renewable metals.
• **Purple** – slime steroid jar (plasma; makes baby slimes split into three plorts) and extra slime jelly (sugar). Good for scaling plort production.

Slime Plort Reactions (Summary)

Use the in-game Slime plorts and reactions book for the full list. This section matches current in-game mechanics.

Colour	Key reagents (→ result)
Grey	Plasma → baby grey slime; Blood → monkey cubes; Blattedin → roach cubes; Pararein → spiderlings
Green	Plasma → mutagen; Water → genetics purger (slime)
Metal	Plasma → steel + plasteel; Water → plastic; Radium 5u → uranium (radiation!)
Gold	Plasma → gold bars; Nutriment 5u → honey
Silver	Plasma → flash + random food; Nutriment 5u → universal enzyme; Liquid uranium 5u → silver + tritium bars
Blue	Water → frost oil; Plasma → glass + plasma glass
Dark Blue	Plasma → delayed cold snap; Honey 5u → pure slime jelly (small amount)
Orange	Water → fire/pressure resist jar; Plasma → mass fire (danger!); Blood → pepper spray (condensed capsaicin)
Yellow	Water → slime lights; Plasma → shock resist jar; Blood → EMP (danger to mechanical organs)
Purple	Plasma → slime steroid jar (baby split x3); Sugar → slime jelly
Dark Purple	Plasma → plasma sheets; Uranium + Gold + Silver 1u each → random tool mod (randomizer)
Red	Plasma → glycerol; Frost oil → osmium + metallic hydrogen; Water → speed jar; Blood → enrage all nearby slimes (avoid!)
Pink	Nutriment 5u → baby docility jar; Honey 5u → adult docility jar
Black	Mutagen 1u → random-colour baby slime (weighted to grey)
Oil	Plasma → delayed explosion (very dangerous); Water → thermal vision mod (restricted); Space lube 5u → non-slip soles
Light Pink	Plasticide 5u → auto pistol; Wood pulp 10u → baseball bat
Adamantine	Plasma → golem rune; Pure slime jelly 1u → diamonds + biomatter; Uranium + Gold + Silver 1u each → platinum
Rainbow	No documented plort reactions

Bluespace, Pyrite, Cerulean, and Sepia plorts exist in some iterations but may have no documented reactions in the current build.

Slime Protection

Slimes can harm you in several ways depending on colour. Use the right gear.

• **Bio suits** – reduce damage from slimes eating you and block some chemical attacks. Slimes may still glomp you.
• **Fire suits** – for orange (fire) and when dark purple is killed with fire (plasma release).
• **Bomb suits** – for oil slimes (explode if killed with fire).
• **Radiation suits** – for green (radioactive) and thick enough to help against chemical attacks.

Slime Life-cycle

Slimes start as babies and are still dangerous. They need food or they die; starving slimes may attack.

When fed enough, babies grow into adults. Well-fed adults eventually **reproduce** by splitting into four new slimes. There is a chance one or more offspring **mutate** to a different colour. Isolate mutants so they do not fight same-cell slimes of another colour. Use the slime taser through the glass to move or cull as needed.

Slime Psychology

Discipline

Slimes can be disciplined with the slime baton (and similar tools). The slime will show a sad face and stop attacking for a while. Removing a slime from someone it is eating can also discipline it. Heavy repeated hits sometimes discipline but are not reliable.

Obedience

Disciplining a slime when it is harming someone (“justified”) increases obedience; discipline then lasts longer. Enough obedience can make discipline last a long time. Obedient slimes can still defend themselves if attacked.

Disciplining when the slime is not harming anyone (“unjustified”) can cause **resentment**. Too much resentment can make the slime **enrage** and attack everything. A slime securitron will attack “guilty” slimes and leave innocent ones alone.

Resentment and rage

Unjustified discipline builds resentment. Pushed too far, the slime enrages and tries to kill everything in sight. Enraged slimes can sometimes be calmed with more discipline, but it is often safer to kill them (baton + fire extinguisher). A slime securitron will fight an enraged slime until one is destroyed.

Speech and commands

Slimes can produce slow, simple speech and respond to topics. If a slime likes you or is obedient enough, you can give commands such as **follow**, **stop**, or **attack** a target. You may need to use the slime’s “name” or say “slimes” to address all in earshot.

Tactics

Slimes glomp (melee), and some colours inject chemicals on hit. Thick clothing (e.g. bio suit) can block injections. A dangerous behaviour is **latching on** to eat the victim, causing severe damage; remove the slime as soon as possible. Slime securitrons may assist if you are being eaten. Slimes can also shove or use stored electricity to stun.

Friend or foe

Slimes do not attack other slimes of the same colour (or Prometheans). When disciplined, they will not attack humanoids or robots but may still eat monkeys. **Pacified** slimes (docility agents from pink plorts) do not harm anyone and cannot enrage. Enraged slimes ignore discipline.

Reference

• In-game: Slime plorts and reactions book – full plort reaction list and link to this wiki guide.
• Keep one grey cell, work toward dark purple for plasma, then other colours as needed.
• Never mix colours in one cell; always have a fire extinguisher and slime tools.