Of all the buildings and structures available inStardew Valley, the Slime Hutch is one of the hardest to justify investing in. It costs some (relatively) late-game material, it’s large, and the purple castle look really clashes with the rustic vibes of everything else on your farm.

But there’s more to raising slimes than you might think. The seemingly inconvenient and expensive playpen for those gooey guys can open the door to a handful of new opportunities. From farming rare materials to making an impressive profit, plenty of legitimate reasons exist to start raising slimes.

Holding a Slime Egg between two statues of fortune surrounded by slimes in Stardew Valley

1It’s More Profitable Than You Think

A Surprisingly Steady Source Of Income

At its core, Stardew Valley is about running a business. For most folks, that’s a farming business, or perhapsartisan goods like truffle oil. So it’s understandable to look at a slime’s primary byproduct, slime, and find its measly 5g value and have no interest.

We implore you to look one step further in.Slimeitself may not sell well, but you know what does? A Slime Egg. Ranging from 1,000 to 8,000 gold in value, Slime Eggs can be made from theSlime Egg-Press. This makes for one of the more straightforward and year-round options for a steady profit.

Standing in a slime huts full of purple slimes, holding iridium ore while several furnaces have finished smelting iridium bars in Stardew Valley

Slimes also have a chance to drop other high-value items on death, like gemstones and ore.

2They Generate Iridium

The Most Precious Of Metals

Iridium is a high-demand material with a terribly low spawn chance. Sure, you could scour the depths of the Desert Caverns, hoping forore nodes to spawnwhile you get smacked around by your millionth serpent. But wouldn’t you rather just generate Iridium at home?

Purple Slimes have a moderate chance of droppingIridium Oreon death and a small chance of dropping an entire bar. From a single Purple Slime Egg, you could establish a reliable and consistent Iridium supply without taking a bus anywhere.

Holding Pale Broth in the kitchen in Stardew Valley while Krobus stands nearby

3To Turn Them Into Gifts

Because Hand-Picked Gifts Are For Chumps

No one likes slime, that’s fine. But that doesn’t mean you may’t turn that Slime Hutch into the viscous equivalent of Santa’s Workshop. Slimes can still be used to generate a steady supply of good villager gifts.

One of the most common drops from slimes (besides slime) isWhite Algae. Two of this offputting material can be cooked into Pale Broth, a cooking recipe you can learn from Marnie. Pale Broth, like most cooked foods, is liked by almost everyone in town.

Standing in a slime hutch surrounded by purple slimes while signs show coffee and espresso in stardew valley - there is espresso and coffee on the ground as well

Slimes also have a rare chance of dropping a Diamond, which is a universally loved gift.

4They’re A Very Strange Source Of Coffee

Don’t Even Talk To Me Until I’ve Killed My Slimes

If you spend enough time in the Volcano Dungeon, you’ll likely come across theHot Java Ring. This quirky little accessory grants a moderate chance for any monster to drop either a coffee or a triple-shot espresso.

This, when combined with regular slime culling, means numerous chances to generate free coffee. Combine that ring with the Slime Charmer ring and wear a second Hot Java Ring on the second slot (maybe combined with a Luck or Burglar’s ring). Before you know it, you’ll beup to your head in coffee.

A staggered pathway in a Slime Hutch full of tiger slimes guarding a chest in Stardew Valley

5Hide Valuables From Your Co-op Players Behind An Army Of Cute Yet Lethal Blobs

A Very Viscious Security System

Are you playing on a multiplayer farm? Are you the only one with a Slime Tamer ring? Do you wish you had a way to keep your most valuable items secure? Then, do we have a solution for you!

Between their high damage and slowing debuff, a swarm of slimes can spell the end for an unlucky farmer. Utilizing that makes them one of the best guard dogs in the game. Place a chest in the back, maybe add in some fences to slow down intruders, and stay fully stocked with the highest level slimes you may. Now NO ONE will be able to steal that spare Prismatic Shard you were saving.

Holding a prismatic shard surrounded by slimes in Stardew Valley

6For Prismatic Shard Farming

Still Beats Making Another Run In The Desert Caverns

Speaking of which, slime ranching can be one of the more reliable methods of farming forPrismatic Shards. Once you reach the bottom of the Mines, every single slime you slay will have a very small chance of dropping a Prismatic Shard. Even at 0.05 percent, striking down ten slimes a day means you’re statistically likely to get one shard every… 1.8 years.

Okay, so maybe that doesn’t sound very appealing. But with expensive and time-consuming excursions into the Desert Caverns being theonly other reasonable way to get Prismatic Shards, this offers a more passive method that you’ll profit from in the meantime.

Surrounded by tiger slimes while wearing the Tiger Hat in Stardew Valley

you may improve your odds by wearing a Lucky Ring or utilizing other luck-related buffs.

7To Get The Tiger Hat

Anything For Fashion

If you thought Prismatic Shards were rare, just wait. The Tiger Hat is such a rarely seen item that many folks don’t even know it exists.This unique hatwill only appear as a very rare drop from Tiger Slimes specifically.

Statistically, you’ll need to slay around 1,000 tiger slimes before you’ll see aTiger Hat. That’ll take a long while and would require countless trips to Ginger Island. Improve your odds by farming Tiger Slimes from the convenience of home. You’ll have a nice collection of Ginger and Jade while you’re at it.

Standing outside on an established farm next to a golden clock in Stardew Valley

8Because You’ve Gone And Done Everything Else At This Point

Might As Well, Right?

Stardew Valley has been around for a good number of years now. In that time, you’ve farmed every crop, you’ve reached floor 100 in the Desert Caverns, and you’ve married every single romancable NPC in the game. You’ve had time to do it all. But one thing you never bothered trying is running a Slime Hutch.

You might as well, right? Give it a shot, if only to add some variety to your next playthrough. It won’t revolutionize your experience, sure, but it’ll be something different. And who knows, maybe you’ll find it fun. If you decide it’s not for you, you’re able to always ‘take care’ of what slimes you’ve raised the old-fashioned way.