Quantum drone
The Quantum Drone is a player-created Utility gadget that makes its return from the original Slime Rancher, now enhanced for Slime Rancher 2. As stated by Monomi Park, these drones have been given updated capacities to better assist players both with ranch management at the Conservatory and resource collection out on the range (in Explorer Mode). Initially unavailable at launch, Quantum Drones were later introduced in a future update, following Monomi Park’s confirmation that automation drones would return to Slime Rancher 2, with refinements to expand their potential beyond what was possible in the first game.
Acquisition
To acquire Quantum Drones, the player must first obtain a Drone Station Module. Quantum Drone Stations are unlocked by interacting with Ghostly Drones, which reward the player with a Drone Station Module upon discovery. These Ghostly Drones can be found in several locations, including each Conservatory Expansion, Rainbow Fields, Starlight Strand, Ember Valley, Powderfall Bluffs, Dream Land, Prismacore Bridge, and The Terrarium. Additionally, two Quantum Drone Station Modules can be purchased from Polestar Provisions for 20,000 Newbucks and 100,000 Newbucks respectively.
Craft Recipe
Usage
The Quantum Drones are used as a method of automation and management within The Conservatory, being able to transport both Plorts and Food. Plorts can be stored in Silos, sold at the Market, or deposited into the Refinery, while Food can be stored in Silos or delivered directly to Auto-Feeders. A new feature unique to the Quantum Drones is Explorer Mode, which allows ranchers to collect resources outside of the Conservatory. When a drone is placed, a visible field will appear showing its accessible range, and the drone will then gather Plorts, Spouts, Minerals, Hives, and other Slime Science resources within its range. These gathered resources are stored in the Quantum Cloud, where the player can withdraw them directly, sell them at the Market, or send them to the Refinery. Unlike in-world gathering, Explorer Mode does not pull items from physical sources such as nodes or plorts left on the ground, but instead generates resources quantumly, appearing as though taken from thin air. Quantum Drones operate on a battery system fueled by Plorts, with a charge range from 0% to 100% represented by a green bar, as well as an overcharging feature that allows them to reach up to 999% shown as a golden bar. The speed at which a drone operates is based on its battery percentage, with higher charge resulting in faster performance, and picking up a Quantum Drone Station resets its charge completely. Different Plorts restore different amounts of battery charge, with values ranging from 7% to 22% when under or equal to 100%, Prisma Plorts providing the highest boost. In overcharge mode, Plorts restore between 1% and 10%, with Shadow Plorts being the most efficient. As the overcharge percentage increases, Plorts provide diminishing returns; for example, a Puddle Plort placed under 100% charge will restore 15%, but the same Plort will restore only around 3% when overcharged. Higher-value Plorts tend to degrade slower as charge fills up, though Prisma Plorts are unique in that they eventually fall below Shadow Plorts in efficiency at high overcharge levels, with Shadow stabilizing at 10% minimum while Prisma drops to 7%.
