One of the oldest mobs in Minecraft is the slime, a large green block that will multiply into smaller versions of itself when slain. The mob has seen one design change over the years when its eyes and mouth were turned from black to dark green, but otherwise, its concept has remained largely the same.

Slimes are relatively rare mobs since they don't spawn just anywhere. That said, they're incredibly useful since they drop slimeballs when slain. These are used for some of the most important crafting recipes in the game, and can also be turned into slime blocks, which have unique physics compared to other, regular blocks. Here's everything to know about Minecraft's iconic green cube.

Updated January 20, 2024 by Jacqueline Zalace: Slimes can be hard to track down in Minecraft. As such, we've updated this guide with a bit more information to help you find slimes and get slimeballs. Additionally, we've streamlined some of the existing content so you can search for what you are looking for quickly.

Natural Slime Spawn Conditions

Slimes have unique rules when it comes to spawning; you can only find them naturally spawned in Swamp biomes.

Slimes will spawn naturally at nighttime in swamp biomes (light level of seven or less), but they will be particularly plentiful if it happens to be a full moon. The chance of them spawning compared to other mobs, however, is still relatively low outside the full moon.

If it's a new moon, then no slimes will spawn.

Additionally, if any entity is within 24 blocks, slimes will not spawn. This includes other hostile mobs. Don't wander too far though; if you are further than 32 blocks, the slime will despawn. If you are slime farming, it's best to find this exact sweet spot and wait here.

What Is A Slime Chunk?

If finding a swamp at full moon is too much of a hassle, there are luckily other ways to get your hands on slimes. There are specific chunks in the game that can spawn slimes naturally underground, referred to as Slime chunks.

Finding these chunks can be a hassle without a dedicated website like Chunk Base.

Chunks are 16 by 16 areas on the map, and one out of ten are likely to be slime chunks. Once you find one, setting up a slime farm should be your first priority.

Finding a slime chunk is one thing, but actually getting to the right elevation is another. This is important because outside of swamps, slimes will never spawn overground. Caves and other underground structures are your best friend when trying to hunt them down.

The best and most efficient way to find slime chunks and actually see slimes spawning is to mine down to Y: 40 and below. Y: 40 is the highest elevation at which slimes can spawn in any biome.

From here, you may want to clear out an entire flat level, and double-check that there are no unlit caves near where other mobs can spawn. A cleared-out chunk is the great basis for a slime farm.

Slimes can climb. A lot of hostile mobs in Minecraft can be blocked off by closing a door or by climbing to a high place. However, slimes are fairly intelligent creatures and are able to chase after you, even when you escape using a ladder or scaffolding.

What Do Slimes Drop?

Slimes drop slimeballs, which have a few helpful uses. A slime will drop between zero to two slimeballs. If a frog kills the slime, it will always drop just one slimeball.

Other Ways To Get Slimeballs

In case you can't find a panda or a swamp biome and simply can't be bothered with hunting down a slime chunk for a slime farm, there are a few other ways to get slimeballs.

The Wandering Trader is a special villager dressed in blue and accompanied by llamas who will randomly spawn after approximately three hours of real-life playtime. He doesn't always have the same items in stock, which means there's a small chance he can one day return with some slimeballs available.

You can also get slimeballs from pandas. Breeding two pandas will produce a baby panda, which has a chance of sneezing up slimeballs. It's a nice alternate but somewhat niche way of farming slime. The chances of this actually happening are one is 700, which is just 0.0014 percent.

How To Craft With Slimeballs

So, why are slimeballs and slimes so important? They're actually quite a rare resource, and well worth farming because they're included in a few crucial recipes. Here's what you can make with slimeballs.

Slimeballs are also used to breed frogs. By giving two frogs a slimeball each, they will begin the breeding process.