Breeding and ranching in Fields of Mistria is an essential aspect of farm management that offers both aesthetic and gameplay benefits. This guide will walk you through everything you need to know about breeding animals in various colors, understanding production tiers, and maximizing profits through efficient ranching.
Overview of Animal Breeding
In Fields of Mistria, animals can come in a variety of colors—up to 15 per animal species. While these color variations are purely aesthetic, they add extra charm to your farm and allow for personalization. These colors are organized into six tiers of rarity:
- Tier 1: Unlocked by default; standard colors.
- Tier 2: General color variations based on real-life counterparts.
- Tier 3: Special colors like blue, pink, and purple. (Rabbits may also have an additional black variant, possibly an error.)
- Tier 4: Silver variants.
- Tier 5: Gold variants.
- Tier 6: Seasonal variants, the rarest and most special.
Once a color is successfully bred, it becomes available for purchase at Hayden’s shop.
Starting the Breeding Process
To begin breeding, you’ll need two animals of the same species but opposite genders. Feed both animals a heart-shaped treat corresponding to their species on the same day. These treats can be purchased from Hayden’s shop. The following day, a stork symbol will appear next to the animals’ statuses in the menu, indicating they are in the breeding phase.
Important Note: Avoid moving animals to a daycare or another barn during the stork/pregnant phase, as this can cause a bug that leaves them permanently stuck without producing offspring. This issue is current as of August 8, 2024.
The stork phase lasts for four days across all animals, after which the offspring will be born. The child phase varies by species:
- Chicken: 3 days
- Cow: 5 days
- Duck: 3 days
- Horse: 5 days
- Rabbit: 3 days
- Sheep: 5 days
- Capybara: 3 days
Once an animal reaches adulthood, it will begin producing products and can also be bred.
Breeding Variants & Mechanics
To breed higher-tier variants of animals, follow these steps:
Breeding Same-Tier Parents:
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- Formula: Parent T(x) × Parent T(x) = Child T(x+1)
- Breeding two animals of the same tier typically results in a higher-tier offspring. This method is effective up to Tier 5.
Breeding Different-Tier Parents:
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- Formula: Parent T(x) × Parent T(x+1) = Child T(x+1) or T(x+2)
- There is a roughly 50% chance (subject to further research) that breeding parents of adjacent tiers will produce an offspring one or two tiers higher.
Color Selection:
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- The color of the resulting offspring is randomly selected from the available colors within its tier. In Tiers 2 and 3, this can result in a variety of colors.
Notes:
- Offspring will never decrease in tier; a Tier 2 × Tier 3 breeding will always yield a Tier 3 or Tier 4 child.
- Breeding animals with a tier gap greater than one can result in a mix of possible outcomes. For example, a Tier 4 × Tier 2 pairing can produce either a Tier 3 or Tier 4 child, though more research is needed to confirm exact probabilities.
Seasonal Variants (Tier 6)
Seasonal variants are the highest tier, with unique colors that correspond to the season in which they are bred. Achieving these variants requires specific breeding conditions:
- Breeding Method: Breeding two Tier 5 animals offers a chance at obtaining a seasonal variant. Tier 4 × Tier 5 pairings can also produce a seasonal child, though the chances are lower.
- Seasonal Timing: The seasonal variant of the offspring corresponds to the season during which the parents were bred (e.g., breeding in Summer results in a Summer variant born on Fall 1). Each seasonal variant comes with unique default cosmetics for the animal.
Understanding Production Tiers
Production tiers are a hidden mechanic in Fields of Mistria that directly impact gameplay by improving the quality and quantity of products your animals produce. Production tiers are influenced by the animal’s affection level, as shown by the number of hearts.
- Tier 0: 0 hearts; 1 normal product.
- Tier 1: 2 hearts; 1 normal product with a 20% chance of an additional product.
- Tier 2: 4 hearts; 2 normal products.
- Tier 3: 6 hearts; 2 normal products with a 20% chance of an additional product.
- Tier 4: 8 hearts; 2 normal products with a 10% chance of a golden product.
- Tier 5: 10 hearts; 1 golden product with a 10% chance of an additional golden product.
Maximizing Profit Margins
To optimize profits, it’s crucial to understand the production cycles and shipping prices of each animal’s products:
Production Cycles:
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- Chicken Egg: 1 day
- Rooster Feather: 3 days
- Cow Milk: 1 day
- Bull Horn: 3 days
- Duck Egg: 1 day
- Duck Feather: 3 days
- Horse Hair: 3 days
- Rabbit Wool: 3 days
- Sheep Wool: 3 days
- Capybara Bristle: 3 days
- Alpaca Wool: 3 days
Shipping Prices:
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- Chicken Egg: 20t
- Rooster Feather: 60t
- Golden Chicken Egg: 60t
- Golden Rooster Feather: 180t
- Cow Milk: 40t
- Bull Horn: 120t
- Golden Cow Milk: 120t
- Golden Bull Horn: 360t
- Duck Egg: 30t
- Golden Duck Egg: 90t
- Duck Feather: 90t
- Golden Duck Feather: 270t
- Horse Hair: 130t
- Golden Horse Hair: 390t
- Rabbit Wool: 90t
- Golden Rabbit Wool: 270t
- Sheep Wool: 120t
- Golden Sheep Wool: 360t
- Alpaca Wool: 130t
- Golden Alpaca Wool: 390t
- Capybara Bristle: 120t
- Golden Capybara Bristle: 360t
Understanding these cycles and prices will help you plan your breeding and production strategies to maximize profits efficiently.
Notes & Speculation
This section is dedicated to ongoing research and theories regarding breeding and ranching mechanics in Fields of Mistria. These insights will be updated as more data becomes available:
- Gender of parents does not impact the color of the child.
- The child’s color is randomly selected from available tier colors.
- Rare instances of children jumping a tier higher than expected have been reported but are not fully confirmed.
- Breeding T4 + T2 parents has produced both T3 and T4 children.
- Save scumming to manipulate child color might be possible but requires further testing.
- T4 × T4 breeding has been reported to produce a T6 child, potentially due to tier jumps.
- The number of hearts may affect breeding outcomes.
By understanding the intricate mechanics of breeding and ranching in Fields of Mistria, you can create a thriving, colorful farm that not only looks great but also maximizes your in-game profits. Keep experimenting with different breeding combinations and keep an eye out for updates to this guide as more information becomes available!