Rancher Profession

The Rancher profession in Starsand Island is mentored by Pastelle at Green Pasture Ranch, located northwest of Hopeland. Ranching covers animal husbandry, breeding, byproduct collection, and genetic trait management. The Rancher profession has the highest startup cost and the slowest return on investment of all five professions, so it is generally recommended as the last profession to pursue.

Tier Overview

Animal Unlocks by Tier

Apprentice Rancher

The Apprentice Rancher certification introduces the basics of animal care. Pastelle gives you 1 free Rabbit plus blueprints for the Rabbit Hutch, Feeder, and Brush to get started, and you learn how to build housing, feed animals, and collect byproducts.

Quest Steps

1. Visit Pastelle at Green Pasture Ranch.

2. Pastelle gives you 1 free Rabbit plus blueprints for the Rabbit Hutch, Feeder, and Brush.

3. Craft a Rabbit Hutch at the Worktable using 15 Softwood and 5 Fiber.

4. Place the Rabbit Hutch on your property, then interact with it to add the rabbit.

5. The quest requires collecting 4 Wool from your rabbit (this takes a few days).

Apprentice Trial

For the trial, Pastelle sends you to the Bulletin Board at the Community Center to pick up a request from Alex called Soft Flannel Fabric. You need to craft 2 pieces of Flannel.

1. Build a Loom at the Worktable.

2. Use the Loom to craft 2 Flannel from your rabbits' Wool.

3. Deliver the Flannel to Alex.

4. Return to Pastelle to complete the trial.

Rewards

• Apprentice Rancher Certificate and title

• Ranching skill tree unlocked in the Workpedia

• Animals provide farm assistance: rabbits clear weeds from your farm

Junior Rancher

The Junior Rancher certification focuses on animal happiness and quality byproducts. You need to raise Chickens and collect Giant Eggs by keeping your animals happy and well-fed.

Quest Steps

1. Speak to Pastelle to start the Junior certification.

2. First, raise your Rabbits' happiness to 150 or higher. Happiness increases through daily brushing, keeping the Feeder stocked, and petting your animals.

3. Purchase a Chicken Coop blueprint, Chicken Feed, and at least 3 Chickens from the Green Pasture Ranch shop.

4. Build the Chicken Coop and place the chickens and feed inside.

5. Wait for the chickens to reach Adult stage (1 to 2 days with consistent feeding).

6. Keep chicken happiness above 150 by petting and brushing daily.

7. Collect Giant Eggs from the coop once happiness is high enough.

8. Deliver the Giant Eggs to Solara at the Community Center.

9. Return to Pastelle to complete the trial.

Rewards

• Junior Rancher Certificate and title

• Chickens remove bugs from your farm

• Ducks become available (consume snails)

• Dairy processing station blueprint

Intermediate Rancher

The Intermediate Rancher certification introduces breeding. Pastelle wants you to breed a specific rabbit variant: the Lop-Eared Rabbit. This quest teaches the core breeding mechanics that become critical for the Senior and Expert tiers.

Quest Steps

1. Ensure you have at least one male and one female rabbit in the same hutch, with at least one empty space for a baby.

2. Keep both rabbits happy and well-fed.

3. Check the breeding status by pressing G to open their Info tab. Both must show as "Breedable" (may take 1 to 2 days).

4. Wait overnight. Check the hutch the next morning for a newborn.

5. If the baby is not a Lop-Eared Rabbit, try again. The variant is random, so you may need multiple breeding attempts.

6. Once you have a Lop-Eared Rabbit, return to Pastelle.

Rewards

• Intermediate Rancher Certificate and title

• Breeding House blueprint unlocked at Green Pasture Ranch (costs 3,500 Coins). The Breeding House lets you pair specific animals together for controlled breeding.

• Sheep, Cows, Pigs, and Bees become available for purchase

• Incubator and improved happiness mechanics unlocked

Senior Rancher

The Senior Rancher certification is the longest and most challenging ranching quest. Pastelle sends you to Zephyria at the Exploration Club, who has been wanting a specific mount: a White Horse. White Horses cannot be purchased; they can only be obtained through breeding. This quest typically requires 15 to 25 breeding attempts.

Quest Steps

1. Purchase a Stable blueprint and at least two horses (one male, one female) from the Green Pasture Ranch shop.

2. Build the Stable on your property. Stables require materials including White Fabric (crafted on the Loom from White Wool obtained from Sheep).

3. Place the horses in the Stable and begin breeding them. Purchasing around 20 horses initially is recommended to build a large genetic pool.

4. Sell horses with negative genes immediately. Keep horses with positive breeding genes, even if they are not visually impressive.

5. Continue breeding. A commonly reported strategy is pairing two standard Brown Horses, which frequently triggers the white mutation.

6. Keep parent happiness high and use the Love Feeder to slightly improve breeding odds.

7. Once a White Horse is born, let it grow to adult stage.

8. Purchase the Friendship Collar blueprint from Green Pasture Ranch. Craft it, then approach your White Horse, switch to the Mount tab, and use the collar to tame it as a mount.

9. Deliver the White Horse to Zephyria at the Exploration Club to complete the certification.

Rewards

• Senior Rancher Certificate and title

• Horses and Deer become available for purchase

• Rare breeds and golden product processing unlocked

• Automated feeding station blueprints

Expert Rancher

The Expert Rancher certification is the ultimate test of genetic mastery. You must breed an animal with 5 maxed positive genetic traits on a single animal. No negative traits are allowed. Rabbits are the recommended animal for this quest because of their low purchase cost (75 Coins) and fast breeding cycle.

Breeding Strategy

1. Use the Breeding House to pair rabbits that already have 3 or 4 positive genes together.

2. Each breeding attempt can pass genes from both parents and occasionally introduce new mutations.

3. Discard offspring with fewer positive genes than the parents.

4. Track each rabbit's genes by checking its Info panel (press G).

5. Never use a rabbit with any negative traits for breeding.

6. Keep parent happiness high with daily care and the Love Feeder.

7. Gene stacking takes many generations, so start breeding rabbits for genes early, ideally as soon as you unlock the Breeding House at Intermediate tier.

Completion

Once you have an animal with 5 maxed positive genes, show it to Pastelle to complete the Expert Rancher certification.

Rewards

• Expert Rancher Certificate and title

• All animal species unlocked, including Alpacas and Ostriches

• Maximum product quality from all animals

• Full ranch automation capability

Tips and Strategy

• Ranching is best left as the last profession to pursue. The startup cost is high, and returns are slow compared to Farming or Fishing.

• Feed your animals every single day. Unfed animals lose happiness, produce lower-quality byproducts, and cannot breed.

• Different animals provide useful farm services: rabbits clear weeds, chickens remove bugs, and ducks eat snails. Take advantage of these passive benefits early.

• For the White Horse quest, invest in at least 3 Stables and buy horses in bulk. More breeding slots means more attempts per day.

• Keep a spreadsheet or notes tracking which animals have which genes. The Info panel shows genetic data, but it helps to plan pairings ahead of time.

• The Breeding House and Selective Breeding House improve breeding success rates. Upgrade as soon as these blueprints become available.

• Some higher-tier animals (Horses, Deer) can serve as rideable mounts. Tame them with the Friendship Collar for faster travel.