The snowy plains biomes are snow-covered flat biomes in the Overworld that usually generates near other snowy biomes.
Description[]
Snowy plains are flatlands covered with snow layers, which are often stacked in Bedrock Edition. Aquifers and springs freeze over soon after generation due to the temperature if not exposed to light; thus, sugar cane that generates alongside water sources often uproot themselves shortly after. Lava lakes and lava springs that generate within the snowy plains biomes melt the snow layers around them. Polar bears, rabbits and strays spawn here; the latter is a variant of the skeleton that shoot arrows of Slowness.
Snowy plains are most commonly bordered by snowy taigas, snowy beaches, snowy slopes, and groves. Regular snowy plains are often separated from ice spikes or snow taigas by frozen rivers.
Survival in snowy plains biomes is quite difficult due to the sparseness of the biome and the lack of animals; only polar bears and rabbits may naturally spawn here, though cows, sheep, pigs and horses may spawn as part of villages. Infrequent spruce trees are the only natural source of wood in the regular snowy plains biome and maintaining water sources, for farming crops for example, can be tough due to water in this biome freezing into ice, if it is not protected by light or a roof. Strays often spawn in place of skeletons which can make dealing with hostile mobs even more difficult due to their Slowness arrows, and aggravating polar bears, or even coming near one if accompanied by cubs, can lead to fatal consequences if the player is unprepared. The ice spikes variety can be valuable to late-game players due to the occurrence of ice spikes that can be used for a base or as a source of packed ice blocks.
As the snowy plains is a snow-covered biome, lightning never strikes in these biomes.
Variants[]
There are two snowy plains biome variants.
Snowy Plains[]
Snowy plains are grasslands covered with snow layers. Spruce trees, tall grass, dandelions and poppies generate infrequently. The exposed grass and leaves take an aqua tone.
Villages that generate in snowy plains are made of spruce wood, snow blocks, ice, blue ice and packed ice. Pillager outposts and igloos are also found. Igloos are difficult to spot in the plains due to the snow blocks camouflaging among the snow layers.
The following mobs are naturally spawned here：
| Mob | Spawn weight | Group size |
|---|---|---|
| Monster category | ||
| Creeper | 100⁄515 | 4 |
| Slime[note 1] | 100⁄515 | 4 |
| Spider | 100⁄515 | 4 |
| Zombie | 95⁄515 | 4 |
| Stray | 80⁄515 | 4 |
| Skeleton | 20⁄515 | 4 |
| Enderman | 10⁄515 | 1–4 |
| Witch | 5⁄515 | 1 |
| Zombie Villager | 5⁄515 | 1 |
| Ambient category | ||
| Bat | 1 | 8 |
| Creature category | ||
| Rabbit | 10⁄11 | 2–3 |
| Polar Bear | 1⁄11 | 1–2 |
| Underground water creature category | ||
| Glow Squid | 1 | 4–6 |
- ↑ Spawn attempt succeeds only in slime chunks.
| Mob | Spawn weight | Group size |
|---|---|---|
| Monster category | ||
| Slime[note 1] | 100⁄220 | 1 |
| Stray | 96⁄220 | 1–2 |
| Skeleton | 24⁄220 | 1–2 |
| Creature category | ||
| Glow Squid | 10⁄15 | 2–4 |
| Rabbit | 4⁄15 | 2–3 |
| Polar Bear | 1⁄15 | 1–2 |
- ↑ Spawn attempt succeeds only in slime chunks.
Ice Spikes[]
This rarer variety ice spikes biome features large numbers of ice spikes and ice patches dotting across its landscape. Additionally, all grass blocks are replaced with snow blocks so that no trees nor other vegetations can generate. Snow layers still form atop the snow blocks, making them seem taller than they actually are. No buildings may generate in this biome.
In Java Edition, the ice spikes biome uses the same mob spawning chances as the regular snowy plains.
| Mob | Spawn weight | Group size |
|---|---|---|
| Monster category | ||
| Creeper | 100⁄535 | 1 |
| Slime | 100⁄535 | 1 |
| Spider | 100⁄535 | 1 |
| Stray | 96⁄535 | 1–2 |
| Zombie | 95⁄535 | 2–4 |
| Skeleton | 24⁄535 | 1–2 |
| Enderman | 10⁄535 | 1–2 |
| Witch | 5⁄535 | 1 |
| Zombie Villager | 5⁄535 | 2–4 |
| Creature category | ||
| Glow Squid | 10⁄15 | 2–4 |
| Rabbit | 4⁄15 | 2–3 |
| Polar Bear | 1⁄15 | 1–2 |
Data values[]
ID[]
| Name | Identifier | Translation key |
|---|---|---|
| Snowy plains | snowy_plains | biome.minecraft.snowy_plains |
| Ice spikes | ice_spikes | biome.minecraft.ice_spikes |
| Name | Identifier | Numeric ID |
|---|---|---|
| [No displayed name] | ice_plains | 12 |
| [No displayed name] | ice_plains_spikes | 140 |
History[]
| Java Edition Alpha | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| v1.0.4 | Added Winter Mode. | ||||
| Maps now have a snowy or grassy theme randomly determined when creating the world. | |||||
| v1.2.0 | preview | Added biomes, including tundras with oak trees and frozen deserts. | |||
| Java Edition Beta | |||||
| 1.8 | Pre-release | Biomes have now recieved an overhaul, removing the tundra. See here for more details. | |||
| Java Edition | |||||
| 1.0.0 | September 15, 2011 | Markus Persson teased a screenshot of what he called "snow biomes".[1][2] | |||
| Beta 1.9 Prerelease | Tundras have been re-added. | ||||
| Tundras have been renamed to ice plains. | |||||
| Ice plains contain tall grass. | |||||
| 1.7.2 | 13w36a | Ice plains no longer contain oak trees. Instead, spruce trees generate. | |||
| An ice plains spikes variant has been added, along with many other biomes. Prior to the Update Aquatic, this biome was the only source of packed ice in the game. | |||||
| In addition to the ice spikes, the terrain in this biome is more erratic and taller than the snowy mountains, comparable to the mountains. | |||||
| This biome now tends to generate near snowy and cold biomes. | |||||
| 1.9 | 15w43a | Added igloos, which now generate in ice plains and snowy taigas. | |||
| 1.10 | 16w20a | Polar bears and strays have now added; both now spawn in ice plains and variants. | |||
| Ice plains, ice plains spikes and ice mountains no longer spawn most passive mobs. | |||||
| 1.13 | 18w19a | Renamed ice plains to snowy tundra. | |||
| Renamed ice mountains to snowy mountains. | |||||
| Renamed ice plains spikes to ice spikes. | |||||
| pre5 | Changed the ID ice_flats to snowy_tundra. | ||||
Changed the ID ice_mountains to snowy_mountains. | |||||
Changed the ID mutated_ice_flats to ice_spikes. | |||||
| 1.14 | 18w49a | Villages can now spawn in snowy tundras. These villages can be composed of packed ice and blue ice. | |||
| 1.18 | Experimental Snapshot 1 | Snowy mountain and ice spike biomes no longer generate. | |||
| experimental snapshot 2 | Ice spike biomes generate once again. | ||||
| ? | This biome now tends to generate near other snowy biomes. | ||||
| 21w40a | "Snowy tundra" has been renamed to "snowy plains". | ||||
The ID snowy_tundra has been changed to snowy_plains. | |||||
| The snowy mountain biome has been removed. | |||||
| 1.20 | 23w17a | "A Familiar Room" can now be played in snowy plains and ice spikes. | |||
| Pocket Edition Alpha | |||||
| v0.1.0 | Added biomes, which includes small tundras without trees or tall grass. | ||||
| v0.9.0 | build 1 | Added the ice plains and ice plains spikes biomes and many others. | |||
| Added tall grass and spruce trees to ice plains. | |||||
| v0.13.0 | build 1 | Added rabbits, which can now spawn in snowy plains biomes. | |||
| v0.14.0 | build 1 | Chickens, cows, pigs and sheep now rarely spawn in snowy plains. | |||
| v0.15.0 | build 1 | Added strays, which can now spawn in snowy plains biomes and variants. | |||
| Villages can now generate in snowy plains biomes. | |||||
| Pocket Edition | |||||
| 1.0.0 | alpha 0.17.0.1 | Added igloos, which can now generate in snowy plains. | |||
| Added polar bears, which can now spawn in snowy plains biomes and variants. | |||||
| Bedrock Edition | |||||
| ? | Chickens, cows, sheep and pigs no longer spawn in snowy plains biomes and variants. | ||||
| Zombies, creepers, spiders, endermen, witches and spider jockeys no longer spawn in snowy plains and snowy mountains biomes. | |||||
| 1.10.0 | beta 1.10.0.3 | Added pillager outposts, which can generate in snowy plains biomes. | |||
| Legacy Console Edition | |||||
| TU5 | CU1 | 1.00 | Patch 1 | 1.0.1 | Added the tundra biome, along with changes to many other biomes. |
| TU7 | Tundras have been renamed to ice plains. | ||||
| TU43 | CU33 | 1.36 | Patch 13 | Added igloos and polar bears, which are both features of ice plains. | |
| TU46 | CU36 | 1.38 | Patch 15 | Added strays, which can now spawn in ice plains. | |
| 1.91 | Added pillager outposts, which can generate in snowy tundra biomes. | ||||
Gallery[]
An Ice Plains biome in Beta 1.9 after it was re-added for the new world generator.
The image teased by Notch of snowy biomes.
Survival in the ice spikes biome was more difficult due to the steep terrain.
An igloo on the shore of a frozen lake, with some polar bears.
A pumpkin patch in snowy plains.
Another view of ice spikes.
Ice spikes that generate under overhangs can create "icefalls", such as this.
A snowy plains village reaching to the neighboring savanna. There is also a ruined portal nearby.
A sparse jungle and snowy plains generated next to each other.
Monsters in a snowy plains biome at night.
An ice spikes biome.
A frozen river running through a snowy plains biome.
A hill terrain in a snowy plains biome.
A narrow area of ice spikes containing small spikes.
Snowfall in an ice spikes biome.
An ice spikes biome surrounded by a large frozen lake.
Ice spikes on a mountain.
Several ice biomes in java and bedrock.
Narrator in an ice spike biome.
A snowy tundra.
See also[]
References[]
External Links[]
- Around the Block: Snowy Tundra – Minecraft.net on October 2, 2020
- Around the Block: Ice Spikes – Minecraft.net on July 29, 2021