Deep Dark
The deep dark is a cave biome that generates deep underground in the Overworld under mountainous areas. Covered in sculk, no hostile mobs spawn here except for the warden which appears after activating sculk shriekers.
The deep dark is a cave biome that generates deep underground beneath areas with a low erosion value. The deep dark usually stays within the deepslate layer, although it can occasionally reach into the stone layer when mountains above reach higher altitudes.
The following biomes are usually an indicator of deep dark. Note that it can also generate under most medium biomes when near mountains.
Local game data
Deep Dark
| Structures | |
|---|---|
| Blocks | |
|
Climate | |
| Temperature | 0.8 |
| Downfall | 0.4 |
| Precipitation | Yes |
|
Colors | |
| Grass color | #91BD59 |
| Foliage color | #77AB2F |
| Dry foliage color | #A37546 |
| Water color | #3F76E4[JE only] #44AFF5[BE only] |
|
Vibrant Visuals | |
| Atmospherics | Default |
| Lighting | Default |
| Volumetric fog | Default |
| Color grading | Default |
The deep dark is a cave biome that generates deep underground in the Overworld under mountainous areas. Covered in sculk, no hostile mobs spawn here except for the warden which appears after activating sculk shriekers.
Generation
The deep dark is a cave biome that generates deep underground beneath areas with a low erosion value. The deep dark usually stays within the deepslate layer, although it can occasionally reach into the stone layer when mountains above reach higher altitudes.
The following biomes are usually an indicator of deep dark. Note that it can also generate under most medium biomes when near mountains.
- Most often: jagged peaks, stony peaks, frozen peaks, snowy slopes, and groves
- Often (plateaus): cherry groves, meadows, and savanna plateaus
- Less often: badlands, wooded badlands, and eroded badlands
- Never: oceans, rivers, swamps or deserts.
Description
The deep dark is covered in large patches of sculk blocks surrounded by sculk veins, which include sculk-related blocks such as sculk shriekers, sculk sensors and sculk catalysts.
The biome is dimly lit; there is almost no glow lichen, with the only natural light sources being sculk catalysts and lava. No regular mob spawning occurs in this biome, but other mechanics are unaffected: monster rooms can still spawn mobs,[1] and in very specific cases phantoms[2][JE only] and skeleton horse traps also still spawn.[3] Furthermore, the warden may appear if four shriekers are triggered, giving the player the Darkness effect.
The deep dark is the only biome where ancient cities can generate. Other structures and features that can be found in the deep dark include monster rooms, strongholds, and amethyst geodes. Mineshafts and trial chambers never generate in a deep dark biome, although they may extend into one.
While certain ores that are exposed to air blocks have a chance to not generate, sculk blocks are considered a solid block during generation, causing many ores to be revealed under it.
The deep dark is the only Overworld biome that lava lakes can't appear in, even if deep dark generates above Y=0.
If a deep dark were to generate at the surface, it would appear like plains with grassy terrain and sculk patches. In Java Edition, the flower gradients also match plains, which allows players to grow flowers like tulips using bone meal underground.
Sounds
Music
These music tracks play when the player is in the deep dark.
| Title | Preview | Java Edition | Bedrock Edition | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Weight | Probability | Weight | Probability | ||
| Ancestry | 1 | 50% | 1 | 50% | |
| Deeper | 1 | 50% | 1 | 50% | |
Data values
ID
| Name | Identifier | Translation key |
|---|---|---|
deep_dark |
biome |
| Name | Identifier | Numeric ID |
|---|---|---|
deep_dark | 190 |
Achievements
| Icon | Achievement | In-game description | Actual requirements (if different) | Gamerscore earned | Trophy type (PS) | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PS4 | Other | ||||||
| Adventuring Time | Discover 17 biomes. | Visit any 17 biomes. Does not have to be in a single world. | 40 | Silver | |||
Advancements
| Icon | Advancement | In-game description | Actual requirements (if different) |
|---|---|---|---|
![]() | Adventuring Time | Discover every biome |
|
Videos
History
Announcement
| October 3, 2020 | The Deep Dark biome is announced at Minecraft Live 2020. | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Java Edition
| Java Edition | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1.19 | Deep Dark Experimental Snapshot 1 | Added the deep dark biome. | |||||
| 22w11a | Officially added the deep dark. | ||||||
| Sculk patches in the deep dark now also replace part of the terrain's walls or ceilings, and are larger in general. | |||||||
| Ancient cities in the deep dark from the Experimental Snapshot 1 have not been implemented. | |||||||
| 22w13a | Ancient cities now generate inside the deep dark. | ||||||
| 22w19a | Mineshafts can no longer intersect the deep dark biome. | ||||||
| 1.19.3 | Pre-release 1 | Large copper ores no longer generates in the deep dark.[4] | |||||
| 1.21 | 24w21a | Trial chambers are less likely to generate in the deep dark. | |||||
Bedrock Edition
| Bedrock Edition | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1.18.30 Experiment | Preview 1.18.30.29 | Added the deep dark biome behind the "Wild Update" experimental toggle. | |||||
| Preview 1.18.30.33 | Ancient cities now generate inside the deep dark. | ||||||
| 1.19.0 | Preview 1.19.0.21 | The deep dark biome is now available without enabling the "Wild Update" experimental toggle. | |||||
Issues
Issues relating to "Deep Dark" are maintained on the bug tracker. Issues should be reported and viewed there.
Trivia
- The deep dark was originally "going to feel like an underwater biome, but with the water missing" along with "lots of floating jellyfish in the air and ghostly looking blocks." White, orange, teal, and lime green were some of the color themes meant for the deep dark. In these versions, the only source of light would have been bioluminescent blocks.[5]
- In a few images shown by Kingbdogz during the 1.19 development cycle showed fossils generating in this biome covered in sculk veins which was confirmed to have been something they were "just testing out", and it never made it into the game.[6]
Gallery
Screenshots
-
An amethyst geode in the deep dark
-
A stronghold intersects with deep dark
-
A lush cave meets the deep dark
-
A fossil in the deep dark
-
A monster room in the deep dark
-
A pocket of lava in a deep dark
-
The Deep Dark seed template thumbnail
-
A deep dark single biome world
Development images
-
The deep dark as seen during Minecraft Live 2020
-
Ditto
-
Deep dark structure recreation render
Concept artwork
-
Deep dark concept art with a white color theme
-
Another concept art with a white color theme
-
Ditto
-
The deep dark with "ghostly white" blocks resembling crystals or coral
-
Concept art with an orange theme
-
Another concept art with an orange theme
-
A render with an orange themed deep dark
-
A teal themed deep dark with orange incorporated
-
Similar to the one before it, but has vines in the background
-
Lime green themed deep dark concept art
In other media
-
The warden running through an endless tunnel in the Deep Dark
-
The Deep Dark on the cover of Minecraft: The Manga
References
- ↑ MC-249361 – Dungeons can spawn in the deep dark, potentially distracting the upcoming warden – resolved as "Works As Intended".
- ↑ MC-305640
- ↑ MC-305630
- ↑ MC-255133 – Extra copper ore generates in deep dark – resolved as "Fixed".
- ↑ "The Secrets of Minecraft's Deep Dark @ 2:57" – Minecraft on YouTube, June 24, 2022
- ↑ "Just to calm your expectations: the bone blocks are a test where we were seeing what it would look like if normal fossils might generate in the Deep Dark exposed. No idea if we'll actually use that idea." – @kingbdogz on X (formerly Twitter), March 3, 2022
External links
- "Around the Block: Deep Dark" by Duncan Geere – Minecraft.net, January 5, 2023.
- "My First Time in the Deep Dark" by Kate Gray – Minecraft.net, August 29, 2023.
Navigation
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