Minecraft Biomes Explained: Desert

Think you know everything about the desert?

Biomes in Minecraft can be very strange and often interesting. The Mushroom Biome is one of the most mysterious and freakish ones. While a desert may seem like it’s barren and empty, this Biome is home to many interesting features. These features range from important to almost unnoticeable. Here is all you need to know about Minecraft’s Desert Biome.

Location, Location, Location.

While there is no distinct location for the Desert Biome, it is generally found quite quickly (unless you’re very unlucky). This Biome will more than likely be immediately noticeable by its bright blanket of yellow sand that covers the entire landscape. Players will usually find a Desert by generally walking around the main mass of land they’ve spawned in (unless they’ve spawned on a small island). A good place to look for a Desert Biome is near Jungle Biomes, as Deserts have a history of spawning frequently around them. Deserts may appear on the coasts of landmasses or may be landlocked.

The Night

While it may seem extremely peaceful during the daytime, don’t let it fool you as the sun goes down. At night, Desert Biomes can be an extremely hostile place. Being very open is both an advantage and a disadvantage. Players can see the mobs surrounding them, while the mobs can see the player. If players keep a distance from their foes, a player can very easily survive. If a player gets within range of a mob, they may find themselves having a bad time.

Desert Temples

Deserts are famous for the Desert Temples they have scattered around their seemingly infinite Biome. Desert Temples are home to treasure, booby traps, plenty of orange stained clay, and one blue stained clay (because why not?). If players are smart enough to realize the design in the middle of the temple on the floor is essentially signaling for the player to dig down and reap the benefits, they will realize that below the floor is the treasure they seek. However, if they are not careful, the results may be explosive.

The pressure plate placed between all four walls is not for decoration. Below the pressure plate and sandstone is a total of nine TNT that the player can either set off on accident or take for future use. Within the Chests on the walls, players will find many combinations of items that have been randomly selected from a list. The items that are eligible to spawn in said chests are Bones, Rotten Flesh, Iron Ingots, Gold Ingots, Diamonds, Emeralds, Enchanted Books, Iron Horse Armor, Gold Horse Armor, and Diamond Horse Armor.

Desert Temples also have a chance of spawning as a “Double” Desert Temple. This very rare occurrence creates a situation in which two temples are spawned perfectly within one another. At the edge of each temple, a pillar is created. When a double temple is created, both temples meet at the pillar and continue off of each other, having three total pillars (one on the left, middle, and right). As players would suspect, these double temples have two instances of hidden rooms filled with goodies for our adventuring players to take.

Desert Villages

Unlike most Villages, Desert Villages offer a new look and feel than the stereotypical ones. Rather than spawning with cobble walls, Desert Villages spawn with homes created out of sandstone. Very little wood is used in these villages, except for the use of doors or fences. Farms that spawn within Desert Villages will have crops waiting for the player upon arrival. Most of these Villages will have Villagers the player is able to trade with. Unlike most of the deserts in Minecraft, these Villages also contain water. Players will rarely find water in a Desert unless it is found on the edge of a coast. Players can use said water for whatever they find necessary. It is suggested to create an infinite water source out of some of the water from the farms if the Village you have found does not have a well in the center of it.

Desert Wells

The very strange structure known as the Desert Well may be found if a player is lucky enough to spot it. While they serve no purpose, they are definitely a strange sight when found. Desert Wells are created out of Sandstone blocks and slabs, so it may very easily blend in with your surroundings. This structure is home to a very small amount of water, so if you have found yourself in a situation where water is needed, players should take the water from within and create an infinite water source as was suggested with the farm.

Some Small Features

The Desert Biome is home to plenty of blocks, among other things. Players can expect to find Sand, Sandstone, Cacti, Sugar Cane, and Dead Bushes. Pools of Lava may also be found. In very unlikely situations, small pools of water may be found as well. While not many mobs will be seen during the day, players may stumble across a cute little Rabbit hopping around. These mobs are surely to give you a smile against the seemingly never-ending Desert Biome. In the unlikely event you wish to create a Snow Golem in the Desert, you may want to refrain as your smile will turn into a frown as he melts before you.

Like most Biomes, the Desert has a Hills variant. This variant can be extremely exciting to work with when building and creating your structure to live in. Due to the massive amounts of stacked sand, it can also be a very large pain to work with, however.The tall Desert Hills may seem extremely large in comparison to other Biome’s Hills when walking due to the generally flat nature of the land. When these Hills are spotted, they may be quite annoying to traverse, but add a great deal of interesting scenery.

In Conclusion

Minecraft’s Desert Biome is a very interesting place within our beloved video game. While it may seem extremely empty at first glance, you now have the information to know otherwise. Many secrets are hidden within the Desert and only you can find them! Beware of booby traps, pools of lava, and of course the dangerously quick-moving Cactus. Whether you go out in the Desert with the intent of building a home, becoming rich off of loot, or making friends with a Rabbit, you will definitely find there is something to do.

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