Chibi’s Guide to Minecraft: Livin’ in A Winter Wonderland.
Nine times out of ten if I create a new world, for whatever reason, I wind up in a mainly snowy biome of some sort. For the most part, I’ve gotten lucky and found a village to settle into. Making that particular village my base of operations.
So just in case others are having a similar winter world streak. I’m going to go over some of the ways I survive in the harsh climate. Reviewing some of the dangers and how to combat them. As well as how I’ve learned to thrive in the blankets of snow.
Funny enough, I tried to just start a new world and take pictures of my progress in the world, but I got a large dark forest and plains map instead. So, I took a seed that I’ve already played on to show you guys a few tricks that I use to enjoy life in these biomes.
This is a map in the seed in question. It’s not completely snow and ice. However, most points of interest in this seed are going to be found in a snowy biome of some kind. If you’re interested in the seed, here it is.
Seed: 3194837746944192698
Please note that I am by no means an expert. Just to give an example I’ve been calling powder snow “death snow” up until this point. Now that the disclaimer is out of the way, let's get familiar with some survival tips and tricks.
1) Scavenging
Foxes and wolves are a common sight in these colder climates. You may want to befriend one of these adorable mobs the moment you spot one. However, I want you to just hang back and watch from a distance.
It may sound odd to go running with wolves shortly after spawning into your survival map. But there’s good reason for it. White sheep can be a bit difficult to spot in snow coated areas. Wolves will attack sheep on their own so long as they aren't tame. Unlike foxes that pick up one of the dropped items from their prey, wolves leave everything behind.
Wool can be a bit difficult to spot on its own. However, if it’s floating with a piece of raw lamb, it won't be long until you have enough wool for a bed. Not to mention the amount of food you can collect by scavenging behind a pack of wolves.
While we're on the topic of scavenging, foxes can also be trailed behind to find easy food and supplies. You’ll need to keep your distance to not spook them though. Unlike wolves, foxes can be incredibly skittish and are scared away easily.
They tend to collect the meat of targets. This will typically include chickens, fish and rabbits. However, other items that were previously floating can be found in their mouths. If you’re looking for leather, feathers, rabbits' feet, or sticks and saplings, you can attempt to trade raw chicken or berries for it. I’ll cover how to do that in a future article.
4) Berries
Berries are a fast-growing food source that can be found in Taiga Forests. Their thorns lead to the idea of using the bushes as a multipurpose trap. Personally, I like to keep them in flower beds outside of my house to attract foxes and keep an easy snack nearby. If you want to keep large quantities around for harvesting, make sure they are up against something so that the berries bounce out towards you. That way you don't risk getting poked trying to collect them.
5) Powder Snow.
Can you spot the difference? When exploring snowy biomes, it’s important to keep an eye out for large areas of powder snow. If you’ve never ran into it before. It is a block that closely resembles normal snow. However, this frosty trap is easy to fall into and will cause freezing damage the longer you are in it. As long as you keep sprinting to a minimum, the powder snow can be avoided. However, if you happen to get stuck in it, the block is really easy to break with your hands.
6) Hostile Mobs
The unique mobs here can be as dangerous as the environment they’re in. Two kea mobs to keep an eye out for are strays and polar bears.
A polar bear on its own will typically leave you alone. However, if there is a cub involved, it’s a completely different story. Mamma bears can and will hunt you down until you either kill it or lose it somehow. They do drop fish at despawn. But I personally don’t go out of my way for them.
Strays on the other hand are the bane of my existence some nights. These frigid skeletons shoot tipped arrows that will give you a slowness effect. Fighting these guys isn't fun for you or your resident iron golem. However, once you’ve slayed a couple or rested for them to despawn in the sun, it gets easier. Those arrows are a common drop and make it easy to give them a taste of their own medicine.
7) Shelter ideas
Regardless of which winter biome you end up in, there’s a wide range of ways to establish shelter for the first few nights until you can build a proper base. Snow can be collected with a shovel and crafted into blocks to make a simple igloo. Sunken ships trapped in pillars of ice can be torn down for its materials or can provide a semi safe place to hunker down for a first night. My personal favorite is to skim across my locator map until I’ve found a village to claim as my own.
The village I found on this map can be found at the following coordinates.
Village: -71,63,77
8) Get Past the Ice
Snow does build up over time and can get in the way of any building projects. It also hides magma blocks near ruined portals. The snow can be easily washed away with flowing water. Having a bucket on hand can be incredibly helpful in clearing an area.
Speaking of water, we all know that most water in these biomes are frozen. Crops can handle ice just fine thankfully. But, if you want healthy looking soil for your crops, add a fence with a light source of top.
9) Enjoy the Environment
If you don’t like ice, snow or spruce then these biomes aren't for you. You don’t need to stay in a biome that you’re not a fan of. These tips can also help you while you look for the biome that works for you. This is a video game and is meant for fun. Minecraft just so happened to hear me when I said that winter was my favorite season, Haha.
I hope some of these tips are helpful and that you have fun of your next snowy adventure. Thank you for reading.
