Cave tours are a fantastic pastime in Minecraft and a source of various essential resources. Beyond iron, diamonds, and a plethora of stone, you will also discover some unique biomes underground! On one side, you will encounter densely vegetated, lush caves where you can find rare animals. On the other side, you can find impressive dripstone caves, which are not without their dangers. Today, we will take a closer look at these two underground biomes, where to find them, and what you can do with them.
Lush Caves: Find Axolotl and Natural Treasures
Lush caves are among the most beautiful biomes you can find in Minecraft. They consist mainly of clay blocks forming various terraces where you can find small ponds. As their name suggests, lush caves are densely vegetated. In addition to grasses, you will also find many unique blocks such as moss, vines, drip leaves, spore blossoms, and glow berries here.
How to find lush caves: Lush caves can be identified above ground by an azalea tree, which has pink flowers. If you dig down, you will almost always find a lush cave below. You can also search for openings nearby. Azalea trees and their associated lush caves are only generated in humid and warm biomes, such as jungles, bamboo jungles, old-growth taiga, dark forests, or wooded badlands. Keep an eye out for these biomes and the corresponding azalea trees!
Unique features of lush caves:
- Tropical fish predominantly spawn in the water pools.
- The only place where you can find Axolotl.
- Glow squids spawn in larger ponds.
- Lots of moss!
- One of the best sources for plenty of clay.
- Large and small drip leaves.
- Spore blossoms growing on the ceiling.
- Glow berries, which can be used as both a food and light source.
Breeding and Using Axolotl
The adorable Axolotl are likely the reason you want to visit this biome. These aquatic creatures can only be found in lush caves and make a wonderful pet you can take back to your base. They are not only cute but also help you in battle!
Axolotl come in five colours: pink, brown, yellow, cyan, and blue. However, you cannot find the rare blue Axolotl in the wild; you must breed them. They have only a 1 in 1200 (0.083%) chance of appearing, making them one of the rarest things you can have in Minecraft! Its colouring is also a little Easter egg referencing the Pokémon Mudkip from the third generation. You can breed Axolotl by capturing two in a bucket, placing them in a water pool, and feeding them tropical fish from another bucket. They must be kept in water, as they die on land after only five minutes.
There are practical reasons (besides their obvious cuteness!) to have many Axolotl. In water, they attack almost anything that crosses their path. This allows you to create an automatic fish farm by sectioning off a part of a river or ocean where many fish spawn. Axolotl also attack drowned and guardians and can even heal themselves! They play dead for a few seconds and then attack again. The more Axolotl you have, the faster they can regenerate in a group. They can also heal you if you help them in battle. All in all, Axolotl are extremely useful… and cute!
Dripstone Caves: Utilising Copper and Traps
Now let’s take a look at the other cave area you can find in Minecraft. These are dripstone caves, which exist in real life and have been impressively recreated in Minecraft. They are usually vast caves with stalactites and stalagmites, making navigation challenging and even causing damage!
How to find dripstone caves: The generation of dripstone caves is linked to the “continentality” of your world. The further land is from an ocean, the more likely a dripstone cave will occur. The overlying biome does not matter.
Unique features of dripstone caves:
- A large number of dripstone blocks forming huge columns that make a great decorative block.
- Plenty of pointed dripstone, which can be used for various farms.
- Large copper deposits!
- Glow squids spawn in the underwater pools.
- Mineshafts can be wonderfully found here, sometimes generating directly through a dripstone cave.
- Be wary of drowned zombies.
Applications of Dripstones
Dripstone itself can be used for many different things if you mine them with a pickaxe. You can even multiply and grow them by placing them underneath a dripstone block with water above. This provides you with virtually endless dripstones. Water drips from the dripstones below, forming larger stalactites and stalagmites.
Another application is an automatic lava farm. The principle is similar, but you need to place a dripstone on any block with a full lava source above it. Below, place your cauldron to slowly collect the dripping lava. Later, you can scoop the lava with a bucket.
You can also use dripstones to make clay! We have already written a detailed article about this (Automatic Clay Farm in Minecraft: Guide for Clay, Bricks, and Pottery) . The mechanic is similar, but this time water is extracted from mud blocks through the dripstones below.
Finally, you can also use dripstone for traps, as the pointy ends cause damage. This applies to both falling stalactites and stalagmites growing from the ground. You can use both in various monster traps to create really cool designs!
Conclusion
The new caves in Minecraft generate exciting biomes that offer you all sorts of unique things. In lush caves, you will find not only beautiful natural blocks but also adorable Axolotl that you can use in underwater combat. There is even an extremely rare colour that you can only obtain through breeding! On the other hand, dripstone caves are perfect for various farms, such as renewable lava or converting mud into clay. You can rent your own Minecraft server with us and embark on the search for these underground biomes with your friends.
