Ice Spikes

The ice spikes or ice plains spikes biome is a variant of the snowy plains, featuring ice spikes made of packed ice and other special features.

Generation

Generated in high weirdness values, ice spikes are most commonly separated from snowy plains by frozen rivers. Besides weirdness, ice spikes also require low humidity values during world generation, meaning that they never border any forested biomes, and more commonly windswept gravelly hills. When generated near warmer biomes, they border plains and rarely cherry groves.

Near oceans, ice spikes border snowy beaches, stony shores, and frozen oceans depending on the terrain. Ice spikes can generate in flatland or hilly terrain but are replaced by snowy slopes at lower erosion, although they can rarely replace rivers in mountain valleys.

Description

The ice spikes features large numbers of ice spikes and ice patches dotted across its landscape. Instead of grass blocks, snow blocks cover the ground. Vegetation is extraordinarily scarce, as it can only appear in locations where the underlying dirt was exposed during terrain generation.

Because the whole biome experiences snowfall, lightning typically doesn't strike within it. Rabbits and polar bears spawn at daytime, as well as most common hostile mobs plus strays and zombie horsemen at night, the latter only on player-created grass blocks. This is unlike snowy plains in Bedrock Edition, where no mobs other than skeletons and strays can spawn.

Ice spikes have the highest snow accumulation upon generation of any biome in Bedrock Edition. On top of the terrain snow blocks, snow generates stacked in many layers which quickly adds up during snowfall.

Ice spikes have fully unique graphical settings for Vibrant Visuals. Atmospherics are gray, both at horizon and zenith, and there are barely any color changes during sunset and sunrise. Sunlight is half as bright, and tinted pale blue during the entire day. Volumetric fog effects increase these effects, and the biome has the coldest color grading temperature of all biomes.

Mobs

The following mobs naturally spawn here:

In **Java Edition**
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
Creature category
Rabbit	¹⁰⁄₁₁	2–3
Polar Bear^{[note 2]}	¹⁄₁₁	1–2
Underground water creature category
Glow Squid	1	4–6
Ambient category
Bat	1	8

↑ Spawn attempt succeeds only in slime chunks.
↑ Despite attempts to spawn, it cannot spawn here in Java Edition.

In **Bedrock Edition**
Mob	Spawn weight	Group size
Monster category
Creeper	100	1
Slime^{[note 1]}	100	1
Spider	100	1
Stray	96	1–2
Zombie	95	2–4
Skeleton	24	1–2
Enderman	10	1–2
Witch	5	1
Zombie Horse^{[note 2]}	5	1
Zombie Villager	5	2–4
Creature category
Glow Squid	10	2–4
Rabbit	4	2–3
Polar Bear	1	1–2

↑ Spawn attempt succeeds only in slime chunks.
↑ Always spawns ridden by a zombie with an iron spear.

Sounds

Music

These music tracks play while the player is in an ice spikes biome:

Title	Preview	Java Edition		Bedrock Edition
Title	Preview	Weight	Probability	Weight	Probability
A Familiar Room		1	2.70%	—	—
Below and Above		1	2.70%	1	2.78%
Broken Clocks		1	2.70%	1	2.78%
Clark		1	2.70%	1	2.78%
Comforting Memories		1	2.70%	1	2.78%
Danny		1	2.70%	1	2.78%
Dry Hands		1	2.70%	1	2.78%
Ebb		2	5.41%	2	5.56%
Featherfall		1	2.70%	1	2.78%
Fireflies		1	2.70%	1	2.78%
Floating Dream		1	2.70%	1	2.78%
Haggstrom		1	2.70%	1	2.78%
Home		2	5.41%	2	5.56%
Key		1	2.70%	1	2.78%
komorebi		1	2.70%	1	2.78%
Left to Bloom		1	2.70%	1	2.78%
Lilypad		1	2.70%	1	2.78%
Living Mice		1	2.70%	1	2.78%
Memories		2	5.41%	2	5.56%
Mice on Venus		1	2.70%	1	2.78%
Minecraft		1	2.70%	1	2.78%
Nightly		2	5.41%	2	5.56%
One More Day		1	2.70%	1	2.78%
O's Piano		1	2.70%	1	2.78%
Oxygène		1	2.70%	1	2.78%
Puzzlebox		1	2.70%	1	2.78%
Shores		2	5.41%	2	5.56%
Subwoofer Lullaby		1	2.70%	1	2.78%
Sweden		1	2.70%	1	2.78%
Watcher		1	2.70%	1	2.78%
Wet Hands		1	2.70%	1	2.78%
yakusoku		1	2.70%	1	2.78%

In Creative mode, the following tracks can play:

Title	Preview	Java Edition		Bedrock Edition
Title	Preview	Weight	Probability	Weight	Probability
Aria Math		1	3.03%	1	3.13%
Biome Fest		1	3.03%	1	3.13%
Blind Spots		1	3.03%	1	3.13%
Dreiton		1	3.03%	1	3.13%
Haunt Muskie		1	3.03%	1	3.13%
Taswell		1	3.03%	1	3.13%
Key		1	3.03%	1	3.13%
Subwoofer Lullaby		1	3.03%	1	3.13%
Living Mice		1	3.03%	1	3.13%
Haggstrom		1	3.03%	1	3.13%
Minecraft		1	3.03%	1	3.13%
Oxygène		1	3.03%	1	3.13%
Mice on Venus		1	3.03%	1	3.13%
Dry Hands		1	3.03%	1	3.13%
Wet Hands		1	3.03%	1	3.13%
Clark		1	3.03%	1	3.13%
Sweden		1	3.03%	1	3.13%
Danny		1	3.03%	1	3.13%
Left to Bloom		1	3.03%	1	3.13%
One More Day		1	3.03%	1	3.13%
Floating Dream		1	3.03%	1	3.13%
Comforting Memories		1	3.03%	1	3.13%
A Familiar Room		1	3.03%	—	—
Featherfall		1	3.03%	1	3.13%
Watcher		1	3.03%	1	3.13%
Puzzlebox		1	3.03%	1	3.13%
komorebi		1	3.03%	1	3.13%
yakusoku		1	3.03%	1	3.13%
Lilypad		1	3.03%	1	3.13%
Below and Above		1	3.03%	1	3.13%
O's Piano		1	3.03%	1	3.13%
Broken Clocks		1	3.03%	1	3.13%
Fireflies		1	3.03%	1	3.13%

Data values

ID

Java Edition:

Name	Identifier	Translation key
Ice spikes	`ice_spikes`	`biome.minecraft.ice_spikes`

Bedrock Edition:

Name	Identifier	Numeric ID
[No displayed name]	`ice_plains_spikes`	`140`

Achievements


Icon		Achievement	In-game description	Actual requirements (if different)	Gamerscore earned	Trophy type (PS)
PS4	Other	Achievement	In-game description	Actual requirements (if different)	Gamerscore earned	Trophy type (PS)
		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	Visit all of these 55^{[until: Third Drop 2026]}/56^[upcoming] biomes: Badlands Bamboo Jungle Beach Birch Forest Cherry Grove Cold Ocean Dappled Forest Dark Forest Deep Cold Ocean Deep Dark Deep Frozen Ocean Deep Lukewarm Ocean Deep Ocean Desert Dripstone Caves Eroded Badlands Flower Forest Forest Frozen Ocean Frozen Peaks Frozen River Grove Ice Spikes Jagged Peaks Jungle Lukewarm Ocean Lush Caves Mangrove Swamp Meadow Mushroom Fields Ocean Old Growth Birch Forest Old Growth Pine Taiga Old Growth Spruce Taiga Pale Garden Plains River Savanna Savanna Plateau Snowy Beach Snowy Plains Snowy Slopes Snowy Taiga Sparse Jungle Stony Peaks Stony Shore Sunflower Plains Sulfur Caves Swamp Taiga Warm Ocean Windswept Forest Windswept Gravelly Hills Windswept Hills Windswept Savanna Wooded Badlands The advancement is only for Overworld biomes. Other biomes may also be visited, but are ignored for this advancement.

Videos

History

Java Edition

Java Edition
1.7.2	13w36a	Ice plains spikes 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 extreme hills.
		This biome tends to generate near snowy and cold biomes.
1.10	16w20a	Ice plains spikes no longer spawn most passive mobs.
1.13	18w19a	Renamed "Ice Plains Spikes" to "Ice Spikes".
1.13	pre5	Changed the ID `mutated_ice_flats` to `ice_spikes`.
1.18	Experimental Snapshot 1	Ice spikes no longer generate.
	experimental snapshot 2	Ice spikes generate once again.
	21w37a	Prior to the removal of numerical biome IDs, this biome's numerical ID was 140.
	21w44a	Ice spikes are now required for the "Adventuring Time" advancement.
1.20	23w17a	"A Familiar Room" can now be played in ice spikes.

Bedrock Edition

Pocket Edition Alpha
v0.9.0	build 1	Added ice spikes biome.
Bedrock Edition
1.21.90	Preview 1.21.90.26	Added unique icy cold atmospherics, lighting, volumetric fog, and color grading to ice spikes with Vibrant Visuals.

Legacy Console Edition

Legacy Console Edition
Xbox 360	Xbox One	PS3	PS4	PS Vita	Wii U	Switch
TU31	CU19	1.22	1.22	1.22	Patch 3	1.0.1	Added ice spikes.

New Nintendo 3DS Edition

New Nintendo 3DS Edition
0.1.0							Added ice spikes

Issues

Issues relating to "Ice Spikes" are maintained on the bug tracker. Issues should be reported and viewed there.

Gallery

Screenshots

Ice spikes that generate under overhangs can create "icefalls", such as this in an amplified world.
An ice spikes biome
A narrow ice spikes biome in a mountain valley surrounded by snowy slopes
Snowfall in ice spikes
A village reaching into an ice spikes biome during snowfall
Shattered terrain in an ice spikes biome
The sky in ice spikes with Vibrant Visuals
A mountain surrounded by ice spikes
An ice spikes single biome world

Historical screenshots

Survival in the ice spikes biome was more difficult due to the steep terrain before 1.18.
Another view of old ice spikes
An ice spikes single biome world before 1.18
Ice spikes with ray tracing
A rare occurrence of ice spikes bordering eroded badlands
Ice spikes in the Far Lands
The Ice Spikes Village (seed preset) discountinued in Pocket Edition

Mojang screenshots

An ice spikes biome surrounded by a large frozen lake
Ice spikes on a mountain
Narrator in an ice spike biome

External links

"Around the Block: Ice Spikes" by Duncan Geere – Minecraft.net, July 29, 2021.

[Slime-1] Spawn attempt succeeds only in slime chunks.

[Polar_Bear-2] Despite attempts to spawn, it cannot spawn here in Java Edition.

[Slime-3] Spawn attempt succeeds only in slime chunks.

[Zombie_Horse-4] Always spawns ridden by a zombie with an iron spear.