Deep Dark

Deep Dark

Lit

Natural

Structures	Ancient City
Blocks	Sculk Sculk Vein Sculk Sensor Sculk Catalyst Sculk Shrieker Grass Block
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, most often beneath mountainous areas. Covered in sculk, no hostile mobs spawn here except for the warden which appears after activating sculk shriekers.

Generation

The deep dark generates deep underground, typically staying within the deepslate layer, though it can occasionally reach into the stone layer when mountains above reach high altitudes.

Because the deep dark tends to generate beneath regions with low erosion values, it is most frequently found beneath mountain biomes, including frozen peaks, jagged peaks, stony peaks, groves, and snowy slopes. Plateau biomes like cherry groves, meadows, savanna plateaus, and pale gardens also have relatively low erosion values, allowing the deep dark to sometimes generate beneath these biomes. The deep dark will almost never generate under rivers, oceans, windswept biomes, swamps, or mangrove swamps.

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]}, skeleton horse traps^[3], pillager patrols^[4] and wandering traders along with their trader llamas can also still spawn here. 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.

Data values

ID

Java Edition：

Name	Identifier	Translation key
Deep Dark	deep_dark	biome.minecraft.deep_dark

Bedrock Edition：

Name	Identifier	Numeric ID
[No displayed name]	deep_dark	190

Biome definition

{
  "attributes": {
    "minecraft:audio/background_music": {
      "default": {
        "max_delay": 24000,
        "min_delay": 12000,
        "sound": "minecraft:music.overworld.deep_dark"
      }
    },
    "minecraft:gameplay/natural_mob_spawns": {
      "argument": {
        "spawn_costs": {},
        "spawns_by_category": {
          "ambient": [],
          "axolotls": [],
          "creature": [],
          "misc": [],
          "monster": [],
          "underground_water_creature": [],
          "water_ambient": [],
          "water_creature": []
        }
      },
      "modifier": "overlay"
    },
    "minecraft:visual/sky_color": "#78a7ff"
  },
  "carvers": [
    "minecraft:cave",
    "minecraft:cave_extra_underground",
    "minecraft:canyon"
  ],
  "downfall": 0.4,
  "effects": {
    "water_color": "#3f76e4"
  },
  "features": [
    [],
    [],
    [
      "minecraft:amethyst_geode"
    ],
    [
      "minecraft:monster_room",
      "minecraft:monster_room_deep"
    ],
    [],
    [],
    [
      "minecraft:ore_dirt",
      "minecraft:ore_gravel",
      "minecraft:ore_granite_upper",
      "minecraft:ore_granite_lower",
      "minecraft:ore_diorite_upper",
      "minecraft:ore_diorite_lower",
      "minecraft:ore_andesite_upper",
      "minecraft:ore_andesite_lower",
      "minecraft:ore_tuff",
      "minecraft:ore_coal_upper",
      "minecraft:ore_coal_lower",
      "minecraft:ore_iron_upper",
      "minecraft:ore_iron_middle",
      "minecraft:ore_iron_small",
      "minecraft:ore_gold",
      "minecraft:ore_gold_lower",
      "minecraft:ore_redstone",
      "minecraft:ore_redstone_lower",
      "minecraft:ore_diamond",
      "minecraft:ore_diamond_medium",
      "minecraft:ore_diamond_large",
      "minecraft:ore_diamond_buried",
      "minecraft:ore_lapis",
      "minecraft:ore_lapis_buried",
      "minecraft:ore_copper",
      "minecraft:underwater_magma",
      "minecraft:disk_sand",
      "minecraft:disk_clay",
      "minecraft:disk_gravel"
    ],
    [
      "minecraft:sculk_vein",
      "minecraft:sculk_patch_deep_dark"
    ],
    [],
    [
      "minecraft:glow_lichen",
      "minecraft:patch_tall_grass_2",
      "minecraft:trees_plains",
      "minecraft:flower_plains",
      "minecraft:patch_grass_plain",
      "minecraft:brown_mushroom_normal",
      "minecraft:red_mushroom_normal",
      "minecraft:patch_pumpkin"
    ],
    [
      "minecraft:freeze_top_layer"
    ]
  ],
  "has_precipitation": true,
  "temperature": 0.8
}

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	Visit all of these 56​[until: Fourth Drop 2026]/57​[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 Caves 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

Announcement

Java Edition

Bedrock Edition

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.^[6]
• 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.^[7]

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
• 
  Sunny, Efe, and a chicken running through the biome
• 
  The Deep Dark on the cover of Minecraft: The Manga
• 
  The Deep Dark as it appears in Minecraft Dungeons II

References

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.