Dripstone Caves

Dripstone Caves

Lit

Natural

Structures	Woodland Mansion‌[BE only]
Features	Dripstone Cluster
Blocks	Dripstone Block Pointed Dripstone Water Copper Ore Snow‌[BE only]
Climate
Temperature	0.8‌[JE only] 0.2‌[BE only][1]
Downfall	0.4‌[JE only] 0.0‌[BE only]
Precipitation	Yes‌[JE only] No‌[BE only]
Colors
Grass color	#91BD59‌[JE only]  #8DB58A‌[BE only]
Foliage color	#77AB2F‌[JE only]  #70A26C‌[BE only]
Dry foliage color	#A37546‌[JE only]  #957754‌[BE only]
Water color	#3F76E4‌[JE only]  #44AFF5‌[BE only]
Vibrant Visuals
Atmospherics	Default
Lighting	Default
Volumetric fog	Default
Color grading	Default

Dripstone caves are cave biomes found in inland areas, filled with clusters and pillars of pointed dripstone and dripstone blocks.

Generation

Dripstone caves generate underground, generally in areas of high continentalness. This means they are often found far inland, and are essentially never found under ocean biomes or bordering a coast.

Although inland areas often generate as dripstone caves, the continentalness requirement will rise in areas of high humidity due to the increasing likelihood of lush caves generating underground instead. Hence, biomes like dark forests, old growth taigas, bamboo jungles, wooded badlands, and taigas will generate dripstone caves much less frequently. Dripstone caves frequently generate under Mountain biomes, as these tend to generate further inland with most not confined to high humidity environments.

Under mountain peaks, dripstone caves usually generate above the deep dark.

Description

A dripstone cave looks similar to a regular cave, but dripstone blocks and pointed dripstone, both hanging as stalactites and growing from the ground as stalagmites generate throughout the biome. The ground is filled with small water wells of only a few blocks wide, containing waterlogged dripstone.

Large dripstone cluster structures occasionally generate inside expansive caves and ravines. This biome also generates larger copper ore blobs compared to other biomes. Drowned and rarely zombie nautiluses are able to spawn in aquifers, unlike in other biomes. The same cave structures and features can generate as normally, like monster rooms and glow lichen. In Bedrock Edition, woodland mansions also rarely generate.

When exposed to the surface, the surface is made entirely out of stone with occasional patches of dripstone. Above Y=120±8, the temperature drops below freezing level in Bedrock Edition, freezing all water and covering the terrain with snow, even when generated in warm biomes like badlands. However, no rain or snowfall occurs as it is an arid biome.

Mobs

The following mobs naturally spawn here:

In Java Edition

Mob	Spawn weight	Group size
Monster category
Creeper	100⁄610	4
Skeleton	100⁄610	4
Slime[note 1]	100⁄610	4
Spider	100⁄610	4
Drowned[note 2]	95⁄610	4
Zombie	95⁄610	4
Enderman	10⁄610	1–4
Witch	5⁄610	1
Zombie Villager	5⁄610	1
Underground water creature category
Glow Squid	1	4–6
Ambient category
Bat	1	8

{ "hasNotes": true, "notes": { "Slime": "Spawn attempt succeeds only in slime chunks.", "Drowned": "Adult drowned wielding a trident have a 50% chance of spawning mounted on a [[zombie nautilus]]." }, "1": { "totalWeight": 610, "mobs": [ { "size": "4", "mob": "Creeper", "weight": 100 }, { "size": "4", "mob": "Skeleton", "weight": 100 }, { "note": "Spawn attempt succeeds only in slime chunks.", "mob": "Slime", "weight": 100, "notename": "Slime", "size": "4" }, { "size": "4", "mob": "Spider", "weight": 100 }, { "note": "Adult drowned wielding a trident have a 50% chance of spawning mounted on a [[zombie nautilus]].", "mob": "Drowned", "weight": 95, "notename": "Drowned", "size": "4" }, { "size": "4", "mob": "Zombie", "weight": 95 }, { "size": "1-4", "mob": "Enderman", "weight": 10 }, { "size": "1", "mob": "Witch", "weight": 5 }, { "size": "1", "mob": "Zombie Villager", "weight": 5 } ], "category": "monster" }, "2": { "totalWeight": 10, "mobs": [ { "size": "4-6", "mob": "Glow Squid", "weight": 10 } ], "category": "underground" }, "3": { "totalWeight": 10, "mobs": [ { "size": "8", "mob": "Bat", "weight": 10 } ], "category": "ambient" } }

In Bedrock Edition

Mob	Spawn weight	Group size
Monster category
Creeper	100	1
Drowned[note 1]	100	2–4
Slime[note 2]	100	1
Spider	100	1
Zombie	95	2–4
Skeleton	80	1–2
Enderman	10	1–2
Witch	5	1
Zombie Villager	5	2–4
Creature category
Glow Squid	1	2–4
Ambient category
Bat	1	2

{ "hasNotes": true, "notes": { "Drowned": "Adult drowned wielding a trident have a 50% chance of spawning mounted on a [[zombie nautilus]].", "Slime": "Spawn attempt succeeds only in slime chunks." }, "1": { "totalWeight": 595, "mobs": [ { "size": "1", "mob": "Creeper", "weight": 100 }, { "note": "Adult drowned wielding a trident have a 50% chance of spawning mounted on a [[zombie nautilus]].", "mob": "Drowned", "weight": 100, "notename": "Drowned", "size": "2-4" }, { "note": "Spawn attempt succeeds only in slime chunks.", "mob": "Slime", "weight": 100, "notename": "Slime", "size": "1" }, { "size": "1", "mob": "Spider", "weight": 100 }, { "size": "2-4", "mob": "Zombie", "weight": 95 }, { "size": "1-2", "mob": "Skeleton", "weight": 80 }, { "size": "1-2", "mob": "Enderman", "weight": 10 }, { "size": "1", "mob": "Witch", "weight": 5 }, { "size": "2-4", "mob": "Zombie Villager", "weight": 5 } ], "category": "monster" }, "2": { "totalWeight": 10, "mobs": [ { "size": "2-4", "mob": "Glow Squid", "weight": 10 } ], "category": "creature" }, "3": { "totalWeight": 10, "mobs": [ { "size": "2", "mob": "Bat", "weight": 10 } ], "category": "ambient" } }

Sounds

Music

These music tracks play while the player is in dripstone caves.

Data values

ID

Java Edition:

Name	Identifier	Translation key
Dripstone Caves	dripstone_caves	biome.minecraft.dripstone_caves

Bedrock Edition:

Name	Identifier	Numeric ID
[No displayed name]	dripstone_caves	188

Biome definition

{
  "attributes": {
    "minecraft:audio/background_music": {
      "default": {
        "max_delay": 24000,
        "min_delay": 12000,
        "sound": "minecraft:music.overworld.dripstone_caves"
      }
    },
    "minecraft:gameplay/natural_mob_spawns": {
      "argument": {
        "spawn_costs": {},
        "spawns_by_category": {
          "ambient": [
            {
              "type": "minecraft:bat",
              "count": 8,
              "weight": 10
            }
          ],
          "monster": [
            {
              "type": "minecraft:spider",
              "count": 4,
              "weight": 100
            },
            {
              "type": "minecraft:zombie",
              "count": 4,
              "weight": 95
            },
            {
              "type": "minecraft:zombie_villager",
              "count": 1,
              "weight": 5
            },
            {
              "type": "minecraft:skeleton",
              "count": 4,
              "weight": 100
            },
            {
              "type": "minecraft:creeper",
              "count": 4,
              "weight": 100
            },
            {
              "type": "minecraft:slime",
              "count": 4,
              "weight": 100
            },
            {
              "type": "minecraft:enderman",
              "count": {
                "type": "minecraft:uniform",
                "max_inclusive": 4,
                "min_inclusive": 1
              },
              "weight": 10
            },
            {
              "type": "minecraft:witch",
              "count": 1,
              "weight": 5
            },
            {
              "type": "minecraft:drowned",
              "count": 4,
              "weight": 95
            }
          ],
          "underground_water_creature": [
            {
              "type": "minecraft:glow_squid",
              "count": {
                "type": "minecraft:uniform",
                "max_inclusive": 6,
                "min_inclusive": 4
              },
              "weight": 10
            }
          ]
        }
      },
      "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:lake_lava_underground",
      "minecraft:lake_lava_surface"
    ],
    [
      "minecraft:amethyst_geode",
      "minecraft:large_dripstone"
    ],
    [
      "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_large",
      "minecraft:underwater_magma",
      "minecraft:disk_sand",
      "minecraft:disk_clay",
      "minecraft:disk_gravel"
    ],
    [
      "minecraft:dripstone_cluster",
      "minecraft:pointed_dripstone"
    ],
    [
      "minecraft:spring_water",
      "minecraft:spring_lava"
    ],
    [
      "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.

History

Announcement

Java Edition

Bedrock Edition

Data history

Issues

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

Trivia

• The Sơn Đoòng cave in Vietnam was of particular inspiration when coming up with the features of dripstone caves.^[3]

Gallery

Screenshots

• 
  A large dripstone cave in the deepslate layer, with multiple dripstone clusters
• 
  A spaghetti dripstone cave between the regular stone and deepslate layer
• 
  A mineshaft in a dripstone cave
• 
  A player looking down into an exposed dripstone cave
• 
  An open dripstone cave within a plateau of forest and taiga biomes
• 
  A very dark dripstone cave
• 
  A player in a dripstone cave, lightened by a torch, as seen from above
• 
  Exposed dripstone caves in badlands in Bedrock Edition, where snowfall may occur at this height
• 
  A dripstone caves single biome world

Historical screenshots

• 
  A dripstone caves single biome world before 1.18, which generates the surface as a plains biome. The caves are filled with dripstone.

Mojang screenshots

• 
  Dripstone caves as seen in Minecraft Live 2020
• 
  Mineshaft in a dripstone cave
• 
  Stalactite in a dripstone cave
• 
  Pillars in a dripstone cave
• 
  Lavafall in a dripstone cave

In other media

• 
  Steve falling down a dripstone cave with a mace
• 
  Steve falling through a dripstone cave^[4]
• 
  Noor grabbing a redstone torch in a dripstone cave, while Ari is mining
• 
  A camel falling through a dripstone cave^[5]

References

External links

• "Around the Block: Dripstone Caves" by Duncan Geere – Minecraft.net, February 10, 2022.