Deep Dark

Deep Dark
Structures	Ancient City; Stronghold
Features	Amethyst Geode; Monster Room
Blocks	Sculk; Sculk Vein; Sculk Sensor; Sculk Catalyst; Sculk Shrieker
Climate
Temperature	0.8
Downfall	0.4
Precipitation	Yes
Colors
Grass color	; #91BD59
Foliage color	; #77AB2F
Water color	; #3F76E4‌; ; #44AFF5‌

The deep dark is a cave biome that generates deep underground in the Overworld under mountainous areas.

Description

The deep dark is a cave biome that generates deep underground beneath areas with a low erosion value. Usually, the deep dark is mostly within the deepslate layer, but it can still reach the stone layer.

The biomes the deep dark generates under are the ones with the least erosion and high altitudes. These are:

Most often: jagged peaks, stony peaks, frozen peaks, snowy slopes, and groves
Often (plateaus): cherry groves, meadows, and savanna plateaus
Less often: under badlands, wooded badlands, and eroded badlands
Never: oceans, rivers, swamps or deserts.

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 mobs spawn in this biome (but monster rooms can still spawn mobs^[1].) However, the warden may appear if enough sculk 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.

The deep dark can be a great place for mining diamonds since they are most frequent at the deepest layers of the world. The sculk floors and walls can easily be destroyed with a hoe, yielding a large amount of experience. This is even easier if the hoe has Mending.

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. Other mobs do not spawn, so the warden is the only threat, which can be safely avoided by destroying all nearby shriekers.

Sounds

Music

These music tracks play when the player is in the deep dark.

Filename in Minecraft	Gameplay	Soundtrack Title	Soundtrack	Track preview	Weight
ancestry.ogg		"Ancestry"	Minecraft: Caves & Cliffs (Original Game Soundtrack) No. 3		1
deeper.ogg	, Dripstone Caves, and Main menu	"Deeper"	Minecraft: Tricky Trials (Original Game Soundtrack) No. 7		1

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`

Videos

History

Java Edition
October 3, 2020		The Deep Dark biome is announced at Minecraft Live 2020.
1.19	Deep Dark Experimental Snapshot 1	Added the deep dark biome.
	22w11a	Officially added the deep dark.
		Sculk patches in the deep dark now also replace part of the terrain's walls or ceilings, and are larger in general.
		Ancient cities in the deep dark from the Experimental Snapshot 1 have not been implemented.
	22w13a	Ancient cities now generate inside the deep dark.
	22w19a	Mineshafts can no longer intersect the deep dark biome.
1.19.3	Pre-release 1	Large copper ores no longer generates in the deep dark.^[2]
1.21	24w21a	Trial chambers are less likely to generate in the deep dark.
Bedrock Edition
1.18.30 Experiment Wild Update	Preview 1.18.30.29	Added the deep dark biome behind the "Wild Update" experimental toggle.
1.18.30 Experiment Wild Update	Preview 1.18.30.33	Ancient cities now generate inside the deep dark.
1.19.0	Preview 1.19.0.21	The deep dark biome is now available without enabling the "Wild Update" experimental toggle.

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.^[3]
If a single biome world is generated using the deep dark as the biome, it appears similar to a plains world with sculk patches present across the world's surface. Sculk shriekers can spawn anywhere, making the warden a near constant threat. No other mobs spawn, with these exceptions:
- Pillager patrols and phantoms still spawn naturally.
- Silverfish spawn via naturally generated infested stone bricks.
- Bees spawn via naturally generated beehives.
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.^[4]

Gallery

Screenshots

A deep dark biome.
Ditto.
An amethyst geode in the deep dark.
A mineshaft spreads into the deep dark and they blend together (before snapshot 22w19a).
A dripstone cave intersects the deep dark.
A stronghold intersects the deep dark.
Mining in the 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.
A dripstone cave above an ancient city in a pit.
The Deep Dark seed template thumbnail.

Development images

The deep dark as seen during Minecraft Live 2020.
Ditto.

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.

References

↑ MC-249361 — Dungeons can spawn in the deep dark, potentially distracting the upcoming warden — resolved as "Works As Intended".
↑ MC-255133 — Extra copper ore generates in deep dark — resolved as "Fixed".
↑ "The Secrets of Minecraft's Deep Dark @ 2:57" – Minecraft on YouTube, June 24, 2022
↑ "Just to calm your expectations: the bone blocks are a test where we were seeing what it would look like if normal fossils might generate in the Deep Dark exposed. No idea if we'll actually use that idea." – @kingbdogz on X (formerly Twitter), March 3, 2022

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.

Navigation

[1] MC-249361 — Dungeons can spawn in the deep dark, potentially distracting the upcoming warden — resolved as "Works As Intended".

[2] MC-255133 — Extra copper ore generates in deep dark — resolved as "Fixed".

[3] "The Secrets of Minecraft's Deep Dark @ 2:57" – Minecraft on YouTube, June 24, 2022

[4] "Just to calm your expectations: the bone blocks are a test where we were seeing what it would look like if normal fossils might generate in the Deep Dark exposed. No idea if we'll actually use that idea." – @kingbdogz on X (formerly Twitter), March 3, 2022

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