Minecraft is undergoing some major changes. While many past Minecraft updates have added basic things like new mobs to fight or new blocks to build with, Minecraft's newest Caves and Cliffs series of updates takes a different angle. Not only do these updates introduce new biomes to the game, they rewrite how caves and mountains generate, fundamentally altering the way this classic sandbox game looks. Caves will now be more vast, compelling to explore, and rich with resources, encouraging fans to dive into the game once more.
These healthy changes to Minecraft's biomes are a great sign for Mojang's willingness to improve upon the game's foundation. The same goes for 2022's The Wild Update, which will add frogs, fireflies, and mangrove trees to Minecraft's swamps. These updates establish a pattern of Mojang spicing up biomes, and it would be wise to keep doing that. There's still a few significant biomes in the game that don't have much to offer players; it's about time that more of Minecraft's foundations get reworked.
Minecraft's Deserts
Deserts are a staple of Minecraft and one of the simplest biomes out there. Although endless fields of sand can result in some impressive views, there's not a lot to do in Minecraft deserts. Aside from the occasional village or desert temple, there's few resources to speak of, discouraging players from setting up a home. Deserts ought to get a little attention from Mojang in an upcoming Minecraft update. The biome deserves some new terrain types, such as an oasis with a cluster of trees that allows players to build a home and survive in the otherwise barren place. Some desert-exclusive mobs beyond the hostile husk would be great too, such as feisty scorpions or helpful camels.
Minecraft's Snowy Tundras
Another longtime Minecraft biome is the snowy tundra, formerly classified as just the tundra. There are a few things that make snowy tundras distinct from other places, such as igloos, polar bears, and an abundance of snow. On the whole though, there's not much that makes a snowy tundra worth living in. Similar to Minecraft's deserts, snowy tundras need more unique features that encourage players to seek them out. Penguins would be a delightful new mob to introduce to snowy tundras or similar icy biomes, while new ice-based structures such as glaciers would mix up the terrain of Minecraft's colder biomes. Perhaps glaciers could contain frozen ruins that hide treasure until adventurous players come along.
Minecraft's Dark Forests
Dark forests are a much younger biome in Minecraft than deserts and tundras, and they contribute some unique things like dangerous woodland mansions or curious giant mushrooms. However, dark forests can be more inconvenient than compelling. Thick clusters of trees make them difficult to navigate, and aside from the dark trees and thick canopy there's not much to make traveling through a dark forest mystifying. Mojang might be wise to revamp how trees spawn in a dark forest, still featuring a canopy dark to spawn hostile mobs but establishing a more concretely maze-like structure that encourages players to explore and get lost. Mojang could also introduce a new Minecraft mob in the process, like a creepy insect that crawls in the trees. Minecraft is a delightfully simple game, but its capacity for change is a strength too.
Minecraft is available now for Mobile, PC, PS4, PS5, Switch, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.