Minecraft guide: How to find all the new biomes in 'the Nether Update'

At the time of writing, Mojang is planning a staggering five different biomes for the Nether that will overhaul the entire dimension in the upcoming Nether Update. It's been a while since Minecraft saw such a significant update to a specific portion of the game, and it turns the Nether from a barren wasteland only useful for its resources to a viable—if dangerous—place to make a home. Here are a few tips for recognizing and finding the different biomes in the Nether.

• Nether wastes
• Crimson forests
• Warped forests
• Soulsand valleys
• Basalt deltas

Finding all the new biomes in the Nether Update

There are now a total of five biomes in the Nether, and every biome has its reasons for existing. The Nether we all know and love is being rebranded to nether wastes, and it's now joined by crimson and warped forests, soulsand valleys, and basalt deltas. Here's how you can recognize what biome you're looking at, and why you should care.

Nether wastes

The nether wastes are the most familiar biome in the Nether because they're pretty much what the Nether was before Mojang started changing things up. This means vast oceans of lava (perfect for finding the new strider mob that you can ride), mountains of netherrack, and occasional nether fortresses to explore and conquer. You won't have to look hard to find these, since the nether wastes remain the most common biome in the Nether, and often connects other biomes together. Less exciting now, but still needed.

• Nether wastes are common and easily recognizable.
• They often connect other biomes, and can be truly massive in size.
• You can find glowstone veins, nether quartz, and nether fortresses here.
• Zombified piglins, piglins, striders, and ghasts all spawn here regularly.

Crimson forests

Crimson forests can be hard to spot at first, since their bright red hues can blend into the aforementioned nether wastes. Look closer, however, and you'll notice a lot more vegetation than you'd expect in the Nether. Vivid scarlet trees, crimson fungi, weeping vines, and bright shroomlights can all spawn here. Even more importantly, you can also find piglins and hoglins here. That makes the crimson forest awesome for efforts to live in the Nether since you have sources of wood, food, and commerce here.

• Crimson forests blend in a little bit, but have brighter reds than the rest of the Nether.
• There's also a ton of life here, with trees, plants, and mobs all spawning here.
• Crimson forests tend to be a little bit on the smaller side, in my experience.
• You can find crimson fungi, crimson stems (which can be used like wood), shroomlights, weeping vines, crimson roots, nether wart blocks, and crimson nylium (a dirt-like block that encourages fungus growth).
• Piglins, zombified piglins, and hoglins spawn here. This is the only biome that hoglins spawn naturally in the wild, making these biomes great for a food source.

Warped forests

Warped forests are the antithesis to crimson forests, trading aggressive colors and life for subdued environments occupied only by the brooding endermen. Warped forests still provide sources of wood, but you'll never find hoglins here. If you have a crimson forest nearby for food, warped forests can be a perfectly suitable base, since there's a distinct lack of hostile mobs around the place. Just beware of the endermen. Look for blue-green colors and purple particles to let you know you're in a warped forest.

• Warped forests are pretty easy to spot, with a very different color palette than the rest of the Nether.
• However, they can also be on the small side, and often mold to the surrounding landscape quite well.
• Warped forests are much more subdued than crimson forests, with the same level of vegetation but next to no mobs.
• You can find warped fungi, warped stems (which can also be used as wood), shroomlights, nether sprouts, warped roots, warped wart blocks (a blue-ish variant of nether wart block), and warped nylium.
• Only endermen will spawn here, making the warped forests relatively safe if you avoid the endermen.

Soulsand valleys

Soulsand valleys are amongst the more dangerous of the new biomes because they're made almost entirely of soul sand and the new soul soil. That means being here without the right gear can lead to drastically slowed movement, not to mention these biomes are the favorite hangouts for ghasts and skeletons. How can you know you've found a soulsand valley? A lot of brown and white blocks burning with a beautiful blue flame, and a weird instinctual urge to turn around and run. Until you're properly decked out, that is.

• Soulsand valleys can range from tiny to genuinely enormous, with large (usually boring) landscapes of soul sand and soul soil, giving it a brown, monotonous look.
• It can be broken up with basalt pillars and bright blue fire that burns eternally (similar to netherrack), but the basalt pillars shouldn't be confused with basalt deltas.
• Because of all the soul sand, traveling through soulsand valleys is dangerous and slow. It's best to avoid unless you're well prepared or have the new soul speed enchantment for your boots.
• You can find soul sand, soul soil, and basalt here.
• Ghasts, endermen, and skeletons love to spawn here, making it even more dangerous with slowed movement.

Basalt deltas

There are fewer biomes I love more than the basalt deltas in all of Minecraft. We've already seen just how beautiful these biomes can look. Still, pictures don't quite capture the essence of these eerily gorgeous biomes. Or how chaotic and dangerous they are. These biomes are characterized by squatting mountains of blackstone, pillars of basalt, and sporadic pools of lava. Oh, and magma cubes love it here. This is the only Nether biome where you'll never find the new bastion remnant strongholds since it's simply too difficult to build here. Basalt deltas are a case of "look, but don't touch."

• Basalt deltas are the most visually striking of all the biomes, but also have very chaotic generations, so they can be tiny, huge, hidden or staggeringly open, and every combination between.
• Expanses of dark and light greys, lakes of lava, and a thick cloud of white-grey ash give the basalt deltas away.
• Basalt deltas don't generate bastion remnants because of their broken up and vertical designs, and it makes it a challenge to build bases here.
• You can find basalt, blackstone (which can substitute cobblestone in crafting recipes) and a little bit of netherrack here.
• Magma cubes love to spawn here, so this is the best place to go if you need magma cream for potion brewing.

It's like a completely different place

With four new biomes to play in, this isn't the same Nether you played in as a kid. This is a home for the hardcore Minecraft players that love to live on the edge of the seat every day, and don't mind working three times as hard to do it. It's also a Nether with far more beauty and life than we've ever seen before, and there's never been more reason to brave the dangers of this nightmarish landscape.

What do you think of the new biomes? Have you discovered all of them already? Let us know in the comments below!

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