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Survival Biome Guide
Survival 3.0 adds over 100 new biomes to the overworld, nether, and the end thanks to the Terralith team who make datapacks that overhaul the world generation. This page will explain the new biomes, what to expect in them, etc.
Not only will you have dozens of new biomes to explore and build in, but the way biomes are generated have also changed for the nether and end. When minecraft introduced 3d biome generation for the overworld(the ability for biomes to generate on different Y axis levels instead of stretching from bedrock to height limit) they left this out of the nether and end. Our custom map generation will not only add 3d biome generation to the nether and end but also increase the height limit of both worlds.
Although Terralith already overhauls the terrain greatly, it also modifies some vanilla biomes slightly to make them more alive and thrive among other similar biomes. The changes may vary from the addition of some blocks or changing the shape of a tree to completely new features and or terrain shapes.
Plain and open biomes got some changes to make them feel more alive. Plains biomes, for example, have more grass and tall grass, with some random but rare patches of coarse dirt. The Vanilla Savanna biome also now has rare stripes of dirt paths going through it, as if wildlife lived there and have left trails behind them.
Some minor changes to Vanilla biomes include trees. Terralith changes trees in Taiga biomes, Swamp biomes, and also in the Dark Forest biome, which now has taller trees, making it easier to navigate, with some glow lichen, making it less dangerous but more mysterious.
Despite tweaking some detail in some biomes, Terralith adds new shapes into the terrain, but without forgetting the Vanilla biomes.
Mountains can now be more spectacular with Terralith, sometimes sharp, amplified, or soft like Vanilla, but they can also be taller than before by being able to reach Y290, Y256 being the maximum value a player could reach on a Vanilla world.
To smooth out the sharper terrain, Terralith makes use of slabs and layered snow where it can to make the landscape more pleasant.
Cliffs biomes can now generate as beautiful Overhangs, making seasides more imposing, Desert biomes are now made of Dunes, making the landscape realistic and smooth, you can also come across Arches in Mesas and finally, you can sometimes stumble upon Mega caves when mining underground.
Oceans have been overhauled, not with new blocks or biomes, but with deeper and more detailed terrain, making the deep end of the ocean look equally frightening as it is beautiful.
Terralith does not modify the ore distribution in Vanilla biomes, and only changes the material of the ore in some case, turning it in deepslate ore if dark material can be found around it, and raises the appearance of some ores in specific Terralith biomes. For example, Emerald peaks appear with more Emerald Ores, Scarlet mountains spawn with more Redstone Ores, and Volcanic crater spawn with more Diamond Ores.
Terralith adds and uses WorldGen features to make your world more unique.
Mega ravines
Mega ravines are WorldGen features found in Terralith and Terralith Legacy. Unlike Vanilla ravines, they extend downward, sometimes reaching the Bedrock. Although excellent for mining, they can be deadly if you happen to fall in one.
Mega geodes are Worldgen features added by version 2.0.2 of Terralith. Bigger than classic, Vanilla geodes, those geodes are 2 to 3 times larger and unlike Vanilla ones, they cannot appear connected to a cave, meaning the only way to find them is through strip-mining.
Andesite boulders
Andesite boulders are WorldGen features added to Terralith in version 2.0.10. They indicate Andesite caves underneath the surface, just like Vanilla Azalea trees indicate lush caves.
Granite pillars are WorldGen features added to Terralith in version 2.0.10. Functioning like Azalea trees indicate a Lush cave, they indicate that Granite caves can be found underneath.
Diorite patches are WorldGen features added to Terralith in version 2.0.10. They indicate Diorite caves underneath the surface, just like Vanilla Azalea trees indicate lush caves.
New structures are also added to vanilla and new biomes alike. You can read more about them on the Structures page.
Alpha Islands
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Description: The Alpha islands are biomes designed to reproduce the look of Minecraft's Alpha phase. It is a pretty rare biome that can only spawn in the middle of the ocean as islands, like the Mirage isles. A snowy variation of this biome now exists, called Alpha islands (winter).
This biome does away with the hyper-saturated green of Minecraft's Alpha days and uses some elements of modern generation to the landscape, but still manages to evoke the nostalgic feeling in those who have experienced that historical era. The islands usually spawn in a circular cluster, making them almost look like a peculiar broken-up atoll. Only blocks and, trees and mobs from that version can appear on the island, adding to the out of time effect.
Biome Rarity: Very Rare
More information: Alpha Islands
Alpha Islands Winter
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Description: The Alpha islands (winter) is the snowy variant of the Alpha islands. Much like the original, it is rare and only spawns in the middle of the ocean as islands. It is based off of the Winter mode that could be generated in Alpha Minecraft in 1.1.2.
Biome Rarity: Very Rare
More Information: Alpha Islands (Winter)
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Description: The Alpine grove is a grove biome that can be found in snowy mountainous regions. It closely resembles and compliments Minecraft's grove biome, however there is some variation in the shape of the trees, with the Alpine grove containing slightly smaller spruce trees than Vanilla's.
Biome Rarity: Common
More Information: Alpine Grove
Alpine Highlands
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Description: The Alpine highlands are bushy variants of the Highlands, with small pine trees and oak bushes everywhere on land despite the cold climate. Like the Highlands, this biome can be flat or randomly hilly and had stone patterns on the surface that generates natural stone slabs on slopes.
Biome Rarity: Common
More Information: Alpine Highlands
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Description: The Amethyst canyon is a fantasy biome, a variant of the Amethyst rainforest where trees would have grown on a soil made of calcite and amethysts, giving those same trees a pink coloration. Although this variant doesn't have exposed amethyst, exposed calcite is extremely common.
Biome Rarity: Very Rare
More Information: Amethyst Canyon
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Description: The Amethyst rainforest is a fantasy biome, inspired by the Vanilla Minecraft Jungle but with acacia jungle trees with purple-colored trees and exposed amethyst crystals and blocks on the ground. It has a rockier variant called the Amethyst canyon.
Biome Rarity: Rare
More Information: Amethyst Rainforest
Ancient Sands
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Description: Ancient sands are biomes where Sand and Red sand mix themselves in wavy patterns through the whole biome. Those patterns can be Sand patterns on Red sand or Red sand patterns on Sand. Sand particles float through the air due to the wind.
Biome Rarity: Very Rare
More Information: Ancient Sands
Arid Highlands
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Description: The Arid highlands are temperate biomes consisting of bushy plains with some red sand that can serve as a good transition between Savanna plains and rocky areas like Mesas.
Biome Rarity: Uncommon
More Information: Arid Highlands
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Description: The Ashen savanna is a burnt down version of the Vanilla Savanna that can appear near Volcanic peaks and Volcanic crater biomes.
Biome Rarity: Very Rare
More Information: Ashen Savanna
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Brushland
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Cold Shrubland
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Forested Highlands
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Highlands
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Hot Shrubland
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Rocky Shrubland
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Sandstone Valley
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Savanna Badlands
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Shrubland
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Skylands
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Skylands Autumn
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Skylands Spring
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Skylands Summer
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Skylands Winter
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Snowy Badlands
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Temperate Highlands
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Wintry Lowlands
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Yosemite Lowlands
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Andesite Caves
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Description: Large caves where natural Andesite covers from floor to ceiling.