Minecraft Winter Drop: new biome, mob, blocks, and more

Minecraft’s Winter Drop offers an early look into the game’s next expansion, utilizing its experimental Snapshot and Preview versions. You’ll venture into a whole new side of the Overworld as you discover a unique biome and mob. Not only will it broaden your universe, but it also provides quality-of-life updates.

Here’s a deep dive into the Winter Drop in Minecraft, including the most recent updates for the Beta version.

What’s included in the Minecraft Winter Drop?

To access the Winter Drop, you must activate the experimental features in the Minecraft Launcher. It may appear as a different name as more updates are released, but the content will remain relatively the same. However, keep in mind that the mechanics here may be buggy, as this version only involves an Early Access patch. The two significant highlights of the Minecraft Winter Drop are the Pale Garden biome and the Creaking mob.

The Pale Garden biome, a dreary and colorless place, presents a unique challenge. As a variant of the Dark Forest biome, navigating this area will be a test of your skills, as it’s almost impossible to see here at night. The absence of animals, due to their spawns being turned off within its radius, also adds to the eerie atmosphere.

Prepare for a unique combat experience with the Creaking mob, a formidable foe invulnerable to standard attacks. Engaging this creature head-on is a futile effort, differing from other hostile mobs like zombies, skeletons, and Creepers. Instead, you must locate and destroy its Creaking Heart block, which spawns inside a nearby Pale Oak tree. Follow the trail of glowing particles connected to the Creaking to pinpoint its location and plan your attack.

If you are brave enough to go to the Pale Garden in Minecraft, you can try to collect its resources, including Pale Oaks and Pale Moss blocks.

Available Pale Oak Tree and Moss crafting recipes in Minecraft Winter Drop

• Door
• Fence
• Fence Gate
• Plank
• Sign
• Hanging Sign
• Slab
• Stairs
• Trapdoor
• Wood
• Stripped Log
• Stripped Wood
• Button
• Pressure Plate
• Boat
• Boat with Chest
• Pale Moss Carpet

The only one that’s not craftable is the Pale Hanging Moss, which will naturally grow in Minecraft’s newest biome. Use bonemeal to reduce its growth so it doesn’t cause a mossy outbreak.  

Minecraft Beta and Preview Version 1.21.60.21 Winter Drop changes

The Minecraft Beta and Preview Version 1.21.60.21 introduces several new improvements to the Winter Drop, including a standout feature – the ability to pause a world in a single-player world. I’ve waited for a mechanic like this since forever, considering that a lot can go wrong when you’re away from the game. Now, you can rest assured with the monsters and keep your character safe in its paused state.

A new Filter Profanity Toggle has also been implemented, filtering any profanity in text chats. When it’s set to off, you and your friends can write almost anything you want as long as it doesn’t involve harmful content.

The Nov. 21 patch showcases other improvements for the Winter Drop, including changes to the Creaking. For instance, the patch addresses the issue that despawned this mob after a world reload. More enhancements will likely come out to fix other problems, such as a Dressing Room bug and wonky FPS performances.

Mojang Studios has yet to reveal the release date for the Pale Garden update’s official launch. Given that its Early Access version is called the “Winter Drop,” it could potentially be released as early as December. Nevertheless, it could come in January or February, but we won’t know for sure until an announcement reveals its exact date.