Snowy Taiga

Snowy Taiga biomes are rare cold biomes, often generating adjacent to or within snowy tundra biomes. The biome family includes three individual biome variants.

Description

Snowy taigas are quite similar to their snowless variants, featuring large numbers of spruce trees, rabbits, foxes‌^{[upcoming: JE 1.14]} and wolves. The main distinction, as the name implies, are the (stacked ‌^{[Bedrock Edition only]}) snow layers that cover almost the entire landscape, save for the ground protected by the leaves of spruce trees. The terrain is also less flat than regular taigas, being hillier and more reminiscent of forest biomes. The cold temperatures of the snowy taiga means any exposed (purple ‌^{[Bedrock Edition only]}) water will freeze into ice, though lakes that generate within the taiga are often partially protected by the leaves of the trees, meaning lakes aren't usually completely frozen. Occasionally, igloos may generate within the trees, making snowy taiga variants the only other biomes aside from snowy tundras where igloos may generate. Foxes that spawn here will have a white coat, as to resemble the real-life arctic fox.

Survival in snowy taiga biomes can be difficult, as the copious amounts of snow can overwhelm beginners. This, coupled with hillier terrain compared to regular taigas, can make these biomes tough to survive in.

Snowy Taigas are technically the coldest biomes in the game. Plants like ferns and sweet berry bushes are less common compared to snowless taigas.

Variants

There are a total of three different snowy taiga biome variants.

Snowy Taiga

Snowy Taiga

Type	Snowy/Icy
Rarity	Rare
Temperature	-0.5
Structures	Igloos Villages‌[BE & LCE only] Pillager Outpost‌[upcoming: BE 1.10]
Blocks	Grass Block Snow Grass Fern Sweet Berry Bush‌[upcoming: JE 1.14 & BE 1.10] Large Fern Spruce Log Spruce Leaves
Data value	dec: 30 hex: 1E bin: 11110
Biome ID	snowy_taiga

This is the standard and most common snowy taiga variant. Igloos, outposts and villages can generate here.

Snowy Taiga Hills

Snowy Taiga Hills

Type	Snowy/Icy
Rarity	Rare
Temperature	-0.5
Blocks	Grass Block Snow Grass Fern Sweet Berry Bush‌[upcoming: JE 1.14 & BE 1.10] Large Fern Spruce Log Spruce Leaves
Data value	dec: 31 hex: 1F bin: 11111
Biome ID	snowy_taiga_hills

Like all other hills biomes, Snowy Taiga Hills feature hillier, more erratic terrain. These hills are somewhat steeper than other hills biomes, making this variant more difficult for survival. Buildings like igloos will not generate in this biome, unlike the regular snowy taiga.

Snowy Taiga Mountains

Snowy Taiga Mountains

Type	Snowy/Icy
Rarity	Very rare
Temperature	-0.5
Blocks	Grass Block Snow Grass Fern Sweet Berry Bush‌[upcoming: JE 1.14 & BE 1.10] Large Fern Spruce Log Spruce Leaves
Data value	dec: 158 hex: 9E bin: 10011110
Biome ID	snowy_taiga_mountains

The rare Snowy Taiga Mountains feature much steeper terrain than the hills. Similarly to the taiga mountains, this variant can reach quite high elevations, but the snowy taiga mountains often go higher than regular taiga mountains. The steep elevations make this biome quite difficult for survival. Buildings will also not generate here.

History

Java Edition Alpha
v1.2.0			?		Added true biomes, including snowy taigas.
Java Edition Beta
1.8			?		As part of a biome overhaul, taigas are now no longer snowy.
Java Edition
1.1			?		Snow has now been re-added to taigas.
1.7.2			13w36a		A new snowless taiga biome has now been added, along with variants and many other biomes.
					The snowless taiga has now become the new default taiga, and the old snowy taiga has now been renamed "Cold Taiga" and are now much more rare.
1.13			18w16a		Renamed Cold Taiga M to Mutated Cold Taiga.
			18w19a		Renamed Cold Taiga to Snowy Taiga.
					Renamed Cold Taiga Hills to Snowy Taiga Hills.
					Renamed Mutated Cold Taiga to Snowy Taiga Mountains.
			pre5		Changed the ID taiga_cold to snowy_taiga.
					Changed the ID taiga_cold_hills to snowy_taiga_hills.
					Changed the ID mutated_taiga_cold to snowy_taiga_mountains.
Pocket Edition Alpha
0.1.0					Added biomes, including snowy taiga.
0.9.0			build 1		Added snowless taiga and variants, making the snowy taiga much rarer.
					Added wolf which can spawn in snowy taiga.
0.13.0			build 1		Added rabbits, which can now spawn in snowy taigas.
0.15.0			build 1		Villages can generate in snowy taiga.
Pocket Edition
1.0.0			alpha 0.17.0.1		Added igloos, that can now generate in snowy taigas.
Upcoming Bedrock Edition
1.10.0			beta 1.10.0.3		Added pillager outpost which can generate in snowy taiga.
					Added sweet berry bush which rarely generate in snowy taiga.
Legacy Console Edition
TU5	CU1	1.00	Patch 1		Biomes overhauled, removing taigas.
TU9					(Snowy) taigas have now been re-added.
TU31	CU19	1.22	Patch 3		Added snowless taiga and variants, making the snowy taiga much rarer.

Gallery

• 

  An igloo in a snowy taiga, along with a begging wolf.

• 

  Another view of snowy taiga mountains.

• 

  A large overhang, with a cave and a frozen lake underneath it, that generated as part of snowy taiga mountains.

See also

• Taiga
• Snowy Tundra