Minecraft 26.4 Snapshot 3 Adds Ice Caves, Frostbite, and More Winter Drop Features

Minecraft’s upcoming winter game drop experimental features are finally live for Java Edition players. Mojang has released the Minecraft 26.4 Snapshot 3, bringing the Ice Caves biome and the terrifying Frostbite mob, a zombie variant, after they were previously added in the last Preview. So, if you’re a fellow PC player, check out the rest of the Minecraft Winter update features here.

Minecraft 26.4 Snapshot 3 Finally Brings Ice Caves to Java

One of the main additions to the Minecraft 26.4 Snapshot 3 is the new Ice Caves biome. These caves generate underneath the colder Minecraft biomes and are primarily made up of Packed Ice and Calcite blocks, giving them the distinct frozen appearance.

Once you enter inside, you’ll spot the Icicles hanging from the ceiling that can naturally grow up to five blocks long and become a dangerous environmental hazard. If you wander around with a Minecraft torch or any heat-emitting block long enough in these caves, the Icicles can fall from above, dealing damage to any entity present under them.

Another feature introduced in the Minecraft Ice Caves is the Ice Crystals. These resemble the Amethyst Clusters, and you’ll see them generating on the ground, adding a beautiful decoration to the Ice Caves. Due to that faint glow, the Ice Crystals are the safest light blocks in Minecraft that can be used as an alternative to torches.

Minecraft Frostbite Mob Can Freeze Players with New Ice Ball Attacks

Alongside the Ice Caves comes the brand-new zombie variant, called the Frostbite in Minecraft. The most unique feature of this zombie is that it can switch between melee and ranged combat depending on whether it’s far away from its target and whether it spawns with the Ice Balls.

At close range, the Frostbite zombie can attack by punching, applying the Freezing mob effect to its target. Whereas from a distance, it can throw Ice Balls that deal damage and knock targets backward.

Now, the Freezing effect can cause players to become frozen while also making them shake. One way to counter this is wearing Leather armor that provides protection against Freezing, just as it does with Powder Snow; however, the effect is applied nonetheless.

Moreover, Zombies and Husks can also transform into Frostbites when they remain inside the Powder Snow for a while. Also, Frostbites are immune to freezing and Powder Snow themselves.

Other than the new Minecraft Winter update features, there are several small changes, including Snow being placeable on Packed Ice, Snowballs gaining knockback against players, and a redesigned Friends list with improved search and sorting options.

So, the new features are out for Java, and you can try them out now by downloading the latest Minecraft 26.4 Snapshot 3. How do you like the new features? Tell us in the comments below.