Updated 23 October 2026. Facts on this page come from minecraft.wiki, minecraft.net and the live Artemis PvP server; sources are listed at the bottom.
Badlands Biome: Extra Gold, Terracotta and Mineshafts
Badlands are hot, dry biomes of striped terracotta hills and red sand. They are the best place to mine gold: extra gold ore generates up to Y=255 instead of the usual Y=32, at much higher rates, and mineshafts appear high up, often open to the sky, built from dark oak. It never rains there, and armadillos spawn there.
Why are badlands good for gold?
Badlands get an extra gold ore layer that reaches up to Y=255 (elsewhere gold sits much lower) and generates at much higher rates than in the rest of the world. Their mineshafts also generate at high elevations, often exposed to open air, with dark oak supports, which makes them easy to find and loot. See ore Y levels and mineshafts.
What do badlands look like?
- Large mounds of terracotta bands in red, orange, yellow, white, light gray, brown and plain terracotta; the bands are almost the same across a whole world.
- Low ground covered in red sand over orange terracotta.
- Lots of dead bushes, some cacti (sometimes with a cactus flower), and sugar cane by water.
- Wooded and eroded variants often border the main badlands.
Where do badlands generate?
At the hottest temperatures with low erosion, so they often border deserts near oceans, and savannas, forests and plains in cooler areas. They can rise up to Y=256 in mountains. Underground there is often the deep dark, and dripstone caves are common inland. See biomes.
What lives in the badlands?
Armadillos, which give scutes for wolf armour. It never rains, but dry thunderstorms still let hostile mobs spawn. See Armored Paws (1.20.5).
Does ArtemisPvP have desert worlds?
Frequently asked questions
Why is there more gold in badlands?
Badlands add extra gold ore up to Y=255, at much higher rates than elsewhere.
Does it rain in the badlands?
No; it never rains, but dry thunderstorms still happen.
Sources
Every fact on this page was checked against these pages; the wording is ours.