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.
The Wild Update (1.19)
1.19, The Wild Update, is the major Java Edition update released on 7 June 2022. It adds the deep dark and ancient cities with the warden, the mangrove swamp, frogs and tadpoles, the allay, mud blocks and the recovery compass.
What is the deep dark?
The deep dark is an underground biome covered in sculk. Sculk sensors hear vibrations; sculk shriekers answer them, give nearby players the new Darkness effect, and on the third activation summon the warden. Ancient cities generate inside the deep dark; the 1.19 changelog gives Y=-52, and minecraft.wiki's ancient city page now puts the floor at Y=-51. They are built from deepslate and holding loot such as echo shards and disc fragments.
How strong is the warden?
The warden has 500 HP, more than the Wither on Java, and deals 30 HP of damage on Normal, enough to take a player in full netherite armour from full health down to 7 HP. It is completely blind: it moves toward vibrations within about 15 blocks, including projectiles landing, and sniffs the area to find targets. It is immune to fire, lava and knockback.
What else did The Wild Update add?
- Mangrove swamp with the mangrove wood set, mangrove roots and mud (make mud by using a water bottle on dirt).
- Mud bricks from packed mud (mud plus wheat).
- Frogs in temperate, warm and cold variants; tadpoles grow up after 20 minutes into the variant that matches the temperature.
- Froglights, dropped when a frog eats a small magma cube.
- Allay, the Minecraft Live 2021 vote winner, which collects copies of the item it holds.
- Recovery compass, crafted with echo shards, which points to where you last died.
- Boats with chests, goat horns and the music disc "5" (crafted from 9 disc fragments).
How do you explore an ancient city safely?
- Sneak: a sneaking player's movement does not create vibrations for sculk sensors or the warden.
- Sculk sensors hear vibrations within 8 blocks; placing or breaking wool and carpet makes none.
- Count shrieker activations: the third one summons the warden.
- A projectile landing makes a vibration, which can pull the warden away from you.
Can you use 1.19 on ArtemisPvP?
Frequently asked questions
How much health does the warden have?
500 HP.
At what Y level are ancient cities?
The floor is at Y=-51 according to minecraft.wiki's ancient city page (the 1.19 changelog said Y=-52).
Sources
Every fact on this page was checked against these pages; the wording is ours.