All you need to know about axolotls in Minecraft

Axolotls were one of the three new mobs released with the first part of the Minecraft 1.17 Caves and Cliffs update. They're passive, aquatic mobs that seek to hunt most other aquatic mobs in Minecraft.

These adorable fish-like creatures were featured in the first part of the update and added to the game alongside the goat and glow squid mobs. Fans of the recent updates have taken an immediate liking to the colorful aquatic mobs, making them one of the most beloved mobs in the history of Minecraft.

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Where do axolotls spawn in Minecraft?

Axolotls don't have many in-game uses. Most players just hope to come across one just because of their rarity and cuteness. That said, these mobs are a bit tricky to run into, as they only spawn underwater, in the lush caves biome and when there is one clay block less than five blocks beneath the spawning space.

In previous snapshots and updates, these mobs were a bit easier to find. Back then, they would spawn anywhere underwater as long as there was total darkness and the block requirement — at the time, it was having a block of stone less than five blocks below the spawning space — was met. However, things have changed since to make the mobs exclusive to the new lush caves biome and therefore harder to come across.

Axolotls can spawn in five different colors, each with an increasing level of rarity. From most to least common, these are the colors: pink, cyan, gold, brown, and blue. Of the five colors, the only two that don't occur in real-world axolotls are cyan and blue.

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How do axolotls behave in Minecraft?

To make up for their lack of drops and uses in-game, these mobs have some interesting mechanics that enhance gameplay when players stumble upon them.

Axolotls are entirely passive towards players, meaning they won't harm them under any circumstances. They can be attached to leads and picked up in buckets, the latter of which can earn the player an achievement, The Cutest Predator.

Although axolotls won't attack the player, they'll attack almost any other aquatic mob aside from other axolotls, turtles, dolphins, and frogs. They'll prioritize attacking mobs that are hostile, such as drowned or guardians, as opposed to those that aren't.

Axolotls can provide a brief regeneration boost to players and cure the effect of mining fatigue if they aid the axolotl in combat against another mob. Otherwise, if they're underwater, an axolotl might play dead if its health has dropped low enough so it can recover.

Axolotls are entirely ignored by hostile mobs and can recover up to four points of health when they're playing dead.