Sculk catalysts in Minecraft 1.19 update: Where does it spawn, how to use and more

The Minecraft 1.19 update is set to revamp a lot about the game. Two new major biomes are being added, as well as a brand new boss. The Warden figures to be the most challenging and perhaps most frightening mob in the entire game owing to its sonar abilities and creepy design.

It will spawn in the Deep Dark biome, which will be worth exploring if one can stomach the fear of facing the Warden.

Part of what makes the Warden so frightening is the fact that it is blind. The Warden can't see, but has the ability to hear anything, especially movement. This plays out in how he spawns. Sculk sensors, catalysts and shriekers work together to alert the Warden of a player's presence and cause him to spawn.

The Sculk Catalyst might be the most important of all the sculk blocks. Here's what players need to know.

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Sculk Catalyst in Minecraft 1.19 update: A complete guide

There are several sculk blocks in the game, including:

• Sculk itself
• Sculk Sensors
• Sculk Shriekers
• Sculk Catalysts

Sculk Shriekers and Sensors work together to spawn the Warden. If a noise is made, even if it is a brief vibration from a movement, the Sculk Sensor will pick it up and alert the Shrieker, who then shrieks the Warden into existence.

Sculk surrounds all of these blocks and also helps them sense vibrations or movements and summon the Warden. Sculk Catalysts are responsible for the growth of sculk, which makes them perhaps the most important sculk block.

Sculk Catalysts cause sculk to spread around. According to Minecraft Wiki, the Sculk Catalyst:

"... generates sculk features around it when a mob that drops experience is killed nearby."

This won't happen often, because mobs don't naturally spawn in the Deep Dark biome, other than the Warden. However, they can wander in from other biomes and it can affect sculk that is placed in other biomes.

Sculk Catalysts can cause the sculk area to grow exponentially. This can be extremely dangerous while exploring because the more sculk there is, the higher the chances of the Warden spawning.

In order to avoid the sculk blocks, players have to be perpetually crouched and can't even equip a piece of armor or eat a piece of food. Every little thing alerts the sculk, and the bigger the area, the more important that becomes.

In the Ancient City, players can find Sculk Catalysts in chests as part of their natural loot. Once the update goes live, both Bedrock and Java Edition will have the same spawn rates. In a chest in the Ancient City, there is a 16.1% of having up to two Sculk Catalysts.

Ancient city (Image via Stardust Labs)

Alternatively, Minecraft gamers can mine it themselves. This needs to be done with Silk Touch, though. Without that, it will drop 20 XP orbs and no item. Finally, the last way to obtain it is by killing the Warden.

The Warden is guaranteed to drop one Sculk Catalyst upon death, but currently doesn't give anything else to Minecraft players.

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