Swamps vs mangrove swamps in Minecraft 1.19 update: How different are the two biomes?

Swamps were a distinct biome for much of Minecraft's tenure. However, after the 1.19 update, a new variant arrived in the form of mangrove swamps. But how do these biomes compare and contrast?

Though mangrove swamps are technically still swamps in Minecraft, they possess enough variety to be distinct from their standard counterparts.

However, there are also more than a few things that the two biomes have in common so that they don't stray all that far from each other.

There are plenty of nuances to consider, and it doesn't hurt to break these details down so that players become fully aware of them.

---

Swamps and mangrove swamps share some common characteristics in Minecraft but are vastly different from one another

A mangrove swamp as of Minecraft 1.19 (Image via Mojang)

When finding differences between the two Minecraft swamp biomes, it's important to consider three main factors: what they are made of, what they contain, and how they interact with the world.

This comes down to what blocks make up each swamp, what lives inside them, and what external factors are at play. These factors include temperature and proximity to other biomes.

For example, swamps and mangrove swamps possess the same default temperature in Minecraft of 0.8. However, mangrove swamps tend to skew towards warmer temperatures when they're generated. This results in mangrove swamps being located closer to warmer biomes, such as deserts and jungles, among others.

Swamps and mangrove swamps share some common characteristics, such as the presence of water and the ability to spawn mobs like frogs, slimes, and common hostile mobs. However, that's more or less where the similarities end.

While standard swamps grow oak trees and feature ground coverage made of grass blocks, mangrove swamps have mangrove trees of varying heights and use mud blocks over grass blocks. Mangrove swamps also feature blocks like moss carpets and bee nests, which are not found in the standard iteration.

One of the biggest differences between the two swamp biomes is the presence of tropical fish, which can be found in mangrove swamps but not in standard swamps. Furthermore, mangrove swamp water and vines are colored somewhat differently from regular swamps, with teal-like waters and lighter green vines.

Mangrove swamps also possess patches of grass, which are not seen in standard swamps. This may be because regular swamp biomes are already comprised of grass blocks and don't necessarily need the additional grass.

Structures are also a large point of difference between the two biomes. Specifically, mangrove swamps are only capable of generating large mangrove trees and fossils by default. Conversely, standard swamps can generate large swamp oak trees, huge mushrooms of both the red and brown variety (in Bedrock Edition), as well as fossils and swamp huts.

While both swamp biomes can spawn witches, only traditional swamps can generate the huts that they reside in, complete with cats and cauldrons for potions.