Windswept hills in Minecraft: Everything players need to know

Grassy, stony biomes often found in colder climates, windswept hill biomes were originally known in Minecraft as mountain biomes.

Although they are no longer considered mountains, windswept hill biomes still exhibit a few things in common with their more robust counterparts. In this light, one might almost consider them a "diet mountain" biome or a lighter version of what Minecraft players now consider mountains in version 1.18.

Although they share some similarities with mountains, windswept hills are quite unique biomes, due to the way their generation algorithm performs and what they feature.

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Minecraft: Breakdown of windswept hills

A windswept hill biome located around a lake (Image via Mojang)

Although it contains more than a fair share of rolling hills and stony cliffs, windswept hills are unique in their ability to occasionally generate floating blocks or small floating islands. Lava and waterfalls are often seen pouring from high-elevation areas, and can even occasionally fall from the floating islands, creating a pleasing and otherworldly effect visually.

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The elevation generated within windswept hill biomes makes them easily climbable through the use of water buckets. A player can place water on a nearby ledge, swim up the water current onto the ledge, and then recollect the water. Players shouldn't worry too much about their water freezing, as the elevation must still be quite high in order for snowfall and freezing temperatures to kick in in this particular biome. However, windswept hills are often surrounded by colder biomes, which is worth being aware of.

Depending on the version of Minecraft being played, windswept hills biomes can spawn somewhat different mobs within their limits. In Minecraft: Java Edition, players can find most common hostile mobs, as well as standard animals like pigs, chickens, sheep, and cows. However, in Java Edition, llamas may also spawn in small groups within windswept hills.

This changes somewhat in Minecraft: Bedrock Edition, where players may find goats, in addition to other animals. Furthermore, underground and underwater, players may even find glow squids or axolotl. It should be noted, however, that axolotls only spawn within water above clay blocks in lush cave biomes, so players would need to locate a lush cave underneath the windswept hills for this to be true.

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For mineral ore hunters, windswept hills are also stocked with emerald ore, being the only other biome possible of carrying the semi-precious ore, alongside mountain biomes.

On a final note, it should also be pointed out that windswept hills in Minecraft possess two variants, namely windswept forests and windswept gravelly hills. These two biome variants possess more or less the same features as their predecessor, but take on their own hybrid nature, with more trees and large slopes of gravel appearing respectively.

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