Minecraft opens Dappled Forest biome for testing

Mojang has opened the Dappled Forest biome for public testing as part of Game Drop Three. The test builds are Minecraft Bedrock preview 26.40.27 and Minecraft Java snapshot 26.3, available now in the game launcher.

The Dappled Forest spawns near cold regions and introduces Poplar Trees, which yield a new off-gray wood material for construction. Poplar leaves appear in red, orange and yellow variants. The color of a planted Poplar sapling is chosen at random.

Shelf Mushrooms grow naturally on standing and fallen Poplar Trees. They can be used in existing mushroom-based food recipes. Shelf Mushrooms have a slight bouncy effect that reduces fall damage when players land on them.

Red Shrubs can be harvested and placed elsewhere while retaining their red color. Applying bone meal to a red shrub can create another shrub in an adjacent space.

Players can craft wool stairs and wool slabs in all sixteen standard wool colors. These craftable blocks appear in a new structure type called the abandoned camp, which can spawn in multiple biomes. Camp designs vary by biome and chests and barrels near camps may contain loot.

Mojang posed the question: “If nobody’s been to the Dappled Forest before, who built the abandoned camp? And what loot did they leave?” The company did not offer an explicit answer in the test notes.

Common Minecraft animals spawn in the Dappled Forest, including sheep, chickens, cows, pigs, rabbits and foxes. Where climate rules apply, those animals may spawn as their cold-weather variants.

Players who want to test the biome should switch their game to the specified preview or snapshot in the Minecraft launcher. The Game Drop adds new decorative and building options for players to use ahead of a wider release.