Overview
An igloo is a tutorial disguised as a snow dome, and the lesson it teaches is worth several thousand emeralds. Roughly half of all igloos hide a trapdoor under the carpet beside the bed; lift it and a ladder drops into a basement laboratory where a villager and a zombie villager stand in adjacent cells, with a brewing stand, a cauldron and a chest between them. The chest contains a Golden Apple and a Splash Potion of Weakness, which are precisely and only the two items needed to cure that zombie villager — throw the potion, feed the apple, wait a few minutes and you have a villager whose trades are permanently and dramatically discounted. Doing that once in your first week changes the economics of the entire world, because a cured Librarian will sell enchanted books for one or two emeralds rather than twenty. Above ground the igloo is a functional shelter in a biome that rarely offers one: a bed, a crafting table and a furnace already placed, with snow blocks all around to wall yourself in. Watch the surroundings rather than the building — strays fire arrows of Slowness from beyond torchlight, and powder snow patches freeze you while you stand still reading a chest.
A complete villager-curing kit in one chest, a free bed, furnace and crafting table in a biome with no wood, and a safe walled shelter for a first night in the snow. The brewing stand in the basement is also an early free one.
A small snow dome containing a bed, a crafting table, a furnace and a redstone torch on the floor. Roughly half of all igloos hide a trapdoor beneath a carpet that opens onto a ladder down to a basement laboratory, where a villager and a zombie villager are locked in separate cells. The lab chest supplies a golden apple and a splash potion of Weakness — exactly the two items needed to cure the zombie villager standing next to it, which makes the igloo the game's built-in tutorial for villager curing.
It is uncommon in the Overworld, restricted to Snowy Plains, Snowy Taiga, and Snowy Slopes, and it generates on the surface.
How to get it
Igloos generate on the surface in snowy plains, snowy taiga and snowy slopes, and are uncommon — a white dome on white ground is easy to miss, so travel at dawn when the low sun throws a shadow. Only about 1 in 2 has the basement, so expect to check several.
Tips
- Lift the carpet beside the bed before doing anything else; about half of all igloos hide the basement trapdoor under it.
- Cure the zombie villager on the spot rather than hauling it home — the chest already contains both items you need.
- Keep the cured villager: repeat curing deepens the discount, so a book trade can end up costing a single emerald.
- Throw the potion through the iron bars before you open the cell, because a zombie villager released untreated simply attacks you.
Version notes
Added in 1.9 as a plain shelter; the basement laboratory with the villager, the zombie villager and the curing kit arrived in 1.10, which is what turned it from scenery into a structure worth searching for.
Properties
It generates in the Overworld, which is the only dimension with a day-night cycle and weather, and the one every distance in the game is measured against. In a world with cheats on, /locate structure minecraft:igloo gives the coordinates of the nearest one. Without cheats, an explorer map from a cartographer villager is the reliable route for the structures that have one; everything else is exploration.
- Biomes it generates in
- 3
- Notable loot items
- 6
Where it generates
Igloo generates in 3 biomes: Snowy Plains, Snowy Taiga, and Snowy Slopes. Outside those it will not generate at all, however far you travel.
Notable loot
Its loot includes Golden Apple, Emerald, Wheat, Coal, Stone Axe, and Brewing Stand. These are the notable entries rather than the full loot table — the common filler (bread, coal, iron nuggets) is omitted, and in some structures the best of it comes from a vault or a spawner rather than a chest.
Mobs found here
Villager, Zombie Villager, Polar Bear, and Stray generate here. Several of them spawn nowhere else, which is usually the reason to make the trip.
What to watch out for
3 things to prepare for before you go in:
- The basement zombie villager is hostile once released
- Strays and polar bears in the surrounding snowfields
- Powder snow nearby causing freezing damage
Guides and tools that cover this
Frequently asked questions
Do all igloos have a basement?
No, roughly half do. The trapdoor is hidden under the carpet next to the bed, so always lift the carpet before concluding an igloo is empty.
How do you cure the zombie villager in an igloo?
Throw the Splash Potion of Weakness from the chest at it, then feed it the Golden Apple. It shakes for a few minutes and turns back into an ordinary villager with heavily discounted trades.
Is an igloo worth visiting late in a world?
Mostly for the curing kit if you have not built a trading hall yet. Otherwise it is a small stock of snow blocks and a free brewing stand.
How do I find Igloo?
Igloo generates in the Overworld, only in Snowy Plains, Snowy Taiga, and Snowy Slopes, and is uncommon. /locate structure minecraft:igloo finds the nearest one instantly with cheats on.
What loot is in Igloo?
The notable entries are Golden Apple, Emerald, Wheat, Coal, Stone Axe, and Brewing Stand.
When was Igloo added?
Igloo was added in Java Edition 1.9.
Related pages
Structures that share Igloo's loot, its mobs or its biomes — not simply the next few in the list.
