NEW MINECRAFT WOLVES

New Minecraft Wolves: Meet the 9 New Breeds and Customize Your Wolf Armor

One of the first things I do when I load up a new world in Minecraft is find my wolf, Zero. Zero has existed in every world I’ve ever played, no matter what. Sometimes I find them in a tundra biome. Sometimes I find them between the tall pine trees of a forest biome. But I always, always, have a wolf named Zero by my side. For many years, and countless Minecraft worlds, Zero has always looked the same.

That’s all changing! The latest Minecraft update introduces nine new wolf variations, along with exciting new features like customizable wolf armor. Get ready to explore the Overworld to find your new best friend!

Meet the New Wolf Breeds

The Pale Wolf

Your familiar friend now has a brand-new name! The original wolf will now become the pale wolf, which you can find in the taiga biome, famous for its grassland and spruce trees.

The Rusty Wolf

This isn’t a wolf that’s forgotten how to wolf. This is the rusty wolf, which you can find hiding among the jungle vines. A red collar is going to look very stylish with its copper-toned fur!

The Spotted Wolf

You’ll know if you’ve spotted the spotted wolf if you see its spotted fur on the savanna plateau. Can we just talk about how cute its nose is?

The Black Wolf

Going out of your base after dark can be scary, but not if you bring the night along with you! The black wolf can be found in old-growth pine taiga (the one with enormous pine trees). Just make sure you keep your eyes peeled; they’re harder to spot in the shadows.

The Striped Wolf

This striped wolf’s unique coat can only be found in the wooded badlands! But don’t worry, this striped wolf is still a very good wolf.

The Snowy Wolf

This snowy wolf is ready for when the temperature drops, which is good because my exploration of the Overworld takes me everywhere. You’ll find this white-furred wolf blending into snowy groves and just generally looking adorable.

The Ashen Wolf

Another wolf that loves colder climates, the ashen wolf can be found slinking between the snow-covered blocks of the snowy taiga! This cutie almost looks like it’s wearing a coat made especially for canines.

The Woods Wolf

The woods wolf has tri-tone fur to help it camouflage with the foliage of the forest biome, which is great for the wolf, but bad for me going on the hunt for my ultimate pack of four-legged friends.

The Chestnut Wolf

The chestnut wolf has an adorable chestnut-colored snout and matching fur on its paws. You might think you’ll find it roasting by an open fire, but you’ll actually find it among the trees of an old-growth spruce taiga.

CUSTOMIZABLE WOLF ARMOR

Dyeable and Stronger Wolf Armor

If all that wolfish variation wasn’t enough for you, you can also test the new dyeable wolf armor — and it’s stronger than ever!

Wolf armor absorbs all enemy damage until it breaks, protecting your wolf’s hearts from pesky creeper blasts. The latest update also brings wolf-health-parity, meaning every wolf will now have 40 hearts when fully grown.

Keeping your wolf armor in top condition is key. Wolf armor that needs repairing will show cracks, and you can repair it using armadillo scutes without even needing to remove it. Just apply armadillo scutes directly to patch up any cracks, much like repairing an iron golem with iron ingots!

If all that wolfish variation wasn’t enough for you, dyeable wolf armor is also available to test – and it’s stronger than ever!

Wolf armor absorbs all enemy damage until it breaks, protecting your wolf’s hearts from those pesky creeper blasts. Speaking of wolf hearts – wolf-health-parity came with the most recent Bedrock Preview and Beta, meaning every wolf across both editions of Minecraft will now have 40 hearts when fully grown (Bedrock wolves only had 20 previously! Perhaps I should’ve called my wolf buddy Squishy instead of Zero?). 

Keeping your wolf armor in top condition will keep your wolf healthy while it’s adventuring by your side. Wolf armor that needs repairing will show cracks, and you can repair it using armadillo scutes! Which is perfect, because after you’ve gone to all that trouble to brush an armadillo, dye your armor that perfect shade of magenta, and then equip it on your four-legged friend, you don’t want it to break. You don’t even need to remove the armor to mend it – just apply armadillo scutes directly to patch up any cracks (just like an iron golem with iron ingots!)

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HOW CAN I TEST THE NEW WOLF VARIATIONS AND WOLF ARMOR? 

You can test these features by enabling snapshots for Minecraft: Java Edition, or previews/beta for Minecraft: Bedrock Edition.

To install a snapshot, open up the Minecraft Launcher and enable snapshots in the “Installations” tab.

To enable preview/beta for Minecraft: Bedrock Edition, follow these instructions. 

If you are a Realm owner, you can also play the new snapshots, betas*, and previews* on your Realm! Any player who has an active Realms subscription is eligible to create a free testing Realm, so you can try out the new features with friends. Find more information on how to enable snapshots for Java Realms, and how to enable betas/previews on Bedrock Edition Realms*!

*Preview is available for Minecraft: Bedrock Edition Realms on Xbox, Windows 10/11, and iOS. Betas are available on Android (Google Play). 

Important note: testing versions can corrupt your world, so please backup and/or run them in a different save folder from your main worlds.

Source: Minecraft.net