Plains

Plains are wide, flat grasslands with a few oak trees, patches of flowers and plenty of open sky. They are one of the easiest places to start a survival world. Use this plains biome finder to spot the closest grassland for your seed. The map above jumps to the nearest plains and marks every other patch nearby, so you can pick a spot before you even load the world.

Where plains generate

Plains form in mild climates. The temperature is moderate, the land is fairly dry, and erosion is high enough to keep the ground flat. Because those conditions are so common, plains cover roughly a tenth of the Overworld. Only forests are more widespread.

You usually find plains next to forests, savannas, flower forests and sunflower plains. They also blend into meadows, deserts, snowy plains and windswept hills. Under the surface, dripstone caves are common, and the deep dark can appear where the land drops toward mountains.

What you find in plains

The surface is mostly grass blocks covered in short and tall grass. Oak trees stand alone or in small groups, and about one in three is a large oak. Some trees carry bee nests, so you can find bees early.

• Flowers: tulips, oxeye daisies, cornflowers, dandelions, poppies and azure bluets. Tulips only generate in plains and flower forests.
• Animals: sheep, pigs, chickens and cows, plus horses and donkeys.
• Other plants: bushes, pumpkin patches, sugar cane and firefly bushes near water.

Plains villages and pillager outposts both generate here. Fallen oak logs can also appear since Java 1.21.5.

How to find plains in your world

In game, press F3 and read the biome line. It should say minecraft:plains. You can also spot plains by their flat, bright green ground and lonely oaks. With cheats on, /locate biome minecraft:plains gives you the nearest one.

On this map, type your seed and pick your edition. The map flies straight to the closest plains and marks the area with a biome icon. The list on the left shows more plains sorted by distance, so click any entry to centre it. Then copy the coordinates and run /tp @s X 120 Z to get there, or walk there in survival.

Survival and building tips for the plains biome

Flat ground makes plains ideal for big builds, farms and rail lines. You spend less time clearing land, so you can start building right away. Also, villages here give you early trades, beds and crops.

Horses are the main reason to visit. Tame one and you can cross the map much faster. However, the open land has little cover at night, so place torches or build a shelter before dark. Watch out for pillager outposts too, because patrols can spot you from far away.

Plains are also a good place to collect flowers for dyes. For example, cornflowers give blue dye and tulips give several colours.

Plains villages and pillager outposts

Plains villages are built from oak, cobblestone and hay bales. Most have farms, a bell and at least one iron golem once enough villagers live there. So they are a great place to trade, sleep and collect crops on day one.

Pillager outposts are a different story. They are tall dark oak towers guarded by pillagers. Some outposts have cages with allays or iron golems nearby. Free an allay and it will collect items for you.

Defeating the pillager captain gives you an ominous bottle. Drinking it starts a raid the next time you enter a village. Therefore, only drink it when you are ready to defend one. If you just want a peaceful start, build at least a few hundred blocks away from any outpost.

Plains version history

Plains have existed since the early days of the game. Beta 1.8 reworked them and added villages. Java 1.7.2 brought tulips, oxeye daisies and azure bluets. Java 1.14 added cornflowers and pillager outposts, and Java 1.15 added bee nests on plains oaks. Most recently, Java 1.21.5 added bushes and fallen trees.

Plains FAQ