Soul Sand Valley

The soul sand valley is an eerie Nether biome of soul sand, soul soil, basalt pillars and giant bone fossils. Blue soul fire flickers on the ground, and skeletons and ghasts haunt the fog. This soul sand valley finder reads your seed and marks the nearest valleys with a biome icon on the map above. The map moves to the Nether automatically.

Where soul sand valleys generate

Soul sand valleys are one of the five Nether biomes. They appear in patches between nether wastes, crimson forests, warped forests and basalt deltas.

Their wide, open floors make them easy to spot from a distance. A pale blue fog hangs in the air, so you can tell when you have crossed the border.

The floor is fairly flat, with tall walls of netherrack around the edges. Basalt pillars break up the open space. Because the land is so open, ghasts can see you from far away. That makes soul sand valleys feel exposed, even though they look calm.

What you find in a soul sand valley

The ground is a mix of soul sand and soul soil. Tall basalt pillars rise from the floor, and huge bone block fossils stick out of the sand.

• Mobs: skeletons, ghasts and endermen, plus striders in lava.
• Structures: Nether fossils, which only generate here, plus fortresses, bastion remnants and ruined portals.
• Blocks: soul sand, soul soil, basalt, bone blocks and soul fire.

Ghasts spawn often in this biome, so expect fireballs.

How to find a soul sand valley in your world

In game, look for a dim blue haze and a sandy, gray-brown floor. Skeletons wandering the Nether are another giveaway.

With the finder, it is quicker. First, type your seed and select your edition. The map changes to the Nether by itself and flies to the closest soul sand valley. That area is marked for you. Next, open the list on the left to see more valleys, then click one to visit it.

Use /execute in minecraft:the_nether run tp @s X 100 Z in Java, then check your surroundings before landing.

Soul sand valley tips

Soul sand slows you down a lot. Boots with Soul Speed fix that, and piglins sometimes give that enchantment in bartering. Meanwhile, soul soil is useful for soul torches and soul campfires.

Bone blocks from fossils give you plenty of bone meal. Bring a bow to deal with skeletons, and use a shield against ghast fireballs. Also, soul sand under water creates bubble columns that push you upward.

Nether fossils and soul blocks

Nether fossils are large bone structures half buried in the soul sand. They come in several shapes, from single ribs to big curved skeletons. Each one is made entirely of bone blocks.

A single fossil can give you a lot of bone meal. Mine the bone blocks with a pickaxe, then craft each into nine bone meal. Use the bone meal on crops, saplings or moss back home.

The soul blocks are useful too. Soul sand is where nether wart grows, and soul sand or soul soil is needed to summon the wither. Both blocks also craft soul torches and soul campfires, which give a calm blue light. In addition, a soul campfire is a great cozy light for a Nether base.

Version history

The soul sand valley arrived in Java 1.16 with the Nether Update. Soul soil, soul fire, basalt and Nether fossils were all added alongside it.

Soul Sand Valley FAQ