Overview#
ExtrabiomesXL (EBXL) is a collaborative open-source mod designed to enrich the Minecraft landscape without overhauling core gameplay. It populates the world with dozens of new biomes ranging from lush, towering Redwood forests to desolate, blighted Wastelands. Beyond terrain, the mod adds a variety of new blocks, items, and plants, including unique wood types, decorative flowers, and survival-oriented tools like the Log Turner and Scarecrow.
In version 1.7.10, the mod focuses on compatibility and stability, ensuring that its custom leaf and log blocks interact correctly with other popular mods like Veinminer, Factorization, and IndustrialCraft 2.
Biomes#
ExtrabiomesXL adds 28 distinct biomes to the world generator. Each biome features unique ground cover, flora, and climate settings.
Biome List
| Biome Name | Description | Key Features |
|---|---|---|
| Alpine | A high-altitude, snowy mountainous region. | Fir trees, Snow, Stone cover. |
| Autumn Woods | A temperate forest with vibrant seasonal colors. | Umber, Goldenrod, Citrine, and Vermillion Autumn trees. |
| Birch Forest | A flat to hilly area dominated exclusively by Birch trees. | High Birch density. |
| Extreme Jungle | A mountainous variant of the vanilla jungle. | High elevation, Jungle trees, Cocoa. |
| Forested Hills | Hilly terrain covered in dense oak forests. | High wolf spawn rate. |
| Forested Island | Small, raised islands scattered in the ocean. | Oak trees, Wolves. |
| Glacier | A massive, lifeless mountain range made of ice and snow. | Ice blocks, Snow soil, No life. |
| Green Hills | Lush highlands filled with flowers. | White and Orange flowers, varied terrain. |
| Green Swamplands | A vibrant, lush swamp with unique vegetation. | Tall trees, Cattails, Hydrangeas, Slimes. |
| Ice Wasteland | A flat, frozen desert of snow. | Snow blocks, No life. |
| Marsh | A swamp-like biome with complex water-logged terrain. | Grass, Water pockets. |
| Meadow | A flat, extremely green biome packed with flowers. | Tall grass, various flowers. |
| Mini Jungle | A smaller, lush jungle biome. | Ocelots, Chickens, Quicksand. |
| Mountain Desert | A mountainous desert region. | Tiny Cactus, Cacti. |
| Mountain Ridge | A red-rock badlands biome. | Red Rock, Brown Grass. |
| Mountain Taiga | Snowy mountains with spruce forests. | Spruce trees, Wolves. |
| Pine Forest | A temperate forest dominated by spruce. | Spruce trees. |
| Rainforest | Warm, humid mountainous forests. | Ferns, dense canopy. |
| Redwood Forest | A majestic biome featuring massive Redwood trees. | Towering Redwoods, Ferns. |
| Redwood Lush | A wetter, more vegetated version of the Redwood Forest. | Redwoods, high humidity. |
| Savanna | Flat plains with scattered acacia trees. | Acacia trees. |
| Shrubland | Low-foliage plains. | Small shrubs, flat terrain. |
| Snow Forest | A cold forest with snowy oak and spruce. | Snowy trees. |
| Snowy Rainforest | A cold, high-humidity forest. | Fir trees, Snow. |
| Temperate Rainforest | A damp forest with fir trees and ferns. | Fir trees, Mushrooms. |
| Tundra | A flat, barren, and cold biome. | No foliage, Snow. |
| Wasteland | A blighted, dry land with murky water. | Cracked Sand, Dead Grass. |
| Woodlands | A classic, lush forest biome. | Oak trees, lush grass. |
Flora and Trees#
The mod introduces several new tree species and a wide variety of decorative flowers, many of which can be used to produce dyes.
Custom Trees
- Redwood: Massive trees found in Redwood Forests. Their logs can be crafted into Redwood Planks.
- Fir: Found in Alpine and Temperate Rainforest biomes.
- Acacia: Found in the Savanna biome.
- Cypress: Found in swampy or temperate regions.
- Japanese Maple (Sakura): Rare trees with pink or purple foliage.
- Autumn Trees: Available in four colors: Umber (Brown), Goldenrod (Yellow), Citrine (Orange), and Vermillion (Red).
Flowers and Dye Outputs
Most flowers added by the mod can be crafted into vanilla dyes:
| Flower | Dye Output |
|---|---|
| Hydrangea | Light Blue Dye |
| Buttercup | Yellow Dye |
| Lavender | Purple Dye |
| Calla Lily | White Dye |
| Blue Iris | Blue Dye |
| Gardenia | White Dye |
| Gerbera | Pink Dye |
| Oriental Pink | Pink Dye |
| Marsh Marigold | Yellow Dye |
| Pansy | Purple Dye |
| Violets | Purple Dye |
| Tiny Cactus | Cactus Green (via Cactus Paste) |
Blocks#
ExtrabiomesXL adds several geological and decorative blocks that define its unique biomes.
Geological Blocks
- Red Rock: Found in the Mountain Ridge biome. Mining it yields Red Cobblestone. It can be crafted into Red Rock Bricks.
- Red Cobblestone: Obtained from Red Rock. Can be used to craft stairs, slabs, and walls.
- Cracked Sand: Found in the Wasteland. It has a unique property where it slowly dries out nearby grass and soil blocks.
- Quicksand: Found in Mini Jungles and Marshes. This dangerous block will cause players and mobs to sink slowly; jumping accelerates the sinking process.
Decorative Blocks
- Cattails: Decorative plants found near water in Green Swamplands.
- Leaf Piles: Found on the ground in various forest biomes.
- Toadstools: Small mushrooms found in damp biomes.
- Custom Wood: All new tree types (Redwood, Fir, Acacia, etc.) have corresponding Planks, Slabs, Stairs, and Doors.
Items and Tools#
Log Turner
The Log Turner is a utility tool used to rotate logs without breaking them. This is essential for builders working with the mod's custom large trees.
- Usage: Right-click any log block to cycle through its orientations.
- Durability: Infinite.
Scarecrow
The Scarecrow is a craftable entity that repels hostile mobs (such as Zombies and Creepers) from a small radius, making it ideal for protecting farms.
- Behavior: It remains stationary and waves its arms at nearby mobs, causing them to flee.
Cactus Paste
Made from Tiny Cacti, this item can be smelted into Cactus Green dye.
Crafting Recipes#
Below are the primary recipes for the mod's unique items and blocks.
| Result | Ingredients | Pattern |
|---|---|---|
| Log Turner | 4x Stick | Diagonal/L-shape (Bottom-Left, Bottom-Right, Center, Top-Left) |
| Scarecrow | 1x Pumpkin, 1x Hay Bale, 3x Stick | Pumpkin (Top), Sticks (Middle Left/Right), Hay Bale (Center), Stick (Bottom) |
| Red Rock Brick | 4x Red Rock | 2x2 Square |
| Clay (3x) | 1x Red Cobblestone, 3x Water Bucket | Shapeless (Returns empty buckets) |
| Cactus Paste | 1x Tiny Cactus | 1x1 (Shapeless) |
| Red Rock Stairs | 6x Red Rock/Brick | Standard Stair Pattern |
| Custom Doors | 6x Custom Planks | Standard Door Pattern |
Mechanics#
Environmental Hazards
- Quicksand Sinking: If you step into Quicksand, you will begin to sink. To escape, you must break the blocks around you or be pulled out with a lead/piston. Movement is severely restricted while submerged.
- Wasteland Desiccation: Cracked Sand in the Wasteland biome will eventually turn nearby Grass blocks into Dirt, simulating a spreading desert effect.
Mob Spawning
- Slimes: In the Green Swamplands biome, Slimes can spawn on the surface regardless of the chunk's "Slime Chunk" status, similar to vanilla Swamps but with higher frequency.
- Wolves: Spawn frequently in Forested Hills, Forested Islands, and Mountain Taiga biomes.
Technical Notes#
Configuration
The mod's configuration file allows players to enable or disable specific biomes. This is useful for increasing the frequency of vanilla biomes or removing biomes that may conflict with other mods' world-gen.
Compatibility Fixes
- Leaf Block Naming: Version 3.16.4 fixed an issue where leaf blocks had inconsistent internal names, which previously broke compatibility with Veinminer and Factorization.
- Log Renderer: Fixes were implemented to prevent server-side crashes related to log rendering.
- IC2 Integration: Improved logging for IndustrialCraft 2 build detection to prevent unnecessary stack traces during startup.
