Old Growth Spruce Taiga

Old Growth Spruce Taiga is a cold, densely wooded Overworld biome defined by its towering mega spruce trees, which grow in 2×2 formations with foliage extending all the way down the trunk. Scattered among these giants are smaller spruce and pine trees, giving the Old Growth Spruce Taiga a layered, shadowy canopy that blocks much of the sky above.

The ground beneath the Old Growth Spruce Taiga is largely covered by podzol and coarse dirt rather than standard grass blocks, lending the terrain a distinctive earthy tone. Mossy cobblestone rocks emerge from the soil at irregular intervals, while ferns, large ferns, dead bushes, sweet berry bushes, and mushrooms fill out the undergrowth — mushrooms in particular appear more frequently here than in most other Overworld biomes. Trail Ruins can generate within the Old Growth Spruce Taiga, though villages and pillager outposts do not. Because the biome forms under conditions of very high humidity, lush caves are almost always found generating in the underground layers directly beneath it.

Temperatures in the Old Growth Spruce Taiga are cold enough to trigger snowfall above approximately Y=160, which is slightly lower than the threshold of the related Old Growth Pine Taiga variant. The biome typically borders regular taigas and dark forests, and is often separated from the Old Growth Pine Taiga by rivers. Chestnut wolves, foxes, sheep, and other cold-climate animal variants inhabit the area, while the usual assortment of hostile mobs appears after dark. With Vibrant Visuals enabled, the Old Growth Spruce Taiga takes on a semi-humid volumetric fog with an orange tint at distance, cool blue-shifted color grading, and cold ambient lighting that brightens noticeably around dusk and dawn.