Soul Sand Valley biome in Minecraft
The Soul Sand Valley is a wide, gloomy Nether biome of soul sand and soul soil under a blue-green fog. Blue fire burns on the ground, huge bone fossils stick out of the sand and skeletons roam between basalt pillars. It is the place to stock up on soul blocks for torches, elevators and the Wither.
/execute in minecraft:the_nether run tp @s -8 85 -8 135 20Climate
- Dimension
- The Nether
- Temperature
- 2
- Downfall
- 0
- Weather
- None
How to find a Soul Sand Valley
/locate biome minecraft:soul_sand_valleyMap by Chunkbase, shown as a companion to this guide. Without your seed, it shows an example world. Results depend on the edition and version you pick.
Soul Sand Valley in numbers
- Share of the world
- 17.1%of the Nether
- Rarity rank
- 3 / 51 = the rarest
- From spawn, Nether side
- ~160 blocksaverage, 1,000 worlds
Nether Wastes58%
Crimson Forest24.1%
Basalt Deltas17.9%// 1,000 random seeds, normal world. Java 26.2 world generation computed with cubiomes, plus the 26.3 Dappled Forest rule. Estimates, not exact 26.3 values. Nether distances start from the Nether point matching your spawn (x/8, z/8).
/execute in minecraft:the_nether run tp @s 20 65 -32 150 5Mobs in the Soul Sand Valley
Structures in the Soul Sand Valley
What you find in a Soul Sand Valley
Floor and ceiling are made of Soul Sand and Soul Soil. Pillars of Basalt stand in the open, and Nether Fossils made of Bone Blocks lie half buried in the ground: this is the only biome where they generate. The fires here burn blue: on soul blocks, any fire becomes Soul Fire. Ash drifts through the air and the fog is a cold blue-green.
Mobs to watch
This is the only Nether biome where Skeletons spawn outside fortresses, and they shoot at you from across the valley. The Ghast is common too, and the open terrain gives it clear shots. Striders walk on the lava lakes. Piglins, hoglins and zombified piglins don't spawn here on their own. The upside: skeletons drop bones and arrows, and ghasts drop Ghast Tears, the key ingredient of the Potion of Regeneration.
Using soul sand and soul soil
- Soul Sand slows you down, Soul Soil doesn't. Boots with Soul Speed, found in bastion chests or by bartering with piglins, make you faster on both soul blocks instead.
- Soul Sand under water creates a bubble column that pushes you up, the base of many elevators.
- Nether Wart only grows on Soul Sand.
- Soul Sand or Soul Soil craft a Soul Torch and a soul campfire. Four of them in a T shape topped with three Wither Skeleton Skulls summon the Wither.
✓ Checked in Java Edition 26.3 · updated 1 November 2026
Soul Sand Valley — FAQ
Why is fire blue in the Soul Sand Valley?
Fire that burns on Soul Sand or Soul Soil turns into soul fire, which is blue and hurts more than normal fire. Watch your step on the valley floor.
Where can you find Bone Meal in the Nether?
Break the Bone Blocks of the fossils in a Soul Sand Valley. Each Bone Block crafts into nine Bone Meal.
Which mobs spawn in the Soul Sand Valley?
Strider, Ghast, Skeleton and Enderman.
Which structures generate in the Soul Sand Valley?
Bastion Remnant, Nether Fortress, Nether Fossil and Ruined Portal.
How do you find the Soul Sand Valley?
With cheats on, /locate biome minecraft:soul_sand_valley gives the coordinates of the nearest one. Without cheats, a seed map of your world shows where it is.
