One of the first things I do when I load up a new world in Minecraft is find my wolf Zero. Zero has existed in every Minecraft world I’ve ever played, no matter what. Sometimes I find Zero in a tundra biome. Sometimes I find them between the tall pine trees of a forest biome. But I always, always, have a wolf named Zero by my side. And for many years, and countless Minecraft worlds, Zero has always looked the same.
Until today!
Because today eight new wolf variations are coming to testing in Minecraft: Bedrock Edition beta and preview AND Minecaft: Java Edition snapshot.
Eight paw-some variations!
As always when a feature goes into testing, we’d really love to hear your thoughts on the new wolf variations, so please let us know! Zero and I will also be giving our feedback throughout this article with a “wolf cuteness scale” and a Zero approval rating. I wonder which wolf will win? You’ll have to read all the way to the end to find out (it’s worth it, I promise. I a treat there, too!) Who’s a good reader?
THE PALE WOLF
NOSTALGIA RATING: 10/10
ZERO APPROVED:Yes
This familiar friend now has a brand-new name! The original wolf will now become “the pale wolf” (don’t worry Zero, we’ll go straight to the desert for some sunshine). You’ll be able to find the pale wolf in the taiga biome: famous for its grassland, spruce trees, and now its pale wolves!
THE RUSTY WOLF
AWOO RATING: 10/10
ZERO APPROVED: Yes
This isn’t a wolf that’s forgotten how to wolf. No! This is the rusty wolf, which you can find hiding between the jungle vines. I think a red collar is going to look very stylish with its copper-toned fur.
THE SPOTTED WOLF
BOOB-ABILITY RATING: 10/10
ZERO APPROVED:Yes
You’ll know if you’ve spotted a spotted wolf if you spot some spotted fur in the savanna plateau! Now we’ve all made it through that tongue twister, can we talk about how cute its nose is?
THE BLACK WOLF
NIGHT CAMOUFLAGE RATING: 10/10
Going out of your base after dark can be scary, but not if you bring the night along with you! The black wolf can be found in old growth pine taiga (the one with enormous pine trees). Just make sure you keep your eyes peeled! They’re harder to spot in the shadows.
THE STRIPED WOLF
TIGER_LIKE ADORABILITY RATING: 10/10
This striped wolf’s unique coat can only be found in the wooded badlands! But don’t worry – this striped wolf is still a very good wolf.
THE SNOWY WOLF
SNOW FLOOF RATING: 10/10
This snowy wolf is ready for when the temperature drops – which is good because my exploration of the Overworld takes me everywhere. You’ll find this this white-furred wolf blending into snowy groves and just generally looking adorable.
THE ASHEN WOLF
PAWS-ABILITY RATING: 10/10
Another wolf that loves colder climbs, the ashen wolf can be found slinking between the snow-covered blocks of the snowy taiga! I think this cutie almost looks like it’s wearing a coat made especially for canines! What do you think?
THE WOODS WOLF
SCRICTH-ABILITY RATING: 10/10
The woods wolf has tri-tone fur to help it camouflage with the foliage of the forest biome! Which is great for the wolf, but bad for me going on the hunt for my ultimate pack of four-legged friends. Come baaaaack!
THE CHESTNUT WOLF
GOODEST WOLF ABILITY RATING: 10/10
The chestnut wolf has an adorable chestnut-colored snout and matching fur on its paws. You might think you’ll find the chestnut wolf roasting by an open fire, but you’ll actually find it amongst the trees of an old growth spruce taiga (you’ll know it’s “old growth” if some of the spruce trees are huge!).
WHICH WOLF IS THE CUTEST?
Well, after my very scientific method of rating each wolf on a completely independent scale, I can safely (and scientifically) say that they’re all my favorites! Every single one of them! Of course the developers are less interested in what I think and more eager to hear what you think! So please test out these new wolf variations
CUSTOMIZABLE WOLF ARMOR
If all that wolfish variation wasn’t enough for you, dyeable wolf armor is also available to test – and it’s stronger than ever!
Wolf armor absorbs all enemy damage until it breaks, protecting your wolf’s hearts from those pesky creeper blasts. Speaking of wolf hearts – wolf-health-parity came with the most recent Bedrock Preview and Beta, meaning every wolf across both editions of Minecraft will now have 40 hearts when fully grown (Bedrock wolves only had 20 previously! Perhaps I should’ve called my wolf buddy Squishy instead of Zero?).
Keeping your wolf armor in top condition will keep your wolf healthy while it’s adventuring by your side. Wolf armor that needs repairing will show cracks, and you can repair it using armadillo scutes! Which is perfect, because after you’ve gone to all that trouble to brush an armadillo, dye your armor that perfect shade of magenta, and then equip it on your four-legged friend, you don’t want it to break. You don’t even need to remove the armor to mend it – just apply armadillo scutes directly to patch up any cracks (just like an iron golem with iron ingots!)
HOW CAN I TEST THE NEW WOLF VARIATIONS AND WOLF ARMOR?
You can test these features by enabling snapshots for Minecraft: Java Edition, or previews/beta for Minecraft: Bedrock Edition.
To install a snapshot, open up the Minecraft Launcher and enable snapshots in the “Installations” tab.
To enable preview/beta for Minecraft: Bedrock Edition, follow these instructions.
If you are a Realm owner, you can also play the new snapshots, betas*, and previews* on your Realm! Any player who has an active Realms subscription is eligible to create a free testing Realm, so you can try out the new features with friends. Find more information on how to enable snapshots for Java Realms, and how to enable betas/previews on Bedrock Edition Realms*!
*Preview is available for Minecraft: Bedrock Edition Realms on Xbox, Windows 10/11, and iOS. Betas are available on Android (Google Play).
Important note: testing versions can corrupt your world, so please backup and/or run them in a different save folder from your main worlds.