All types of sculk in Minecraft

Set to be introduced alongside Minecraft's deep dark biome in The Wild Update, sculk is a new block type that forms in the biome above and possesses unique properties.

Created and spread in Minecraft's deep dark, sculk blocks are made in patches and can appear in other ways. These blocks will also be found within ancient city structures within the deep dark, and players exploring the incredibly eerie locale will likely see more than enough sculk.

In addition to base sculk, numerous different sculk-adjacent blocks operate alongside it. Users will want to be wary of these, as not knowing their functions can result in a showdown with the deadly Warden.

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Minecraft: Each sculk block and its function

Sculk veins

Sculk veins growing around solid sculk blocks (Image via Mojang)

Operating like glow lichen or vines in Minecraft, sculk vein blocks appear as part of the growth process of sculk. These blocks tend to pop up when a mob dies within eight blocks of a sculk catalyst.

Much like glow lichen, sculk veins are easily broken by hoes and can be placed on any side of a block or multiple sides of them. At the moment, sculk veins don't seem to have an intended purpose, but this may change in the future.

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Sculk sensors

Sculk sensors are capable of picking up nearby vibrations (Image via Mojang)

A sculk block in Minecraft with a set of undulating fibers on top of it, sculk sensors can pick up vibrations made by various sources. Doing so allows the sensor to emit a redstone pulse, which may give it some potential capabilities in the future for redstone machinery.

When broken with any tool, they award gamers with experience. However, these blocks can be collected by utilizing a tool enchanted with Silk Touch. They emit a light level of one and can receive player vibrations and pass them on to sculk shriekers, which can spell danger for Minecrafters.

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Sculk catalysts

A sculk catalyst placed in Creative Mode where it normally wouldn't be found (Image via Mojang)

The sculk block in Minecraft will undoubtedly make many other sculk blocks tick. Sculk catalysts are responsible for creating many other sculk blocks that can be found within the deep dark.

These blocks accomplish this feat by growing sculk over the site of mobs that have died close by. When mined without Silk Touch, catalysts will drop 20 experience for users.

Each time a mob dies near a sculk catalyst, it will generate sculk and has a fixed percentage chance to create a sculk sensor or shrieker. Even a player's death can allow sculk catalysts to spread sculk.

However, if a Minecrafter has zero experience, the catalyst will not be able to generate sculk. Observant uses online have also noticed slight "soul particles" emanating from sculk catalysts, with some implying that the block uses the souls of dead mobs and gamers to create sculk.

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Sculk shriekers

A sculk shrieker releases its sound into the deep dark (Image via Mojang)

Likely the block that Minecraft players will want to avoid disturbing the most, sculk shriekers emit a screaming sound when disturbed. This can happen when they step on the block and if a nearby sculk sensor activates it by using users' vibrations.

The shrieker will scream for 4.5 real-world seconds before all gamers within 40 blocks are afflicted with the Darkness status effect for 12 seconds. After the shrieker's activation, it won't be possible to activate another shrieker block for ten seconds, though this effect applies on a player-by-player basis.

Although the Darkness status effect is challenging to deal with, it's not the most intimidating aspect of a sculk shrieker. Each time the block is activated, it adds one to its hidden "alert level."

When this alert level reaches level three, it will spawn the dreaded Warden boss in an area nearby, and Minecraft users will soon have much more trouble on their hands.