Minecraft 1.20.5 is turning out to be the best update for wolves

Most of the community's attention has shifted from Minecraft 1.20, which added archeology to the game, and version 1.21. This upcoming update is adding the trial chamber as well as the new Minecraft breeze and wolf armor. This means that 1.21 is already one of the biggest updates wolves have ever received. The good news for those who like taming these animals does not stop there, however.

In a surprise announcement on March 6, 2024, Mojang Studios informed that not only is wolf armor being added in 1.21, but the next release of 1.20, which is 1.20.5, is also including several new color variations, the largest change to wolves since their introduction.

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Minecraft 1.20.5 is an amazing wolf-centric update so far

Cold-biome wolves

The game's original wolves have a cool new name (Image via Mojang Studios)

The first of the wolves to be mentioned is technically not new. This is the pale wolf, an official rename for the original wolf texture. These iconic animals can be found in regular taiga biomes. The next of the colder wolves is the black wolf. This black canine can be found in the game's old-growth pine taigas.

The next two of the colder wolves are visually similar. The first is the snowy wolf, found in snowy groves, nestled atop the mountains in many of Minecraft's best seeds. They are white wolves similar to pale wolves but with a blue tint. The next wolf type found in the game's snowy taigas is the ashen wolf, known for the fur pattern resembling a coat or blanket on their backs.

The last of the cold wolf types is the chestnut wolf, which is light brown in color, almost to the point of appearing grey or white. They are found in the game's old-growth spruce taigas.

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Warm-biome wolves

The new spotted wolf (Image via Mojang Studios)

The warmer wolves are slightly fewer in number but much more visually distinct. The first of these variants is the rusty wolf. Their name comes from the orange and red tones found in their fur, similar to rust. They are found in jungles, meaning players should make use of any of Minecraft's best jungle seeds to find them in the wild.

Next is the unique spotted wolf. This canine's fur has a base color split between orange and black, broken up by white spots. They will be found in savanna plateaus. The striped wolf has the next most impressive pelt, being tan in color with dark brown stripes along its spine. This wolf will be found in Minecraft's beautiful wooded badlands.

The last of the new wolf types is most likely the most common, the woods wolf. This variant has a rich, saturated brown color to match oak trees. The color ends up making the woods wolf look similar to a German Shepherd.

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New spawn locations

The striped wolf is the wooded badland's new mob (Image via Mojang Studios)

Sharp-minded players might have noticed that there are new wolf types for biomes that do not have naturally spawning wolves. Fret not, however, as sparse jungles, savanna plateaus, and wooded badlands can now spawn wolves, making them much easier to find in any world. This might even be enough to cement 1.20 as one of the best Minecraft updates of all time.

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Minecraft 1.21's Wolf Armor changes

A pale wolf wearing purple-dyed wolf armor (Image via Mojang)

Wolf armor is an upcoming addition that is crafted from armadillo scutes. This armor works slightly differently from regular armor. Rather than reducing damage, wolf armor absorbs all damage as durability damage until it breaks. This effectively makes a wolf immune to damage, so long as their armor remains in good condition.

While wolf armor is not being added until the official release of 1.21, alongside Minecraft's upcoming bogged skeleton variant, its inclusion in the same snapshot as the wolf variant means it must be mentioned.

Wolf armor saw an experimental change with the newest snapshot. They were given the ability to be dyed, similar to collars. This new armor customization, along with the fur variants, means that there are numerous potential combinations.