Whatever your intent for it is, be it creating an icy race course or just making an unmeltable snow palace, the Minecraft 1.18 update made finding Packed Ice potentially much easier.
What is Packed Ice for in Minecraft?
Packed Ice blocks are similar to regular Ice blocks, with a few key differences. Packed Ice never melts, even in the Nether, and it’s slipperier than normal Ice, but not as slippery as Blue Ice. You can use Packed Ice to make moving things, and yourself, through the water easier, but one of the main uses is as a crafting material. Nine Packed Ice blocks create one Blue Ice block, and you can use Blue Ice to make Basalt. Blue Ice is also faster than Packed Ice, but there is one quirk unique to Packed Ice. If you put it under a Note block, it’ll make a special chiming sound.
How to Farm Packed Ice in Minecraft
You need tools with Silk Touch to harvest Packed Ice, as anything else will just break the block. Packed Ice normally forms in Snowy Tundra villages, along with frozen oceans, icebergs, and the rare Ice Spikes biome. Minecraft Cliffs and Caves Part 2 adds a new area to find Packed Ice in, Snow Capped Peaks biomes. The change in maximum block height includes new mountain biomes where you’re more likely to find rarer items, including Packed Ice. If you get tired hunting for the blocks, you can also craft them using regular Ice. 9 regular Ice blocks make one Packed Ice block, and you’re practically swimming in Ice even if the mountain biomes that spawn are small. You’ll need a tool with Silk Touch equipped to harvest regular Ice as well. Otherwise, you just end up with water. The new update changes more than just Packed Ice locations in Minecraft. You’ll need to look elsewhere for your Axolotl as well and start spelunking in one of the many new cave types. If you need more Minecraft to keep you occupied until the Wild update, Minecraft Dungeons and its new content might be worth checking out too.
