Ice is a partially-transparent block that forms over water in colder biomes, and is somewhat slippery.
Mechanics
The presence of ice can be used as an indicator of a tundra, taiga, or ice plains spikes biome. A player can break an ice block without a tool but will do so faster with a Pickaxe. Ice is very similar to snow, in the sense that it melts when it comes into proximity of highly luminous blocks.
Ice produces a "slippery" effect when moving across its surface. Players can sprint faster across ice, than other surfaces. Entities and items may slide a distance across a patch of ice.
Uses
Ice does not commonly have use and was most likely implemented in Minecraft for show and visual effect. Ice cannot naturally be gathered. However, if a pickaxe has the Silk Touch enchantment, ice can successfully be gathered without destroying it.
Ice can be used to make traps but is not efficient in this as water makes a better substitute in moving mobs. Melted ice will disappear in the Nether.
In mob traps, ice is great for making faster mob delivery systems. Water traveling over ice propels items and mobs faster, decreasing the amount of time a player must wait.
When soul sand is underneath, the player will travel much slower. On the flip-side, if the ice is the floor of a two-block tall tunnel, then the player will travel much faster.
Crafting
| Packed Ice | ||
|---|---|---|
| Ice | Ice | Ice |
| Ice | Ice | Ice |
| Ice | Ice | Ice |
Trivia
- When ice is broken, it makes the same breaking sound as glass.
- Blocks of water in arctic biomes will occasionally freeze, forming blocks of ice.
- If ice is placed directly next to lava or water, the liquid will be invisible.
- By sprinting and jumping while on ice and inside a 2-block tall tunnel, it is possible to move 16 blocks a second, twice as fast as a full-speed minecart. By replacing the 2-block ceiling with trapdoors, it's possible to travel 1000 blocks in 54 seconds, or 18.518 blocks per second. However, this will drain a player's hunger bar extremely quickly at roughly 1 unit per second.
- Ice can be melted by any block or item that emits a high light level.
- Ice in the Pocket Edition does not have the same transparency as in the PC version.
- When ice is thrown on the ground, you can see through chests and some other blocks.
- A boat will move extremely fast across the top of ice blocks.
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