Igloo

The Igloo is a small snow-block dome that sometimes hides a zombie-curing laboratory beneath it. It generates in the Overworld, across 2 biome types - Snowy Plains and Snowy Taiga - which makes the Igloo moderately uncommon to come across as you explore.

Height-wise the Igloo sits in the Y 62 to Y 74 band, which narrows down where to look. Igloos generate in snowy plains and snowy taiga (including their slope and grove neighbours) and blend almost perfectly into the white terrain. Roughly half of them are built over a secret basement; the rest are just the surface hut.

It was introduced in Minecraft 1.9, and the detail that defines it at a glance is simple: snow block dome structure.

On Java Edition the quickest method is the command /locate structure minecraft:igloo, which prints the coordinates of the nearest Igloo and the distance to it.

Without commands, head for one of the Igloo's biomes (Snowy Plains and Snowy Taiga) and search the Y 62 to 74 band. Because it is moderately uncommon, you will usually pass a few biomes before a Igloo appears.

Use /locate structure minecraft:igloo. Found in snowy biomes. Small white domes that blend in with snowy terrain. Look for a carpet trapdoor inside to find the basement.

Once inside, when the basement exists it holds a single chest plus a brewing stand. The chest can roll an Emerald or Gold Nugget, while the brewing stand always carries a Splash Potion of Weakness and a Golden Apple sits ready - exactly the two items needed to cure the captive zombie villager.

Some rewards here are guaranteed every time: Golden Apple (1) and Splash Potion of Weakness (1). Those are not random rolls - the Igloo always provides them, which is a big part of why it is worth seeking out.

Among the Igloo's randomised drops, the most common pulls are Apple at about 70%, Stone Bricks at about 55.0%, Wheat at about 55.0%, and Coal at about 41%. At the other end of the odds sit the jackpot items: Emerald at roughly 7.0% and Gold Nugget at roughly 36%, so opening multiple Igloo chests pays off over time.

What makes the Igloo genuinely worth the trip is a set of exclusive rewards you cannot get reliably anywhere else - Golden Apple (in basement) and Splash Potion of Weakness (in brewing stand) - so this is the place to come for them.

Expect to face Zombie Villager (in basement) inside or around the Igloo.

The specific hazards to plan around: zombie villager in basement can attack and easy to miss due to snow camouflage. There is more to watch for too - cold biome survival challenges - so do not rush.

Above ground sits a furnished one-room snow dome with a bed, crafting table, furnace, and a carpet that may conceal a trapdoor. Below the trapdoor a ladder shaft drops into a stone-brick basement containing a normal villager and a zombie villager in cells, a cauldron, a brewing stand, and the loot chest.

Other things you will notice as you explore: furnished interior with bed and furnace, 50% chance of hidden basement, and basement contains brewing stand and villager/zombie villager.

The igloo basement is designed to teach players how to cure zombie villagers. It provides everything needed: a golden apple, a splash potion of weakness, and a zombie villager prisoner. Only 50% of igloos have a basement.