Minecraft infested block guide

While exploring the world of Minecraft, you will come across many different blocks. Right at the start, you will be breaking and mining them to progress the game. Mining blocks is a safe thing to do in Minecraft, although some blocks come with a catch.

The bed, a block used for sleeping in the Overworld, can blow you to smithereens in the Nether and the End. Gravel or sand can trap and kill you by falling on your head while you are mining. Another block that can be annoying and dangerous is the infested block.

In this guide, we look at infested blocks in Minecraft and explain what they do and where to find them.

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What is an infested block in Minecraft, and what does it do?

Infested block hiding in plain sight (Image via Mojang)

Infested blocks are among the oldest blocks in Minecraft, added back in the beta stage of Java Edition. As its name suggests, this block is infested by an odd mob called a silverfish. When an infested block is mined, a silverfish will spawn out of it and start attacking the player.

If there are other infested blocks nearby, they will also start to break down and spawn silverfish to attack the player. This infestation can happen in all types of stone blocks, such as regular stone, cobblestone, and deepslate. You can also find infested blocks in the form of stone bricks.

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Where to find infested blocks in Minecraft

Infested block generation (Image via Mojang)

For some players, unexpected infested blocks can be very annoying in Minecraft. If you are one of them, you would probably like to know where infested blocks generate in your world.

Infested blocks can generate only in the Overworld dimension, meaning you need not worry about encountering them in the Nether or the End. In the Overworld, you rarely come across infested blocks in the following structures and biomes:

Structures

• Strongholds
• Basements of igloos
• Fake end portal rooms in woodland mansions

Biomes

• Windswept Gravelly Hills
• Windswept Hills
• Windswept Forest
• Meadow
• Cherry Grove
• Grove
• Snowy Slopes
• Jagged Peaks
• Frozen Peaks
• Stony Peaks

In these biomes, infested stone can generate in blobs similar to how different ores generate. It is difficult to find them since they look just like any other stone block. The only way to find out if a block is infested is by breaking it. Compared to regular stone blocks, infested stone will break faster.

If you are on Java Edition, you can use the debug screen by pressing F3 and pointing at a suspected stone block to see if it has “infested” mentioned under the block information.

However, this option is available only for Java Edition players, as the debug screen is missing in Bedrock Edition.

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How to make infested stone blocks in Minecraft

Silverfish entering stone (Image via Mojang)

Aside from finding naturally generated infested stone blocks, they can also be created by using silverfish. When left idle, a silverfish can hide inside a stone block and infest it, turning it into an infested block in Minecraft. The only place where you can find silverfish spawning is in the portal room of strongholds.

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Can you collect infested stone in Minecraft?

Unfortunately, an infested stone block is unobtainable in survival mode. Even with the Silk Touch enchantment, you cannot mine an infested block. The only way to get it is in creative mode or by using commands.