Minecraft has always stuck to a single wolf variant for many years, but with the Minecraft 1.21 Update there will be 8 brand new wolf variants added to the game. This guide will tell you how to find, tame, breed, and craft the new Wolf Armor.
Updated 8/12/2025
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Wolf Variants and Locations
Having eight new wolf variants will make finding a wolf you like a little more difficult as each type of wolf spawns in different locations and pack sizes. Some wolves spawn in large packs, and others have a more limited pack size. This makes some variants harder to find. Please review and bookmark our “Minecraft 1.21 Wolf Variant – Biome – Pack Size – Matrix” image below so you can always find the right wolf for your preference.
Ashen Wolf
Keep an eye out for the Ashen Wolves roaming the Snowy Taiga biome. These wolves are perfectly suited to their cold home with a blush-gray coat that acts like snow camo. This can make them difficult to spot from a distance. Ashen Wolves travel in packs of 4, so watch out.
Black Wolf
Black Wolves can be found lurking in the Growth Pine Taiga. These wolves are well camouflaged due to their black fur. Black wolves travel in packs of 2-4.
Chestnut Wolf
If you ever catch yourself in the Spruce Taiga you might come across the Chestnut wolf. These wolves have a nice light brown coat, chestnut nose, and paws providing nice camouflage to the spruce trees. The chestnut wolves are seen traveling in packs of 2-4.
Pale Wolf
If you are a veteran Minecraft player, you will recognize the Pale Wolf as it has been the default variant of Minecraft since the beginning. However, these guys have found a new home in the Taiga biome with this new update. Additionally, these wolves are no longer found alone. Instead they can be found in a pack of 4.
Rusty Wolf
Exploring the Sparse Jungles? You may come across the Rusty Wolf. With a red and brown coat that helps them blend in with the jungle vegetation, these wolves are ideally suited for their surroundings. Rusty wolves usually travel in packs of two to four.
Snowy Wolf
Investigating the biome of Snowy Groves? You may stumble across the Snowy Wolf. This wolf variant happens to be the rarest in Minecraft. Having a flawless white coat, is the rarest because it lives by itself. It doesn’t travel in packs like other wolves do.
Striped Wolf
If you are wandering through the Wooded Badlands, make sure to see the Striped Wolf. The social animals present a wonderful sight, having bright cream coats with bold black stripes as their only distinguishing feature. This whole coloration gives striped wolves their perfect mode of hiding in the Badlands where there are very few plants and plenty of rocks that have been baked by the sun. On the other hand, their very social character can be both an advantage and a disadvantage, i.e., while their camouflage makes them hard to see at first, they move in packs of 4-8 where they can become quite visible once you get close.
Spotted Wolf
Are you planning a trip to the Savanna Plateau biome? Then spot the Spotted Wolf! Spotted wolves are an exception to the usual gray wolf, their fur is a most fascinating combination of brown, black, light brown, and even tan spots. Their black head is a distinctive feature, which combined with their fur, makes them almost invisible among tall grasses and acacia trees of the savanna. They usually go around in groups of 4–8, becoming a great power for the unready adventurer.
Woods Wolf
Stumbling across the Forest biome, you might run into a Woods Wolf pack. These wolves have a rich brown coat that provides decent camouflage amongst the trees in the forest. These wolves are found traveling in a pack of 4.
How to Tame and Breed Wolfs
Taming wolves is pretty simple. All you need is to find a wolf and then use between 5–10 bones. Once it has hearts all around it and a collar around its neck, you own it. Once you have two wolves, you can breed them with meat (Porkchops, Raw Chicken, Steak, etc…). If you have two separate variants. For example, a Rusty Wolf and a Spotted Wolf the puppy will adopt one of their parents’ appearances at random.
How To Craft Wolf Armor
Wolfs have brand-new armor that absorbs all damage until the armor breaks. If you want to craft this armor, you will need six Armadillo Scute. You get Armadillo Scute by waiting around an Adult Armadillo or using a brush on one. You then go to a crafting table and use the recipe below:
Removing Wolf Armor takes a set of Shears, walk up to the wolf, and use right-click, but you must be the owner. You can also use different dyes to create many colors to go with your wolf. Wolf armor can also be repaired without taking it off. Walk up to the wolf with some Armadillo Scute and right-click it, this will repair the most damaged wolf armor without having to remove it. Wolf armor will not prevent fall damage, so be careful not to take too high of falls.
How To Find Armadillos
Armadillos spawn in groups of 2–3 in the Savanna, Savanna Plateau, and Windswept Savanna biomes. They also spawn in groups of 1–2 in the Badlands, Eroded Badlands, and Wooded Badlands biomes.
Are Minecraft Wolf Variants Out Yet?
Not yet, but you can play around with them with the bedrock edition beta and the Java edition snapshot
How To Play Bedrock Edition Beta
PC and Xbox can download the Minecraft Preview Edition from the Microsoft Store
How To Play The Latest Java Snapshot
Open your Minecraft Launcher, and to the left of the play button there is a dropdown box that will say “Latest Version” Click that and select the Latest Snapshot
If you do not have “Latest Snapshot” go to Installations, New Installation, and under version select Latest Snapshot, put a name, and create.
If you still don’t see it go back to Installations and in the top right checkmark Snapshots
Conclusion
Minecraft’s new update 1.21 brings eight new wolf variations, each wolf is found in a specific biome, and some of the eight new wolf variations are rarer than others. You can tame and breed these wolves and even craft brand-new special armor to protect them from enemy damage. The update isn’t unavailable but can be played on the Bedrock Edition Beta and the Java Edition snapshot. So get out and explore for a new wolf companion!
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Gabriel Potter is a writer for NameHero, he writes in-depth guides for video games. He enjoys playing games like League of Legends and Rainbow Six Siege in his free time.
You should make the spotted wolfs spawn in groups of 5 – 9
The image has the name of spotted wolf and stripped wolf switched btw. Not in the detailed part but yeah!
Thanks, we just fixed it!
How do i tame ashern wolf??!
with a bone
what is the hardest wolf to get?