Infested Block

Infested blocks are variants of stone, cobblestone, deepslate, or any stone bricks. They have the same texture as their regular variants, but take less time to break and spawn silverfish when broken without Silk Touch. Silverfish hiding in infested blocks emerge when a nearby silverfish is attacked in order to attack the aggressor. Infested blocks cannot be obtained in item form.

Infested Block

• Cobblestone
• Stone
• Deepslate
• Stone Bricks
• Mossy Stone Bricks
• Cracked Stone Bricks
• Chiseled Stone Bricks

Renewable	Deepslate variant: No All others: Yes
Stackable	Yes (64)
Tool
Blast resistance	0.75
Hardness	Stone and stone bricks: 0.75 Cobblestone: 1 Deepslate: 1.5
Luminous	No
Transparent	No
Flammable	No
Catches fire from lava	No
Map color (Java)	9 CLAY

{
    "title": "Infested Block",
    "rows": [
        {
            "field": "\n* '''Deepslate variant''': No\n* '''All others''': Yes",
            "label": "(link to Renewable resource article, displayed as Renewable)"
        },
        {
            "field": "Yes (64)",
            "label": "Stackable"
        },
        {
            "field": "<span class=\"sprite-file\" style=\"height:32px;width:32px;--vertical-align:middle\">(link to File:SlotSprite Pickaxe Required.png article, displayed as 32x32px|link=Pickaxe|alt=|class=pixel-image|This block can be broken with any tool, but a pickaxe is the quickest)</span>",
            "label": "Tool"
        },
        {
            "field": "0.75",
            "label": "(link to Explosion#Blast resistance article, displayed as Blast resistance)"
        },
        {
            "field": "'''Stone and stone bricks''': 0.75<br>\n'''Cobblestone''': 1<br>\n'''Deepslate''': 1.5(link to Category:Pages with overridden hardness article, displayed as Category:Pages with overridden hardness)",
            "label": "(link to Breaking#Blocks by hardness article, displayed as Hardness)"
        },
        {
            "field": "No",
            "label": "(link to Light article, displayed as Luminous)"
        },
        {
            "field": "No",
            "label": "(link to Opacity article, displayed as Transparent)"
        },
        {
            "field": "No",
            "label": "(link to Flammable article, displayed as Flammable)"
        },
        {
            "field": "No",
            "label": "Catches fire from (link to lava article, displayed as lava)"
        },
        {
            "field": "<span style=\"display: inline-block; white-space: nowrap;\"><span style=\"display: inline-block; background-color:  rgb(164, 168, 184)\n; border: 1px solid #888; border-radius: 0.3em; width: 1em; height: 1em; vertical-align: -0.36em; margin-right: -0.1em\"><br></span>  9 CLAY\n</span>",
            "label": "(link to Map color article, displayed as Map color) <small>((link to Java Edition article, displayed as Java))</small>"
        }
    ],
    "invimages": [
        "Infested Cobblestone",
        "Infested Stone",
        "Infested Deepslate",
        "Infested Stone Bricks",
        "Infested Mossy Stone Bricks",
        "Infested Cracked Stone Bricks",
        "Infested Chiseled Stone Bricks"
    ],
    "images": [
        "Cobblestone.png",
        "Stone.png",
        "Deepslate.png",
        "Stone Bricks.png",
        "Mossy Stone Bricks.png",
        "Cracked Stone Bricks.png",
        "Chiseled Stone Bricks.png"
    ]
}

Obtaining

Infested blocks are not obtainable by Silk Touch. They are available only through the Creative inventory or commands. However, they can be retained from worlds played in versions where they were legitimately obtainable.

Breaking

Breaking an infested block by hand. More silverfish appear when attacking the first one.

Block	Infested Stone Infested Stone Bricks	Infested Cobblestone	Infested Deepslate
Hardness	0.75	1	1.5
Tool
Breaking time (sec)
Default	1.15	1.5	2.25
Wooden	0.6	0.75	1.15
Stone	0.3	0.4	0.6
Iron	0.2	0.25	0.4
Diamond	0.15	0.2	0.3
Netherite	0.15	0.2	0.25
Golden	0.1	0.15	0.2
Options
Efficiency	0
Haste	0 JEBE

Legend

• incorrect tool, drops nothing
• correct tool, drops nothing or something other than the block itself
• correct tool, drops the block itself
• italicized can be instant mined

When the block is broken, whether by a player or by an explosion, a silverfish spawns where it was broken unless the difficulty is Peaceful or the game rule doTileDrops is set to false (doMobSpawning is irrelevant).

Infested blocks take less time to break than their normal counterparts. When breaking them with a pickaxe, they take half as much time to break as their normal counterparts.

When mined with anything other than a Silk Touch-enchanted tool, an infested block drops nothing and spawns a silverfish that immediately attacks the player. If the player attacks a silverfish directly with a sword, bow, or potion of Harming, or when a silverfish takes Poison damage, nearby infested blocks break, spawning more aggressive silverfish. If the silverfish is killed in one hit, then nearby infested blocks do not break, and no silverfish spawn from them.

When mined with a tool enchanted with Silk Touch, the equivalent non-infested block is dropped without spawning a silverfish. This may be any tool (including swords), meaning a pickaxe is not required to harvest the block.

Natural generation

Infested stone bricks are occasionally found in strongholds and igloo basements in place of normal stone bricks. Infested mossy and chiseled stone bricks also generate in igloo basements, but they do not generate naturally in strongholds.

Infested cobblestone is found in the rarely generated "End portal" room in woodland mansions.

Infested stone and deepslate can generate in the Overworld in the form of blobs. Infested blocks attempt to generate 14 times per chunk in ore features of size 0-13‌/0-10‌, from altitudes -64 to 63 in Java Edition or 0 to 64 in Bedrock Edition, within one of the following biomes, or within a chunk that is at least partially occupied by one of these biomes:

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

Infested stone can replace stone, andesite, diorite, granite, tuff, and deepslate. If it replaces tuff or deepslate, it becomes infested deepslate.

Post-generation

Infested blocks are generated when a silverfish enters the respective normal block form.

Usage

When mined, an infested block spawns a silverfish that immediately attacks the player. If the player attacks a silverfish directly with a sword, bow, or potion of Harming, or when a silverfish takes poison damage, nearby infested blocks break, spawning more aggressive silverfish. If the silverfish is killed in one hit, then nearby infested blocks do not break, and no silverfish spawn from them.

Identifying

Note blocks placed on infested blocks produce flute sounds‌ or harp sounds‌, while those placed on the non-infested stone, cobblestone, or stone bricks produce bass drum sounds.

In Bedrock Edition, a player can distinguish infested from normal blocks by observing that an infested block takes a bit faster to break when using a pickaxe than the stone it appears to be, but without a pickaxe, it still breaks faster.

A silverfish does not spawn if the block is destroyed by the ender dragon.

In Java Edition, using the debug screen, a player can identify whether or not a block is infested.

Sounds

Stone sounds

Java Edition:

[hide] v t e stone sound type
Sound	Subtitles	Source	Description	Resource location	Translation key	Volume	Pitch	Attenuation distance
	​Block broken	Blocks	Once the block has broken	block.stone.break	subtitles.block.generic.break​	1.0	0.8	16
	​Block placed	Blocks	When the block is placed	block.stone.place	subtitles.block.generic.place​	1.0	0.8	16
	​Block breaking	Blocks	While the block is in the process of being broken	block.stone.hit	subtitles.block.generic.hit​	0.25	0.5	16
	​Something falls on a block	Entity-Dependent	Falling on the block with fall damage	block.stone.fall	subtitles.block.generic.fall​	0.5	0.75	16
	​Footsteps	Entity-Dependent	Walking on the block	block.stone.step	subtitles.block.generic.footsteps​	0.15	1.0	16

Bedrock Edition:

[hide] v t e stone sound type
Sound	Source	Description	Resource location	Volume	Pitch
	Blocks	Once the block has broken	dig.stone	1.0	0.8-1.0
	Blocks	When the block is placed	dig.stone	1.0	0.8-1.0
	Blocks	While the block is in the process of being broken	hit.stone	0.37	0.5
	Players	Falling on the block with fall damage	fall.stone	0.4	1.0
	Players	Walking on the block	step.stone	0.3	1.0
	Blocks	Jumping from the block	jump.stone	0.12	1.0
	Blocks	Falling on the block without fall damage	land.stone	0.22	1.0

Deepslate sounds

Java Edition:

[hide] v t e deepslate sound type
Sound	Subtitles	Source	Description	Resource location	Translation key	Volume	Pitch	Attenuation distance
	​Block broken	Blocks	Once the block has broken	block.deepslate.break	subtitles.block.generic.break​	1.0	0.8	16
	​Block placed	Blocks	When the block is placed	block.deepslate.place	subtitles.block.generic.place​	1.0	0.8	16
	​Block breaking	Blocks	While the block is in the process of being broken	block.deepslate.hit	subtitles.block.generic.hit​	0.25	0.5	16
	​Something falls on a block	Entity-Dependent	Falling on the block with fall damage	block.deepslate.fall	subtitles.block.generic.fall​	0.5	0.75	16
	​Footsteps	Entity-Dependent	Walking on the block	block.deepslate.step	subtitles.block.generic.footsteps​	0.15	1.0	16

Bedrock Edition:

[hide] v t e deepslate sound type
Sound	Source	Description	Resource location	Volume	Pitch
	Blocks	Once the block has broken	dig.deepslate	1.0	0.8-1.0
	Blocks	When the block is placed	place.deepslate	1.0	0.8-1.0
	Blocks	While the block is in the process of being broken	hit.deepslate	0.3	0.5
	Players	Falling on the block with fall damage	fall.deepslate	0.4	1.0
	Players	Walking on the block	step.deepslate	0.3	1.0
	Players	Jumping from the block	jump.deepslate	0.12	1.0
	Players	Falling on the block without fall damage	land.deepslate	0.22	1.0

Data values

ID

Java Edition:

Name	Identifier	Form	[hide]Translation key
Infested Stone	infested_stone	Block & Item	block.minecraft.infested_stone
Infested Cobblestone	infested_cobblestone	Block & Item	block.minecraft.infested_cobblestone
Infested Stone Bricks	infested_stone_bricks	Block & Item	block.minecraft.infested_stone_bricks
Infested Mossy Stone Bricks	infested_mossy_stone_bricks	Block & Item	block.minecraft.infested_mossy_stone_bricks
Infested Cracked Stone Bricks	infested_cracked_stone_bricks	Block & Item	block.minecraft.infested_cracked_stone_bricks
Infested Chiseled Stone Bricks	infested_chiseled_stone_bricks	Block & Item	block.minecraft.infested_chiseled_stone_bricks
Infested Deepslate	infested_deepslate	Block & Item	block.minecraft.infested_deepslate

Bedrock Edition:

Name	Identifier	Alias ID	Numeric ID	Form	Item ID	[hide]Translation key
Infested Stone	infested_stone	monster_egg / 0	97	Block & Giveable Item	Identical	tile.monster_egg.stone.name
Infested Cobblestone	infested_cobblestone	monster_egg / 1	1113	Block & Giveable Item	Identical (Numeric: -858)	tile.monster_egg.cobble.name
Infested Stone Bricks	infested_stone_bricks	monster_egg / 2	1114	Block & Giveable Item	Identical (Numeric: -859)	tile.monster_egg.brick.name
Infested Mossy Stone Bricks	infested_mossy_stone_bricks	monster_egg / 3	1115	Block & Giveable Item	Identical (Numeric: -860)	tile.monster_egg.mossybrick.name
Infested Cracked Stone Bricks	infested_cracked_stone_bricks	monster_egg / 4	1116	Block & Giveable Item	Identical (Numeric: -861)	tile.monster_egg.crackedbrick.name
Infested Chiseled Stone Bricks	infested_chiseled_stone_bricks	monster_egg / 5	1117	Block & Giveable Item	Identical (Numeric: -862)	tile.monster_egg.chiseledbrick.name
Infested Deepslate	infested_deepslate	None	709	Block & Giveable Item	Identical (Numeric: -454)	tile.infested_deepslate.name

Block states

Bedrock Edition:
Infested Deepslate:

Name	Metadata Bits	Default value	Allowed values	Values for Metadata Bits	[hide]Description
pillar_axis	Not Supported	y	x	Unsupported	The deepslate is oriented east–west.
			y	Unsupported	The deepslate is oriented vertically.
			z	Unsupported	The deepslate is oriented north–south.

History

[hide]Java Edition Beta
1.8			Pre-release				Added monster eggs.
							If a silverfish enters mossy stone bricks or cracked stone bricks, they convert into monster eggs.
							They currently lack an in-game name, and are not in the Creative inventory, so they are commonly referred to as "Block 97" due to their numeral ID.
[hide]Java Edition
1.2.1			1.2				If a silverfish enters chiseled stone bricks, they convert into infested stone bricks.
1.3.1			12w17a				Infested blocks are now labeled as "Stone Monster Egg", "Cobblestone Monster Egg", or "Stone Brick Monster Egg" depending on what kind of block it is.
			12w21b				Stone monster egg is now available in the Creative inventory.
			12w22a				Cobblestone and stone brick monster eggs are now available in the Creative inventory.
1.4.2			12w38a				Stone monster eggs now rarely generate in extreme hills and extreme hills edge biome.
1.6.1			13w17a				Silverfish do not cause monster eggs to break when /gamerule mobGriefing is set to false.
1.7.2			13w36a				Added mossy stone brick monster egg, cracked stone brick monster egg and chiseled stone brick monster egg variants, likely as a fix for MC-7449. These are available in the Creative inventory.
							Silverfish are now spawned when a monster egg is destroyed by an explosion.
							Stone monster eggs now generate in extreme hills+, extreme hills M and extreme hills+ M.
1.8			14w04a				Silverfish are no longer spawned when mining a monster egg with a Silk Touch tool.
							Silverfish are no longer spawned when destroying a monster egg in Creative mode.
1.9			15w43a				Monster eggs now generate among the stone bricks of igloo basements, with either regular, mossy or chiseled stone brick appearance.
1.11			16w39a				Cobblestone monster eggs now generate in woodland mansions.
1.13			17w47a				"<block> Monster Egg" have been renamed to "Infested <block>".
							Infested blocks now break instantly, regardless of the tool, instead of taking longer to break than their non-infested counterparts. This makes them harder to identify.
1.14			18w43a				The textures of infested blocks have been changed.
			18w44a				The texture of infested stone has been changed, once again.
			18w47a				The textures of all infested stone bricks have been changed to appear more smooth.
			18w50a				The texture of infested cobblestone has been changed, once again.
1.15			19w39a				Silverfish are no longer spawned when an infested block is destroyed in an explosion.
1.16			20w07a				Silverfish are now spawned from blown up infested blocks again.
1.17			21w10a				Added infested deepslate.
			21w15a				Infested deepslate now has the correct sounds.
			21w16a				Infested Deepslate can now be placed on any axis. It can also now have random texture rotation like deepslate.
			21w18a				Instead of breaking instantly, infested blocks now take half of the time to break compared to their regular counterparts.
			21w19a				Pickaxes are now the appropriate tool for breaking infested blocks.
1.18			Experimental Snapshot 2				Infested stone and infested deepslate now generates in meadows, groves, snowy slopes, lofty peaks, and snowcapped peaks.
			Experimental Snapshot 3				Infested stone and infested deepslate now generate in stony peaks.
			21w40a				Infested stone and infested deepslate no longer generate in gravelly mountains+ and mountain edge.
[hide]Pocket Edition Alpha
v0.9.0			build 1				Added monster eggs.
							The only way to create monster eggs in-game is with the help of silverfish, as all variants cannot be accessed in the Creative inventory.
v0.11.0			build 1				Monster eggs now generate in extreme hills biome.
v0.16.0			build 1				Six variants of monster eggs are now available in the Creative inventory.
[hide]Pocket Edition
1.0.0			alpha 0.17.0.1				Monster eggs now generate among the stone bricks of igloo basements, with either regular, cracked, mossy or chiseled stone brick appearance.
1.1.0			alpha 1.1.0.0				Cobblestone monster eggs now generate in woodland mansions.
[hide]Bedrock Edition
1.10.0			beta 1.10.0.3				"Monster Eggs" have been renamed to "Infested Blocks".
							The textures of infested blocks have been changed.
1.17.0			beta 1.17.0.54				Added Infested Deepslate.
							Pickaxes are now the appropriate tool for breaking infested blocks.
1.20.30			Preview 1.20.20.21				The blast resistance of infested blocks has been decreased from 1.8 to 0.75.
1.21.20			Preview 1.21.10.20				The different block states for the monster_egg ID have been split up into their own IDs.
							Increased the hardness of infested cobblestone from 0.75 to 1.
1.21.30			Preview 1.21.30.22				Renamed "Infested Stone Brick" to "Infested Stone Bricks" to match Java Edition.
[hide]Legacy Console Edition
Xbox 360	Xbox One	PS3	PS4	PS Vita	Wii U	Switch
TU5	CU1	1.00	1.00	1.00	Patch 1	1.0.1	Added silverfish stone, silverfish cobblestone and silverfish stone bricks.
							Silverfish blocks all share the same tooltip, "Silverfish Stone".
TU7							The names of infested blocks have been changed from "Silverfish Stone" to "Silverfish <stone type>".
TU31	CU19	1.22	1.22	1.22	Patch 3		Added silverfish mossy stone brick, silverfish cracked stone brick and silverfish chiseled stone bricks.
TU43	CU33	1.36	1.36	1.36	Patch 13		Silverfish blocks now generate among the stone bricks of igloo basements, with either regular, mossy or chiseled stone brick appearance.
TU54	CU44	1.52	1.52	1.52	Patch 24	1.0.4	Silverfish blocks now generate in woodland mansions.
			1.90				The textures of silverfish blocks have been changed.
[hide]New Nintendo 3DS Edition
0.1.0							Added monster eggs. All six variants are available in the Creative inventory.

Data history

[hide]Java Edition
1.13			17w47a				The different block states for the monster_egg ID have been split up into their own IDs.
							Prior to The Flattening, this block's numeral ID was 97.

Issues

Issues relating to "Infested Block" or "Monster Egg" are maintained on the bug tracker. Issues should be reported and viewed there.

Java Edition

• MC-110424 – Vexes do not actively attack iron golems when vexes are spawned by spawn egg, monster spawner, trial spawner or "/summon" command
• MC-212663 – Infested blocks can turn into their normal version when "mobGriefing" is set to false
• MC-210283 – Sculk sensors are not activated upon silverfish infesting blocks
• MC-225217 – Silverfish can infest blocks in spawn protection
• MC-265157 – Silverfish can infest blocks when in a boat
• MC-269047 – Note block above infested blocks makes harp sound
• MC-279079 – Command `/setblock <pos> minecraft:air destroy` has inconsistent behavior when replacing infested blocks and beehives
• MC-164906 – Infested blocks do not save silverfish NBT data
• MC-167372 – Silverfish cannot infest stair, slab or wall variants of blocks they can infest
• MC-177631 – Infested Stone blocks can be mined by silk touch tools other than pickaxes

Bedrock Edition

• MCPE-142813 – Infested Block breaks faster with empty hand and almost instant mine when using a pickaxe

Trivia

• Despite silverfish being able to infest cobblestone, stone bricks, and mossy stone bricks, they cannot infest mossy cobblestone.

External links

• Block of the Month: Infested Block – Minecraft.net on January 26, 2023