Minecraft Ice Balls: Frostbite Drops, Damage and Uses

Minecraft Ice Balls are the throwable projectiles dropped by Frostbites, the frozen zombie mobs in Minecraft’s fourth 2026 game-drop experiments. They damage enemies and knock them back, and they’re also the ingredient needed to brew Potions of Freezing.

The damage numbers have changed during Bedrock testing. The original 26.60.29 Preview described a hit dealing 4 damage, reduced as the projectile lost speed. Mojang’s later 26.70.21 Preview explicitly says Ice Ball base damage was increased to 2, again with damage falling as it slows. Those notices describe different stages of development, so don’t treat their numbers as one fixed amount for every hit.

Where to find Minecraft Ice Balls

Frostbites drop Ice Balls and Rotten Flesh when defeated. Look for the frozen zombie in cold biomes and in the new Ice Caves. Mojang doesn’t list an exact chance of an Ice Ball dropping, so collect from several Frostbites if you need enough for brewing.

The 26.70.21 test build narrowed their natural underground spawning to the Ice Caves biome. An ordinary underground cave beneath a snowy forest is no longer a reliable place to look. You can also encounter the mob at the surface in eligible cold areas or use the Powder Snow conversion mechanics.

Minecraft Ice Balls damage in Bedrock Preview 26.70.21

Mojang’s October 20 changelog states that Ice Ball base damage increased to 2, and that the damage decreases as the projectile loses velocity. A hit after the ball has slowed is therefore not guaranteed to deal two points. The exact result depends on the test build and the projectile’s speed.

The earlier 26.60.29 Bedrock Preview originally described 4 damage that scales down with velocity. That older figure and the newer base-damage figure are not presented as directly equivalent stats. Use the 26.70.21 notes for the newer balance change rather than quoting the initial damage line as though it still describes every hit.

You can throw an Ice Ball at a mob, and the projectile breaks on impact with particles and a sound. It also causes knockback. As a weapon, Minecraft Ice Balls are most useful when you understand that their damage changes with travel speed instead of expecting every throw to hit equally hard.

Do Minecraft Ice Balls apply Freezing?

No. A plain Ice Ball deals projectile damage and knockback. The Freezing effect is a separate mechanic inflicted by Frostbite melee attacks and the new Freezing potions and arrows. Hitting an enemy with an ordinary Ice Ball doesn’t automatically apply the status.

That gives the projectile two distinct uses: a small ranged attack, and a way to brew Freezing potions. If your aim is to apply the status to an enemy, you’ll need the potion or its supported variants rather than relying on Ice Ball impact.

Brewing Potions of Freezing with Ice Balls

Brew an Ice Ball into an Awkward Potion in a Brewing Stand to make a Potion of Freezing. Add Gunpowder to make it throwable as a Splash Potion, or use Dragon’s Breath on the splash version to make a Lingering Potion.

Our Potions of Freezing guide covers the full brewing process, including the Java and Bedrock methods of making tipped arrows. Bedrock Preview 26.70.21 also added the ability to extend a finished Freezing potion with Redstone Dust.

Java advancement: What Goes Around Comes Around

The Java snapshot’s What Goes Around Comes Around advancement asks you to defeat a Frostbite with an Ice Ball thrown by the player. Bring a few projectiles, weaken the enemy with a weapon, then land an Ice Ball as the final hit.

This is a Java advancement in the relevant snapshot, not an identical Bedrock achievement confirmed by the Preview. The advancement guide covers the finishing-hit requirement.

How to farm Minecraft Ice Balls safely

Take a shield, leather armour and building blocks into Ice Caves. A Frostbite can attack from range and inflict Freezing in melee. Watch the ground beneath you: Brittle Ice can break over a deep crevasse, while Frostbites themselves can walk across it safely.

Bedrock Preview 26.70.22 also changed Powder Snow conversions so Husks and Drowned become normal Zombies before turning into Frostbites. That can help when producing the mob for a test-world farm, but it doesn’t change the Frostbite’s confirmed Ice Ball and Rotten Flesh drops.

Can you get Minecraft Ice Balls in stable Bedrock?

The fourth 2026 game drop remains experimental as of 31 October. Mojang’s stable Bedrock 26.60 update already includes Ice Caves, Frostbites and Ice Balls in its Experimental Game Drops Features, so having stable Bedrock doesn’t automatically mean those features are absent. They are not ordinary default Survival content yet. The specific base-damage adjustment described here was published in Preview 26.70.21.

Java players can try the relevant 26.4 snapshots, while Bedrock players can use experimental settings in 26.60 or newer Preview/Beta builds where the features are enabled. Back up your world before using experimental settings. Our Preview 26.70.22 guide covers the follow-up mob and block changes.

Official source: Mojang Studios’ Minecraft Preview 26.70.21 changelog, including the Ice Ball damage adjustment.