SNIFFERS

If you’re a Minecraft fan, you’ll probs remember the Minecraft Live mob vote in 2022. The winner was the Sniffer, and now this creature has been brought back from extinction. This passive mob won’t spawn naturally, and can only be hatched from sniffer eggs found in archaelogy sites. The baby snifflet (we’ll be calling everything cute a ‘snifflet’ from now on) will hatch and grow into a huge sniffer, one of the biggest friendly mobs! The creature sniffs out and digs up ancient seeds for unique plants out of dirt, grass, and moss blocks. For a sniffer to be able to dig, it can’t be doing anything else – so it can’t be in water, on the ground, in a boat or minecart, and the block under the head needs to be diggable and reachable for the sniffer. You can use those seeds to grow the new torchflower and pitcher pods (which can be used to breed chickens and tame parrots) before becoming a pitcher plant!

CAMELS

This update was all about the mega mobs, coz the camel is also a big addition! You can saddle a camel and ride it with up to two players. When a rider is on a camel, you are high enough from the ground that several melee-attacking harmful mobs can’t reach you (and the mobs won’t attack the camel). You can sprint or dash to safety! However, beware the skeleton’s ranged attack. Best of all, camels can step up 1.5 block-high walls, so it can step onto fences and walls. Camels can’t float on water when being controlled by a player, but can be ridden in water up to three blocks deep. A camel spawns in the centre of each desert village during world generation, and won’t respawn if it is killed. When a camel without a rider wants to sit down, it will – often for two to seven seconds. A seated camel can’t be pushed by mobs or players, but it will immediately get up and flee if it is harmed. Most mobs never deliberately attack camels, but the exceptions are mobs that attack all other mobs (like zoglins). A sitting camel will stand up even if there are solid blocks above, causing suffocation damage.

ARCHAEOLOGY

If you’re a fan of worldbuilding and knowing everything you possibly can about the fictional history of Minecraft, the update added an increased history to the worlds. It’s a major boost to this storytelling paradise. Venture into ocean ruins or the new trail ruins (a structure in cold biomes), and find the new suspicious gravel. You can also explore the new desert temple rooms and uncover suspicious sand. The fragile gravity-affected blocks can be brushed to extract loot, and are the only source of pottery sherds. Suspicious blocks will drop nothing if they are broken, and break if they fall from any height or are moved with a piston. Craft four pottery sherds together to make a pot, with patterns that tell a unique story. Players can also carefully uncover hidden tools, bones, and sniffer eggs.

CHERRY GROVES

Take a deep breath of that fresh Minecraft air, coz cherry groves have provided a new look to the landscape! The temperate biome is filled with cherry trees, and is the only place that the trees (and pink petals) generate. It’s hard to argue with anyone who thinks the new cherry groves are one of the most beautiful additions to the game – even the unique petal falling particle effect is impressive! The new pink petals ground cover decoration is definitely a plus as well. The cherry grove is uncommon and usually generates in the first layer of mountains. Sheep and pig mobs are the only common passive mobs you can find in cherry groves, while rabbits might spawn above the grass blocks, and bee nests with bees can be found on the side of the cherry trees. If you use bone meal on grass blocks in this biome, pink petals generate on the ground instead of small flowers. The cherry trees can be crafted into a full pink wood-set, including the new hanging signs. Cherry tree saplings can be used to grow even more trees. The cherry grove is good for a Survival mode world, as the sparse trees can help a player avoid getting lost while collecting unique resources.

ARMOR TRIMS

This new feature can help players upgrade their unique design for characters! Armor Trims are cosmetic changes that can be applied to armor using the new smithing templates. The templates are found across biomes and structures, and are styled based on where you found them. By combining materials and smithing template patters, you can express your personal style through armor with the variety of customisation options. There are 16 armor trims, including new trims found in trail runs and ancient cities, with many combinations. Swing by Jungle Temple for Wild Armor Trim, and Ancient City for Ward Armor Trim. Head to Pillager Outpost for Sentry Armor Trim, and the Desert Pyramid to grab Dune Armor Trim. If you want Vex Armor Trim, go to Woodland Mansion, and find Rib Armor Trim at the Nether Fortress. Sail over to the Shipwreck for Coast Armor Trim, and Ocean Monument for Tide Armor Trim. Got your eye on Eye Armor Trim? Head to the Stronghold. To nab Snout Armor Trim, sniff around the Bastion Remnant. If you’re looking for Spire Armor Trim, End City is a good place to start. If the new look you want is Silence Armor Trim, you can nab it at the Ancient City. The Trail Ruins are the place to look for Wayfinder Armor Trim, Raiser Armor Trim, Shaper Armor Trim, and Host Armor Trim.

BOOKSHELVES, BAMBOO, AND HANGING SIGNS

Who doesn’t love the smell of blocky books? The new chiselled bookshelf is a functional block that allows you to store and retrieve books, written books, enchanted books, and quills. You can record the stories and lore of your work in custom bookshelves, along with your most valuable enchanted books. Players can also integrate redstone to make it the smartest bookshelf in the Overworld. Another cool addition is the use of bamboo to craft a full set of bamboo wood blocks (including signs and fences). Bamboo rafts will function like boats, but have a new unique look. Basically, bamboo isn’t only decorative – it’s functional too! You can craft with it the same way you would with any other type of wood. Finally, we can’t forget the new hanging signs, which you can use to decorate and hang beneath or on the side of a block. Signs can have writing on both sides, and be edited without destroying them, so you can share your message! However, waxing the signs with honeycomb does prevent them from being edited.