Minecraft‘s latest update, Update 1.21, closed out Minecraft Live 2023, and it put on quite a show during its time in the spotlight. Here’s a roundup of the Minecraft Update 1.21 release date and its unique features, as well as a list of the patch notes that have been released.
Minecraft Update 1.21 Release Date
Minecraft Update 1.21 is likely to release in Summer 2024, in June at the earliest. This fits the release pattern set by more recent Minecraft updates like Minecraft Update 1.19 and Minecraft Update 1.20. These updates were released in June 2022 and June 2023.
Minecraft Update 1.21 New Features
Minecraft Update 1.21 doesn’t have as many quality-of-life fixes as previous updates, nor does it introduce any new biomes (that we know of). However, it does feature more than a few features that add a new level of exploration, combat, and crafting. Here are all of the new features coming in Minecraft Update 1.21.
Trial Chambers
The first main addition brought by Minecraft Update 1.21 is the Trial Chambers. Spawning in underground areas like caverns, Trial Chambers are a sprawling, more challenging version of the Mineshafts and Strongholds. Packed to the brim with hidden traps and dangerous enemies, Trial Chambers will be an enticing challenge.
Unlike Mineshafts and Strongholds, Trial Dungeons are primarily composed of Copper Blocks and Tuff Blocks. The Trial Chambers also include several new blocks, including:
- Chiseled Copper
- Copper Grate
- Copper Door
- Copper Trapdoor
- Copper Bulb
- Tuff Slab
- Tuff Stairs
- Tuff Wall
- Chiseled Tuff
- Polished Tuff
- Polished Tuff Slab
- Polished Tuff Stairs
- Polished Tuff Wall
- Tuff Bricks
- Tuff Brick Slab
- Tuff Brick Stairs
- Tuff Brick Wall
- Chiseled Tuff Bricks
Examples featured include the Copper Bulb, a new light source that illuminates the dim halls of Trial Chambers and glows brighter when struck by an axe. This new block can be found in the Trial Chambers and incorporated into the player’s home base, making exploration of these fun and rewarding.
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The second is the Trial Spawner, a variant of the standard Monster Spawner block that can spawn a variety of Mobs and adapts to the number of players in the Trial Chamber. During a hands-on preview of the Trial Chambers hosted by the update’s development team, Strays and Slimes were shown to spawn from Trial Spawns.
Depending on the blocks surrounding the Spawner, you’ll see the following types of enemies spawn:
| Minecraft Mobs from Trial Spawner | Blocks Surrounding Spawner |
|---|---|
| Zombie | Mossy Cobblestone |
| Husk | Chiseled Sandstone |
| Slime | Moss |
| Silverfish | Stone Bricks |
| Baby Zombie | Cobblestone / Mossy Cobblestone |
| Spider | Stone with Cobweb on Top |
| Cave Spider | Stone with Cobweb on Top and Podzol with Red Mushrooms |
| Stray | Packed Ice |
| Skeleton | Bone |
| Skeleton with Poison Arrows | Bone and Podzol with Red Mushrooms |
| Breeze | Chiseled Tuff |
These Spawners yield impressive resource drops when you clear them, and mobs will reappear after a 30-minute cooldown, so don’t destroy them, and bring lots of friends!
The Breeze Mob
The Breeze is a new hostile Mob that spawns in specialized rooms within Trial Chambers. Described as “playful” during the hands-on presentation, the Breeze is a sentient mass of wind resembling the Blaze in appearance and behavior. The Breeze is a highly mobile Mob that attacks by firing blasts of wind that damage players and generate small gusts of wind that can push Mobs and dropped objects around.
While the gust of wind that Breezes spawn cannot hurt players like the attacks that generate them, they can interact with Levers, Buttons, Trapdoors, and possibly Redstone Devices. Based on the footage shown in the hands-on preview, rooms where Breezes spawn are packed with traps that can be triggered by gusts of wind. Players must keep their wits about them and avoid being hit by the Breeze in these rooms.
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The Armadillo Mob
As has become a tradition in recent years, Minecraft Live 2023 hosted the yearly Mob Vote event, which presents players with three Mobs and allows them to decide which one will be added to the game’s next update. The selection of Mobs in this year’s Mob Vote were all peaceful animal Mobs that, under the right circumstances, can provide players with unique buffs and crafting materials. The choices were:
- The Crab
- The Armadillo
- The Penguin
The Armadillo emerged as the winner of the three, amassing 43.7 percent of the vote. Armadillos spawn in the Savannah Biome, and their unique ability references their real-life counterpart’s most distinctive trait. When startled, the Armadillo will curl up into a ball (or, in this case, block) to hide from you. When the Armadillo does this, it drops a Scute, which can be used to craft a new variety of armor that can be equipped to a player’s pet wolf.
While the Penguin and the Crab did not win the Mob Vote, that doesn’t mean they won’t be added to the game at some point in the future. The Frog Mob, for instance, was a loser of the 2019 Biome Vote, but it and its signature Biome, the Swamp, eventually made their way into the game just two years later.
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The Crafter
Crafting lies at the heart of Minecraft’s gameplay formula, and the Crafter is a tool specifically designed to make crafting more accessible and more time-efficient. Acting as a variant to the standard Crafting Table, the Crafter is a Redstone-powered crafting tool that allows players to set a unique “Crafting Mold” that the Crafter can use to auto-build, provided you have the necessary materials.
Unfortunately, the Crafter can only craft one kind of item, and it doesn’t seem like you can change the Crafter’s in-built template after you’ve selected it. For example, if you’ve built a Crafter that can auto-build a Sword, you’ll have to create a new Crafter from scratch if you want one that can auto-build a Pickaxe.
