What We Know about Minecraft 1.21

Another year, another update, right? Since Minecraft 1.20, known as ‘Trails & Tales’ launched in 2023, the Minecraft community has been eagerly awaiting the new Minecraft update 1.21. It is a cycle: we get a new update and that is exciting but at the same time we are already waiting for the next one. At least there is some Minecraft 1.21 news spreading. Be it with the help of snapshots or statements from Minecraft Live 2023, we at least have some things to be excited about!

Is There a Minecraft 1.21 Release Date?

Sadly, there is no Minecraft 1.21 release date by now (March 2024). However, most players in the community agree upon the suspicion that Minecraft 1.21 is likely to be released sometime around June 2024. This is a good take considering that the last updates were all released around that time in their respective years. Also, there has been a hint to mid 2024 in the last Minecraft Live. So, we’ll have to be patient a little bit longer.

Does the Minecraft 1.21 Update Have a Name?

As far as we know: it doesn’t yet. At least no official name as far as we know. Well, what could it be? Previously we had:

1. 1.18 aka ‘Caves & Cliffs’
2. 1.19 aka ‘The Wild’
3. 1.20 aka ‘Trails & Tails’

The community has many names for this new update. And most of them sound pretty acceptable. Still, will we get another ‘A & B’-format or a short title? In the end, the name probably doesn’t really matter, right? It is the Minecraft 1.21 features we are waiting for!

What We Expect from Minecraft 1.21

To say the least: we expect a lot. We always do, don’t we? It’s not because Minecraft doesn’t have a lot to offer by now. No, you can possibly spend weeks in the same world trying to mine every ore, crafting every item, find every building and breed every mob. But does that mean we don’t want more? Also, no. If we take a look at the many updates of the last years (over a decade!), there are quite a lot of things we could wish for:

1. mobs
2. blocks
3. structures
4. biomes
5. game mechanics
6. items
7. enchantments

So, we know nothing about a new biome so far. That’s kind of sad, yes, but that’s why we should think happier thoughts and talk about the new Minecraft 1.21 features that we do know about!

All about the Minecraft 1.21 Trials

You could argue that the Minecraft 1.21 mobs are the most important thing to know. But well, it seems as if there is something more interesting here. Have you heard of trial chambers? This new structure is a place to test your combat skills. You will encounter many amazing things and mobs there. It is supposedly found near caves, consists of a corridor and several rooms and is also full of traps and chests.

One item you’ll find there is the trial spawner. It has a special spawning algorithm for mobs from 3 different categories. Oh, and the number of mobs depends on how many players join the combat. Great for multiplayer adventures, isn’t it? After a cooldown of 30 minutes you can try it again and bring your skills to perfection. It also may drop a trial key, the next important item. You can also find such a key in 2 other places within the trial chamber. What do you need this trial key for? Good question! The Minecraft 1.21 trial chamber is a whole journey with a block called the ‘vault’ at the end. Once you open this block with a key, it will drop loot like armor or tools. Best of all? Each player gets the loot individually!

New Minecraft 1.21 Mobs

What would the Minecraft 1.21 update be without new mobs? Yes, plural! Of course we know about the armadillo, our Mob Vote champion of 2023. And there are certainly some things we are still eager to learn about it. However, maybe this is the opportunity to shine some light on its companions: the bogged and the breeze.

Just hearing the name you wouldn’t guess what the bogged is. It is a new type of skeleton in Minecraft 1.21! It is mossy and yes, there are mushrooms on its head. You know, once you do know what the bogged is, the name makes total sense since it looks like it just walked directly out of a swamp. Which is one of the places where you might encounter it. And if you do, be aware of the poisoned arrows it shoots, okay? Well, otherwise it is quite similar to other skeletons. It also drops the same items. Except, you can also get a tipped arrow.

Last but not least: the breeze! It is going to be a hostile mob that attacks players in the trial chambers. You can imagine it as a wind-controlling little creature. And yes, wind. It can hit you with its attack called ‘wind charge’. This will push you or other things back a few blocks, can destroy some items and interact with trapdoors and levers. So, when you fight it once Minecraft 1.21 releases, be careful not to fall for these tricks.

Blocks of the Minecraft 1.21 Update

You are more of a decorator? Minecraft 1.21 got you! We’re looking forward to these new blocks:

1. tuff
2. copper
3. crafter

While that doesn’t sound like much, it actually is. Tuff and copper come with many different forms to take on in Minecraft 1.21: walls, stairs, trapdoors, doors, chiseled, bricks, just to name a few. It will really enhance the optic features of your world. And yes, the new copper additions behave like regular copper aka they undergo oxidation. We are also (there is always more) getting a new light source! It is called the copper bulb. So, yeah, we are excited about the new copper versions of Minecraft 1.21.

Now, what’s it with the crafter you may ask? It is a block that works like a crafting table but it is working on redstone. It has its own inventory and is a kind of automated crafting table if you’d like to call it that. In the end, it might be a new block to enhance the game with the Minecraft 1.21 update.

We’re Ready to Fight in Minecraft 1.21!

Since we get trial chambers to improve our combat skills in Minecraft 1.21, it makes sense that we also get some new combat-related ‘items’. One of them is the wolf armor. You know, the armor you can craft or your companion and all you have to do is collect some scutes from armadillos? It is a must have if you run into battle with hostile mobs. Then, there is the wind charge. The breeze’s attack, you may ask? Exactly. It will drop it and you can collect it to use it yourself. Well, not forever, but a few times. To push enemies back or to jump… that is the part where we have to become creative once Minecraft 1.21 is out.

Luckily, There Are Minecraft 1.21 Snapshots

Waiting for the 1.21 Minecraft update is boring. However, there is a possibility to try its features already! We often get sneak peeks thanks to snapshots. It works just like with the last update. You can install them and test a few features yourself. Well, not in their final form, but it’s better than nothing. It makes waiting easier, if anything! And if you have a Minecraft server from G-Portal, that is exactly the place to install them and get all fired up for Minecraft 1.21. Let’s hope it will be mid summer. And until then, have fun!