Home What’s new in Minecraft 1.21 – everything we know so far, new blocks, new mobs, new biomes?

What’s new in Minecraft 1.21 – everything we know so far, new blocks, new mobs, new biomes?

TL:DR

  • New blocks: Minecraft 1.21 introduces three new blocks, including the Crafter for automatic crafting, Trial Spawner for spawning enemies, and Copper Bulb for lighting.
  • New mobs: Players can expect two new mobs in Minecraft 1.21 - the Armadillo, dropping armored skin for crafting, and the Breeze, a wind-based creature dealing explosive damage.
  • Trial Chamber: Explore the Trial Chamber to encounter the Trial Spawner, facing tough challenges for loot rewards or risking gear loss upon defeat.

Minecraft remains, undoubtedly one of the most important video games ever made. From playing the alpha back in 2011 (although a previous iteration goes back as far as 2009 when the game was simply known as Cave Game), the game has changed so much, and yet so little.

The basic premise is the same, get lost and create in an amazing blocky world where you are free to do just about anything the imagination lets you, have a look at this for inspriation. Along the way we have had new monsters, creatures, and blocks added, but they just add to the tools you have to work with, and the latest version of Minecraft, v 1.21 will bring even more to the table.

What’s new in Minecraft 1.21?

Let’s take a look at what we know will be coming so far via a series of previews.

New blocks

It looks as though we will be getting three new blocks to play with, and while that may not sound like a lot, the amount of changes to the entire world that three new blocks can bring is almost uncalculatable.

The blocks are:

Crafter: A new redstone-powered automatic crafting station. Think of it as a 3D printer that you can leave and hope everything has worked by the time you get back.

Trial Spawner: Not one for those of you who like to play on Peaceful, the Trial Spawner will spawn enemies that reward you with loot.

Copper bulb: A new light-source block, garnished with a copper trim.

New Mobs

Again, if you play Minecraft on Peaceful or Creative modes you are unlikely to concern yourself with the two new mobs that are incoming but for mainline players, here’s what we know.

Armadillo
You will find Armadillos in warm biomes and if you kill them they will drop their tough armored skin, which you can then use to craft into your own defensive clothing.

The Breeze
More of a traditionally weird Minecraft mob, the Breeze is a purple-bodied creature with a head made of wind – a bit like a Tornado. It deals wind damage that explodes and will take a chunk off your health bar.

What is the Trial Chamber?

The Trial Chamber is where you find the aforementioned Trial Spawner. Enter the Trial Chamber to face tough challenges and be rewarded with loot. Or die and lose all your best gear. It will be one or the other for sure.

New biomes in 1.21

No news as to whether there will be any new biomes in the release but these aren’t always highlighted. Minecraft did just drop things such as Sakura cherry blossoms out of the blue, so it would almost be a surprise if there was not something new to stumble upon.

When will Minecraft 1.21 be released?

Mojang is never one to confirm a release date super early but history tells us that both the previous big version releases 1.19 and 1.20 have both come in the middle of the year – June to be exact. Like a TV detective looking for patterns while chasing a serial killer, it could just be that version 1.21 will arrive at the same time. This does of course, not actually leave that long to wait as, at the time of writing we are already in mid-April.

If this turns out to be the case, it probably will not be long before we get some firm information from the horse’s mouth itself.

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The ReadWrite Editorial policy involves closely monitoring the tech industry for major developments, new product launches, AI breakthroughs, video game releases and other newsworthy events. Editors assign relevant stories to staff writers or freelance contributors with expertise in each particular topic area. Before publication, articles go through a rigorous round of editing for accuracy, clarity, and to ensure adherence to ReadWrite's style guidelines.

Paul McNally
Gaming Editor

Paul McNally has been around consoles and computers since his parents bought him a Mattel Intellivision in 1980. He has been a prominent games journalist since the 1990s, spending over a decade as editor of popular print-based video games and computer magazines, including a market-leading PlayStation title published by IDG Media. Having spent time as Head of Communications at a professional sports club and working for high-profile charities such as the National Literacy Trust, he returned as Managing Editor in charge of large US-based technology websites in 2020. Paul has written high-end gaming content for GamePro, Official Australian PlayStation Magazine,…

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