The major Minecraft 1.21 update now has a name, but it’s a bit smaller than we expected
The Minecraft ‘Tricky Trials’ update is official, and it’s bringing a ton of adventure-focused features to Minecraft this year.
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What you need to know
It feels like it has been ages (over six months, to be precise) since Mojang Studios firstrevealed the major Minecraft 1.21 content update, and it seems we’re finally entering the endgame of development. Mojang typically leaves naming an update until near its release, nowadays, and today’s the day we learn what to callMinecraft 1.21. Focusing on adventures and challenge, this is theMinecraft’Tricky Trials' update, and it’s coming later this year.
You can check out the latest episode of Minecraft Monthly for a quick rundown of the update’s exciting new features, but it’s worth mentioning that the Tricky Trials Update is actually smaller than we expected. That’s because Mojang alreadyreleased several features in the 1.20.5/1.20.80 “Armored Paws” update, including new Wolf variants, protective wolf armor, and Armadillos! You can go enjoy those new featuresright now, and they’re pretty great.
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So, what will the Tricky Trials Update bring to Minecraft? You can check out our comprehensiveMinecraft 1.21 ‘Tricky Trials’ FAQfor all the details, but I’ll give you the summary. This update focuses on adventures, which means adding challenging and maze-like Trial Chambers to the Overworld, added the new poisonous Bogged Skeleton hostile mob, letting you smash enemies with the new Mace weapon, and letting hardcore players discover even greater challenge with new Ominous Trials.
There are also new pottery sherds, paintings, banner designs, armor trims, soundtrack music (now available onSpotify), and music discs. It’s not the biggest update Minecraft has ever seen, but there’s a healthy collection of new features and content for players to explore. One thing we did not learn today, however, is whenMojang Studioswill actually release the Minecraft Tricky Trials Update.
Players can already test out most of these features through the latestMinecraft Previewor Minecraft: Java Edition snapshot builds, but most players will seemingly have to wait a little more. Hopefully, it won’t be too much longer now that Minecraft 1.21 has a name. If you want to read more about one of thebest Xbox games, you can check outhow XREAL’s AR glasses turned my partner into a Minecraft addict.
Are you excited for Minecraft’s Tricky Trials Update? Let me know in the comments!
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Zachary Boddy (They / Them) is a Staff Writer for Windows Central, primarily focused on covering the latest news in tech and gaming, the best Xbox and PC games, and the most interesting Windows and Xbox hardware. They have been gaming and writing for most of their life starting with the original Xbox, and started out as a freelancer for Windows Central and its sister sites in 2019. Now a full-fledged Staff Writer, Zachary has expanded from only writing about all things Minecraft to covering practically everything on which Windows Central is an expert, especially when it comes to Microsoft. You can find Zachary on Twitter@BoddyZachary.
