Minecraft announces major new update packed with new features

It’s hard to ever picture Minecraft slowing down, its position unchallenged as the best-selling game of all-time.

Just to give you an idea of Minecraft’s success, it’s sold over 300,000,000 copies as of October 2023.

Grand Theft Auto V then sits behind it, having shifted around 195,000,000 copies. Minecraft has nothing to worry about for some time yet.

It continues to maintain a very healthy playerbase, rewarding them with a steady stream of updates with yet another hefty update set to land later this year.

Could GTA VI shake things up? Take a look at the game in action below.

Mojang’s developers have been hard at work on Update 1.21 and while it’s not yet ready for release, certain features are available now for players to test via the latest snapshot patch.

Snapshot 24W11A can be downloaded now and includes the experimental additions of a Mace and Breeze Rod.

The Mace is a new heavy weapon that deals maximum damage when you swing it from above your enemies, although it’s pretty nifty at ground-level too.

Breeze Rods, on the other hand, will be obtainable from the newly added Breeze mobs who will drop the item upon death.

You can use Breeze Rods to create a Wind Charge or craft a Mace by combining a Breeze Rod with a Heavy Core block.

The snapshot patch also includes new Trial Chambers, allowing you to check out new Armour Trims for your gear.

Additionally, it also introduces an updated Vault loot table, two new Banner Patterns, and three new Pottery Sherds.

Remember, as a snapshot patch, these features remain in testing so don’t expect perfection.

You’ll need the Java version of Minecraft to download the patch so these features will only be accessible to PC, Mac, and Linux players for now.

You can view the full patch notes online.