Highlights

  • Minecraft updates should focus on adding depth to existing mechanics, rather than introducing new systems that are eventually abandoned.
  • Many mobs in Minecraft have underwhelming drops and mechanics, and should be given more purpose and interactions for players.
  • Minecraft players are eager for a new combat update that adds depth and consistency to the combat system across different versions of the game.

Minecraft already has a lot lined up for 1.21, with trial chambers and auto-crafters among the most exciting features announced. However, after a controversial year with a contentious update, a somewhat overlooked spinoff, and a highly debated mob vote, there are still more changes that ought to come to Minecraft.

Though Minecraft remains at the top of sandbox gaming in terms of success and popularity, one could argue that the game has started to stagnate. Newer updates don't seem to hit the peaks of The Nether Update or Village and Pillage, with many features being added lacking the depth of earlier Minecraft mechanics. The upcoming trial chambers and auto-crafter look to address these concerns and breathe new life into the game, but there's still a great deal of work to be done.

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What 1.21 Should Do For Minecraft

Add Depth To Existing Minecraft Mechanics

The big problem with recent Minecraft updates is that they expand rather than deepen. Instead of adding to existing systems (such as combat, farming, redstone, etc.), new systems are introduced (like archeology, beekeeping and new mob drops with singular purposes) before being similarly abandoned. There are signs that Mojang is interested in updates to prior content, but much more is needed. New updates should always consider how what they introduce could be made versatile and how it could interact with the existing game. In addition, existing features should be updated to stay in-line with new content. Here are some examples of how this could work:

  • New villager professions to give players an easy way-in to new content and a way to sell new goods, such as a beekeeper villager, an archaeologist villager, or even a miner villager for items added in Caves and Cliffs.
  • Updated structures for biome variants, like a Witch's Hut specific to a mangrove swamp or an Igloo tailored to massive mountain ranges.
  • Weapons forged from new items, like arrows tipped with amethyst shards or a sword infected with sculk sensors that lights up when danger is close.

If all these fantastical things were discovered in real life, humans would adapt them into all manner of agricultural, military, infrastructure, and medicinal purposes. Not only would using new features to add depth to the old be good game design, it would enhance Minecraft's fascinating lore by improving verisimilitude and make the worldbuilding more internally coherent.

Old Minecraft Mobs Need New Tricks

Many mobs have been added to the game with underwhelming drops and/or mediocre mechanics. This isn't an entirely new thing (just look at bats, one of the game's older mobs) nor are new mobs all one-note (piglins, for instance, have incredibly complex behaviors). However, there's an overall trend toward mobs that don't do much — including with pandas, polar bears, glow squids, and so on. Mojang has partially moved away from items being obtained by slaughtering passive mobs, but there are many ways players could have passive interactions where they still have something to gain. Minecraft could add a quest system for this purpose, or could have some more direct solutions:

  • A zoologist villager could reward the player for escorting them to mobs from all over Minecraft's biomes.
  • Bottles could be used to collect the ink released by a frightened glow squid, which could perhaps have applications in redstone or potions that work similarly to Terraria's shine potions.
  • Protecting a polar bear and its cubs from skeletons and strays could reward the player with the bear's temporary trust and even rare fish.

Minecraft Still Needs a New Combat Update

On top of this, Minecraft players desperately want a combat update. Not only is the current combat system lacking depth, it's different dependent on which version is played. Mojang needs to pick whether it wants Bedrock, Java, or an entirely new combat system. It then needs to give that system suitable depth with new weapons and unique mechanics.