Highlights

  • Minecraft's 1.21 update could introduce a new class of mobs, called constructs, which would add variety and shared mechanics to the game.
  • Constructs could have a different aesthetic than golems, taking on a steampunk fantasy vibe with redstone power sources and lightning animation.
  • Constructs could interact with redstone, offering unique opportunities for players to utilize them in their redstone machines and adding more complexity to the game.

Minecraft's bestiary is full of creatures both bizarre and mundane. However, 1.21's focus on tinkering, exploration, and combat could lend themselves to a whole new class of Minecraft mob.

Though it may be a surprise to hear, Minecraft has some classification for its mobs. Undead and arthropods are classified by their respective enchantments, with undead in particular being a fleshed-out category. The grouping sports a wide variety of creatures with common traits, such as most catching fire during the day or the way they all react differently to potion effects. Outside these two groups, though, Minecraft mobs are more loosely defined and classified by level of hostility rather than any creature type.

lego-fortnite-minecraft-thinking-emoji-game-rant-2
Related
LEGO Fortnite And Minecraft Both Overthink a Simple Quality of Life Feature

While LEGO Fortnite and Minecraft are both deep games, the two survival titles take an oddly complicated approach to a basic mechanic.

Minecraft's 1.21 Update Justifies A Series Of New Construct Mobs

A Dungeons and Dragons-adjacent creature type system could be a huge benefit to Minecraft when it comes to adding new mobs, allowing them to easily slot into larger families with shared mechanics. One such type could be constructs, something it seems Mojang has been wandering in the direction of with mob votes. Though tuff and copper golems have fallen by the wayside, there's no reason for such a distinct class of creatures to run short with only what players have now. Artificial, machine-like mobs, built by players or otherwise, have outstanding potential.

New Constructs Are A Chance To Go Further Than Golems

Golems are a curious class of creature in Minecraft. They're either crude, as it is with snow golems, or strangely ancient, which is the case with Minecraft's iron golems. Even when freshly assembled, iron golems spawn with vines wrapped around their rust-indented bodies. In addition, Mojang's proposed copper golems, formed from a material more closely tied to redstone and other tech, look aged. Golems in Minecraft are clearly there to evoke an ancient form of construct rather than a tech-propelled robot.

However, with Minecraft 1.21's lean into tinkering, there's room for constructs to embody different vibes. With copper bulbs and grating meeting automatic crafter blocks, it would be more than reasonable for Mojang to add some constructs that move away from the golem aesthetic. These creatures could verge on a steampunk fantasy, outfitted with redstone power sources or animated by lightning channeled by copper. Enemies of this sort could present a look that ties redstone-level industry into the larger world, and there are very few examples of redstone naturally generating despite its many uses. Having this caliber of technology impact whole mobs would enhance the verisimilitude of the title greatly.

New Constructs Could Interact With Redstone

Creature types are a good chance to add overarching mechanics that apply to a variety of monsters. With undead, for instance, healing effects harm them and vice versa. This is useful information not just for those wondering why their harming potions do nothing against scores of zombies, but for those preparing to fight the Wither, Minecraft's undead boss.

Likewise, having all constructs interact with redstone in some way presents many opportunities. Players naturally gravitate toward creatures that help them with redstone gizmos. With this in mind, hostile construct monsters could be created with this in mind. They could be slain, of course, but if they benefit redstone machines, gamers will be encouraged to take on the whole new challenge of bringing them home alive.

Moreover, Minecraft's upcoming breeze mob already provides a blueprint for mobs triggering redstone effects. It can fire trap-triggering blasts, something that has the potential to be used for the player's benefit. This shows how constructs could work with redstone, but could also be a creature with a unique construct interaction.

Perhaps if, in a trial chamber setting, a breeze and construct mob are pitted alongside each other, a breeze blast hitting the construct could trigger a special attack or heal the entity. On the whole, this would be an opportunity for mobs to have more complex relationships with the environment and each other.