One of the main allures of Minecraft concerns the huge amount of creative freedom that the sandbox title affords the player. With an ever-expanding randomly generated world and a hugely complex set of game mechanics to master, it is clear why the title has been so successful over the years.
With this in mind, it can be considered strange that some aspects of Minecraft's offered gameplay are still so barebones when compared to the levels of variety that the title otherwise fosters. The level of cosmetic customization that is offered to the huge array of pets within Minecraft is one of these areas, with the current state of the game only sporting any useful and extensive customization to the horse mob.
Horse Armor Customization in Minecraft
Minecraft's horse armor has long been a staple of mob customization, first being introduced a decade ago with the game's 1.6.1 update. Currently, players can find leather, iron, gold, and diamond horse armor in a variety of in-game structures, with only the leather variant being available to obtain via crafting.
Along with saddles, horse armor can be equipped on a tamed critter, with it then being shown to physically wear the garments of choice in-game. This provides a huge cosmetic change to the horse, with the armor covering a huge portion of the mob. As well as this, it is worth noting that this plate also possesses a practical utility, with it giving the horse extra health in the same way equipped armor does to players in Minecraft.
Players are already opining on whether Mojang will add new horse armor variants in the near future, with many desiring a Netherite version of it, or for these items to be applicable to the armor trimming mechanic that will soon come to Minecraft. Regardless of whether these changes are implemented, it remains that there is a huge untapped potential for this cosmetic customization to be extended to other tamable mobs within the game.
Cosmetic Customization For Other Minecraft Pets
While horses are an excellent mob for rapid traversal of Minecraft's map while avoiding enemies, it remains that there are a plethora of other ones that are just as, if not more, synonymous with the pets that the game includes. Despite this, Minecraft strangely offers essentially no cosmetic customization that is comparable to horse armor for any other mob.
Dogs are one of the go-to pets in Minecraft, with many players often exploring and fighting alongside tamed dogs more often than they do on horseback. The only current offered customization for dogs stems from the ability to dye their collars a variety of colors, with this being the only form of cosmetic customization that tamed mobs can receive other than horse armor.
At the very least, dogs should also be able to receive their own armor, with the system working essentially identically to how horse armor is currently obtained and equipped in-game. A change as small as this would do wonders for the overall cosmetic customization of the title, and similar protective garb could even be given to the likes of Minecraft's cats and parrots to increase their health pools. There is no denying that horse armor is a fantastic mechanic within Minecraft that blends cosmetic items with needed in-game utility, but it is abundantly clear that this treatment desperately needs to be extended to the many other pets that the game possesses.
Minecraft is available now on Mobile, PC, PS4, PS5, Switch, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
