Highlights

  • Tricky Trials update for Minecraft adds the Bad Omen effect and Ominous Raids with stronger enemies.
  • Villages in Minecraft could benefit from a big overhaul to match the game's many changes in five years.
  • New villager jobs like Carpenter, Baker, and Beekeeper would add depth and immersion to the game.

Since its release in 2011, sandbox hit Minecraft has come a long distance, and now it's arriving at version 1.21. Mojang’s June 13 Tricky Trials update has a lot of great new features, as Minecraft is a game that specializes in constant improvements and additions; this patch specifically adds to the Bad Omen effect and raids and more. Given this, it seems overdue for a big village update.

In Tricky Trials, pillager raid captains and the new Trial Chamber structure drop the Ominous Bottle, the consumption of which triggers the Bad Omen effect and causes an Ominous Raid, with much stronger enemies than a traditional Minecraft village raid. The Village and Pillage update (which included new biome-specific villages, villager jobs, pillager outposts, and raids) came out five years ago, and so if Mojang is thinking about raids, villages themselves should be renovated again to meet the many changes Minecraft has seen in that time.

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One part of Minecraft's Tricky Trials, will keep up a fantastic streak that has really helped out the last few content updates.

A Minecraft Village Overhaul Could Keep the Beloved Feature Fresh

Added Villager Jobs Would Give Villages New Life

A huge change to villages would be adding more villager jobs, which have increased in number since they initially appeared. With steady expansion of trading features, new jobs would be a natural change. An already-popular request among Minecraft players is the Carpenter, whose workstation could have a woodcutter that operates like the Mason’s stonecutter. A longtime frustration of the game is that it takes 6 wood blocks to make 4 stairs, but the stonecutter has a 1:1 ratio to make other stone items. Having a woodcutter would solve this issue; the Carpenter could also sell wood or saplings of trees not native to the village’s biome for players who want to collect or harvest each wood type without hunting them down.

Another intuitive addition is a Baker. For players more inclined toward the domestic farming life and making use of food recipes, the Baker could take ingredients in exchange for baked goods. Butchers already have the same use, so this seems a sensible addition. Of course, this would also require adjusting the Farmer’s trades, since Farmers offer baked goods, but in terms of products and specialties, it makes sense for the Baker to take a separate role. Similarly, a Beekeeper could add more uses for wax and honey and could even make obtaining Minecraft's adored bees much easier.

Finally, the Defender would be an interesting addition, or otherwise Minecraft could see an update to the iron golems. Every Minecraft player knows the frustration of watching villagers scramble around helplessly as zombies kill them, since the iron golems are often too slow to protect them. Giving the villagers a bit more defense might allow them to survive to actually have use and keep the Overworld feeling a touch less lonely.

New Village Buildings Would Add Game Immersion

New villager jobs would likely already come with new buildings, but part of a Minecraft village revamp might include more overarching improvements. For example, a Beekeeper might extend village farmland, but additional or updated buildings would add to the story and immersion of Minecraft, which Mojang has been putting impressive effort toward for a while.

Some villages still have the church that was present in Minecraft’s first versions, but making these more detailed would be interesting, especially considering they have clerics and brewing stands. That is to say, the buildings should reflect the level of thought that developers put into current professions. Minor buildings like windmills in farming areas would simply elevate the look of the village, and after stunning updates like Caves and Cliffs, cosmetic changes to villages are simply long overdue.

If Minecraft wants to lean more into its fantasy storytelling, some villages could also have a rare chance for a castle or another unique structure to spawn nearby. Of course, Tricky Trials adding the Trial Chambers means there isn’t necessarily a demand for a new dungeon, but this could make villages bolder. Minecraft's Woodland Mansion, after all, is one of the biggest, most entertaining, and most challenging structures in the Overworld, so a castle would easily give it a run for its money.

Given how far Minecraft has come in even just the last few years, an update to villages is long due. Villages are one of the game’s longest standing and most beloved aspects, so an overhaul would be appropriate to keep up with the other increasingly complex, amazing Minecraft features Mojang delivers.