Everything you need to know about Minecraft 1.21

Minecraft 1.21 has been unveiled at Minecraft Live 2023, and here are all the features you need to know about
Everything you need to know about Minecraft 1.21
Everything you need to know about Minecraft 1.21 /

Among the many announcements at Minecraft Live 2023 came the one we were all hoping for – Minecraft 1.21 is coming next year. One major update per year has been the standard for quite a while now, although they tend to vary wildly in size, with this year’s 1.20 update being on the smaller side.

Minecraft 1.21 steps it up a notch, as while it doesn’t have any massive mechanical overhauls, it adds big and flashy new features, some of which we never thought we’d see outside of fan-made modpacks.

We’ve gathered all the information on what’s to come, so here’s everything you need to know about Minecraft 1.21.

The Crafter

Minecraft 1.21 The Crafter
Mojang

It’s one of the first features technology mods for Minecraft think of, but something we never thought we’d see as an official feature. The crafter is a redstone device that can be set up to automatically craft certain items. We don’t have full confirmation of how it works just yet, but it will likely be able to be fed by hoppers so you can run a chain of farms and crafting automatically.

The Breeze

Minecraft 1.21 the Breeze
Mojang

As well as the winner of this year’s mob vote, we will have a brand new hostile mob coming in 1.21: The Breeze. As the name suggests, this mob is a lot like the Blaze, only they use wind attacks rather than fire. They will jump around shooting wind projectiles that produce a small explosion with a big knockback effect on impact.

Trial Chambers

Minecraft 1.21 Trial Chamber
Mojang

You can find the Breeze in the brand-new combat trials. These structures, made of new copper and tuff blocks, spawn underground and will spawn waves of enemies for you to defeat in exchange for loot. They provide more of a challenging combat experience than the old Minecraft dungeons with their default spawners.

Trial Spawners

Minecraft 1.21 Trial Spawner
Mojang

In these trial chambers and available to map makers, there is a new type of spawner called the Trial Spawner. Unlike regular spawners which continuously spawn mobs at regular intervals, these trial spawners only spawn up until a limit has been reached – this limit can be dynamically altered based on the number of players in range too. They will also dispense loot once a specified number of enemies have been defeated.

Copper Bulbs

Minecraft 1.21 Copper Bulb
Mojang

Lightbulbs are now craftable in Minecraft, increasing your options for lighting a room. Like other copper blocks, these can oxidize over time, and the more oxidized these bulbs are, the dimmer they become. You can wax them like other copper blocks though, letting them stay at the brightness you prefer.

Minecraft 1.21 release date

Minecraft Live 2023 promo
Mojang

An exact release date hasn’t been announced yet, but Mid-2024 is the window Mojang has promised. Both 1.19 and 1.20 were released on the same day: June 7, so that’s the kind of date players should expect – although things can always change during development.


Published
Ryan Woodrow
RYAN WOODROW

Ryan Woodrow is Guides Editor for GLHF based in London, England. He has a particular love for JRPGs and the stories they tell. His all-time favorite JRPGs are the Xenoblade Chronicles games because of the highly emotive and philosophy-driven stories that hold great meaning. Other JRPGs he loves in the genre are Persona 5 Royal, Octopath Traveler, Fire Emblem: Three Houses, Nier Automata, and Pokémon. He also regularly dives deep into the indie scene trying to find hidden gems and innovative ideas. Some of his favorite indie games include FTL: Faster Than Light, Thomas Was Alone, Moonlighter, Phantom Abyss, and Towerfall Ascension. More of his favorite games are Minecraft, Super Mario Odyssey, Stardew Valley, Skyrim, and XCOM 2. He has a first-class degree in Games Studies from Staffordshire University and has written for several sites such as USA Today's ForTheWin, Game Rant, The Sun, and KeenGamer. Email: ryan.woodrow@glhf.gg