All the snapshots leading up to Minecraft 20w21a have veteran players very excited. Coming up, expect to see more Nether content, new blocks, and significant changes to Redstone behavior when 1.16 does drop.
The first major change is to world generation, which is changing to allow players to create customized worlds without digging into config files, including the option to disable certain damage sources, which will make Minecraft more accessible to new players. The ability to disable regeneration, mob drops, and/or crafting without the recipe will also make life more challenging for hardcore veterans.
The next biggest change is to the Nether itself. Gone are the days of hunting for a fortress, now players search for a Warped Forest so they can make a warped fungus on a stick, which will allow them to ride the new Striders across lava oceans.
Players may also go searching for a Crimson Forest to meet the Nether’s new dominant residents, piglins. Piglins can be found wandering around aimlessly as Zombie Piglins, or they can be congregated in colonies near Crimson Forests. Untainted Piglins are hostile to players who are not wearing gold armor, and will attack if players dig gold or open chests nearby. If someone right-clicks a Piglin with a gold ingot, they will drop a random item. One of the potential items is a pair of boots with the new Soul Strider enchantment.
Redstone has also received a revamp. Redstone powder has been replaced with Redstone wire, and there are new ways to activate it, such as the target block. Players who convert their worlds to the new version will have to redo their Redstone contraptions, but the wire is more configurable so builds can be more compact.
For those wishing to try the snapshots themselves, tick the “snapshots” box in the Minecraft launcher and start installation with the new version. As always, have fun. The adventure has just begun.
Minecraft is available now on Mobile, PC, PS4, Switch, and Xbox One.