The Minecraft 1.6 update came out back in May, followed by the 1.7 update in June. Since then, we've been waiting for next big patch, excitingly dubbed the 'Adventure Update,' whereby the game's creator, Notch, and team at Mojang, have finally promised to deliver the one major missing piece to the game: purpose.

Endlessly and tediously mining, just to build the same old things over and over got tiresome a while ago, and for those not into installing complex mods, maybe you've already stopped playing the game, like a few of us at Game Rant, as we wait for more. Creativity can only go so far in a game like this, but the the latest Minecraft trailer for the 1.8 Adventure update, hints that it shouldn't be long before we get the first half of the next big patch.

[Update: The Minecraft 1.8 update has a new tentative release day of Monday, Sept 12th and here are the latest details]

[Update 2: The Minecraft 1.8 pre-release is out along with a few cool walkthrough videos - check them out!]

The official Minecraft 1.8 update trailer released this morning and it offers a few brief glimpses of some of the new features the game will employ, from collectible orbs from downed enemies and NPC villages, to the improved bow and arrow weapon system and of course, the terrifying and new Enderman creatures.

Watch and enjoy:

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tYoO9XkCCHg

For eager fans who've been following along, and for those lucky enough to get up close and personal with the Adventure Update at PAX Prime the other week, this video may not be too revealing. We've known about most of these details and most of the video doesn't actually showcase what's new about the next big patch, but it does help reassure that it's at least coming together nicely and that it shouldn't be too long before we get our hands on the update. Heck, the "full" release is in November, so if the 1.8 update is only the first half of the bigger Adventure add-on, it must be soon.

We're excited to see what these NPC villages will offer and how much playability the updates will add to Minecraft as we'd love to get back in for more hours of creativity and hilarity.

For more on the 1.8 update, check out this0 Minecraft Adventure update walkthrough from Notch.

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Minecraft exits beta status on November 11, 2011.

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