New mobs are a crucial part of most Minecraft updates. Whether they're passive mobs that bring more life to a specific biome or hostile mobs that threaten the player in creative ways, every new creature brings something valuable to the game. Minecraft has added a lot of interesting mobs in recent years, from the Nether's hoglin to the village-raiding Ravager, and there's lots of other interesting Minecraft mobs on the way. The Wild Update's Warden will be far from the last creature added to the game. As Minecraft updates go on, though, Mojang should consider an alternate angle for introducing new mobs.

A few years ago, one Minecraft update introduced a series of new mobs that acted as variants for the classic zombies and skeletons that players usually fight. Drowned, husks, and strays all have unique qualities that make them particularly good additions to Minecraft's list of mobs. Minecraft has plenty of other old mobs that could use special variants in the same vein as a means of spicing up Minecraft's various biomes and dimensions. By introducing variants of old mobs, Mojang can greatly diversify combat and enemy design in Minecraft without getting rid of tried and true monsters that players are used to.

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Minecraft Mobs That Could Get Variants

minecraft creeper cave

Of all the old Minecraft mobs that could use an alternate version, creepers seem ideal. They're the mascots of Minecraft, and their charged variant is so rare that it's impossible to call a core part of Minecraft. Mojang could consider introducing a baby creeper that's faster but weaker than its standard counterpart, or even add a Nether creeper that sets its surroundings on fire after exploding. Spiders are another old mob that could use an extra variant aside from the poisonous cave spiders. Minecraft's Dark Forest biome seems like the ideal home for a giant spider variant that's significantly tougher and stronger than the usual spider.

Some of the more niche Minecraft mobs would benefit from variants as well. For instance, Endermen sometimes feel like intruders in the Nether, but Mojang might be able to conjure a Nether variant of the Enderman that lights fires when it teleports or picks up lava like a block. Witches could also use a variant; Minecraft hasn't brought many significant changes to these mobs in recent years. A supportive witch variant that focuses on providing buffs for other hostile mobs instead of attacking the player could introduce some valuable variety to Minecraft combat when players are fighting off Illager raids or exploring Woodland Mansions.

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Why Minecraft Mob Variants are Valuable

Minecraft Drowned Fishing rod

Minecraft mob variants are a good direction for future updates because they strike a special balance between familiarity and variety. Husks and strays are largely the same as zombies and skeletons respectively, but their respective ability to inflict hunger and slowness on Minecraft players subtly changes the pace of combat. Their themed appearances and abilities make the various Minecraft biomes they appear in feel more unique too. Entirely new mobs are slightly harder to integrate into the Minecraft world because they require entirely new designs for their contexts, but mob variants simply adjust a familiar structure to reflect a certain theme.

Minecraft is full of classic mobs that have the potential to inspire a long list of interesting variants. While not every Minecraft biome or event needs to have its own version of a mob, Mojang would be wise to makes various parts of the game feel special through exclusive mob variants. New Minecraft mobs like the Warden are great additions to the game, but Mojang can't forget to update the fundamentals of the game either. Mojang has mentioned plans to update Minecraft combat sometime in the near future, so hopefully a new combat update will come with some special versions of mobs to battle.

Minecraft is available now for PC, PS4, Switch, and Xbox One.

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