Discourse surrounding Minecraft has predictably skyrocketed in recent weeks thanks to more and more information about the title's 1.20 content update being released, which is now officially called the Trails and Tales update. With the update being set to introduce lots in the way of new game mechanics, decorative items, and mobs, it is clear to see why 1.20 is so hotly anticipated.
One of the most exciting additions that is set to come with Minecraft's 1.20 update is the brand-new Sniffer mob, which follows the recent trend of the sandbox title introducing passive mobs that are outside the realm of reality. The Sniffer has direct ties to the ancient lore of Minecraft, and should be the impetus for the title to begin introducing more supernatural and unique biomes to the main overworld.
Minecraft 1.20: The Sniffer Mob
The Sniffer mob is an upcoming passive mob to Minecraft that has a decidedly unique utility for players. The Sniffer was the winner of the community-led 2022 Mob Vote for Minecraft, with the Sniffer beating both the Rascal and Tuff Golem mobs for inclusion within the game. The exact specifics of the Sniffer mob are still currently unknown, although the general framework of the mob's function has been revealed by Mojang.
Within the lore of Minecraft, the Sniffer is a long-extinct mob, which can only be revived in the game if the player loots rare Sniffer eggs from underwater structures. Once these eggs have been acquired, the player can hatch Sniffers, which in turn perform a fascinating agricultural role for the player. As its name suggests, the Sniffer can seek out rare types of ancient seeds for the player, which can in turn be planted and harvested. Not a lot is currently known about what these seeds will do, although one can assume that the introduction of the Sniffer will also see a huge array of new plants with unique effects in Minecraft.
The Sniffer and New Minecraft Biomes
Given how the introduction of mobs like the Sniffer further push Minecraft into the world of fantasy, it is perhaps time for the title to embrace the use of more fantastical and unique biomes within the standard overworld of the game. With the recent introduction of spirit-like Allay mobs to Minecraft, it seems rather like the release is gearing up to truly dive into its increasingly complex lore, and one of the best ways to make this lore tangible would be to let the player walk through it in the form of new biomes.
The 1.20 Trails and Tales update is already set to introduce new biomes in Minecraft such as the cherry blossom biome, although this does fall into the category of reality-grounded biomes that the game is already saturated with. The overworld does possess some unique biomes in the form of things like the mushroom fields biome, but the introduction of things like Allays and Sniffers could herald much more in-depth and lore-connected areas.
Minecraft's famous level of procedural generation fosters a great environment for a huge breadth of biomes to be present, in which the unique resources and mobs of fantastical biomes can truly shine while still possessing a level of rarity and intrigue. While the Sniffer is a mob that perhaps does not create the need for its very own biome, the growing portrayal of lore within Minecraft through mobs necessitates the introduction of more unique biomes in future updates.
Minecraft is available on Mobile, PC, PS4, Switch, and Xbox One.