The upcoming Wild Update for Minecraft is already packed with great features. The new Deep Dark biome, which was delayed out of 2021's Caves and Cliffs updates, will finally arrive in 2022 as part of the Wild Update, terrifying spelunking players with ancient cities, sculk blocks, and the new Warden mob. On the surface of the Minecraft overworld, meanwhile, players have more reason than ever to visit swamps. Mangrove trees will give swamps much more distinct aesthetics and boats with chests will greatly help players explore water biomes, while frogs, tadpoles, and fireflies bring Minecraft swamps to life like never before.
In spite of all that content, though, the Wild Update still has room to add some new features. To be specific, it would be great to see the Minecraft brewing system get some new potions as a part of the update. Mojang hasn't introduced a new potion type to Minecraft since 2018, so it'd be great to see the studio break that streak and give players something new to brew. Naturally, that means introducing some new potion ingredients, but the Wild Update already has the perfect ingredients to add. Frogs and fireflies could easily supply new items that can be used to make unique potions.
The Wild Update's Potential Swamp Potions
Minecraft has no shortage of fantastical creatures, but Mojang is no stranger to putting real-life animals in the game, as indicated by the goats, bees, and dolphins of recent years. That makes frogs and fireflies a very logical new feature for swamps in the Wild Update. Mojang says that it plans on introducing special functionality for Minecraft's new frogs; these amphibians will take on one of three forms depending on the climate of the Minecraft biome they grow up in, and they'll serve special functions based on that form. Still, Minecraft ought to give frogs a unique loot drop with multiple uses, and the same goes for fireflies.
It wouldn't be surprising to see frogs drop one or two frog legs when they're killed, giving Minecraft players a light food item to eat while living in the swamp. Raw frog legs could be used as a part of brewing too, however. To date, Minecraft doesn't have a potion that specifically boosts the player's swimming speed, which seems like a great niche for frog legs to fill. Paired with Minecraft's Potions of Water Breathing, a new potion for swimming speed would go a long way to encourage aquatic exploration, especially within the updated swamps.
Fireflies could also have a place in Minecraft potion brewing, although they'd likely serve a significantly stranger purpose. In 2016, Minecraft's Combat Update introduced Spectral Arrows which gave enemies the Glowing effect when hit, letting players see the mob's outline through blocks. Fireflies could produce a potion variant of the Glowing status effect, letting players outline enemies with splash potions or outline themselves so that friends can see them better during exploration. Alternatively, firefly-based potions could literally illuminate afflicted entities, causing them to emit light like a torch.
Room for More Minecraft Potions
If Mojang feels so inclined, it could always introduce another potion based on sculk blocks, reproducing the Darkness effect that makes the Deep Dark biome so menacing. Potions like this one and theoretical swamp mob potions would be a major boon to Minecraft, and not just because it's one more new feature. Minecraft updates feel the most natural when they connect with Minecraft's established features, rather than purely adding a layer of new content. New potions in the Wild Update would help tie it into Minecraft's long line of previous patches and changes, making it feel more like the next step for Minecraft, rather than a sudden leap in a new direction.
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