For a long time in Minecraft, one of the least interesting biomes to visit was that of the desert. While it was always possible to find hidden temple treasures or fun desert villages, the lack of creatures that were specific to this region was harmful to players’ interest in it. This has all changed, however, with the newest update.
Minecraft update 1.20 has added multiple intriguing facets to the world of deserts in-game. Archeology has become possible using the new brush item, and much can be discovered in suspicious sand blocks. But even more intriguing is the new mob, the Camel, which has changed the face of Minecraft deserts forever.
7 Camels Are Desert Dwellers
Camels in Minecraft are to be found by players wandering the desert, particularly sitting around in desert villages. Villagers seem to keep camels similar to how cats can be found in villages littered the whole Minecraft world over, one of the more adorable additions to the game.
Camels can survive anywhere in the Minecraft world and do not need to be contained exclusively in their biome of origin. This is fortunate as players may want to take them to various other places due to their main capability in Minecraft.
6 Camels Can Be Ridden
Camels are the newest mount available in Minecraft, and they are unique for several reasons. Camels can be ridden by merely attaching a saddle to them, there is no taming required like players still have to engage in if they want to ride a horse in Minecraft.
Even better, camels are the ideal tandem bicycle situation in Minecraft, as two players are able to ride a camel at one time. This is a huge addition to Minecraft, as boats were previously the only way for multiple players to travel together at the same time. Riding camels is the main feature available with these creatures in Minecraft, and it is incredibly useful. The player in the front seat always controls the camel, and the backseat cannot be used if there is only one player on board.
5 Camels Are Surprisingly Tall
Camels are a huge advantage in many types of battles. While players can often be attacked by various mobs while riding other mounts, the camel is different. Camels are so tall that when a player sits atop one, the player cannot be attacked by normal-height enemies in Minecraft.
This means that while riding around the desert if creatures such as a zombie are trying to attack the player, they won’t be able to manage it. They also don’t generally attack the camel that the player is riding on, meaning that the player is completely safe where they are from these types of creatures. There are other creatures that may provide more of a problem, for example, a creeper could still explode and likely damage both the camel and the player. An even bigger advantage is that with a sword, the player can still attack and hit creatures that are on the ground.
4 Camels Eat Cactus Plants
Camels are very convenient for players trying to keep them well-fed, at least while journeying with one around the place they naturally reside. Cactus plants spawn frequently in deserts, and are not generally the most useful of items in Minecraft as players are unable to eat them, but are hurt by them.
However, the capabilities of cactus plants have risen dramatically with the introduction of camels, as camels will solely eat cactuses. Beware though, even though this is the natural food of the camel, they can still be harmed if they run into a cactus plant, the plants need to be mined and fed by the player to the camel.
3 Camels Can Be Bred
Camels are a very simple mob to reproduce in Minecraft, particularly as villages that contain a camel will usually have more than one sitting around. If players are looking to create more camels for riding or to keep as pets, a baby camel can be produced in a very quick and easy manner, similar to how horses are bred.
All a Minecraft player has to do if they want to breed a new baby camel is to get two camels close together and feed both of them a piece of the cactus plant. Once this is done, the two camels should get together and create a new baby camel, which will grow to full size in about ten to twenty minutes.
2 Camels Don’t Do Much
Similarly to horses and alpacas in Minecraft, the camel does not have a lot of uses besides the ability for the player to ride upon it. If a camel is left to roam freely about the world, it will walk around aimlessly and occasionally sit down on all fours for a few seconds at a time.
Camels are quite dull if left to their own devices, but since they can be ridden, there is plenty of excitement for players to have with the new mobs. Fortunately, being a mount means they still do more than some other Minecraft mobs like the Axolotl.
1 Camels Are Completely Passive
Some mobs in Minecraft are somewhat passive but are still able to attack the player if provoked, such as the alpaca. Despite being similar in nature to the alpaca though, the camel mob in Minecraft is completely passive and will never attack.
Camels have decent health and a regeneration rate upon being fed a piece of cactus. There is very little use in killing camels, as a few experience orbs will drop but nothing else can be dropped by a camel except potentially a saddle if they were wearing one at the time of their death.
Minecraft Update 1.20 was released on March 2nd, 2023, and is currently available on all platforms with both Java and Bedrock Edition.