The majority of Minecraft updates focus on bringing changes to some of the most important physical aspects of the game, whether that means introducing new block types for players to build with or new mobs for players to fight. These things are the backbone of the Minecraft experience, after all, so it makes sense that these things take priority when Mojang changes the game. However, this also means that some less interactive parts of Minecraft fall behind as the rest of the game evolves. For instance, it's been a long time since Mojang reworked the systems of weather that Minecraft players can encounter.

Minecraft already features a few good weather effects that depend on the player's location. For instance, while players will never have a rainy day in the desert, they'll find rain turn into snowfall if they journey to a tundra or the top of a mountain. Fundamentally, however, Minecraft maintains a pretty basic system of weather that focuses on different forms of rain. Mojang should strongly consider taking another pass at Minecraft's weather system and introducing a little more nuance. There are all kinds of unique real-world weather phenomena that Mojang could tap into when designing a weather-themed update for Minecraft.

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The Potential of a Minecraft Weather Update

Minecraft Thunder, Lightning And Snowfall

Minecraft biomes could feel far more interesting with the help of some major new forms of weather. For instance, sandstorms in deserts and blizzards in tundras could reduce visibility, slowly damage exposed players, and even threaten crops, adding a new level of challenge for Minecraft Survival players who choose to build a home in these harsh environments. As a more universal addition to weather, strong winds could shake up Minecraft combat and exploration by interfering with ranged projectiles, kicking up water waves, and so on. Mojang could even add forms of weather to the Nether, whether that results in extremely dangerous conditions like lava rain or more subtle, atmospheric effects.

Any and all new forms of weather like these would be good additions to Minecraft because they make the game more realistic and immersive on the whole. Minecraft mobs do a decent job of making the world around the player feel alive, but there's much more to nature than the animals that populate it. Systems of weather could simultaneously make Minecraft worlds feel more like real environments while making specific Minecraft biomes more interesting due to their unique forms of weather. Minecraft is already good at immersion, but a weather update could make player immersion even better.

Why It's Time for a Minecraft Weather Update

minecraft warden hunched darkness

Interestingly enough, the Warden in the upcoming Wild Update provides a strong case for a weather update. Although the Warden is a mob, Mojang has described it as a "force of nature," rather than an enemy that players should try to defeat. The Warden is a very exciting addition to Minecraft, but its design principle highlights the fact that Minecraft is pretty short on forces of nature beyond the player's control. That's likely because Minecraft usually emphasizes the player's creative freedom to control and reshape the world around them. Nevertheless, a weather update could actually bolster that principle of creativity, rather than impeding it, since new forms of weather could encourage players to come up with ingenious ways to weatherproof their homes.

The Warden looks like an excellent example of the power of nature in Minecraft, but because it's a mob, some players are bound to treat it more like a new Minecraft boss than an unstoppable force. In order to capture the essence of the Warden in a vast new way, Mojang should strongly considering revitalizing Minecraft's weather. Adding gentle, pleasant forms of weather alongside new natural disasters will make Minecraft all the more dynamic and interesting to play, especially for Survival players looking for new challenges. Minecraft's main forms of growth may be blocks and mobs, but there's a lot more to the sandbox game than that.

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

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