Tuesday, July 07, 2020
Taking Minecraft to all-new heights.
Minecraft is a constantly evolving game, gaining meaningful new features and changes continuously over years. The Minecraft of today is not the same game as ten years ago, or even last year. This means we're always looking to the next chapter in Minecraft's long and colorful story, and after the colossal success that is the Nether Update, we can be reasonably confident the next release for Minecraft will be none other than: the Mountain Update.
Here's everything you need to know about the Mountain Update for Minecraft.
What is the Mountain Update for Minecraft?
Back at Minecon 2019, where Mojang Studios dropped an unbelievable amount of Minecraft-related news on us, they also conducted a poll on which biome should receive a complete overhaul next. It was heavily implied that this biome would be the focus of the next major release for Minecraft, after the Buzzy Bees Update and the Nether Update. The victor of that poll was the mountain biome, which is in sore need of a facelift, in my humble opinion.
While nothing has been officially confirmed by Mojang Studios (they're still focusing on the Nether Update for the time being), it's pretty safe to assume that the Mountain Update will be the next release for Minecraft, and that it'll feature some pretty sizeable changes to Minecraft's most vertical locations. Whether or not 'Mountain Update' will be the name remains to be seen, but for the time being this is what we'll refer to it as.
Expect the Mountain Update to be closer in scale to last year's Buzzy Bees update rather than the ginormous Nether Update, as that's been the cadence of releases for a while. A major update will be followed by a minor update, giving Mojang Studios plenty of time to fully bake new features before sending them out to the public. That being said, there could still be some pretty sweet stuff hidden in the Mountain Update.
What new features will the Mountain Update add to Minecraft?
Until Mojang Studios makes the Mountain Update official and starts releasing preview builds, it's hard to say what exactly will change with the upcoming update. However, the video teaser that Mojang Studios released during Minecon 2019 to encourage players to vote for each respective biome (badlands, swamp, or mountain), does give us some hints about what we can expect. Beyond that, we can also dream (just a little).
What was teased in the video
The video is an astonishing 48 seconds long (you can watch it in the section above), and features cutesy graphics and a few of the Mojang Studios developers talking about the mountain biome. In it, they mention four different changes players can expect if they vote to update this vertigo-inducing landscape.
- Goat mob. Ah yes, mountain goats. Funny looking, funny sounding, and weird enough that they want to live on the face of huge mountains. It's not clear what purpose mountain goats would serve in Minecraft, but they'd probably jump around and make a lot of bleat-ing noises. I also assume they'd be friendly, but maybe Mojang Studios intends to introduce killer goats.
- More varied snow. Snow in Minecraft is ... there. It has varying depths, and it covers things, and it's snow-y. To be honest, snow is more annoying than anything. The video mentions that snow would be deeper than normal in the mountains, alluding to some interesting scenarios and mechanics (snowshoes, anyone?), but I still don't expect to start liking snow covering my pretty buildings.
- Craggy cliffsides. Right now, mountains in biomes are just tall hills, but made of stone. Sure, there are some truly interesting generations in Minecraft, but for the most part, mountains don't scream, well, "mountain." The Mountain Update should make mountains more aggressive, with cliffs and crevices to go along with them.
- Beautiful vistas? Finally, the video closes out by one of the Mojang Studios developers commenting on the view. Minecraft may not have the most mindblowing graphics by any means, but it's still possible to get some pretty awesome shots in certain biomes. I'd love to be able to capture dramatic views of towering pillars of stone, dirt, and snow.
Things we'd like to see
So if those are the features hinted at in the video (with a little bit of our speculation on top of it), what would we like to see in the Mountain Update? Well I have a few ideas for how Mojang Studios could make the mountain biome more interesting and more rewarding the willing players.
- Mountain temples. You probably saw this one coming. It seems like every biome that gets an update gets a new dungeon or temple to explore, and mountains shouldn't be any different. I'd love to see temples carved into mountainsides, or cleverly perched atop cliffs. As for making things interesting, I wouldn't mind new clever traps to avoid or even a new hostile mob that only resides inside these mountain temples.
- A new method of climbing. You want to climb a mountain in Minecraft? Get hopping, mining, building, or meticulously placing ladders. Honestly, there's no satisfying or fast way to go up a mountain like there is to go down (even if going down isn't always safe). What about something like ropes that allow players to rappel up and down cliff sides? I think this would be awesome, if implemented properly, and would make climbing that much more exciting.
- Lions. Okay, hear me out. If we get mountain goats, should we not get mountain lions too? It may sound weird to ask to be eaten by a gigantic cat, but I think that would make traversing mountains more challenging and more fun. Especially if mountain lions could be dissuaded by fishy bribes. Oh, and maybe I could have one as a pet?
- A reason to mine in mountain biomes. As of right now, pretty much all valuable ore besides coal (if you consider that to be valuable) is stashed far underground, and can't be found even in mountains. Badlands get an exception with gold, so what if mountains got an exception too? There's no real reason to want to live in a mountain biome unless you fancy the idea of a home carved into the mountainside. Emeralds being present under mountains help, but even then you'll still be far underneath the mountain, not in it.
If you have any more ideas for what the Mountain Update should entail, feel free to let us know in the comments! If we like it, it might find its way into our guide.
When will the Mountain Update release for Minecraft?
As usual, Mojang Studios is being pretty tight lipped about possible release dates for the Mountain Update. I mean, if we can't even say with 100% certainty that this is going to be the next major release for Minecraft, how would we know the release date? That doesn't mean we can't make some educated guesses, however, and that's exactly what we did.
Related: When is the release date for 'the Mountain Update'?
If you want the short version, I surmise a release sometime in November or December, 2020, that way Mojang Studios can close out the year with a bang before beginning work on whatever the next big update will be for Minecraft. If you want the long version, check out our dedicated guide on the Mountain Update's release date, where we speculate more on possible release dates. This will also be your first source for information regarding the Mountain Update's release date, so be sure to check in often as we learn more information.
Are you excited for the Mountain Update? What features do you want to see Mojang Studios add to Minecraft? Let us know in the comments below!
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Minecraft
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Minecraft is an inarguable and complete success. It has sold copies in the hundreds of millions, has a huge following of dedicated players, and lets you unlock your every creative desire. It's also available on every platform imaginable, including Xbox One, Windows 10, Playstation 4, and Nintendo Switch. Play with anyone, and play anywhere.
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