Here's our first in-game look at Minecraft's chonky Sniffer mob

What you need to know

• The next Minecraft update will fall under the 1.20 version number, and will be filled with new mobs, blocks, and features.
• One addition is the winner of the Minecraft Mob Vote 2022, the Sniffer, a passive plant-loving mob.
• On Twitter, a 3D artist at Mojang Studios shared the first in-game look of the Sniffer in action, including a short video and several screenshots.
• The Sniffer is huge and immediately lovable, with shuffling feet and a wildly active snout.

The next major Minecraft update may have taken headlines with the reveal of the immensely helpful camel mob, but it's the winner of the Minecraft Live Mob Vote of 2022 that has really stolen hearts. The Sniffer is heading to Minecraft, and a Mojang Studios employee has provided our first in-game look at the friendly, chonky boi in action.

The above video showcases the Sniffer, a friendly, plant-loving mob that is slated to be added to Minecraft in an upcoming update. The Sniffer is a passive mob and poses no harm to players — instead, it relies on its powerful sense of smell to sniff out its favorite plants, including long-extinct ancient seeds. Players can nurture the Sniffer species back to life, and befriend them to reap the benefits of these long-lost plants themselves.

The video shows just how large Mojang Studios is intending to make Sniffers, with adult members standing taller than Minecraft's Steve, even when standing on its six stubby legs. The reveal of the Sniffers shuffling around the plains has elicited excited responses and descriptors like "absolute unit" from the community, as well as some constructive criticism. Some Minecraft players want to see more vibrant colors, tweaked textures, or even the addition of a tail to balance out the comically large nose with which Sniffers are equipped.

In case you missed it, Sniffers were the winner of the Minecraft Live Mob Vote 2022, beating out the Tuff Golem and the Rascal, and will likely join the bustling ranks of Minecraft mobs as a part of the Minecraft 1.20 update, which is expected to arrive later in 2023. The Sniffer clearly won with good reason, and should help make one of Xbox's best games even better, if Mojang Studios takes feedback into consideration to make the mob as awesome as possible.

Windows Central's take

I voted for the Sniffer myself, and I'm excited to see it become a part of Minecraft. This early look has only increased my anticipation, and I really like what I see so far. I love how large the Sniffer is, and how its short, stubby legs and shuffling amble contrast with its gargantuan nose and oversized body. I do agree with other members of the community that its colors feel a little too muted, especially the green.

I also see how a tail could make the Sniffer design just a little bit more special. Overall, though, I'm more intrigued to see if the Sniffer has any other unique behaviors, and how players can utilize its powerful nose to sniff out new types of plant life. It's unclear when the Sniffer will finally land in players' hands, but it stands to reason that Minecraft snapshots and preview builds will feature the Sniffer at some point in the future.