What you need to know
- Mojang Studios has kicked off its new Minecraft Live format, which gives a sneak peek at the near future of Minecraft.
- One of the biggest reveals during the show has been the next two major Minecraft content updates (or "Game Drops"), both possessing creepier themes for the spooky season
- The first is dubbed "Bundles of Bravery," and it brings new features like Hardcore Mode for Minecraft: Bedrock Edition and bundles.
- The second coming in the next few months doesn't have a name yet, but brings even spookier features like a new hostile mob and biome.
It's the dawn of a new era for Minecraft. Mojang Studios recently revealed its plans to change how the Minecraft universe will evolve over time, including smaller and more frequent content updates, the permanent death of the controversial Minecraft Live Mob Vote, and more focused bi-annual Minecraft Live events. The first of the latter is already here, as Minecraft Live 2024 kicked off in earnest today.
The headliner for this Minecraft Live is, like usual, the next major content updates, or Game Drops, for Minecraft. Mojang Studios has taken the wraps off and revealed the first details for "Bundles of Bravery," a more minor update that's coming to Minecraft players everywhere just in time for the spooky season with more challenge and features.
Of course, that's far from all, as Mojang actually debuted a second Game Drop we'll see a little later down the road with a horror theme. It's the exact kind of connected, relevant update I love to see in live-service games like Minecraft, and it seems like a great continuation of the ongoing Minecraft 15th Anniversary celebration. Keep reading for everything you need to know from Minecraft Live 2024.
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Spooky Minecraft updates for the spooky season
The first Minecraft Game Drop coming to players soon is "Bundles of Bravery," which embraces the spooky season with new features and mechanics that we already knew Mojang Studios were working on alongside the community.
The "Bundles of Bravery" update is expected to arrive on all Minecraft platforms very soon. Here's what Mojang has confirmed for the upcoming Game Drop.
- Hardcore Mode in Bedrock Edition. A staple of Minecraft: Java Edition, Hardcore Mode challenges players to survive Minecraft at its most difficult with a single life. If you die, your game is over and you have to start over completely from the beginning. Now, Hardcore Mode finally debuts in Minecraft: Bedrock Edition on modern platforms following years of community requests, providing a new level of challenge for the most skilled Minecraft players.
- Bundles. Bundles were originally supposed to be a part of the Minecraft "Caves & Cliffs" Update, but were delayed repeatedly as Mojang sought to improve the feature. Now, Bundles are finally coming in the "Bundles of Bravery" Game Drop.
- Bundles are crafted with leather and web, and can be dyed with any color for customization
- Bundles are accessed via the inventory, and allow players to carry significantly more by stashing items inside them, like portable chests
The next Game Drop continues the eerie theme, but it may not have an official name yet. What we do know is that it brings a new hostile mob and biome to Minecraft, and is expected to arrive within the next few months. Here's what Mojang has confirmed for this Game Drop.
- The Pale Garden. The latest new biome coming to the Minecraft Overworld, The Pale Garden is creepily calm. It's desaturated and almost entirely silent during the day. At night, new creepy ambient sounds debut and players may encounter the native hostile mob.
- The Pale Garden is comprised of Pale Oak trees, Pale Hanging Moss, and Pale Moss Carpet, with high density offering low visibility to players
- The Pale Oak trees can be harvested for the Pale Oak wood set, which is near-white
- This biome is also home to The Creaking
- The Creaking. This new hostile mob only exists in The Pale Garden at night, and perfectly blends into the Pale Oak trees.
- The Creaking attacks players on sight, but only moves when players look away from it
- The Creaking cannot be killed by attacking it directly; instead, players must track down The Creaking Heart connected to it
- The Creaking Heart block is hidden within a nearby Pale Oak tree, and when it's destroyed the connected Creaking dies with it
- Players can mine The Creaking Heart with a Silk Touch pickaxe to pick it up and place it elsewhere, unleashing a creepy Creaking at will
- Pale Oak wood set. In addition to a new biome and horrifying new mob, this Game Drop will feature the Pale Oak wood set for players to build with.
- Like other wood sets, this is a cosmetic addition that features a new white aesthetic for blocks, stairs, doors, slabs, fences, boats, and more
- Players can also place Pale Hanging Moss and Pale Moss Carpet to complete the desaturated, creepy vibe
This Game Drop is a little further down the line, but Mojang Studios did confirm that The Pale Garden and The Creaking are going to drop in Minecraft: Java Edition Snapshots, Minecraft: Bedrock Edition Betas, and Minecraft Preview in the near future. The features are expected to remain in testing for a few months while Mojang finalizes them before the official release later this year.
Minecraft Live 2024 is in full swing
The latest Minecraft Live aired on Saturday, Sept. 28, 2024 at 1:00 p.m. ET, and represented the first of Mojang Studios' newly formatted shows. Smaller, more focused, and looking to the immediate future of the Minecraft universe, Minecraft Live 2024 is a celebration of all things Minecraft, and you can tune in on YouTube above.
Of course, you can also discover how to watch Minecraft Live 2024 and everything else you could need to know, including where to find accessibility features, what you can expect from this show, and even how you can earn exclusive in-game rewards just for tuning in. It's not just about the latest Minecraft update, the show is also about the community, the developers behind the game, new Minecraft developments like the live action Minecraft movie, and more.
Minecraft Live isn't the only source of recent Minecraft news, though. Mojang Studios recently revealed when the native PlayStation 5 version of Minecraft is finally releasing, letting PS5 players enjoy better performance and draw distances in Minecraft (sorry, though, there's no ray tracing).
