What you need to know
- Minecraft is continuing to prep for their next major update, 'the Nether Update.'
- Their latest snapshot doesn't feature major changes, but does revamp the hoe.
- This update brings the hoe closer to other tools in how its used, and what upgrades it gets.
Mojang has been incredibly busy recently, releasing snapshot after snapshot for Minecraft in preparation of the upcoming release, 'the Nether Update. This latest snapshot is far from the most exciting we've seen so far, but it does freshen up the hoe with some new mechanics and features, which is a pleasant surprise. The hoe has long been the most useless of the toolset, because it's only really good for farming. Make one or two, farm your heart out, then stash it in a chest for two weeks until you need it again for one patch of dirt.
With this snapshot, the hoe will be more efficient at mining certain kinds of blocks than other tools, and will recieve the same upgrades to mining speed as other tools go with each material tier. Diamond will be a lot faster than iron, and netherite should be even faster than that. The hoe is also getting a suite of new enchantments, including efficiency, fortune, and silk touch. This should make the hoe a lot more useful overall, which is great news for the hoe at least.
Other notable improvements in the snapshot include:
- New vegetation blocks in the crimson and warped hyphae, or stems.
- Smithing tables can now be used to fuse diamond equipment with netherite.
- Updates sounds and textures for the Nether Update.
- Bartering loot for piglins has been tweaked again.
If you want to get in on the snapshot, be sure to read up on how to do so with our guide. Otherwise, you'll just have to wait for the finished product to release to the public alongside the rest of us. We're keeping everyone posted here about when the Nether Update can be expected. Finally, if you want to read the full blog post for this snapshot release, we have that right here.
We're getting ever closer to the final release of the Nether Update. Are you excited, or are there more changes you're still looking for? Let us know in the comments below!
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