What's new in Minecraft update 1.20?

Although the sandbox block game Minecraft has been around since 2011, it continues to dominate the gaming space and receives consistent updates from Mojang to expand upon the plethora of content within it. The Minecraft universe was first teased to be growing once more during the Minecraft Live 2022 event and all of the content arriving in the update was officially confirmed on May 26, so players can now learn what to expect when it launches.

Everything included in Minecraft’s Trails & Tales update

If you’ve been keeping up with beta versions and snapshots, you’re likely familiar with many of the new features arriving in this update. The first snapshot for the 1.20 Minecraft update was released to players on Oct. 19 and there have been many more since then, with each one allowing players to delve into more of what the Trails & Tales update has to offer.

Cherry blossom biome in Minecraft

Players will get to traverse through a magical new biome packed with stunning cherry blossom trees in the 1.20 Trails & Tales update. This will be a new type of biome, called the cherry blossom biome, and will be tough for players to find since it is considered a rare biome.

The cherry blossom biome also features cherry blossom wood, which means players have a whole new wood set to craft with. This wood set includes all of the usual blocks players would expect like doors and planks and comes in a light pink color quite unlike any of the other currently available wood sets.

Sniffers in Minecraft

The Minecraft community was presented with three mobs to choose from, which were the Sniffer, the Rascal, and the Tuff Golem. The Sniffer won with over half the votes, so Mojang has been developing it since to be officially added in the 1.20 update.

Sniffers are an ancient mob that was believed to be extinct until players find and rescue them. These creatures are passive gentle giants that players can raise to acquire seeds for ancient plants.

The two plants Minecraft players can obtain from them are the torchflower plant and the pitcher plant. How these plants work has not been unveiled just yet, but they will likely possess some kind of unique benefits that will make them worth the effort it takes to obtain them.

Armor trims in Minecraft

Players have been wanting more ways to customize their appearance in Minecraft for a long time, and the Trails & Tales update will finally deliver a feature sure to help with this. When scouring the various dimensions present throughout Minecraft, players may come across armor trims they can then dye into one of 10 colors.

After finding an armor trim and dyeing it, players can then apply it to their armor at a smithing table to create the armor of their dreams. Mixing and matching different types of armor made with various materials and the individual armor trims will help players create unique looks.

The armor trim mechanics are purely decorative and serve no practical function, which has been perceived as a bit of a controversial choice within the Minecraft community.

Archeology in Minecraft

The new archeology gameplay feature will allow players to uncover treasures by carefully digging suspicious sand and suspicious gravel. After successfully digging a block, players may then be rewarded with a useful tool, a Sniffer egg, or a pottery sherd.

Once players have assembled four pottery sherds, they can then craft a pot. There are a few different pots with unique designs players can craft, so collecting many pottery sherds is a must if you hope to collect them all.

Hanging signs in Minecraft

A new block type called hanging signs will arrive in the 1.20 update. This block is a more expensive version of the regular sign block and can be crafted with any type of stripped logs and chains.

Hanging signs can be placed just about anywhere and every sign type comes in three different variants. These variants are as follows:

A hanging sign can be hung from the side of a block and will be facing sideways. This variant will hang off of a special post with the chains attaching it to the hanging post.
The second variant is the base version and simply hangs with two chains under any regular block.
The final variant also has two chains but these chains go up and join to make a triangle shape. This variant is made when the hanging sign is hung under something narrow like a fence.

Bamboo wood in Minecraft

Players will get to play around with another new wood set with bamboo wood. This set can use to create all of the wood variants and will be added with the 1.20 update. Players can create this wood set from bamboo, which already exists within Minecraft and can be found throughout the jungle biome.

As is the case with all other wood sets in Minecraft, the bamboo wood set includes a wide variety of assets that can be created from the base bamboo plank block.

Bamboo planks can be made from four bamboo.
Bamboo stairs can be created from six bamboo planks.
Bamboo slabs can be crafted from three bamboo planks.
Bamboo signs can be made from six bamboo planks and one stick.
Bamboo doors can be created from six bamboo planks.
Bamboo fences can be crafted from four bamboo planks and two sticks.
Bamboo trapdoors can be made from six bamboo planks.
Bamboo fence gates can be crafted from two bamboo planks and four sticks.
Bamboo pressure plates can be created from two bamboo planks.
Bamboo buttons can be made from one bamboo plank.

Unlike all other wood sets, the bamboo set includes a unique block type called the bamboo mosaic. This intricate block has a unique design and can be crafted into three block types.

Bamboo mosaics can be created from two bamboo slabs.
Bamboo mosaic slabs can be crafted from two bamboo mosaics.
Bamboo mosaic stairs can be made from six bamboo mosaics.

Bamboo currently has very limited uses but will become much more usable with an entire wood set and a few extra special blocks that can be created from it.

Rafts in Minecraft

While all other wood sets in Minecraft can be used to construct the same type of boat in different wood variants, the bamboo wood set is a bit different. Instead of a boat, players can use bamboo to craft a new type of water transportation called a raft.

Everything about rafts functions the same as regular boats but offers players a new, more adventurous look and feel for their water expeditions. Just like boats, rafts can also be constructed to hold a chest.

Chiseled bookshelves in Minecraft

A new bookshelf type will be added with the next Minecraft update. This block is called chiseled bookshelves and is both fully interactable and customizable.

Players can place one to six books in each chiseled bookshelf block and watch as the bookshelf changes its appearance. Taking books off the shelf will also affect how it looks.

Any kind of book can be stored within the chiseled bookshelves. This includes regular books, enchanted books, and books with quills, which means players can now effectively journal about their Minecraft adventures before storing them away in a chiseled bookshelf to revisit later.

Chiseled bookshelves are also compatible with redstone. This allows players to create unique build features like hidden bookshelf doors or even use redstone to figure out which book was the last one that they interacted with.

This new block type also has a few unique wood patterns surrounding the bookshelf itself, which gives it further function beyond being an interactable bookshelf. The developers showcased an example of how the unique designs around the chiseled bookshelf could be used to create floor and wall patterns during the Minecraft Live 2022 event as can be seen above.

Camels in Minecraft

One of the biggest gameplay features that have been unveiled for the 1.20 Minecraft update is the addition of camels. This new mob type functions in a manner that is quite similar to horses but also boasts a few unique features.

Camels can carry two players at a time which allows players to travel with a friend.
Camels have a special dash ability that allows them to rush forward at an impressive speed and even jump right over large areas including treacherous ravines.
Camels are so tall that mobs will not be able to reach players who are actively riding them. It is currently unclear if this includes all Minecraft mobs but does definitely include mobs like zombies and husks.
Camels can be bred with cacti, so baby camels will also be added to Minecraft.

Playable mob head sounds in Minecraft

Perhaps the most surprising and strange feature arriving in this update is there playable mob sounds associated with their heads. Upon vanquishing a mob and successfully obtaining their head as a reward, players can now place the head on a note block for interesting results.

A mob head that is placed on a note block will make the respective sound of the head that was placed on it. This means players can create a cacophony of Creeper hisses for ambiance or play the frightening sounds of the Ender Dragon to scare their friends.

Alongside the blog detailing everything included in the update, Mojang also shared the official release date for Minecraft’s Trails & Tales update: June 7. The update is not too far off, so players will get to explore all the Trails & Tales update has to offer fairly soon.