What you need to know
- The Minecraft 1.21 content update continues to get larger with new features and improvements, and Mojang Studios just revealed the latest drop.
- Minecraft: Java Edition players can now test the Mace, a brand-new weapon that does massive smashing damage with knockback.
- The damage the Mace does increases the farther you fall before hitting your enemy, making it a potent choice for aerial battles.
- In addition to the Mace, the latest snapshot also tests new armor trims, banner designs, and pottery shards.
The developers over at Mojang Studios are wholly focused on the next major content update for their legendary survival-crafting game. Minecraft 1.21 is expected to arrive later this year, and its feature set continues to expand with each successive snapshot or preview build. On Wednesday, that list of new content got a little larger. The latest Minecraft: Java Edition snapshot introduces a new way for you to crush your foes, and I do mean crush them.
Announced via Minecraft.net, Minecraft: Java Edition Snapshot 24W11A adds the Mace to our armories alongside other new cosmetic features. The Mace is large and slow, and it uses the power of gravity to dominate the battlefield. It’s available to test right now, and will likely drop into Minecraft officially in the coming months.
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The headlining feature in today’s snapshot is absolutely the Mace. This is a brand-new weapon that’s crafted by combining the new Breeze Rod (dropped by defeated Breeze mobs) and the Heavy Core (earned by looting Vaults in Trial Chambers). The Mace is a slow, powerful weapon that deals heavy smashing damage, but it has a unique feature. The farther you fall before hitting your enemy, the more damage it does, and the more it knockbacks nearby enemies. As long as you hit your target, all fall damage is entirely negated, too!
Players can use the Mace alongside new wind charges to dish out serious carnage with this high-risk, high-reward weapon. There are other new features in this snapshot, though, all slated to arrive with Minecraft 1.21 (speaking of that, you can read our Minecraft 1.21 update FAQ for all the info you need). Here’s what else is new in this snapshot:
- Breeze Rod, which is dropped in bundles of 1-4 when defeating Breezes, and can be used to craft the Mace or turned into 4 Wind Charges.
- Heavy Core, which is a mysterious block that can be found by opening Vaults after completing Trial Chambers, and is used to craft the Mace.
- Three new Pottery Sherds, including the Flow, Guster, and Scrape designs.
- Two new Armor Trims, including the Bolt and Flow designs; the Smithing Templates for these designs can be found in Vaults.
- Two new Banner Patterns, including the Flow and Guster designs, which can be found in Vaults.
These aren’t the only new features announced for Minecraft lately. Other recent Minecraft 1.21 additions include brand-new wolf variants, as well as better and more customizable wolf armor. One of the best PC games of all time is only getting more awesome, and the Minecraft 1.21 content update is honestly shaping up to be a fantastic release for both versions of the survival-crafting game. On the Bedrock Edition side of things, Mojang Studios just announced a new Minecraft Marketplace Pass for $3.99 a month, which includes over 150 items, maps, and DLC for players.
