If you follow Minecraft at all, then you’ll know how excited the community is about the new Minecraft 1.20 Trails and Tales update coming. It's bringing new and exciting biomes and mobs to the world, and a whole new range of building blocks and materials too. Here's what you need to know about it.
Minecraft’s game director, Agness Larrson, said she wanted the 1.20 update to be all about "self-expression, creativity, and intrinsic motivation." This is also why it’s called the Trails and Tales update; it’s supposed to reflect the journey that we, the players, have collectively taken in Minecraft through the years.
Minecraft Trails and Tales - Everything new in the 1.20 update
New mobs
There will be two new mobs joining us in the 1.20 update, the Minecraft camel and the Sniffer.
Both of these will have their distinct uses too. The camel, a mount that can be found in the desert, can seat up to two people at once. It also has a unique dash ability that makes it perfect for crossing those pesky ravines that litter the Minecraft Overworld.
click to enlarge
+ 5The Sniffer is the mob that won the community vote in 2022. You’ll have to partake in the new Archeology feature if you want to find it, though, as the only reminders of these great beasts are the eggs they left behind.
Once you’ve found one and hatched your very own Snifflet, you’ll be able to use their innate botany knowledge to get all sorts of new and rare plants for yourself.
click to enlarge + 5New Biomes
The Cherry Blossom biome is one that’s been a fan favourite in mods for many years by now. Long had the community given up on ever seeing them in the base game, but they're officially releasing alongside the Minecraft 1.20 update.
"These beautiful new trees fill the horizon with a stunning shade of pink," Mojang said. "Of course, these new trees can also be broken down and crafted into a full wood-set, including the newly introduced hanging signs and cherry tree saplings to grow more of the lovely pink trees."
Of course, these trees aren't just beautiful to look at. The wood can be collected and made into beautiful pink planks, doors, stairs, and anything else that can be made out of wood.
click to enlarge + 5Archeology
It’s true that Archeology has been teased for many years by the Minecraft team. It was meant to come out several years ago and has gone through a few different transformations since then.
Now, in 1.20, we will finally be able to live out our childhood archeologist dreams. Grab your brush, find your bag, and let’s go find some Suspicious Sand to excavate. There are rumours that the sands have a variety of new items to loot from inside of them. So what are you waiting for?
click to enlarge + 5New blocks
Not only will the new Cherry Blossom biome bring us new, baby pink wood blocks, but there are quite a few additional ones being added as well. So far, these are the ones that have been confirmed.
- Hanging signs: we have a guide on how to use them here!
- Bamboo Wood: Finally, it can be useful!
- Raft: Like the boat, but flatter
- Bamboo Mosaic: This is unique, just for bamboo wood
- Chiseled Bookshelf: Finally somewhere for us to put our books, try it out! There are also rumours that these will have redstone signal capabilities too…
- Suspicious Sand: Don’t fall in!
- Cherry Blossom Wood: A full set of wooden recipes in baby pink
- Patterned Pot: You can mix and match these
Of course, it's likely that more items will be added before 1.20 goes live. You can test all of these out in the Snapshot preview through the Java edition before then.
This might be useful if you want to figure out just exactly how the Chiseled Bookshelf could be incorporated into the secret lair of your dreams.
click to enlarge + 5Armor Trimming
Finally, one of the ways that Minecraft 1.20 Trails and Tales is really supporting individual player creativity is by introducing armor trimming. This will gives you the option of dozens of patterns and colour combinations to adorn your favourite armour sets with.
Of course, you'll need to find each of the blueprints first. They can be found in a few fixed locations, so you don't need to worry too much about RNG here.
That's it for now, but make to check back for more Minecraft 1.20 news in the future. Read up on how to make decorated pots if you're looking for another way to jazz up your Minecraft abode.
For more news on Minecraft, make sure to check out our article going through the Minecraft 1.20 Patch notes. We also have the latest information on the release date and time for Minecraft 1.20, as well as the best Minecraft shaders for 2023.