Minecraft Live is finished for another year and with it comes the exciting news of Minecraft update 1.17, coming in Summer 2021. Labelled as the Caves and Cliffs update, this is what a lot of the Minecraft community has been waiting a long time for – new biomes underground.
There are also a lot of new mobs, with probably more to be added/confirmed at a later date. These include the Glow Squid (which won the Minecraft Live mob vote), cute little Axolotls, the terrifying Warden, and Mountain Goats.
The biggest point of contention is obviously the Glow Squid. There was tough competition which included the Moobloom and the Iceologer (sometimes referred to as the Chillager), but the Glow Squid won out at the end. There are no clips of it in-game yet, but apparently it doesn’t quite work as everyone thought – it doesn’t provide much light!
But beyond the Minecraft mob vote is the really exciting news of another big update planned for the game with full release of Summer 2021. This follows the pattern of various snapshot updates provided by Mojang in the run-up to a release, and there will likely be new snapshots in the next couple of months.
The Caves and Cliffs update will be a big change for the game in lots of ways, but I’m here to focus on the new confirmed mobs so far. First up, the Axolotl. These cute little critters are found in underground Lush Caves. They’re cute but can also become a fearsome ally in underwater battles.
Next up, The Warden. Perhaps the most terrifying addition to Minecraft since the Endermen, The Warden is found in the Deep Dark, the lowest caves on the map and a new spooky biome. Yes, it’s pretty dark down there. The Warden is blind and reacts to sound, so you better be quiet…
Lastly, the Mountain Goats. These are a new addition as part of the cliffs update – there will likely be more announced on this later, the Minecraft Live event was actually pretty vague on this part of the update – and they roam the new mountaintops. They can jump super high and navigate tricky areas with ease.
Will you be able to ride Mountain Goats? How many colors of Axolotl are there? Does The Warden react to the sound of bats? The next big Minecraft update is a year away but there are already so many questions!
