Minecraft 1.21: Release Date, New Mobs, Biomes, Trial Vaults, & More

(Estimated Read Time: 15 Minutes)

Minecraft 1.21 is one of the largest updates to date! So, today, we have gathered all the exciting features coming our way into one easy-to-find place. Be sure to check back or bookmark the page, as this guide will be edited as snapshots are released and announcements are made, including for the Minecraft 1.21 release date!

Minecraft 1.21 Release Date

Mojang has not yet announced an official Minecraft 1.21 release date, but history suggests it will be released in or around June of this year. As soon as an official Minecraft 1.21 release date is shared, we will have it listed here!

Minecraft 1.21 Content Overview

New Mobs

• Armadillos (Releasing in 1.20.5)
• Breeze
• Bogged

Minecraft 1.21 contains three new mobs with the possibility of even more! Those confirmed are Armadillos, who won the 2023 Mob Vote, the Breeze, and Bogged Skeletons. All three of these mobs are available for testing in the latest snapshot found here.

New Biomes

• None

In the announcement for Ominous Events, Mojang stated they had shared every new feature of Minecraft 1.21. This, sadly, makes it unlikely we will see a new biome unless one is added as a last-minute surprise or a secret.

New Structures

• Trial Chambers

Generating far beneath the surface of the overworld is a brand-new dungeon called Trial Chambers! This Minecraft 1.21 structure contains many randomly generated challenges, the new Trial Spawner and Vault blocks, and even a new mob called the Breeze.

New Systems

• Ominous Events

The Bad Omen feature added in Minecraft 1.14 has been revamped and made optional through the use of Ominous Bottles. Players who consume the contents of an Ominous Bottle will gain the Bad Omen status effect, which causes a special raid upon entering a village or transforms a Trial Chamber’s Trial Spawners into Ominous Trial Spanwers, significantly increasing their difficulty.

New Blocks

• Crafter
• Trial Spawner
• Ominous Trial Spawner
• Vault
• Ominous Vault
• Chiseled Copper
• Copper Grate
• Copper Bulb
• Copper Door
• Copper Trapdoor
• Tuff Stairs
• Tuff Slab
• Tuff Wall
• Chiseled Tuff
• Polished Tuff
• Polished Tuff Stairs
• Polished Tuff Slab
• Polished Tuff Wall
• Tuff Bricks
• Tuff Brick Stairs
• Tuff Brick Slab
• Tuff Brick Wall
• Chiseled Tuff Bricks
• Heavy Core

Minecraft 1.21 is turning out to be a builder’s dream! Between the Crafter, which can automatically craft items, and the abundance of new block families, including Copper and Tuff, plenty of new opportunities await. Not to mention the potential of the Vault!

New Items

• Armadillo Scute (Releasing in Minecraft 1.20.5)
• Armadillo Spawn Egg (Releasing in Minecraft 1.20.5)
• Wolf Armor (Releasing in Minecraft 1.20.5)
• Breeze Spawn Egg
• Bogged Spawn Egg
• Trial Key
• Ominous Trial Key
• Wind Charge
• Breeze Rod
• Mace
• Potion of Infestation
• Potion of Oozing
• Potion of Weaving
• Potion of Wind Charging
• Arrow of Infestation
• Arrow of Oozing
• Arrow of Weaving
• Arrow of Wind Charging
• Ominous Bottle
• Flow Pottery Sherd
• Guster Pottery Sherd
• Scrape Pottery Sherd
• Bolt Armor Trim
• Flow Armor Trim
• Flow Banner Pattern
• Guster Banner Pattern
• Trial Chambers Map

This exciting update has no shortage of items, either! Trial Keys unlock what is perhaps the future of structure looting, the Mace creates new ways to combat enemies, and Wind Charges open up an entirely new avenue for Minecraft parkour and other minigames.

Minecraft 1.21 Feature Deep-Dives

With the overview complete, it is time to jump into the nitty gritty of Minecraft 1.21! Below, we explore each feature individually, including their uses and more.

Armadillo

Coming a bit earlier in Minecraft 1.20.5, the Armadillo will spawn in Savanna, Savanna Plateau, and Windswept Savanna Biomes. Players can breed them using the all-to-delicious item ‘Spider Eyes,’ and much like how chickens automatically drop eggs, Armadillos will drop Armadillo Scute. The item used to craft Wolf Armor!

Breeze

Spawning exclusively within the depths of Trial Chambers, the Breeze mob is an air variant of the Blaze, which shoots Wind Charges at players, sending them flying. Challengers will need to watch out for the Wind Charge’s ability to activate Redstone contraptions, including doors, buttons, and levers, while keeping track of the Breeze as it hops around the battlefield.

Bogged

A new skeleton variant is making its way into swamps, and it is as terrifying as can be! The Bogged shoots slower and has less health than its skeletal cousins, but it makes up for those weaknesses by firing deadly poison arrows. Swamp biomes are about to get a lot more dangerous!

Trial Chambers

Found between layers -20 and -40 of the overworld, Trial Chambers are large-scale dungeons made primarily of tuff and copper blocks that are filled with combat challenges. Multiple unique blocks generate within, including Trial Spawners and Vaults, but more importantly, it houses the Breeze in rooms specifically designed for their redstone activating Wind Charges.

Trial Spawners

Trial Spawners may not spawn mobs infinitely like Monster Spawners, but they do spawn a set number that scales with the number of players nearby. Once the mobs within have been defeated, they drop a variety of loot, including the possibility of a Trial Key which is used to open Vaults. Trial Spawners reactivate after a thirty-minute cooldown period. Breeze Trial Spawner

• Maximum Mob Count: 1 + 0.5 Per Additional Player
• Total Mobs Spawned: 2 + 1 Per Additional Player

Trial Spawners

• Maximum Mob Count: 2 + 1 Per Additional Player
• Total Mobs Spawned: 6 + 2 Per Additional Player

Ominous Trial Spawners

• Maximum Mob Count: 2 + 1 Per Additional Player
• Total Mobs Spawned: 6 + 2 Per Additional Player

Additionally, the blocks surrounding a trial spawner indicate the types of mobs the spawner will contain. Below, we have listed what each block indicates:

• Baby Zombie: Cobblestone & Mossy Cobblestone
• Zombie: Mossy Cobblestone
• Husk: Chiseled Sandstone
• Spider: Stone With Cobweb
• Cave Spider: Stone With Cobweb & Podzol With Mushroom
• Silverfish: Stone Bricks
• Slime: Moss Block
• Skeleton: Bone Block
• Skeleton With Arrows of Poison: Bone Block & Podzol With Mushroom
• Stray: Packed ice
• Breeze: Chiseled Tuff

Trial Keys

These nifty keys currently have one (very important) use: unlocking Vaults. They are mainly found as loot from Trial Spawners, but some will very rarely be generated within the chests and pottery of Trial Chambers. Ominous Trial Keys are nearly identical but only drop from Ominous Trial Spawners and open the much rarer Ominous Vaults instead.

Vaults

Vaults are a new way of bringing loot to every player who clears naturally generated structures. For example, a player on a server can use Trial Keys to open each Vault block once, even if the structure has been explored and looted many times before. At this time, only Trial Chambers contain Vaults, and their loot table has not yet been finalized. Ominous Vaults are a much rarer variant that also has a chance to spawn within Trial Chambers. However, they can only be opened with Ominous Trial Keys and contain much rarer loot.

Mace

Minecraft 1.21 introduces a new melee weapon, the Mace! Crafted from a Breeze Rod and Heavy Core, the Mace shares the same damage and weapon speed as a diamond sword, but where it shines is when falling from the sky. The Mace deals extra damage the farther the wielder falls, negating any fall damage if the strike is successful. Additionally, the Mace includes a few unique new enchantments which we have listed below. Breach: Reduces armor effectiveness versus the Mace by 15% per level, with a maximum of level 4. Density: Maces deal an additional one damage for every block the player has fallen, increasing by one damage for each level with a maximum of level 5. Wind Burst: Maces emit a wind burst upon hitting an enemy, which launches the player higher per level, with a maximum of level 3.

Ominous Bottle

Players who drink the contents of an Ominous Bottle will gain the status effect “Bad Omen.” This will trigger either a special raid upon entering a Village or transform a Trial Chamber’s Trial Spawners into Ominous Trial Spawners, significantly increasing their difficulty.

Trial Chambers Map

Traded by Journeyman Cartographer Villagers, this nifty map will lead players to a nearby Trial Chambers.

Crafter

The industrial revolution has arrived, and factories can now truly come to life! The Crafter automatically crafts an item when powered by Redstone, and repeating bursts of power allow it to craft as many items as there are supplies! The recipe within is also yours to design.

Copper Block Family

With the introduction of Trial Chambers, Copper Blocks received a ton of love. Players will be able to craft Copper Doors, Copper Trapdoors, Copper Bulbs, Copper Grates, and Chiselled Copper. But that is not all! Each comes complete with oxidized variants.

Tuff Block Family

Copper blocks were not the only block family to receive a ton of love! The once useless Tuff Block now has a complete block family, including Tuff Stairs, Tuff Slabs, Tuff Walls, Chiselled Tuff, Polished Tuff, and Tuff Bricks. In addition, Polished Tuff and Tuff Bricks both have stairs, slabs, and walls of their very own. Tuff Bricks even has a Chiseled Tuff Brick variant as well!

Wolf Armor (Releasing in 1.20.5)

Crafted using the Scute dropped by Armadillos, Wolf Armor is here to keep every pet wolf alive. Not only does it grant the same amount of armor as Diamond Horse Armor, but Wolf Armor will also protect Tamed Wolves from most sources of damage until it runs out of durability. Players can also repair it by right-clicking Tamed Wolves with Scute and dye it by right-clicking the Wolf Armor with dye.

Wind Charges

The Wind Charge is a new item dropped in batches of four to six by the Breeze mob. They are thrown using the “Use Control” button, which is right-click on a mouse or left trigger on a controller and have a ten-second cooldown before reuse. Depending on where the Wind Charge is thrown and what it hits, its effects will vary. If thrown at a mob or player, it will knock them back while dealing a slight amount of damage. If thrown at one’s own feet, it will launch the user into the air without dealing fall damage if landing at or above the initial Y level. Finally, Wind Charges also interact with a variety of Redstone blocks. Doors, Trapdoors, Fence Gates, and Levers are all flipped, Buttons and Bells are activated, Chorus Flowers and Decorated Pots break, and Candles are extinguished. Wind Charges can also be fired from dispensers to achieve any of the effects above.

New Potions & Arrows

• Infestation: Affected entities have a 5% chance to spawn 1-2 Silverfish mobs when hurt.
• Oozing: Affected entities spawn two slime mobs upon death.
• Weaving: Affected entities spread Cobweb blocks upon death.
• Wind Charged: Affected entities erupt into a wind burst upon death.

Four new potions are being added with Minecraft 1.21, each with thrown and arrow variants. Above, we have detailed the effects of each potion.

New Pottery Sherds, Armor Trims, & Banner Patterns

• Flow Pottery Sherd
• Guster Pottery Sherd
• Scrape Pottery Sherd
• Bolt Armor Trim
• Flow Armor Trim
• Flow Banner Pattern
• Guster Banner Pattern

Alongside all the other features of Minecraft 1.21, new cosmetics are being added to a few older features. Above, we have listed all that players will find.

Minecraft 1.21: Release Date, New Mobs, Biomes, Trial Vaults, & More

At this time, this is where the update ends, but there is still much to be announced before Minecraft 1.21 officially begins! Check back regularly for updates to this page, including for the Minecraft 1.21 release date and update name. Until Next Time, BisectHosting =)