Here’s a short list of the major additions coming in Minecraft’s 1.11 update:
Woodland Mansion - Giant end-game dungeons that spawn in in Dark Oak Forests. Treasure Map - Leads to hidden structures like monuments and dungeons. Shulker Shell and Shulker Box - Shells dropped from Shulkers can be turned into boxes which keep their inventory when broken. Cartographer Villager - Trades maps. Illagers - Melee “Vindicators” and caster “Evoker” Illagers populate the new Woodland Mansion dungeons. Vex - Flying enemy type that is spawned by Evoker-type Illagers. Llama - Animal that can be saddled, tamed, leashed and equipped with a small 6-slot inventory. Observer Block - Observes block updates and outputs a redstone signal.
This is just a shortlist of changes from Minecraft’s 1.11 patch featuring content shown during Minecon and does not represent the final list of changes Mojang will likely be releasing soon. As for when the patch itself will be released, Mojang says 1.11’s snapshot will be available as soon as Wednesday of this week, and an official change-log will accompany the snapshot’s release.
While the initial reveal of patch 1.11 was met positively, as no Minecraft fan would ever be disappointed by new content, some criticism has since followed. 1.11 has been known as the “Exploration” update for some time and many fans built up certain expectations regarding that title. While maps may encourage players to get out and explore more, some fans fear 1.11 won’t meet its obligation in creating new, exciting content worth looking for. The Woodland Dungeon is interesting for end-game players, but it’s not a new biome filled with interesting new blocks and units.
Patch 1.12, the “Fanon” update, is coming in 2017 and could deliver some of the content that those disappointed in 1.11 would like to see. It will include new types of trees, a new metal in steel, and a village generation in snowy biomes, as well as female villagers. Mojang has promised to deliver smaller, faster Minecraft updates so fans constantly have something new to try out – and to avoid the lengthy update hiatuses that plagued the game for some time.
The original Java version of Minecraft is currently exclusively available on PC, with update 1.11 planned to release on Wednesday later this week. The staggeringly popular “Pocket” version of Minecraft, available on consoles, mobile platforms, and through Windows 10, should eventually receive the 1.11 update, but it may be some time before that happens.
