5 best features and changes in Minecraft snapshot 24w12a

Minecraft's snapshots are a unique and interesting way for players to experience upcoming content early while also doing bug testing for Mojang. The game's latest snapshot, 24w12a, is no exception to this rule, adding a new item, advancements, and more for players to try out.

Detailed below are the five most impactful and interesting changes made by this snapshot, along with explanations as to why they are so significant.

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5 best changes in Minecraft snapshot 24w12a

1) Trial chamber explorer map

Thankfully this trade is not a master level villager trade (Image via Mojang)

By far, the best and biggest addition in Minecraft snapshot 24w12a is the trial chamber map. This is a new villager trade option from journeymap cartographers that can replace the woodland explorer's map. It functions nearly identically to the other explorer's maps, showing players the location of the structure.

Since trial chambers are the premier feature of Minecraft 1.21, it makes sense that Mojang would want to help ensure players can actually find and engage with the structure, especially since it's underground, where elytra exploration isn't viable.

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2) New advancements

The new advancements can be found under the "Adventure" tab (Image via Mojang)

Advancements are a useful system as they inform and educate players on how to progress through new content.

The new set of advancements added to the game with this snapshot is useful to see how Mojang intends for players to engage with trial chambers, the breeze mob, and the mace weapon.

The list of new advancements is as follows:

• Minecraft: Trial(s) Edition - Enter a trial chamber
• Under Lock & Key - Open a vault using a trial key
• Blowback - Kill a breeze by deflecting a wind charge back into it
• Who Needs Rockets? - Launch up eight blocks with a thrown wind charge
• Crafters Crafting Crafters - Be near a crafter when it crafts a crafter
• Lighten Up - Scrape a copper bulb with an axe to make it brighter
• Over-Overkill - Deal 50 hearts of damage in a single hit using the mace

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3) Trial chamber generation update

Trial chambers will be harder to find without a map (Image via Mojang)

Trial chamber generation is being updated to encourage the exploration and use of the Minecraft trial chamber map villager trade. The structures have been made to generate both less frequently and farther away from each other.

These two changes might make it quite difficult to find them randomly, so be sure to keep an eye open for a cartographer when visiting villages.

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4) Heavy core changes

Waterlogging heavy cores is new to this snapshot (Image via Mojang)

Heavy cores, exclusive to trial chambers and needed to craft the frankly overpowered Minecraft mace, have also seen some changes. They can now be waterlogged, which is useful in niche situations when building.

Heavy cores are now also immune to lava flows and have been changed so that the pickaxe is now the most efficient tool to break them with.

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5) Bug fixes

A fair number of the bug fixes are related exclusively to wind charge behavior (Image via Mojang)

The last set of changes is an umbrella category that's always nice to see. This snapshot features a grand total of more than 30 bug fixes. A more optimized and less buggy game is never bad, after all.

The most interesting and noteworthy of these bug fixes are wind charges no longer stuttering during flight, deflected wind charges having broken pathing, and some enchanted books not being in the creative mod inventory.