4 hidden Minecraft mechanics you might not know

Minecraft has loads of simple and complex mechanics. Movement, combat, mining, and placing blocks, etc., are some simple mechanics, while complex ones include redstone ticks, random ticks, anvil repairing, nether portal mechanics, and more. While you must know most of these mechanics, there are some hidden or lesser-known mechanics in the sandbox title.

Here is a list of some hidden mechanics in Minecraft.

Note: This article is subjective and solely reflects the writer's opinion. There might be some of you who already know these mechanics.

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List of 4 lesser-known Minecraft mechanics you might not know

1) Quasi-connectivity

Quasi-connectivity means that certain redstone blocks can be activated even if they do not have a redstone block activating them (Image via Sportskeeda Gaming || Mojang Studios)

A special Redstone mechanic in Minecraft called quasi-connectivity allows some blocks, such as droppers or pistons, to be powered even when the Redstone signal isn't connected to them directly. This creates a kind of "ghost power" when the block is within one block above or to the side of a powered block.

Pistons are the most obvious example of this, as they can extend without an apparent connection, causing circuits to behave unexpectedly. Although advanced Redstone engineers frequently use quasi-connectivity for small, inventive devices, this Java Edition feature can also be confusing to those who are not accustomed to signal transmission.

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2) Zero ticking

Zero tick generator using budded pistons (Image via Minecraft Wiki)

A now-mostly-patched mechanic known as "zero tick mechanics" in Minecraft allows crops like sugarcane, bamboo, or cacti to grow unnaturally quickly by causing certain block updates to occur instantly within a single game tick.

Players were once able to trick the game into processing several growth updates in almost no time by quickly altering a block's status, such as shifting the block it's planted on.

This made it possible for farms to grow incredibly quickly without waiting for typical growth cycles. Although zero tick farms were popular in Java Edition, they were patched in newer game versions to balance gameplay since they might cause massive lag spikes on multiplayer servers and circumvent specified growth rates.

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3) Crawling

Crawling is one of the most interesting forms of movement in Minecraft (Image via Sportskeeda Gaming || Mojang Studios)

Crawling might be a simple movement mechanic in Minecraft, but some beginners might be unaware of it. Crawling is essentially a form of movement where you can fit in a one-block-wide hole and move horizontally in it. This mechanic has been in Java Edition for several years but was recently added to Bedrock Edition in 2023.

You can use a trapdoor to push yourself down and get into the crawling animation. After this, you can slowly crawl inside a one-block-wide space as shown in the picture above. This is a great way to create hidden areas in tight spaces with valuables.

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4) South-east rule

South-east rule is a unique mechanic showing several in-game activities happen in connection to the south or east directions (Image via Sportskeeda Gaming || Mojang Studios)

The southeast rule is another mysterious mechanic in Minecraft. Essentially, there are several in-game activities that take place in relation to either the south or east, or south-east direction in a world.

For example, TNT cannons tend to fire farther when facing east or south, most entities spawned from spawn eggs face south or east, you always spawn facing south in a new world, etc. While some of these activities are patched in newer versions, there is still a mysterious connection between some activities and the south and east directions.

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