How skulk sensors will work in Minecraft 1.17 Caves and Cliffs update

Skulk sensors are one of the most anticipated blocks found in the upcoming Minecraft 1.17 Caves and Cliffs update.

These interesting blocks are found in the new Deep Dark biome, home to one of the most — if not the most — dangerous mobs in the entire game. Not much is known about these items. The few aspects of these blocks that have been released have the Minecraft community waiting in anticipation for the newest update to come out this summer.

From what has been shown about this novel biome, any players wanting to collect these skulk sensors will have to be incredibly skilled and determined. The dangers of the surrounding area could risk players losing their newly acquired blocks, as well as everything they've worked so hard to upgrade, and even their lives.

What are the new Minecraft skulk sensors?

Skulk sensors are one of the most anticipated blocks in the upcoming update (Image via Minecraft)

Skulk sensors seem to be the newest addition that the Minecraft developers are bringing to the Redstone community.

A form of wireless Redstone, these blocks emit visible waves of energy whenever motion is detected around them.

The newest mob, 'The Warden,' found in and watching over the same Deep Dark biome in which these sensors can be found, uses them as a means to detect players' whereabouts. Since the mob is blind and is the first hostile blind one to be found in Minecraft so far, it uses the waves sent out by these blocks to locate any activity occurring in the vicinity.

These sensors detect almost any type of vibration, from walking to placing and breaking blocks, opening and closing chests or shulkers, placing or picking up liquids, to even casting or reeling in a fishing rod.

Is there a way to direct skulk sensors?

The new mob in the game uses these sensors (Image via MCPE DL)

Since these skulk sensors are wireless and can emit frequencies in any direction, the Minecraft developers created a way for players to direct the current of these blocks to make them more direct.

Using wool can muffle and stop the sensor from emitting its waves in a certain direction. These sensors also tend to have their energy connect with other skulk sensors, meaning that sensors in a diagonal line can also be affected.

Wool of any color can occlude skulk signals, allowing players to use this new form of wireless Redstone to their leisure.

What players should know about skulk sensors

Wool of any color can occlude skulk signals (Image via kingbdogz, Twitter)

Currently, the developers haven't released too much information about how these blocks will work.

Once they are fully developed and in their final form, the Redstone community will definitely find many ways for users to utilize these blocks and make farms, Redstone contraptions, etc., so much more efficient.

It is believed that these blocks will be collected with a hoe, which adds a lot more relevance to the hoe tool in the game. This will encourage players to take a hoe with them as they mine, which was never really thought of in gameplay before this update.

The hoe tool will get a new meaning (Image via Reddit)

Another notable point about these blocks is that they can be muted. Since they make quite an unusual sound when they let off signals, the Minecraft developers have found a way for players to mute these blocks if they wish to. This can be achieved by waterlogging the sensor itself.

These sensors can be quietened (Image via Reddit)

Something else to point out is that these blocks work in tandem with Redstone, meaning that repeaters, comparators, and so many other Redstone related blocks and tools can be attributed to the new Skulk sensors.

Overall, these new sensory blocks will revolutionize Redstone in Minecraft from version 1.17 onwards. Players will no longer need to create massive hidden Redstone pathways to make a Redstone contraption work. Instead, they will simply need these skulk sensor blocks, some wool, and a little bit of Redstone to finish the entire project.