"I thought this day would never come": Minecraft fans surprised as saddle becomes craftable 15 years after its addition

The latest Minecraft snapshot, titled 25w20a, brings a new feature to the game that players have been asking for years. Saddles are one of the most useful items required for exploration. However, the only way players could get it was by exploring different areas and finding loot chests. Even then, collecting multiple saddles was still very rare. Thankfully, this is about to change as saddles can now be crafted.

Minecraft player u/BiBrownishBoi shared a screenshot on the game's subreddit showing the crafting recipe for the saddle. The image shows three leather placed in the crafting grid along with one iron ingot, making the saddle. The user also added a caption saying:

I thought this day would never come byu/BiBrownishBoi inMinecraft

"I thought this day would never come"

u/Knautical_J mentioned that they spent a week searching unsuccessfully for a saddle in their Minecraft realm to ride a strider and explore the Nether for a Netherite upgrade template.

Comment byu/BiBrownishBoi from discussion inMinecraft

After failing to find one through looting and fishing, they went on foot, only to find a saddle in the bastion, which didn’t have the template they wanted. This shows why saddles are very important for exploration, but since they cannot be found easily, it hampers the initial experience.

Comment byu/BiBrownishBoi from discussion inMinecraft

u/-PepeArown- said that before saddles were craftable, the most consistent way of getting this item was by fishing for a really long time, even with an unenchanted fishing rod.

u/Angelemonade said that since saddles can be crafted, they are waiting for Mojang Studios to do the same for name tags. The original poster replied, saying it is better not to get greedy, as the developers have already given players enough. All they need to do now is wait.

Redditors react to the new snapshot (Image via Reddit)

u/Darillium- said that name tags cannot be craftable as players need some reason to explore and loot different structures. Also, these items are not crucial for gameplay for them to be unique enough.

The user added that they do not want name tags to be craftable. u/Don_Hoomer replied to the comment, saying they explore the structures just for the fun of it, even if they do not gain anything special from it.

---

New changes coming to Minecraft

The 25w20a snapshot improves many aspects of Minecraft (Image via Mojang Studios)

Mojang released the Minecraft snapshot 25w20a, which introduces a mix of new features, gameplay improvements, and sound enhancements aimed at improving the gameplay experience.

A new music disc titled "Tears" by Amos Roddy has been added, alongside five new ambient tracks now featured in both gameplay biomes and the main menu. Biomes like cherry groves, forests, and lush caves will feature the new soundtracks.

Saddles are now craftable using leather and iron and can be removed from mobs with shears under specific conditions, offering a more refined experience. Loot tables in structures such as ancient cities and strongholds now provide leather instead of saddles, which makes sense since having saddles would be useless.

There have been some minor and important tweaks as well. These changes include better fog rendering on 3D HUD elements and more immersive weather visuals, particularly during rain and storms.

A new feature allows players to obtain the “Tears” music disc by skillfully defeating a ghast with a deflected fireball. Music settings have also been upgraded, enabling continuous playback during paused gameplay and customizable music frequency.

A new option displays track names when music starts, visible even in the pause menu. Lastly, Realms now feature a loading logo and display region information when connecting. The final version of the update is expected to come with the summer game drop.