Minecraft 1.19 The Wild Update platforms, requirements, new features, and more revealed

Announced during Minecraft Live 2021, the upcoming 1.19 update, also known as The Wild Update, will be arriving at some point this year. There is plenty of new content to expect from the update.

Releasing for both Minecraft: Java and Bedrock Editions on PC and currently released consoles and mobile devices, The Wild Update possesses no additional hardware requirements. It should run perfectly fine on machines that were running the game before.

Since it shouldn't cause any additional performance issues based on hardware constraints, players can focus on what really matters in the upcoming update: the new features and changes implemented.

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Minecraft: What to expect from The Wild Update

Revised swamp biome art released on Minecraft's official site (Image via Mojang)

When it comes to Minecraft's 1.19 update, there are a ton of content implementations to cover. From small things like the addition of firefly mobs to massive inclusions like the deep dark biome and the Warden, players will have plenty to explore. They will also have a ton of great new blocks to use and experiment with.

It's unclear when the full update will be released. Fortunately, players have been able to experience some of the update's features early, thanks to snapshot builds provided by Mojang.

Here are some of the changes and features that will be added to the game with the 1.19 update:

New Biomes and Mobs

• Swamps are receiving more variation as part of the update, namely in the form of mangrove swamps. Made primarily of mud blocks and featuring mangrove trees with above-ground root systems like their real-world counterparts, these new swamps breathe new life into swamp biomes and give them some much-needed diversity.
• Standard swamps themselves will be overhauled, revamping their compositions and including a few mobs to make the biomes feel a little more alive.
• One of the most anticipated debuts comes in the form of the delayed release of the deep dark biome, a spooky and shadowy biome in the deepest reaches of Minecraft worlds. It contains sculk blocks, ancient cities, and the powerful Warden mob protecting it.

New Blocks

• Mud blocks are now replacing many ground blocks in swamps and can be created by applying a bottle of water to a dirt block. Standard mud blocks can be made into packed mud blocks, which can then be formed into mud bricks, mud walls, mud stairs, and mud slabs, opening up an entirely new way to build and decorate in Minecraft. Mud can also be placed on top of dripstone blocks to dry them out and create clay, creating a renewable source of clay for Minecraft: Bedrock Edition players.
• Mangrove wood blocks, which can be formed into wooden plank variants much like other wood types. Even boats can be made of the new mangrove wooden planks.
• Reinforced deepslate blocks can now be found on the outer structures of ancient cities within the deep dark biome.
• New sculk blocks including standard sculk, sculk veins capable of growing over other blocks, sculk catalysts that create sculk over dead mobs, sculk sensors that can be triggered by the player, and sculk shriekers that can scream when disturbed, afflicting the player with the new Darkness status effect and even summoning the Warden when disturbed too many times.
• Mangrove propagules, which can grow into mangrove trees when planted.
• Froglights, which are created when frogs devour a magma cube. These blocks are light sources that come in three different color variants in Minecraft, depending on which type of frog created them.
• Boats with chests, a new non-mob entity, allow players to manage their inventory in a small chest while exploring the waters of their Minecraft world.

New Mobs

• The allay, winner of Minecraft Live 2021's mob vote, will be arriving in The Wild Update. This helpful mob will collect loose items for the player and are strangely attracted to note blocks.
• Frogs are making their way to biomes of varying temperatures. Born as tadpoles before growing into their full forms, frogs have three different color variants depending on the temperature of the biome they are born in. Frogs are capable of eating small slimes and creating slime balls, as well as being able to devour magma cubes to create froglights.
• Fireflies can now be found in swamp biomes at night. Bioluminescent and incredibly small, fireflies will hold the record for the smallest mob in Minecraft, being only two pixels in size.
• Tadpoles, the infant forms of frogs will be found in many different biomes' waters. They can be carried via bucket and panic when outside of water or near axolotls.
• The Warden, likely the most anticipated mob in Minecraft 1.19. This blind mob can be summoned by sculk shriekers and will actively hunt the player using its sensitivity to sound and vibrations. This mob will sport the highest health total in the game and can kill even a well-equipped player in a few hits.

New Items

• Echo shards, found in ancient cities, can be formed into a recovery compass, which allows players to easily find the last spot they died in order to recover their items.
• Goat horns, acquired from goats ramming into certain solid blocks. These horns will have varying sounds depending on the personality of the goat that dropped it.
• Music disc 5, which can only be assembled from crafting together nine disc fragments found within ancient cities. The song included on the disc is "5" by Samuel Åberg.

New Status Effects and Enchantments

• Darkness, a new status effect inflicted by sculk shriekers, pulses between standard vision and complete darkness for the player.
• The Swift Sneak enchantment will be added, found in chests in ancient cities, this enchantment allows players to move at a faster speed when sneaking.

Miscellaneous Additions and Improvements

• Terrain generation for biomes such as swamps and birch forests have been reworked to make them more diverse.
• Three new tracks will be added to the game by Lena Raine: "Firebugs," "Aerie," and "Labyrinthine."