Minecraft snapshot today (March 27, 2024): All you need to know

Minecraft snapshot today (March 27)
Minecraft snapshot today, March 27 (Mojang Studios)

On March 27, Mojang Studios released Minecraft Snapshot 24w13a for Java Edition, featuring major changes to maces, tweaks to the breeze and its unique wind charge attack, and a redesigned Bad Omen effect, now called Ominous Events. Along with Ominous Events, Minecraft Snapshot 24w13a introduced many new elements related to trial chambers.

Trial spawners, trial keys, and vaults have received a new ominous variant, raising the difficulty of these subterranean structures to the next level.

In this article, players will find a recap of all the major new features and changes in Minecraft Snapshot 24w13a.


Minecraft Snapshot Today: Major Features in Snapshot 24w13a

Mace Gets Enchantments and Revamps

Mace weapon has undergone changes and received new enchantments (Image via Mojang Studios)
Mace weapon has undergone changes and received new enchantments (Image via Mojang Studios)

Minecraft's latest weapon, the mace, has received some changes and features in Snapshot 24w13a. This melee weapon now deals more damage and knockback. The latter is significantly boosted if the player drops from a height of five blocks or more. However, the base damage of the mace has been halved in this snapshot.

The mace has also received three new unique enchantments - Density, Breach, and Wind Burst. Other than these, players can now enchant the mace with the following old enchantments as well:

  • Mending
  • Unbreaking
  • Smite
  • Bane of Arthropods
  • Fire Aspect
  • Curse of Vanishing

Breeze and wind charge changes

Breeze mob (Image via Mojang Studios)
Breeze mob (Image via Mojang Studios)

The breeze mob has become smarter and now avoids landing or jumping onto damaging blocks. The wind charge, an item crafted using breeze rods, now deals no damage to end crystals. If you plan to use wind charge in your fight against the Ender Dragon, don't try to use it to break end crystals.


Bad Omen is now called Ominous Event

Ominous Vault (Image via Mojang Studios)
Ominous Vault (Image via Mojang Studios)

Bad Omen has been completely revamped and turned into a new feature called Ominous Event. This status effect now also affects your adventures in the trial chambers.

When you get close to a trial chamber while having the Ominous Event effect, it will turn into a Trial Omen. All the challenges in trial chambers become "ominous," which is more difficult but will result in better rewards, like the ominous trial key, which gives you a chance to obtain a heavy core block from ominous vaults.


Changes to Trial Chambers

With Ominous Event, trial chambers have become more fun and challenging in Minecraft 1.21 update. As mentioned, it turns all things ominous in the trial chambers. The regular blocks become ominous.

Ominous trial spawners will spawn mobs with strong effects and drop better rewards. They have a 30% chance to drop a new variant of the trial key called ominous trial key, which can be used to unlock ominous vaults.

Ominous vaults are hidden inside trial chambers and look slightly different from regular vaults. Upon opening them, players can get the following items:

  • Ominous bottle III - V
  • Enchanted golden apple
  • Flow banner pattern and flow armor trim smithing template
  • Wind Burst, Breach, and Density enchantments for the mace
  • Heavy core

Loot from standard vaults has also been nerfed in Minecraft Snapshot 24w13a. They can no longer drop heavy core blocks but instead have a very rare chance to drop a trident. Players can also get Ominous bottles I and II from standard vaults.


Mob Effects and new potions

New Minecraft 1.21 mob effects and potions (Image via Mojang Studios)
New Minecraft 1.21 mob effects and potions (Image via Mojang Studios)

As mentioned, when raiding a trial chamber with the Ominous Event active, the spawners will become ominous and spawn mobs with powerful status effects. Mojang has added completely new effects just for the ominous mobs, which can also be brewed as potions:

  • Wind charged: Affected mobs will emit wind charges. It can be brewed using an awkward potion and a breeze rod.
  • Weaving: Affected mobs will spread cobwebs upon death. It can be brewed using an awkward potion and a cobweb block.
  • Oozing: Affected mobs will spawn two slimes on death. It can be brewed using an awkward potion and a slime block. Slimes are immune to this.
  • Infested: Affected mobs have a 5% chance to spawn one or two silverfish when hurt. It can be brewed using an awkward potion and a stone block. Silverfish are immune to this.

With all these exciting new features and changes, Minecraft 1.21 is on its way to becoming one of the most exciting updates ever.

Interested players can check Minecraft snapshot 24w13a patch notes for detailed information on all new features and changes.

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