Sniffer in Minecraft 1.20 update: Everything you need to know

With the Minecraft 1.20 update, Mojang will be releasing the new Sniffer mob. It is an ancient entity that players will need to find in the form of eggs. They will interact with the world in a completely new way.

It was announced as a Mob Vote candidate in 2022. Right before Mojang's annual event, where they announced the Minecraft 1.20 update, millions of players voted for their favorite pick so that it gets added to the game.

Since the Sniffer was an instant hit after it was announced, it won the Mob Vote at the end of the live event by gathering more than half the votes from the community. Mojang recently released the mob in snapshots and beta preview versions for players to test.

Everything to know about Sniffer in Minecraft 1.20 update

What is a Sniffer?

Sniffers are the first ancient mob that looks quite like a dinosaur in Minecraft 1.20 update (Image via Mojang)

The Sniffer is the first ancient mob to come to the game. Though others like Ender Dragon, Wither, Enderman, etc., could also be categorized as ancient, Mojang has declared that the new addition will be the first one.

Adult sniffers are slightly larger than players, and snifflets (baby sniffers) are much smaller, almost equal to an adult pig. They have a yellow nose and a red body with a leafy green shell.

How to find a Sniffer?

Sniffer eggs will now be found in suspicious sand blocks rather than in underwater ruin chests in Minecraft 1.20 update (Image via Mojang)

Since these mobs are ancient, they will not naturally spawn in a regular world. Players will need to explore and find the special but rare eggs in suspicious sand blocks that will generate in and around desert temples and wells. Once the sniffer egg is obtained, players need to take care of it until it hatches to spawn a snifflet, which will soon grow into an adult.

It is to be noted that the suspicious sand block is also new to the game and can be brushed away to extract all sorts of special objects.

What does a Sniffer do in the game?

Sniffers roam around the world and dig out special torchflower seeds which can be grown in Minecraft 1.20 update (Image via Sportskeeda)

Sniffers usually roam around the world aimlessly, avoiding irregular terrain and other dangerous obstacles. They occasionally do a smelling animation, either with their heads up or down. They can only dig blocks like dirt, grass, podzol, coarse dirt, rooted dirt, moss, mud, and muddy mangrove roots.

Moreover, sniffers track rare new torchflower seeds by pressing their noses to the ground. Once they find a seed, they vigorously dig it out for players to collect.

One can also breed sniffers by feeding them enough torchflower seeds. However, these mobs are not attracted to the feed if a player holds them. Hence, a breeding pen must be created where sniffers can recognize each other and mate properly. They also heal whenever they eat torchflower seeds.

If they are killed by players or tamed wolves, they drop one to three XP points and possess a 10% chance of dropping a moss block.