Top 5 Minecraft 1.20 features you should know

Minecraft's awaited 1.20 update still doesn't have a concrete release date, but developers at Mojang are unveiling features progressively for the release. Some of these are being experienced early thanks to the Java and Bedrock Edition's betas, though they're still in development as of this writing.

Regardless, the 1.20 update's announcement started light on confirmed content but has grown so far in 2023. New biomes, creatures, and ways to play the game have all been confirmed in previews, and these developments should be much more fleshed out by the time 1.20 arrives.

With so many aspects of Minecraft 1.20 to consider, there are many things to look forward to when the update is released sometime by the end of Spring 2023.

---

Minecraft 1.20 Features to Get Excited About Before the Update is Released

1) The Sniffer

A sniffer mob hunting for seeds in Minecraft (Image via Mojang)

The winner of Minecraft's 2022 Mob Vote, the sniffer is an ancient mob that players can hatch from eggs. In its debut trailer, sniffer eggs were allegedly found under the sea. Be that as it may, recent announcements by Mojang developer Sofia Dankis have confirmed that players can use the in-game archeology feature to find sniffer eggs in suspicious sand blocks. When hatched and matured, sniffers can roam the Overworld and sniff the ground to find ancient seeds, allowing players to collect and plant them to obtain new flora like the torchflower.

In the current Java/Bedrock betas, the sniffer isn't fully functional, but it should be ready to go by the time Minecraft 1.20 is released. Players should find this hulking creature quite helpful and adorable as well.

---

2) Archeology

A decorated pot block, which can be crafted from materials found in Minecraft's archeology gameplay (Image via Mojang)

Archeology has been a long-awaited feature by many Minecraft players since the Caves & Cliffs update originally announced it. After a few delays, Mojang has confirmed that update 1.20 will introduce archeology in earnest. Thanks to recent in-game previews, players have been able to experience archeology in a limited capacity by crafting a brush and dusting suspicious sand blocks to uncover pottery shards that can be combined to create new decorated pots with different patterns.

Excavating sand for pottery bits is likely only the beginning, and the archeology featured in update 1.20 should be much more robust by the time the full version drops.

---

3) Smithing Templates and Armor Trims

Trimmed armor provides a whole new way to customize gear in Minecraft (Image via Mojang)

Armor has remained roughly the same in Minecraft since the game's early days, but this appears to be changing in version 1.20. Thanks to the advent of lootable smithing template items, players can customize their armor by adding various trim patterns to each piece. They can be further customized using different materials (netherite, diamond, emerald, redstone, etc.) to color specific trims. This means players can use specific trim patterns on individual pieces of armor, and color them independently to allow for a ton of different trim and color combinations for armor pieces.

A smithing template is also being added as a requirement to upgrade diamond gear into netherite. According to Mojang, this was done so that players could get more mileage out of their diamond gear before upgrading while making netherite gear feel more impactful when it is obtained.

---

4) Cherry Grove Biomes

Cherry grove biomes introduce an all-new type of wood to build and decorate with (Image via Mojang)

Found on the slopes of Minecraft's mountains, cherry grove biomes are new locales that contain cherry blossom trees. Much like other in-game trees, cherry trees provide a new type of wood that can be crafted into wooden planks and many other blocks and items. Cherry groves also offer pink petals which can be harvested from the ground like flowers, and mobs like sheep and bees can be found in these biomes as well. These aren't common biomes by any stretch, but cherry groves improve the overall variety of the Overworld.

---

5) Revamped Bamboo

Bamboo has expanded uses in Minecraft 1.20 for both builders and crafters (Image via ECKOSOLDIER/YouTube)

For quite some time, bamboo has been fairly limited. It can be used to craft sticks and scaffolding, and makes for a nice snack for pandas. However, update 1.20 will be forming bamboo into a much more robust material. In the upcoming release, bamboo can be formed into plank blocks, a new and patterned mosaic block, and a log-like block made of pure bamboo. This upgrade has also enabled it to be crafted into slabs, stairs, boats, doors, signs, buttons, and much more.

Bamboo can also be used to craft a unique boat type known as bamboo rafts, which should fit in quite nicely when exploring the waters of a jungle biome.