Great news, Minecraft ($6.99) players! We’re finally getting oceans worth exploring. During the MineCon Earth stream, which just concluded, the developers announced that the next update (for both the bedrock and Java versions) will be called Update Aquatic, and it will finally bring life to Minecraft‘s pretty empty oceans. This update will add corals, kelp, ocean sub-biomes—with both cold and warm oceans—shipwrecks, a ton of fish, dolphins, and bubble columns, which will change the buoyancy of anything floating above it. You’ll have the ability to use a bucket and grab water with fish, and that fish will be persistent; in other words, get ready to build the craziest aquariums.
We are also getting a new weapon, the Trident. You can throw the Trident at targets, but it won’t come back unless it has the loyalty enchantment. To make the oceans work better in-game, the team will rework water physics to make it more natural, so expect items to float from now on (and sorry, no pocket of air underwater trick anymore). This news got me very excited because oceans are usually the largest biomes in maps, and they’re not really worth exploring. And building underwater can also be a pain. Expect the update to come in the next year. Head over here and go to 2:26 to see the update in action.
The vote for the new mob also took place during MineCon Earth, and the winner was the Monster of the Night Skies (no actual name yet). This manta-ray-like monster spawns at high altitudes and is attracted to insomnia; if you haven’t slept for a few days, it will swoop down along with friends and bite your flesh. This is the first flying monster in the overworld, and I’m super excited about it. Expect it to come in the Update Aquatic. Finally, you can all get free MineCon Marketplace stuff like a Minecon Earth Skinpack, a MineCon Earth map, the purple party parrot palace build, and much more. Check them all out in the Marketplace in-game. So, excited about all these additions? As pretty much a veteran of Minecraft by now, I have waited for ocean content forever. Can’t wait until the Update Aquatic hits next year.
