Minecraft Poisonous Potato update's grappling hook turns you into Spider-Man

Minecraft's April Fool's Day snapshot for 2024 is known as the Poisonous Potato update, bringing several potato-related items, blocks, mobs, and even a custom boss to the game. One of the most entertaining aspects of the snapshot is the lashing potato tool, which operates like a grappling hook and which players like u/Primary_Thought_4912 believe is simply too fun to remain a joke item:

This is way too fun to only be in an april fools snapshot byu/Primary_Thought_4912 inMinecraft

Mojang has a long history of releasing Minecraft Java snapshots on April Fool's Day and introducing increasingly wacky gameplay features. Past snapshots have included an "infinite" number of dimensions to visit, the ability to visit the moon, and much more. However, players have been particularly attached to the grappling hook-like lashing potato for the fun swinging gameplay it provides.

Once crafted, players can right-click to cast out a potato like they would a bobber for a fishing rod. However, instead of pulling targets to the player, the lashing potato pulls the user to whatever the potato latches on to, allowing them to swing across surfaces like Spider-Man. It wasn't long before players started to make the case for a grappling hook to be added to the vanilla game.

Comment byu/Primary_Thought_4912 from discussion inMinecraft

Plenty of mods have already introduced grappling hooks and other intriguing exploration tools, but an item like the lashing potato has remained absent in the base game. Now that it's finally here (albeit in a joke Java Edition snapshot for April Fool's Day), it's only reasonable for players to hope that Mojang has plans for a grappling hook in the future of the vanilla game.

However, some players often point out that plenty of features in Minecraft's April Fool's Day snapshots never make their way to the base game. On the converse side, some additions like tinted glass were originally introduced in an April Fool's snapshot before being introduced years later. All things considered, a grappling hook-like tool in Mojang's sandbox game isn't an impossibility.

Players discuss the lashing potato grappling hook in the Poisonous Potato update (Image via Reddit)

It's quite likely that Mojang is keeping an eye on fan feedback for this April Fool's update and those that preceded it. Perhaps if Minecraft fans make enough of a showing that they love the prospect of a grappling hook-like tool like the lashing potato, the developer may just keep the response in mind for future updates, though there's no guarantee a grappling hook will be implemented at all.

Comment byu/Primary_Thought_4912 from discussion inMinecraft

While there are no guarantees, Minecraft's yearly April Fool's Day snapshots do give players hope. Even if a grappling hook doesn't make its way to the game for years, getting it at all would likely be a huge hit among fans.

---

Could a grappling hook work well in vanilla Minecraft?

The crafting recipe for the lashing potato in the Poisonous Potato update (Image via Mojang)

All of this speculation begs the question: Could a grappling hook work in vanilla Minecraft without obsoleting other tools and travel methods? Grappling hooks have been a staple in many different mods for quite some time. There seems to be a body of evidence that supports grappling hooks being viable as both a transportation and exploration tool.

Some players may be concerned that adding a grappling hook to Minecraft would make items/tools like ender pearls or even elytra and firework rockets. However, there's an inherent risk to using the grappling hook, as it's quite easy to run into walls or detach and fall and take a sizable amount of fall damage.

The lashing potato allows players to move around quickly in Minecraft's Poisonous Potato update (especially with elytra/poisonous polytra), but control is trickier and the potential for accidental damage is much higher. This isn't to say that players can't practice with a grappling hook-like tool and get better, but Mojang would likely introduce limits on the hook to ensure it remains balanced.

Swinging with the lashing potato feels great but takes practice (Image via Mojang)

Moreover, a grappling hook in Minecraft would undoubtedly have durability, and the potential to break one's hook mid-swing would be ever-present in players' minds. Still, all things considered, swinging around like a superhero in any form or fashion is quite a rush and can be incredibly fun, and the parkour map applications are effectively endless if a grappling hook is ever introduced.

For the time being, players will simply have to enjoy the Poisonous Potato update to the fullest and hope that Mojang pays close attention. Some fans may be more cynical about the studio's priorities for future updates, but at least the Minecraft 24w14potato snapshot will exist in Java Edition going forward and can be downloaded and played at one's leisure.