New Minecraft 1.20.2 snapshot adds seven new explorer maps for villages and structures

Minecraft ruffled quite a few feathers due to recent changes to librarian villagers in both Java Edition snapshots and Bedrock Edition previews. Now, the first pre-release for Java Edition 1.20.2 has made additional tweaks to other villagers. Among other changes, cartographer villagers have received some attention, and they can now provide additional maps to players via trading.

To put a finer point on it, depending on the home biome of the villager, Minecraft players can now acquire maps in trades that provide location information pointing to other villages and different structures. According to Mojang, this can help players find other biomes, villages, and more without needing to wander.

For Minecraft fans who haven't tested out this new Java pre-release for themselves, it doesn't hurt to break down the changes to cartographers.

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Examining the new maps and cartographer trades in Minecraft Java 1.20.2 Pre-Release 1

Cartographer villagers can now offer Minecraft players all-new maps based on their home biomes (Image via Mojang)

Before this latest Minecraft Java pre-release, cartographer villagers could only offer woodland and ocean explorer maps to players via trading. While this was useful, it somewhat limited what cartographers could offer players aside from their traditional stock, like empty maps, banners, and item frames.

Now, depending on which biome the Minecraft villager calls its home, it possesses a new stock of maps pointing to nearby biomes, structures, and villages. All village biomes, with the exception of plains, provide three new maps to their cartographer villagers. This includes jungle and swamp villages, which must be built by players.

Here are all the new maps introduced in Java 1.20.2 Pre-Release 1:

• Desert Cartographers - Savanna and plains village maps, jungle explorer map
• Jungle Cartographers - Savanna and desert village maps, swamp explorer map
• Plains Cartographers - Savanna and taiga village maps
• Savanna Cartographers - Desert and plains village maps, jungle explorer map
• Snow Cartographers - Plains and taiga village maps, swamp explorer map
• Swamp Cartographers - Snowy and taiga village maps, jungle explorer map
• Taiga Cartographers - Plains and snowy village maps, swamp explorer map

It should be noted that much like the prior changes made to librarian villagers, the tweaks implemented in the latest Java pre-release are currently placed behind the Experimental Features setting. That having been said, if fans aren't particularly fond of these changes, they can disable them in a world's settings.

As always, Mojang has stated that it is tuned into player feedback to make additional adjustments in the future. Obviously, the developer won't take every single point of critique as gospel, but this period of feedback is vital for the full scope of villager changes set to arrive in version 1.20.2.

Since this is the case, players should certainly make their voices heard on the subject by responding to Mojang's posts on its official feedback site. Regardless of whether the responses are positive or negative, collecting this information can help determine how villagers will behave for the foreseeable future.