5 best technical features in Minecraft 1.21 update

Minecraft 1.21, also known as Tricky Trials, has arrived at last. Countless players are enjoying its content, but some features aren't as visible as others. Fans know about the trial chambers, the breeze, the mace, and more, but there are technical changes implemented in the update that they may have missed.

From introducing new targeting selectors for commands to making rideable entities capable of passing through Nether portals, several of Minecraft 1.21's technical features are worth being aware of.

Given this information, it doesn't hurt to examine some of the best technical features of the Tricky Trials update.

Note: This list is subjective and solely reflects the opinions of the writer

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Five of the best technical features in Minecraft 1.21

1) Java Edition boats/rafts can connect to leads

Boats and rafts can finally be attached to leads in Minecraft 1.21 (Image via Mojang)

Although this feature was already present in Minecraft Bedrock, Java Edition players can finally attach leads to boats and rafts, making the process of moving them around (particularly outside of water) easier. Transporting villagers via boats, for example, is a much simpler process, thanks to the fact that players can simply place a villager in a boat and then pull it with a lead.

This is a small addition in the grand scheme of things, but it doesn't seem as though Java Edition fans will be upset with this feature.

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2) Enchantments, paintings, and music discs are data-driven

Multiple aspects of Minecraft 1.21 can now be dictated solely via datapacks (Image via Mojang)

This feature may be one of Minecraft 1.21's most overlooked, but it's a huge win for players who love customizing the game.

Paintings, enchantments, and music discs are now data-driven and tied to their respective datapacks, allowing players to edit the existing vanilla datapack to change the values of paintings, enchantments, and music discs. This enables players to introduce custom paintings, custom enchantments, and custom music without needing to create a new datapack.

New datapacks still work perfectly fine of course. However, players can now edit the base game's datapack to tweak various parts of gameplay to their liking.

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3) Entities can be ridden into nether portals

Rideable entities like horses and minecarts can be ridden through nether portals in Minecraft 1.21 (Image via Mojang)

Minecraft fans can now take some of their favorite modes of transportation through nether portals. The 1.21 update allows for rideable entities including minecarts, boats, horses, donkeys, mules, pigs, and more to be ridden straight through a nether portal. Players can finally create the Overworld-to-Nether minecart network or their dreams or assault a nether fortress on horseback.

There are likely even more applications that this feature can introduce. It will likely only be a matter of time before players discover them and come up with some incredible builds as a result.

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4) A new command selector known as @n

Minecraft commands can now select the nearest entity to the executor with the @n selector (Image via Mojang)

Command selectors in Minecraft commands (like @a, @s, @e, etc.) have received a new way to target entities in the 1.21 update. Specifically, this comes in the form of the @n target selector, which will run the command on the nearest entity relative to the player/block that executed it. This should allow for more fine-tuned command targeting overall.

For example, if a command block were to run /give to give players weapons, armor, or tools, the @n target designator could be used to execute the command for the player closest to the block, which would likely be whoever activated it in the first place.

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5) Witch redstone dust drops have been increased

Witches have become more viable sources of redstone dust (Image via Mojang)

While mining for redstone dust remains a great way to obtain the resource, the 1.21 update has made witches a more viable source of redstone dust as well. Witches will now drop a guaranteed four to eight redstone dust per death, making witch farms a much more dependable way to collect the dust overall. A well-made witch farm might even be able to supplant the need to mine redstone ore.

Witch farms take time and effort to assemble. However, now that witches drop more redstone dust, they're even more productive than they once were.