5 things Minecraft Bedrock needs next to catch up with Java Edition

There has always been a divide in the community between the two versions of Minecraft. There's the original version, Mojang Studios' baby, Java Edition, and the Microsoft remake in a more efficient programming language known as Bedrock. Both versions of the game started very differently, which is a huge contributing factor to this longstanding divide.

While this divide has mostly been reduced to a friendly rivalry, in large part due to Mojang having made a huge effort in recent updates to bring the two versions closer together, there are still a few major features from Java that Bedrock is sorely lacking.

Disclaimer: This article is purely subjective and solely reflects the writer's opinions.

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5 things that Minecraft Bedrock needs to take from Java

1) Quasi-Connectivity

An example of a piston that would extend on Java, but doesn't on Bedrock (Image via Mojang)

Quasi-Connectivity, or QC for short, is a bug-turned-feature exclusive to Java edition. It's a side effect of when pistons were first introduced. Their code for detecting redstone signals is based on the door's code, meaning it extends for two blocks up. While the hitbox and texture of the door are absent, pistons and sticky pistons are still able to detect redstone signals from this block.

This leads to pistons being activated by anything that would power the block above them. This has led to much more depth for redstone builds and is the backbone of the technical community. Without it, many builds, from Minecraft piston doors to expert-level farms, wouldn't be possible, at least not in their current iterations.

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2) Nether roof building

An example of a basic Nether roof hub (Image via Mojang)

A huge advantage that Java Edition has over Bedrock is the ability to place blocks on top of the Nether's bedrock roof. For those unaware, it's incredibly easy to get on top of the Nether's bedrock layer; just a few ladders and an ender pearl will get the job done.

This means that players on Java Edition can punch holes in the bedrock layer to make future access much easier. Since mobs don't spawn on Bedrock, this gives Java players a perfect, spawn-proof place to set up a Nether hub, as well as gold and bartering farms, both of which will be made even better through Minecraft farms with the crafter.

However, Bedrock players will find there's not much point to doing so, other than maybe safely moving large distances in the Nether. This is because, unlike Java, the dimension's build limit is actually at Bedrock. Java avoided this, as the initial world doubling in 1.2.1 from 128 to 256 blocks applied to the Nether as well. This was an unintended consequence of the update.

Bedrock was made after this update, so the Nether features the correct world height. Java Edition gets to continue building on the roof, as with QC, Mojang has effectively acknowledged that it's a part of what makes Java Edition special, and to remove it would be to take away Java's identity. Unfortunately, this also makes it highly unlikely to ever come to Bedrock.

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3) Full off-hand support

`Most items cannot even be put in Bedrock's offhand (Image via Mojang)

The second-hand item slot is one of the best quality-of-life features ever added to Minecraft. Items like shields can be put there to keep players safe, while torches and food can be stashed to use them without needing to switch away from a pickaxe being used to mine, for example.

However, the offhand system in Bedrock is incredibly limited when compared to its Java counterpart. Only a very small selection of items can be put in the offhand at all, let alone be used there. This small list includes Minecraft's customizable shields, as well as tridents, firework rockets, totems of undying, maps, and nautilus shells.

Nautilus shells don't do anything in the offhand, but they can be put there. Unlike torches or food, which, for some reason, can't be put in the offhand at all, let alone be used from it.

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4) A debug screen

There's more information in the debug screen than a player could ever need (Image via Mojang)

Minecraft Java's debug menu is one of the most powerful features that players have access to. It provides quick and easy access to plenty of incredibly useful technical information, such as the player's current coordinates, which biomes they're in, what direction they're facing, and the light level.

However, Bedrock Edition is lacking this menu, at least where players can access it. There's a toggle in the settings to turn on coordinates, which is nice, and honestly, there should be a similar option for permanent coordinates on Java. But besides this, very little information is available to players.

Bedrock Edition does have the debug screen, just only in developer and Minecraft Marketplace Creator versions of the game. On one hand, this makes sense, as it is assumed to be developer information, but it's so important to Minecraft's best farms that Mojang offers regular Bedrock players access as well.

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5) Better item frames

Java Edition's item frames are infinitely better than Bedrock's (Image via Mojang)

Minecraft's item frames might seem like a minor item to have grievances, but Java Edition handles them so much better than Bedrock. For example, item frames in Java Edition can be placed adjacent to each other around corners. This makes map walls way more impressive to build, as they could even literally stretch out into different walls.

Java item frames can also be placed behind many items, such as grass and torches. This makes them much more useful for decorating, as items can be placed in them to make torches seem mounted to the wall.

Bedrock's item frames are considerably worse, as they have major restrictions on where they can be put. Additionally, they can't be placed behind other items in the same way Java item frames can. Hopefully one of the next major Minecraft parity updates brings Bedrock's item frames up to par.