5 things players didn't know about the Survival Test in Minecraft

While unknown to most players, the Minecraft Survival Test added the most iconic mobs that exist currently. Released on September 1st, 2009, the Survival Test was released to test out the survival aspects of Minecraft, such as hostile mobs, arrows, health, and TNT. It was the beginning of Minecraft it is known today.

Luckily, Notch decided to scrap a lot of the features in the Survival Test, as they didn't showcase the idea he wanted for the game. The Survival Test was initially going to be the beta of Minecraft until Notch decided that the game would take longer than he expected!

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Five unknown things about Minecraft's Survival Test

#5 - Arrows

Big arrow is big (Image via GrabCraft)

The Minecraft Survival Test introduced the iconic Arrow into Minecraft.

Arrows did not require a Bow, and could be shot by pressing the Tab key. They also made a funny little noise that is very nostalgic to some veteran players.

Skeletons also shot arrows. However, since there were no bows, they shot them out of their hands. Skeletons shot much faster than they do now, making them extremely dangerous in in the Survival Test.

They would drop six to eight arrows upon death.

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#4 - Steve's Hand

Steve's weird hand (Image via Minecraft)

In the Survival Test, Steve's hand used to be in a different position!

In addition to Steve's hand, all tools would be shown at a different angle, an odd sight for most Minecraft players who have been accustomed to the standard hand and tool placement!

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#3 - Point System

The iconic "First Minecraft House" (Image via Minecraft.Gamepedia)

Many may not know that Minecraft used to have a points system!

Upon killing each mob, players will receive a certain amount of points depending on the mob. Fortunately, Notch did away with the point system as it didn't match what he had planned for Minecraft, giving it a sort of arcade feel.

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#2 - Creepers be Creepin'

The nostalgic wonderland that is the Survival Test (Image via Quora)

In the Survival Test, Creepers acted a lot differently than they do now!

Instead of immediately exploding, Creepers had a melee attack and would jump at the player! They would explode upon death, making it an unwise decision to kill them with melee. Oh, how far Minecraft has come.

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#1 - The Health Bar

What a lovely little heart (Image via nicepng)

The Minecraft Survival Test housed the first implementation of the Health Bar, a feature that seemed impossible to play without!

The player had ten hearts, much like the Minecraft of today. The health bar began to shake if they reached two hearts, also much like the current iteration.

The player's melee attack would do four hearts of damage, which would be insane for PvP players to hear.

Note: This article reflects the writer's opinions.