7 best features coming to Minecraft in 2024

Minecraft's schedule in 2024 is far from finished, but the announcement of upcoming patches like versions 1.20.5 and 1.21 has given fans plenty to look forward to. New mobs, blocks, structures, and game mechanics are only months away, and players will undoubtedly come up with some pretty creative uses for just about every in-game addition that Mojang devises.

Moreover, there are likely even more features and in-game additions for both Minecraft Java and Bedrock that have yet to be revealed. Mojang tends to keep a few content unveilings close to its chest during development, so there is likely more than meets the eye. Regardless, it doesn't hurt to look at some of the most exciting arrivals for Mojang's sandbox title in 2024.

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7 of the most exciting features coming to Minecraft in 2024

1) Armadillos

Armadillo concept art provided during Minecraft monthly (Image via Mojang)

Announced during Minecraft Live 2023 as the Mob Vote event winner, players have already had some time experimenting with armadillo mobs thanks to their inclusion in Java Edition snapshots and Bedrock Edition previews. However, armadillos are still in the works, and they'll be slated to be released during Minecraft update 1.20.5 once their initial development cycle is completed.

These little critters roam arid biomes like savanna and badland biomes, curling up when they sense danger. They can be brushed for scutes, which can be used to craft wolf armor for players' pups. Moreover, spiders and cave spiders are terrified of armadillos and run from them, which may have something to do with the fact that they eat spider eyes to breed.

Whatever the case, armadillos may not be the most useful mob ever at the moment, but they're certainly worth keeping around if you want to equip your wolves with protective gear.

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2) Wolf Armor

Wolf armor keeps Minecraft players' canine pets protected to a degree (Image via Mojang)

Wolf armor is a new form of equipment that will be fully implemented in Minecraft 1.20.5, along with armadillos and their scutes. The armor is crafted with scutes and acts similar to a shield, absorbing incoming damage for wolves instead of simply reducing it. As wolf armor absorbs damage, it will lose durability and begin to show signs of wear and damage over time.

When wolf armor durability reaches zero, it will break much like a shield, removing the protective abilities it offers wolves. The good news is that you can repair wolf armor simply by holding and using armadillo scutes on them while the wolf armor is equipped. Even better, wolf armor can be dyed like leather armor, offering a little customization to make your pet wolf stand out.

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3) The Crafter Block and Auto-Crafting

The crafter block introduces an automatic crafting mechanic to Minecraft (Image via Mojang)

After years of mods introducing the ability to auto-craft blocks and items in Minecraft, the 1.21 update promises the arrival of the crafter block. When this block is supplied with a redstone pulse, it will utilize the materials inside of it (and the crafting recipe set by the player) to create an item or block. If the block is supplied with materials/connectivity, it'll keep pumping out blocks/items.

Even as an Experimental Feature in Minecraft at the moment, fans are coming up with some very innovative ways to use the crafter block. Redstone contraptions using the crafter have already been created to manufacture everything from building resources to weapons/armor and much, much more. While it may not be able to match mods like Create, the crafter is a great step forward for vanilla technology.

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4) Trial Chambers

Minecraft's trial chambers carry both dangers and riches (Image via Mojang)

Arriving in Minecraft 1.21, trial chambers are new mid-level combat challenge structures that are generated in the deepslate layers of the Overworld. Composed primarily of new copper and tuff blocks, trial chambers have a procedurally generated layout, so you won't encounter the same rooms and hallways in each chamber you visit, providing a new experience each time.

Inside trial chambers, you will find trial spawners that are capable of creating a litany of hostile mobs, and the quantity of these mobs increases depending on how many players reside in the trial chamber. When the hostile mobs are defeated, the spawner will provide a trial key to open a vault block. These blocks can be unlocked once by each player to provide rewards.

Additional loot chests can also be found within trial chambers, and these chambers are also capable of spawning both of the newly confirmed hostile mobs: the breeze and the bogged.

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5) The Breeze and the Bogged

The breeze and the bogged are two new hostile mobs arriving in future updates (Image via Mojang)

The breeze is native to trial chambers, while the bogged can appear in swamps, mangrove swamps, and occasionally spawn from trial spawners. The breeze is an agile hostile mob capable of firing wind charges, which can knock back targets and activate some redstone component blocks. Wind charges will also be dropped when killing breezes and can be used as a throwable item by players.

Meanwhile, the bogged is a new variant of the skeleton mob that fires poisoned arrows at their targets. When killed, they'll drop not only bones and standard arrows but arrows of poison. Bogged can also be sheared to acquire red and brown mushrooms, which is interesting for a hostile mob.

All things considered, these two new hostile Minecraft mobs might make for some interesting farm capabilities in the future. This is particularly true for the bogged, which may provide a limitless food source if fans can farm them safely and shear them for their mushrooms.

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6) An Updated UI

Minecraft's UI is undergoing a modernization in 2024 (Image via Mojang)

For years now, Minecraft's user interface has remained pretty static, with only a few changes and tweaks implemented every so often. 2024 is seeing Java Edition's UI changing in some substantial ways, including the removal of the dirt texture as a background in many parts of the main menu as well as removing it in the end credits, where it will be replaced by an End portal effect.

Not to be outdone, Bedrock Edition is also receiving several improvements to its UI, including a new death screen, a revamped servers tab for multiplayer, as well as a Realms Stories feed that will document major progression landmarks made while on a realm. All in all, Minecraft's UI is beginning to become more modern while still keeping its core aesthetic intact.

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7) Hardcore Mode in Bedrock Edition

Hardcore Mode will no longer be exclusive to Java Edition (Image via Mojang)

After years of remaining exclusive on Minecraft: Java Edition, Minecraft's Hardcore Mode is coming to Bedrock. While it was possible in the past to play Hardcore on Bedrock through the use of add-ons, Mojang announced in a recent Bedrock preview that it would be introducing Hardcore Mode as a vanilla feature across Bedrock platforms, something many players are delighted to hear.

The aim is for Hardcore Mode to be exactly as it is in Java Edition, introducing permadeath and locking the difficulty to hard. Once you die, you can only return to the main menu or spectate your world (though some commands can allow you to avoid permanent death in Hardcore). Whatever the case, challenge seekers should be overjoyed with this Bedrock parity addition.