7 features that would have made Minecraft 1.21 even better

Minecraft 1.21, also known as Tricky Trials, is officially slated to be released on June 13, meaning that there are less than two weeks until trial chambers, new potions, bogged, breeze, and mace, are all officially added to the game. And while 1.21 has shaped up to be a great update, there are a few features that would have made it even better.

Detailed below are seven examples of changes, features, and additions that would have elevated Tricky Trials from a great update to one of the best in the game's long and storied history.

NOTE: This article is subjective and reflects the writer's opinions.

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7 features that would have made Minecraft Tricky Trials even more impressive

1) Bundles

Bundles have been promised by Mojang for years (Image via Mojang Studios)

Bundles were first teased in October 2020, but have yet to be added to the game nearly four years later. They were Mojang Studios' solution to the game's inventory issue, where the sheer number of new items added in every Minecraft update could no longer be accommodated.

With Tricky Trials introducing its own set of items, blocks, and even potions, the inventory issue has only gotten worse. Having the bundle introduced in 1.21 would have been great timing. The developer could, at the very least, introduce a solution to the inventory issue, as the problem is only getting worse with every update.

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2) Fletching table functionality

The fletching table is the final workstation to be completely useless (Image via Mojang Studios)

The fletching table is the last Minecraft villager profession block that can be deemed useless. Rather than allowing players to craft arrows at a better rate or combine potions with arrows to tip them, the block only converts villagers into fletchers. The fletching table was used during the Minecraft joke update, known as the Poisonous Potato Update, but it still has no legitimate in-game purpose.

Tricky Trials would have been the perfect moment to finally give this workstation a purpose for players outside of villager trading.

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3) New biome

The bogged is technically an update to swamps, but not a very major one (Image via Mojang Studios)

An interesting tidbit about Tricky Trials is that it is the first update since the fan-favorite Minecraft Nether update to not feature a new biome. Since new biomes have become somewhat of a tradition with yearly major updates, it's a bit strange to see 1.21 lacking one. Even a major biome revamp would have been nice, but Tricky Trials has left this area of the game completely untouched.

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4) End updates

A small update to the end would have put Tricky Trials on a new level (Image via Mojang Studios)

Minecraft's end dimension is undeniably underdeveloped. Its barren wastes are thematically accurate to the dimension, which is bland to look at and explore. There's little reason to revise the dimension other than to set up Minecraft XP farms on the main island and occasionally go to an end city to get shulker shells.

Tricky Trials would have been an amazing opportunity to touch up the dimension a bit, either with a new structure or biome focusing on combat as the overworld's trial chambers.

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5) A boss mob

Trial chambers look purposefully designed for a boss fight (Image via Mojang Studios)

While Tricky Trials is introducing two new interesting regular hostile mobs, the breeze and the bogged, a new boss mob is lacking. This is a shame, as the labyrinthine layout of trial chambers, combined with their intimidating antechambers, would make for interesting and unique boss arenas. The extra mobs would also add to a potential boss fight's difficulty.

This would have also been a great time to introduce a reference to the very first mob vote. A large boss breeze mob would be a fun reference to Mob D, also known as the Hovering Inferno. The two mobs are already quite similar in design, so furthering this connection would have been both fun, thematic, and interesting.

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6) More maps

More explorer maps would help encourage exploration, rather than random wandering (Image via Mojang Studios)

One of the best quality-of-life additions from Tricky Trials is a new Minecraft villager trade for a map to a trial chamber. This removes the need to randomly mine around looking for the structure. However, Tricky Trials would have been a better update if it also added maps for some older structures that deserve them.

For example, a map of dangerous Minecraft strongholds would serve as a nice way to give players a chance to find them without needing to venture into the nether to kill blaze or collect a large amount of ender pearls. Of course, they would still be needed to activate the portal, but finding the stronghold can often be the worst part of Minecraft's final fight against the ender dragon.

Additionally, a trade for nearby village types would be nice, since villages will eventually have unique enchanted books available for trade. Being able to use one village to consistently find more would make it easier to get all the trades.

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7) Finished block palettes

I hope Mojang work towards completing the missing block variants in 1.21 byu/BossierCandy inMinecraft

One of the most frustrating aspects of the game, especially for builders, is the incomplete block palettes scattered throughout the game. This might seem like a minor issue, but having to keep track of what types of blocks are arbitrarily missing from certain materials can lead to frustration and confusion.

Tricky Trials already addresses this issue, but just for copper and tuff. The update would have been even better for builders if it had also expanded on other block types and materials as well, such as diorite, andesite, and granite.