5 best Java parity features recently added to Minecraft Bedrock

Minecraft is infamous for having two separate versions, each with a unique code base, community, and feature set. In fact, one of the community's oldest memes is the division between Java and Bedrock players. However, Mojang has made great strides in recent years to bring the two versions much closer together.

They do this through parity updates, which aim to combine the best features of each version of the game until a final, perfect Minecraft is born. This means that parity updates are some of the game's most important.

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5 best Minecraft Java features added to Bedrock

1) Removed shovel from boat crafting menu

The updated boat recipe (Image via Mojang)

Since the release of Bedrock Edition, players have had to, for some reason, use a shovel in addition to five planks when crafting a boat. This means that Bedrock users were unfairly being forced to pay more resources for the same item. However, one of the bigger parity changes in update 1.20.10 was removing shovels from boat crafting recipes.

This is one of the biggest requests from the Bedrock community over the years and is another large step towards unifying the game's playerbase.

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2) Crawling added to Bedrock

Crawling was also recently added to Bedrock (Image via Mojang)

Java players have had crawling as an extra movement option ever since update 1.9, which first added Minecraft's beloved elytra. This allows players to enter one-block gaps and traverse narrow spaces, even if the speed is the same as sneaking.

One of the most recent versions of the game, update 1.20.30, finally took crawling out of the experimental section of Bedrock. This means that Bedrock users will finally have access to this advanced movement method without having to turn on any experimental settings.

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3) Ability to crouch under 1.5-block gaps

Bedrock players can finally fit in 1.5 block gaps (Image via Mojang)

Similar to crawling, Java players have also had the ability to fit into 1.5-block-tall areas while crouching for years. This allowed for much more freedom when building, as players could spawnproof an area with slabs and still fit by crouching.

In fact, some of Minecraft's most advanced farms utilize this ability to allow players to enter certain parts of the farm while also keeping mobs from appearing outside of the designated spawn chamber. This makes it a very useful feature to finally be added to Bedrock in update 1.20.10.

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4) Ability to customize shields using custom-made banner patterns

A custom Pokeball shield (Image via Mojang)

One of the coolest personalization options available in Java Edition is being able to put a custom banner on the front of a shield. This means that super-detailed and ornate designs can be carried into battle, a staple of both historical and fantasy fiction.

However, Bedrock players lacked this ability until Minecraft 1.20, which also added archeology, armor trims, and cherry grove biomes. While more of an aesthetic change than a mechanical one, it is nonetheless a huge step towards parity.

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5) World seed parity

Minecraft's many seeds are finally shared between versions (Image via Mojang)

There is one recent parity update that is so important and impactful that it eclipses all the rest. This change was updating world generation as part of Caves and Cliffs Part Two, where Mojang also ensured that a seed would generate the same terrain across Java and Bedrock.

This means that the two editions could finally share world seeds, a long-requested feature. Any of Minecraft's best world seeds can now be used for either version of the game, even if the structures might generate slightly differently.

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It is not just the settings and features within the game that are becoming more similar. The recent addition of addons to the Minecraft Marketplace has given Bedrock players access to content similar to Java Edition mods that can be combined however the player wants.

Hopefully, this trend continues, and the two versions of the game can eventually be made cross-compatible, unifying the playerbase.