Could the next Minecraft update bring Ancient City portal feature?

Mojang recently announced this year's Minecraft Live event date, where they showcase all the bigger projects that they've been working on over the past year. They will certainly also announce the next update for the popular sandbox game. Hence, players are extremely excited and cannot wait for the event that will occur on October 15.

In the previous 1.19 update, Mojang added arguably the most dangerous biome and structure called Deep Dark and Ancient City, respectively. The city has a unique layout, with a mysterious statue structure in the middle.

Thousands of players have speculated that this structure looks like a portal to another realm. Though Mojang has not given any information about it, there is a slim chance they might do something with the center statue.

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Possibility of Ancient City portal feature in Minecraft's next update - How the speculation started

Warden statue in the middle of an Ancient City in Minecraft (Image via Mojang)

Even though Mojang didn't say a word about the center structure being a portal, millions of players eagerly speculated about it. When Mojang showcased the entire structure in Minecraft Live 2021, the center statue looked suspicious to many. After a clearer look during the snapshot stage, players immediately understood that it was like a massive Warden head, with its mouth and ears.

However, the mouth part looked awfully like a portal to many. They started posting photos of the central statue on all social media platforms and discussing whether Mojang would surprise them with a new realm in the 1.19 update.

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Signs that indicated a possible portal feature

Not only did the center statue in the Ancient City look like a portal, but there were also several signs and hints inside the game that it was a portal as well. For starters, the hole area in the middle was surrounded by a special reinforced deepslate block.

This block cannot be obtained in survival mode and takes a long time to break with a pickaxe. Hence, players are connected to the end portal frame with similar properties.

Furthermore, the new 'Disc 5' released with The Wild Update had a segment in which players could hear someone trying to light something with flint and steel. It also had sculk and Warden sounds, indicating that the person on the music disc is in the Ancient City and Deep Dark.

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An excellent Minecraft feature, if added

A player showcasing a custom mod that allows players to go through Ancient City's center structure (Image via YouTube/Daily Dose Of Minecraft)

It is doubtful that this new and exciting feature will come in the next update. Creating a brand new realm is extremely difficult, as the developers have to essentially create an entirely new map, terrain, set of blocks, new mobs, and much more.

Hopefully, this feature will be officially added to the game sometime in the future since it is quite fascinating. A new portal and realm will breathe new life into the game and keep it relevant even after so many years.

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Note: This article is subjective and solely reflects the writer's opinion. There are no confirmed details from Mojang regarding anything in the next update.