5 interesting facts about Minecraft 1.20 Trails & Tales update

Minecraft 1.20, also known as the Trails & Tales Update, still may be some time away from its full release. However, players have been able to enjoy it thanks to the game's betas, and there's certainly a lot of content to appreciate. From the arrival of archeology to new mobs and armor customization, there's certainly a lot to appreciate about Mojang's efforts in update 1.20.

However, considering just how much information is available regarding the update, it can be tricky for Minecraft fans to keep track of it all. Even if players have been keeping track of the main announcements by Mojang, there are plenty of interesting facts that slip through the cracks.

With Minecraft 1.20 getting closer to being released, it may not be a bad idea to examine these facts a little more.

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5 intriguing facts surrounding Minecraft's 1.20 update

1) It was the first update to use the Experiments System

The Experiments System has been a mainstay feature for Minecraft: Bedrock Edition for years, allowing players to preview content from upcoming updates. However, some fans may have noticed that the experimental features setting has made its way to Java Edition.

Mojang implemented the Experiments System into Java specifically so players could preview update 1.20 content in versions like Java 1.19.3 and 1.19.4. Granted, the experimental settings don't provide the same content access as Java Edition's snapshots do, but it's a nice and welcome implementation nonetheless.

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2) Its features weren't introduced all at once

Typically, new major content updates are announced during Minecraft Live at the end of the year. However, when a new update is revealed by Mojang, the trailer tends to include all of the features contained within it.

Strangely enough, Trails & Tales was the first announced update not to have all of its features unveiled in its trailer. Subsequent videos surrounding features like the archeology and cherry grove biomes wouldn't be revealed until after the live event. It's unclear why Mojang made this decision, but it may have had something to do with their content release schedule.

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3) It Includes features scrapped from Caves & Cliffs

Minecraft's Caves & Cliffs update was one of the largest in recent memory, and many fans count it as one of their favorites. Originally, Mojang had envisioned adding the deep dark biome and archeology into the two-part update, but they had to delay the features due to time constraints.

However, Mojang remarked during the 1.17-1.18 development cycle that they wanted to continue fleshing out these features. While fans received the deep dark in the 1.19 update, some features originally conceptualized in Caves & Cliffs have made their way to Trails & Tales. Calibrated sculk sensors and archeology gameplay, both features planned for Caves & Cliffs at one point, have made their way to Minecraft 1.20.

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4) 1.20 had a rapid panorama change

Typically when a major Minecraft update makes its way to the game, the panorama seen on the main menu changes during the development cycle. When Java snapshots and Bedrock previews are released, a new panorama is typically introduced after a few betas. However, Trails & Tales marks the shortest time span between an update's first snapshot and a change to its panorama.

It only took two snapshot releases to change the in-game panorama for update 1.20, which is significantly faster than any other update. In reality, the panorama for Trails & Tales was introduced just 14 days after the update's first snapshot debuted.

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5) The sniffer's popularity was tied to archeology

What if? The Sniffer, A.K.A. the ancient mob, was linked to the archeology update? They missed an opportunity here... by u/mr_oddperson in Minecraft

When Mojang began the Minecraft Mob Vote in late 2022, they remarked that the sniffer was an ancient mob that couldn't normally be found like other mobs. Many players and fans took this to mean that there must be some way to find the creature that involved plumbing through ancient structures, which led to the conclusion that archeology may be tied to the sniffer.

Since this was the case, much of the sniffer's popularity in the Mob Vote was likely tied to the hope that archeology would be included along with it in update 1.20. Archeology likely wasn't the only reason the sniffer beat out the rascal and tuff golem in Minecraft's Mob Vote, but the gameplay mechanic certainly helped.