Minecraft 1.20.2 update: Everything you need to know

Minecraft 1.20.2 may not be here quite yet, but it certainly seems to be close at hand, judging by recent Java snapshots and Bedrock previews. The new update has already received two pre-releases, meaning that based on Mojang's typical development schedule, version 1.20.2 should be right around the corner. But what will this patch bring along with it?

Although more changes and fixes are coming before the update's full release, there is a large enough body of work to take a look at Minecraft 1.20.2's most impactful additions and alterations.

If Minecraft fans are curious about what is likely to arrive with the 1.20.2 update, it doesn't hurt to examine the highlights as they currently stand.

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The most major additions and changes in Minecraft 1.20.2

Experimental villager rebalancing

Villagers may be receiving the most impactful changes in Minecraft 1.20.2 (Image via Silentwisperer/YouTube)

It's best to begin with the changes coming to Minecraft 1.20.2 that are likely the most controversial among fans. Specifically, Mojang is currently testing Experimental Features that are considered a rebalancing of villagers when it comes to what they offer in their trading inventory.

Currently, in 1.20.2's pre-releases, the accessible trades are dependent not only on a villager's profession level but also on the biome they are found within. This means players will have to find villages in certain biomes to acquire trades for items like enchanted books and diamond armor.

It should be noted that this rebalancing is also applied to villages in swamp and jungle biomes in Minecraft. This means that in order to acquire some items from trades, fans will have to effectively create a village in a swamp/jungle and relocate villagers to the area since these villages don't naturally generate in Minecraft.

According to Mojang, this decision was made to prevent players from accessing powerful enchantments like Mending or snagging diamond armor in the early parts of the game. Diamond armor trades for armorers now require both emeralds and diamonds as payment, slowing the overall speed with which players can acquire great items and gear from trading.

While these moves have been received fairly negatively by fans, not all of the present trade rebalancing has been regarded as a downside. Cartographer villagers have received seven new map types to help players find villages in other biomes or explore structures. The Wandering Trader's loot table has also been improved to provide better trades.

Currently, these villager trading rebalances are Experimental Features, meaning they can be enabled and disabled at a player's whim. This may change in the future, but for now, Mojang is still collating feedback from the fanbase to help guide its decision-making on this subject.

By the time version 1.20.2 is released, villager trades may look quite different compared to how they do in pre-releases. Regardless, Mojang appears adamant about making trading for powerful items less accessible early on in a new world.

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Narrator Hotkey

Minecraft's narrator function is receiving its own hotkey for accessibility (Image via Mojang)

Although this is something of a small inclusion to Minecraft 1.20.2, it's undoubtedly a substantial one when it comes to the game's accessibility for players with vision impairments. While the narrator function has existed within the game for years, version 1.20.2 is adding a new way to access it with a simple keyboard shortcut.

As long as the narrator isn't disabled outright in the accessibility settings, players can use the shortcut Ctrl + B to open the narration function on demand. It's a somewhat tiny change to the system overall, but one that should be helpful for fans who don't want to traipse through menus in the middle of the game.

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Updated skin/name banning

Mojang is taking a harder stance on skins and names considered malicious to the EULA (Image via Ibxtoycat/YouTube)

Mojang generated some controversy due to its recent changes to the End-User License Agreement (EULA), making it clear to multiplayer servers and players that content not suitable for all ages would face penalization. It appears that this is being expanded in Minecraft 1.20.2 with updated skin as well as name reporting and banning.

It's possible for fans to report a player skin or in-game name they consider inappropriate. It can then be reviewed by Mojang. If the skin or name in question is found to be in violation of the developers' community standards, players will have to change their username or pick a new game skin to utilize.

Some fans were already quite bothered by the EULA changes, and this move may also seem malicious. However, Mojang and Microsoft have stated that these decisions are being made to ensure that younger players aren't subjected to content that isn't suitable for their age.

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Block and item changes

Sponges and many other blocks/items have received tweaks in Minecraft 1.20.2 (Image via Mojang)

Although Minecraft 1.20.2 won't be adding any new blocks or items, at least not based on current information, many existing items/blocks are being changed. There aren't any tweaks that will cause any massive disruptions, but players may want to be aware of these changes regardless.

The most major changes to blocks and items are as follows:

• Barriers no longer emit fall particles when entities fall on them and no longer create particles when brushed. Barriers can now also be waterlogged in Creative Mode.
• Chorus flowers can no longer be used as a support for blocks that are standing or hanging.
• Decorated pots have received their appropriate tooltips in the Creative Mode inventory.
• Lapis lazuli slots in the enchanting table now match those seen in the smithing table interface.
• Jukeboxes, tripwire hooks, levers, and redstone comparators and repeaters now make stone sounds instead of wooden plank sounds when placed.
• Pink petals now increase in hitbox size depending on the number of petals.
• Sculk sensors and calibrated sculk sensors can now detect more activities. Moreover, they cannot lose the ability to sense vibrations based on the simulation distance setting.
• Sponge and wet sponge blocks now have their own custom sounds.
• Chorus fruits reset fall distances while being eaten.
• Explorer maps provided by cartographer villagers have updated icons depending on the structures they portray.
• The Pigstep music disc has now been moved to the last music disc in the Creative Mode inventory.

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Mob changes

Bees are now more effective pollinators in Minecraft 1.20.2 (Image via Mojang)

The changes made to Minecraft mobs in version 1.20.2 are a mixed bag of small implementations as well as some pretty sizable ones when it comes to villagers. Bees can now collect pollen from chorus flowers and spore blossoms. Camels/goats/frogs/sniffers will now panic and run away when attacked while attached to a lead.

However, the most substantial change comes in the form of curing zombie villagers. Re-infecting and curing villagers from zombification multiple times no longer multiplies the trade discounts they provide. Once they've been cured once, the prices players get are set in stone.

Lastly, Minecraft villagers have had their intervals for spawning iron golems reduced. Now, instead of attempting to spawn iron golems every 35 seconds, villagers will do so every 30 seconds.

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Improved diamond ore distribution

Diamond ore in Minecraft 1.20.2 should be easier to find in certain locations (Image via Mojang)

As far as changes go, this one may very well be appreciated by Minecraft players in version 1.20.2. Diamond ore has had its distribution changed to be more plentiful in the deepslate rock layers underground. Specifically, diamond ore is now uniformly distributed between the height levels Y= -64 and Y= -4.

However, it should be noted that aside from diamond ore distributions in the deepslate layers, diamond ore generation remains unchanged in Minecraft 1.20.2.