Minecraft firefly bush: Is it better than the old mob design?

The Minecraft firefly bush was introduced in the latest snapshot, allowing players to experience the much-awaited feature uniquely. Despite not adding fireflies as a mob, this new decorative block allows them to experience the stunning visuals and satisfy their demands since the mob was teased in 2021.

However, this raises an important question — is the Minecraft firefly bush better than the old mob design? Read on to find out.

Note: This list is based on the writer's personal opinions and is in no particular order.

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Minecraft Firefly Bush is a clever way to implement a much-requested feature

While many players complained that the firefly bush is a rather crude way to address the addition of the much-awaited block, it is actually an ingenious solution to many problems that affected its initial deployment. The decorative block strikes a perfect balance of adding visually stunning fireflies while ensuring the game remains accessible and accurate.

Here's why the firefly bush is a better way to implement this feature rather than introducing fireflies as a mob:

1) It's more resource-efficient

The Minecraft firefly bush prevents the game from becoming too resource-intensive and lagging (Image via Mojang Studios)

The implementation of the fireflies as a decorative segment of the Minecraft firefly bush is a resource-efficient solution for adding the mob in-game. If fireflies had been added as a mob, it would have been extremely taxing on the device running the game. This would majorly affect the seamless gameplay that the sandbox title is majorly known for.

It is for this reason that an array of mods have been devised that help clump the XP orbs to reduce lag when there are many in a small area. Similarly, having to render hundreds of flying fireflies in real-time would have made it very resource-intensive and massively affected gameplay on low-end devices. Adding the mob as part of the decorative block solves the problem efficiently.

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2) Firefly bush gives more scope for use

The firefly bush can be used to create a host of unique designs and build to utilize its visual ambiance (Image via Mojang Studios)

The implementation of the firefly as a decorative part of the bush allows players to customize and use it in a variety of ways — something that would be heavily limited if it was just a mob. As a block, the Minecraft firefly bush can be placed in your base or used to craft unique road designs that glow at night.

If the fireflies were added as a mob, they would have limited use and would have become an ambient addition to the world rather than an active feature — similar to the falling leaves that were introduced recently.

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3) Solves the original conflict

The Minecraft firefly bush allows frogs and fireflies to coexist without any issues (Image via Mojang Studios)

Adding fireflies as part of a decorative block rather than a mob solves a major issue that originally prevented the mob from being added after it was teased in Minecraft Live 2021. Some species of fireflies are known to be poisonous to frogs, creating a major issue since frogs were supposed to consume them and create unique froglight variants.

Adding fireflies as a decorative block rather than a mob prevents any risk of upsetting the global balance of flora and fauna, allowing developers to satisfy the demand of the players easily. The Minecraft firefly bush is a seamless addition to the world which does not cause any conflicts with the existing hierarchy.

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4) It makes fireflies more accessible

The Minecraft firefly bush is a more accessible way of adding the feature to the game (Image via Mojang Studios)

The addition of the Minecraft firefly bush as a decorative block makes it more accessible to players compared to its addition as a mob. Most mobs are known to have specific biomes and areas in which they are available, adding extra steps for those who wish to find and collect them.

Fireflies are usually found in forests and wetlands, limiting their spawning in other biomes. The ability to bone meal the firefly bush to get more quantities allows players to farm the block to their heart's content — letting them place and enjoy this visual addition in any biome or area they wish.

Additionally, the ability to use the Minecraft firefly bush as compost is the silver lining to this light-emitting cake.

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