New Minecraft Bedrock beta adds banners on shields

The latest Minecraft Bedrock beta/preview added a major change to the game on April 12, 2023: banners can now go on shields. Shields were previously pretty basic and didn't allow for any customizability. Thanks to the new change, they are going to be much more enjoyable to use.

Jay Wells, a community lead for Mojang, said via their website:

"Do you tend to play Minecraft by spawning in and thwacking the first hostile mob you see? Then I have good news for you! You can now protect yourself in style with a new feature: the customizable shield. This parity feature not only brings shield banner customization to Minecraft: Bedrock Edition, but gives you a very fashionable (if somewhat flammable) defence tool."

He also added a note about other updates coming in the latest Bedrock preview:

"Just combine your shield with your favorite banner, and away you go. There are also new potions colors (ooo, distinguishable!), new sniffer breeding mechanics (ooo eggs!) and even a brand-new seed for your newly de-experimentified sniffer friends to seek out: the pitcher pod!"

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What's new in the latest Minecraft Bedrock beta/preview?

In an effort to make each of them a little bit more distinguishable from one another, Potions, Tipped Arrows, and mob effects have had their colors adjusted.

The Brush, which is a new item coming in 1.20 as part of the archaeology set, can now be enchanted. It can have Mending I, Unbreaking I, II or III, and Curse of Vanishing I put on them. Additionally, it is dealt damage "upon brushing brushable blocks."

Additionally, Suspicious Sand and Suspicious Gravel will no longer drop when falling on top of Daylight Sensors, Signs, Banners, Mob Heads, Conduits, or Campfires.

Previously, Cherry Blossom biomes could generate with invisible Double Tallgrass blocks above Pink Petals. This has been remedied.

The new update is here (Image via Mojang)

For the upcoming Hanging Signs in Minecraft 1.20, Mojang decreased the maximum number of characters but increased their font size, making them easier to read.

When sitting down, camels will now straighten their heads instead of looking down or up. They remain the only mob that can sit down on its own at this time.

The Sniffer and the Torchflower are now available during normal gameplay, meaning they are not a part of the "experimental features" anymore.

Here are a few other changes and fixes that were applied:

• Ghasts now shoot fireballs from their mouth and not at eye level
• Loading animation for adding friends is now the correct size
• Wooden Logs that generate in Woodland Mansions now face the correct way

For the full list of changes, check out the official patch notes on Mojang's website.