Why does Minecraft need to fully add bundles? Exploring the usefulness of bundles

Originally marked for a debut in Minecraft's Caves & Cliffs update, bundles have had a very unusual development cycle. Although they have been Experimental Features since 2021, bundles still haven't had a full vanilla release in either Java or Bedrock Edition. This has understandably left players confused, and many have called for bundles to be fully introduced as soon as possible.

It's unclear why Mojang has kept bundles on the back burner for so long, but there doesn't appear to be a particularly valid reason in the eyes of the fanbase. The upsides of bundles are pretty great, and there don't appear to be any real drawbacks to speak of. To hear fans tell it, Mojang doesn't seem to have a reason not to upgrade bundles beyond their limits as Experimental Features in Minecraft.

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Why bundles should be added to Minecraft instead of remaining Experimental Features

Bundles provide new storage capabilities in Minecraft (Image via Mojang)

After being crafted by combining two strings and six rabbit hides, bundles provide Minecraft fans with the ability to increase their storage. Despite only taking up one inventory slot, players can open a bundle, which contains room for 64 items of different types. However, it's important to note that bundles will only carry 64 distinct items, including those in a single inventory stack.

Although some Minecraft players have stated that bundles are useless for this reason (since ordinary inventory slots can carry a full stack of items/blocks), it's important to note that if you have loose items in your inventory cluttering up your available slots, bundles can hold them all in the same inventory slot.

Multiple items are stored in a single inventory slot in Minecraft by using a bundle (Image via Mojang)

For example, suppose you have ten diamonds, a few pieces of redstone dust, and a few ender pearls. These would normally occupy three inventory slots even though they haven't been filled. However, you can place all three item types into the same bundle, saving inventory space.

Even more useful is the fact that bundles can be placed inside of their counterparts, allowing for the storage of additional loose items. This does count toward the host bundle's storage capacity, but it can be quite helpful for carrying multiple item types within a single slot nonetheless. The only restriction is that shulker boxes cannot be placed within bundles.

I don't get why people say bundles are useless byu/martiblq2 inMinecraft

At the end of the day, bundles save precious inventory slots in Minecraft, even if they can't hold as many items as shulker boxes. Additionally, the latter block tends to only be accessible in the late game (if fans are playing in Survival Mode), and bundles present a way to save inventory space earlier in the game. They are also incredibly cheap to craft since they only require string and rabbit hides.

Comment byu/martiblq2 from discussion inMinecraft

Comment byu/martiblq2 from discussion inMinecraft

Fans have acknowledged that although bundles are useful for item storage and dropping objects off after resource-gathering excursions, one of their downsides is that they must be completely emptied when you want to retrieve something from them. Still, if you are using bundles purely for saving space and transporting goods, the upsides vastly outweigh the drawbacks.

Unfortunately, Mojang still hasn't introduced these nifty little items, and it's unclear why this is the case. They certainly work well enough as an Experimental Feature and don't seem to disrupt the game balance, so what's the problem? Speculation seems to suggest that Mojang is keeping bundles experimental until they can properly be introduced to Minecraft: Bedrock Edition for parity.

Even stranger is the fact that some Minecraft fans found parts of the bundle item's UI within recent Bedrock updates and previews, leading them to develop an in-game add-on that permits the crafting and usage of bundles. During this testing, bundles seemed to work fine as well, leaving players scratching their heads.

Although Java and Bedrock Edition have their differences, they aren't so massive that bundles couldn't be fully introduced to both versions without Experimental Features. Hopefully, Mojang will decide to fully implement bundles across all in-game versions soon, maybe even in the upcoming 1.21 update that should arrive sometime in Summer 2024.