Summary
Minecraft’s upcoming 1.21 update will add trial chambers into the game—gauntlets of combat challenges with a new breeze mob and specialized poison-arrow skeletons. However, for this new feature to really shine,Minecraftneeds a combat update.
Minecraft’s next updates are adding new combat features, with wolf armor in 1.20.5 and trial chambers in 1.21. The former encourages players to breed wolf armies and take them into battle, while the latter is a new structure more focused on combat than ever before. This has stirred up more calls from the community for a new combat update. These calls are constant due to the issues with the prior combat update and the lack of depth combat has maintained since said update.
Minecraft Needs A Combat Update
Minecraft 1.9 Didn’t Do Combat Justice
Minecraft1.9, The Combat Update, added many features that have stood the test of time, from End Cities to the Mending enchantment. However, its combat changes haven’t been as well received. These include the ‘cooldown’ system, where weapons deal less damage if swung repeatedly, and the changes to axes, which give the tool more potential strength than its sword equivalent.
Such changes have been so disliked that not only do many PvP servers maintain pre-1.9 combat, but most of these features haveyet to be ported toMinecraft’s Bedrock version. There are defenders of the new system, but to solve the parity problem there needs to be a unified vision for combat — meaning the game’s combat system has to be one that the community can get onboard with.
What Might Be On Minecraft’s Horizon?
A few combat snapshots have been made available for Java Edition, the latest being Test 8c (released 2020). These snapshots have included stackable potions, the Cleaving enchantment for axes, saturation changes, damage interrupting eating, and more. These changes are fascinating, particularly stackable potions. Being able to stack potions would make potions of healing far more viable, and could even lead tomore sorely needed updates toMinecraft’s potions.
However, these snapshots don’t answer the core issue of depth. Changing around existing weapons is nice, butMinecraftneeds new and unique challenges with new and unique weapons. There needs to be more options beyond what can be crafted from ore and new challenges to use these options on. Granted, the game has many unique improvised weapons: lava buckets, flint and steel, fishing rods, and tactical creepers are all great fun. However, a reassessment of progression and core mechanics is needed toanswer the call for aMinecraftcombat update.
Minecraft Needs New Mobs, New Bosses, And New Weapons
Minecraftgot some great new hostile mobs in 1.14 and 1.16 with Pillagers and Piglins respectively. These mobs attack in fast swarms that can easily overrun the player, challenging even those clad in netherite armor. They can also be a source of excellent loot — ranging from enchanted crossbows and golden armor to raid loot and goods from bartering. While 1.19’s Warden is excellent, its status as a mob that is both rare and one that drops no substantial loot separates it from traditional hostiles. New mobs are needed to switch up combat, ones that counter the cheese of boat-traps or block usage.A new boss would also greatly benefitMinecraft, granting a challenge that encourages the player to explore, use new weapons, and bring armored wolves or axolotl hordes to battle.
In addition, new weapons are needed toswitch upMinecraft’s combat– not necessarily better weapons, but ones that offer different playstyles and require exploration or combat to acquire. The trident and crossbow are great examples of this. Crossbows can’t get Power enchantments but can get Piercing or Multishot. Tridents can’t get Sharpness, but they can propel through the air with Riptide or call lightning with Channeling. More weapons with unique mechanics and enchantment would really shake up combat.
