Talk about Minecon overwhelmed conversations this weekend. During the event, thousands of fans celebrated their favorite blocky sandbox by wearing costumes, taking part in large-scale arena events, and showing off exhibitions of trees that you can actually punch. The event had a lot of things going on all at once but two major highlights stood out above the rest of the announcements. Updates will be coming to Pocket Edition/Windows 10 on October 18 and console version on October 4, 2016.
The Boss Update being released on October 18 will take effect for Minecraft: Windows 10 Beta Edition, Pocket Edition, and Minecraft Gear VR Edition. Beyond the anticipated support for Xbox One controller for Gear VR, the update will be adding the basic functionality of using slash commands in the game for all three versions. This means you’ll be able to spawn monsters, add buffs, switch between the day/night cycle, and teleport across your world as you see fit. Looks like there will be over 20 new slash commands. New boss battles will be available to make your Minecraft adventure even more dangerous (and epic) such as a tweak to the three-headed Wither boss battle to get your hands on the rare and coveted nether star.
Of course, that’s not the only boss in the update. Players will be taking to the water to fight their newest enemy. The new Elder Guardian will guard the sea with its minions, sea creatures with laser beams attached to their heads. The reward is being able to discover and explore Ocean Monuments that feature some of the new blocks for builders: sea lanterns, prismarine, and more.
The Boss Update couldn’t get much better right? Well, that’s wrong because Minecraft Windows 10 and Pocket Edition are also the first versions to have the official Add-Ons integrated to it. Announced at Minecon, the grand opening of Minecraft.net’s new Add-Ons web page will let players download and install new content into their games much like they had already been doing for years for the PC version. Two examples are uploaded:
- Alien Invasion Add-On – Originally shown off at E3 where players need to fight against an alien invasion and protect the city.
- Castle Siege Add-On – This is the first community made and uploaded add-ons created by SethBling, BlockWorks, and Mindcrack. Players can either attack the castle with their zombie minions or fight them back to protect it.
Players won’t be able to access the officially curated add-ons until the update on October 18. If the video below doesn’t appease your curiosity, they’ve also already set up an FAQ that covers almost everything you need to know about the new Add-On feature.
On the other side, we have an update and the Chinese Mythology Mash-Up pack coming to consoles on October 4. The pre-crafted world was inspired obviously by the exotic reaches of China. The blog post shares that it has “ancient cities to explore, gargantuan sculptures to gawp at and cherry blossom aplenty.” It includes 41 new skins and 13 themed music tracks as well as a new map for the Battle Mini Game.
The update for Minecraft: Console Edition will add in:
- Polar bears and their adorable offspring are to be found wandering frozen biomes.
- Banners! Spruce the place up with your personalised drapery.
- New terrain generation: Igloos now appear in Arctic biomes, and gargantuan fossils lie beneath the earth awaiting your discovery.
- Beetroots! You can farm them and turn them into a restorative soup. Delish!
- Other new blocks: End Bricks, Grass Path, Frosted Ice, Magma, Nether Wart Block, Red Nether Brick and Bone Block
This isn’t even the tip of the iceberg for announcements at Minecon. There’s plenty more coming up for the game across all iterations that will keep you mining just one more block.