Summary
- The new snapshot version for Minecraft Java Edition changes crafting recipes for the dried ghast and leads.
- The update also includes updated potion mechanics based on distance and technical changes.
A new snapshot version is now available for Minecraft Java Edition players, with the update introducing a slight tweak to splash potion mechanics alongside changes to the crafting recipes for dried ghast blocks and the recently overhauled leads. Some of the most recent experimental versions of Minecraft have given fans a preview of the new happy ghast mob that was revealed earlier this year during Minecraft LIVE.
As the name suggests, happy ghasts are friendly variants of the iconic floating mobs that patrol the Nether. They're set to officially come to the game in the Summer content drop later in June and will be something of an unprecedented mob in that players will be able to stand on them and use them as solid mobile platforms - a useful function for survival mode players working on huge builds. To befriend a happy ghast, players will first need to acquire a dried ghast block in Minecraft and bring it back to the Overworld. There, it can be submerged in water, after which it will eventually hydrate and become a baby ghastling. These adorable mobs can be fed snowballs until they grow up into happy ghasts, which players can then equip with a saddle and fly on through the skies of their worlds.
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Dried ghast blocks can be found naturally, albeit uncommonly, in the Nether's soul sand valley biomes, though interestingly, they can also be crafted. The latest snapshot 25w18a for Java Edition updates the recipe for this unusual block, which now requires a soul sand block and several ghast tears. The block was previously crafted using a bone block and ghast tears instead, though with soul sand being just as, if not easier to obtain than a bone block once in the Nether, it seems likely that this small change was made to benefit Minecraft's vague but undeniably present lore more than anything else.
The snapshot also makes it much easier for players to craft leads by updating the item's recipe, which no longer requires a slime ball, instead just an additional piece of string in its place. Minecraft's leashing mechanics were recently overhauled in an earlier experimental preview version, allowing mobs to be leashed to each other, as well as to boats.
The other major change made in the latest snapshot version focuses on Minecraft's splash potion mechanics, with a small adjustment being made to the distance calculation used when a mob is affected by a splash potion. Further, splash potion effect strength is now based on the distance between the impact site and mob hitbox. This means that mobs will receive the full effect of a splash potion if they're hit by it directly, and a group of mobs equidistant from the impact site will receive the same effect strength as each other.
Minecraft Snapshot 25w18a
Changes
- Splash Potions effect strength is now based on the distance of the hitboxes
- The Slime Ball in the Lead recipe has been replaced with a String
- Piglins can now give Dried Ghast Blocks when bartered with
- The recipe for the Dried Ghast Block has been updated to now require a Soul Sand Block rather than a Bone Block
Splash Potions
-
Splash Potions distance to affected entities now depends on the closest distance between the entity hitbox and the splash potion hitbox where it landed
- This means that if an entity is hit directly by the splash potion, it will receive the full effect of the potion
- If the entities are grouped together, they will receive the same effect strength
Technical Changes
- The Data Pack version is now 75
- The Resource Pack version is now 59
- All JSON files (in worlds, packs, configuration, etc.) Are now parsed in strict mode
Data Pack Version 75
Entity Data
-
Added home_pos and home_radius fields to all mobs
- Mobs with set home position will limit their pathfinding to stay within the indicated area
- Some mobs, like Bats, Slimes, Magma Cubes, Phantoms and Ender Dragons may ignore it
- Interacting with leashes or riding may change the home position of the mob
Entity Tags
- Updated #followable_friendly_mobs to include the Happy Ghast
Resource Pack Version 59
- Updated Unifont to 16.0.03
UI Sprites
- The hud/locator_bar_arrow_up and hud/locator_bar_arrow_down sprites are now animated with a standard animation definition in the corresponding.mcmeta files
Font
Unifont
- Updated Unifont to 16.0.03
-
Added previously omitted Unifont glyphs for Private Use Areas
- Those glyphs are loaded as a separate sub-font minecraft:include/unifont_pua and are not included in any normally used font
- Characters in those areas are managed by Under-CSUR (Under-ConScript Unicode Registry), which adds various scripts not present in official Unicode set, like Tengwar or Sitelen Pona
unihex Font Provider
- Field size_overrides is now optional (defaults to empty list)
Fixed bugs in 25w18a
- MC-200925 - Ghasts are not affected by potions thrown on their head
- MC-262268 - Keyboard navigation does not work in the book and quill GUI
- MC-264431 - #minecraft:sand tag has two minecraft:suspicious_sand
- MC-278459 - unifont.json contains trailing comma
- MC-279284 - Experience orbs from thrown bottles o' enchanting are very prone to getting stuck inside blocks
- MC-279875 - Cannot diagonally climb slab through suspended scaffolding
- MC-280281 - Fishing bobbers rapidly jitter when attached to entities that are moving
- MC-280502 - Translation key snbt.parser.undescore_not_allowed has a typo
- MC-295879 - Sprint-hitting boats and then getting in them causes the boat to fall through the block underneath
- MC-295914 - Loot table files accept invalid JSON
- MC-296354 - Happy ghasts aren’t affected by potions thrown on their heads
- MC-296784 - The "Welcome to Minecraft" screen is missing its fade out
- MC-296866 - Predicates of particular namespaces failed to be accessed on /execute
- MC-296898 - Happy ghasts' home slightly drift over time
- MC-297112 - You cannot use CTRL+NUM to navigate to tabs within the configure realms menu
- MC-297114 - The realms menu incorrectly claims that realms are expiring soon
- MC-297115 - The “This is a Snapshot Realm…” box no longer renders with a black background
- MC-297184 - 'Realms' is lowercase in mco.errorMessage.realmsService.configurationError.
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OpenCritic Reviews
- Top Critic Avg: 90 /100 Critics Rec: 84%
WHERE TO PLAY
Minecraft is a game made up of blocks, creatures, and community. You can survive the night or build a work of art – the choice is all yours. But if the thought of exploring a vast new world all on your own feels overwhelming, then fear not!
Minecraft has no set goal and can be played however you’d like! This is why it’s sometimes called a “sandbox game” – there are lots of things for you to do, and lots of ways that you can play. If you like being creative, then you can use the blocks to build things from your imagination. If you’re feeling brave, you can explore the world and face daring challenges. Blocks can be broken, crafted, placed to reshape the landscape, or used to build fantastical creations.
Creatures can be battled or befriended, depending on how you play. The world of Minecraft allows for epic adventures, quiet meditations, and everything in between. You can even share your creations with other players, or play in community worlds!
- Engine
- LWJGL, PROPRIETARY ENGINE
- Multiplayer
- Online Co-Op, Online Multiplayer
- Franchise
- Minecraft
- Number of Players
- 1-4
- Split Screen Orientation
- Vertical or Horizontal
- Genre(s)
- Sandbox, Survival
- Platform(s)
- 3DS, Android, iOS, Nintendo Switch, Nintendo Wii U, PC, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, PS Vita, Xbox One, Xbox 360
- OpenCritic Rating
- Mighty
- How Long To Beat
- 129 Hours
- X|S Optimized
- No
- File Size Xbox Series
- 1.42 GB (August 2024)
