After Minecraft's Vibrant Visuals Update, Next One Should…

Minecraft's upcoming Vibrant Visuals update will be another way for Mojang to improve the game's aesthetic elements, which have been something of a focus recently. However, visual overhauls and other aesthetic changes should take a backseat at some point, allowing for a more mechanic-heavy update to Minecraft.

Minecraft's Vibrant Visuals update was announced back in March, and is already available for testing on the game's Bedrock edition. Rather than introducing a direct shift in visual direction, in the vein of 2019's sweeping texture changes, Vibrant Visuals will essentially offer an in-built shader pack. Vibrant Visuals consists of shaders and environmental effects that can be toggled in the game's options (currently in Bedrock's Experimental section), allowing for less tech-savvy players to access shader options.

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By Timothy McClelland

Minecraft Needs A More Mechanics-Heavy Update After Vibrant Visuals

Vibrant Visuals will be changing the game for the world of Minecraft shaders, making enhanced visuals more accessible to more players, especially those on less powerful machines (as is the case for many Bedrock players). However, though the update is more than welcome, there's a great deal of room for something more mechanically rich. Mojang's new update direction has more than a few upsides, leading to some fantastic updates, but it has left the game yearning for more thorough, more systematic changes.

Minecraft Has Been Leaning Towards Surface-Level Changes

The game's last update, Minecraft's Spring to Life drop, focused almost entirely on cosmetic changes. This includes new particle effects, new flora, new biome variants for certain mobs, and new sound effects, all of which have been warmly received by most fans. On the other hand, some found Spring to Life a tad underwhelming, especially those who thought the drop would usher in a full seasons system. While fan expectations are often a little overzealous, it's true that there's been a lack of mechanical reworks or growth for existing gameplay systems.

This isn't just down to aesthetic-based changes. Minecraft's new 'drop' updates (multiple small updates a year rather than a single big update, something Mojang pivoted to in 2024) have further pushed the game towards adding 'new' elements, whether that be a new biome, mob, structure, etc. Minecraft's last few big updates were already lacking in the system overhauls seen with The Nether Update or Caves and Cliffs, but the new drop structure has seen this direction accelerate, positioning the game towards greater complexity, but not greater depth.

Minecraft's Saddle Changes Are A Great Sign

There's no reason to be a prophet of doom about Minecraft's current state, though, as not only are updates still consistently great, they're starting to slip in mechanical overhauls that could signal bigger changes down the line. The aforementioned Minecraft Spring to Life drop included a major change to the Wandering Trader as well as a new crafting recipe for the Lodestone, both of which will cause a notable shift despite being minor points in a larger drop. In particular, the former was taken from a longer list of Trading changes, which could be a great foundation for an expansion to the original Village and Pillage update.

Furthermore, the new crafting recipe for Minecraft's Saddle has been a huge game-changer. Fans have been demanding a crafting recipe for the Saddle, especially as more absurd items (including, most recently, the Dried Ghast) have continued to receive recipes. While it may seem minor, the Saddle has been uncraftable for well over a decade, and, by making it accessible via three Leather and an Iron Ingot, Horses have regained a substantial amount of viability. The change stands as a testament to how small mechanical overhauls can dramatically improve Minecraft, leaving the door open for further systemic reworks.

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