Exciting New Features Unveiled in Minecraft’s Latest Update: Cow Variants, Fireflies, and Shrubbery!
If you managed to stay calm last month when Minecraft introduced several popular pig varieties, you might want to brace yourself: Mojang is back with a brand-new announcement update for public testing, and this time we’re focusing on cows.
More specifically, Minecraft’s latest Java snapshot features an impressive two cow variations. You’ll likely be familiar with your fur-lined cold cows that frolic in those snowy biomes, alongside your warm cows who opt to graze in sandy environments.
On that note, Mojang has also introduced new ambient sounds for desert biomes, which include whispering sands, chirping crickets, rustling leaves, and howling winds. Furthermore, players can place a slow bush on two adjacent sand blocks, or cluster sand and terracotta blocks together to bring a touch of that desert ambiance back to their bases.
Elsewhere, there’s a lot happening in the realm of bushes. Java snapshot players may also notice the newly added firefly bush, which does exactly what its name suggests – it creates a delightful swirl of twinkling lights around its branches at night. This bush can be found in swamps and various bodies of water, and players can collect the firefly bush and cultivate it using bone meal back at home if they wish to enjoy it closer. Additionally, the firefly bush can be placed beneath a block to give the block above a shimmering effect.
Still within the realm of greenery, Minecraft’s latest addition is the evocatively termed “bush” – a new bush type found in forests, birch forests, plains, windswept hills, and other green biomes. It can also be cultivated with bone meal if you desire a uniform growth of bushes all the time.
All the features mentioned above – along with the new pig variants, ambient falling leaves, and wildflowers introduced for testing in January – are available now as part of Minecraft: Java Edition’s latest snapshot and can be accessed by enabling snapshots in the game settings.