The upcoming Minecraft 1.20 update by Mojang is set to introduce a variety of fresh elements to the well-established sandbox game. This includes new blocks, items, mobs, biomes, and structures. Scheduled for release on June 7, 2023, just a few days away, players should prepare themselves to explore and experience all the exciting additions and changes. Many players may have concerns about how their existing worlds will adapt to the latest update.
Fortunately, Mojang has devised a solution to seamlessly convert old worlds for the new update without encountering any issues. In fact, players won't even need to perform any special actions as the conversion process will happen automatically.
1. Update the game
Fortunately, there is no need for any action on your part before the release of the Minecraft 1.20 update. Therefore, you can eagerly anticipate the arrival of June 7. On that day, you should open the official game launcher or a relevant app store on your device to update the game.
For Java Edition players, in the launcher, you will need to choose the 'Latest Release' version from the drop-down menu located next to the play button. Take note that it should be labeled as '1.20.'
Once you have made the selection, simply click the play button, and the launcher will initiate the download of all the necessary files required to run the updated game.
2. Start any existing world
How to upgrade Minecraft world in Java Edition
You can only update existing worlds to newer versions of Minecraft. Loading an existing world in a version older than the one it was generated with will cause world corruption issues.
- Open the game and head to the Singleplayer tab.
- Next, select the world you want to update and click Edit.
- Click Make Backup to ensure your access to the world just in case anything happens.
- Close the game and reopen it with the new version update applied.
- Join your world and select "I know what I'm doing!" when the prompt appears.
Once the process is completed, players should be able to play their chosen world with the new update, adding brand-new chunks to the map. They can use the Open Backups Folder button to get to the save location of the world's old version.
How to upgrade Minecraft world in Bedrock Edition
- Open the game and select the Play button.
- Find the world that needs to be updated and click the Edit button (the tiny pencil) to the right of it.
- Scroll to the bottom of the menu and select Copy World to copy the world in-game, or Export World to save the world locally on your computer.
- Join the world normally, as Bedrock updates versions automatically.
After loading the world, players should be able to enjoy the new chunks and features of the new update.
Keep in mind that anywhere unexplored (even by the edge of your view distance) is still an empty void and will be generated when you explore it by the version you're playing at the time. So to get new features you just need to explore further.
What if the world you want to upgrade is older than 1.19?
In that case, players might want to upgrade it gradually until they reach the 1.19 version first.
3. How to find new features after updating to Minecraft 1.20
Upon entering an existing world following the update, you may encounter some difficulty locating the newly introduced location-based features. The Cherry Grove biome, Trail Ruins, special blocks like suspicious sand, and even items such as armor trims will not be immediately present in chunks that have already been explored.
As a result, it will be necessary to embark on a significant journey, traversing new areas and generating fresh chunks and structures, in order to discover the latest additions. This approach was implemented to ensure that the new features do not disrupt the integrity of the pre-existing ones.
Sniffer
During the 2022 mob vote competition held before Mojang's yearly event, the sniffer emerged as the winner, garnering more than half of the votes from the player community. As a result, it was confirmed to be included in the 1.20 update. The sniffer is a special ancient mob that can exclusively be encountered by obtaining a sniffer egg from suspicious sand blocks within warm ocean ruins. Once spawned, these sizable creatures will wander around, using their sense of smell to search the ground and unearth the seeds of distinct plants.
Sniffer Eggs are particularly noteworthy because they serve as the means for players to discover the mob in Survival Mode. Given that Sniffers are ancient and were previously believed to be extinct, players must locate a Sniffer Egg in ocean ruins or suspicious sand blocks found in desert biomes. When hatching the egg, be sure to place it on moss, as this will reduce the time it takes for the egg to hatch into a Snifflet by half!
Cherry Grove
The upcoming 1.20 update will introduce a fresh biome known as Cherry Grove. This biome will primarily generate atop mountains and feature the growth of new cherry trees, as well as pink petals scattered across the ground. With the addition of these new trees, Mojang will also include a new set of cherry wood, characterized by its light pink hue.
Situated in mountainous areas, Cherry Grove provides abundant resources that players can utilize for their survival and progress in the game.
Camel
In addition to the Sniffers, Mojang is introducing a new camel mob to the game. These passive creatures will exclusively appear in desert villages. Like other tameable mobs, players can turn them into pets by feeding them cactus blocks. Once tamed, players have the option to equip saddles on the camels, enabling two players to ride them together at the same time.
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