PAX: Details On the Next Minecraft Update

If you haven't tried Minecraft, it probably doesn't make sense to you why its players get so excited over every update. But if you're one of the initiated (and you probably are if you're reading this), then you're probably like me -- you just can't hear about it enough. I saw an early version of the next update (and got a walkthrough from Minecraft majordomo Markus "Notch" Persson, below), and you have plenty to look forward to when it releases sometime in the very near future.

Bows Get Mighty

Instead of bows that limply toss arrows a few feet, players will now be able to draw back arrows longer, firing farther and with great effect. Holding arrows will make you move slower, but make the bow an effective first-person weapon great for taking out the even tougher new enemies.

Poison and Night Terrors

Spiders are already a nuisance in the world of Minecraft, but now they poison their prey. The resulting moments of panic as you watch your life tick away even after their death are sure to make exploring all the more treacherous.

Also appearing are the Endermen, a new monster that will attack you if you look directly at it. You can try to run if you want, but it will teleport to your location repeatedly. They are apparently vulnerable to water, though, so find a pool to run into if you incur their wrath.

Lastly, players will soon be battling Silverfish. These monsters lurk inside the very blocks that players mine, making each swing of a pickaxe a potentially violent affair.

Quests, NPCs and Experience

No quests or NPCs were on display in the PAX demo, but representatives from developer Mojang said that NPCs will be added in the update. Players will then obtain quests from these NPCs. No details are available as to the nature of those quests, but it should give players more to do than build yet another effigy to whatever nerd god they worship.

Killing monsters and other creatures will yield experience, giving players skill points. How skill points will be spent is still being decided, but Mojang has decided that experience will be lost if the player dies. The goal is to make death even more costly, making survival all the more precious.

Eat to Live

Currently food is used in Minecraft to instantly gain health, but now food is necessary to exist. A hunger meter is being added, and the only way to gain health is to max out your meter. This means there's no more button mashing the food key at the last minute in a heated battle, as consuming takes time, with health regeneration taking even longer.

The team at Mojang have many holes to fill in the upcoming update, but they're also considering rolling out the changes incrementally. Are you guys ready for survival to get just a bit harder?