New blocks are also on the way! An alternative to fences, the “cobblestone wall” is being added to the game. Item frames, similar to display cases from TES: Oblivion, are being added as well, allowing you to store and display almost any item, so you can show off your gear collection to friends or visitors to your server. A long over due addition is the “corner stair”, which will allow for shorter, more aesthetically pleasing staircases.

Back to the monsters, though! The Zombie is getting a massive overhaul, including new AI and a new animation for attacking. They will also be able to pick up and use items laying on the ground, as well as items they may rarely spawn with. So, if you leave a stone sword laying around, a zombie might just pick it up and hit you with it. If you leave a helmet on the ground, and the zombie equips it, he will become immune to sunlight damage. There will also be baby zombies, which can spawn from villagers. If  a villager is attacked by a zombie, he will likely become a zombie.

There are other monster updates, but perhaps the most interesting is the addition of a new boss, named Wither. Previously, the only boss to fight was the Ender Dragon, who was fought in a special dimension known as the End. Wither is fought in the nether, and is created by a special assembly of blocks, including Wither Skeleton heads. These are a new type of skeleton which spawn in nether fortresses, and are far more resilient than their normal counterparts. Once Wither is spawned, presumably after a long grind of his skeletons, players are in for an especially painful fight. He can target three players simultaneously, or one player three times simultaneously, and inflicts fatal poison, and also regenerates his health. Oh, and he can fly.

This update is likely to be well received, but let us know what you think, if you play Minecraft