Microsoft has just released the first major update for Minecraft: Pocket Edition and Minecraft: Windows 10 Beta in 2016. Officially called the Overworld Update, mobile Minecraft version 0.14.0 brings with it the ability to create more advanced mechanical contraptions, fight new enemies, and play around with various cosmetically fun gameplay items. Player reaction to the new update has so far been positive.
To introduce the new update, developers took to Twitch to livestream themselves trying to complete a Redstone Puzzle map that was pre-filled with the features coming in the Overworld Update. The video is shown below, but rest assured that despite needing some wall hacking to fix the occasional broken puzzle, #TeamOcelot (Shoghi and Daniel) defeated #TeamSquid (Tommo and Jason) in the race.
If you would like to play the Redstone Puzzle map yourself, Touch Arcade has included a link to where the map can be downloaded, and also linked to instructions on how to install the map, in an article about the Overworld Update.
The advanced mechanical contraptions now possible after the update include comparators, repeaters, dispensers, droppers, hoppers, trapped chests and more. Minecraft players will have to collect more redstone components beforehand however.
The new enemies in the Minecraft: Pocket Edition are Witches, and will appear randomly to attack players. While Witches will congregate in the swamp for the most part, one reddit user said the first enemy they encountered after the update was a Witch, and it was right outside their house.
By exploring the swamps, however, Minecraft: Pocket Edition players will be able to find Witch Huts, which will contain a cauldron bubbling full of a randomly generated potion that players can claim as a spoil of war. These cauldrons will also allow players to dye their armor to an assortment of colors.
Other new gameplay changes added to Minecraft: Pocket Edition and Minecraft: Windows 10 Beta with the Overworld Update include improved chicken jockey mobs, slime blocks, red sandstone, wearable pumpkins, Item Frames for a Minecraft player’s house.
These Item Frames allow a player to display their favorite loot around their Minecraft house. The Overworld Update also means players can hang game maps on the walls of their house, so a player can “plan [their] adventures with a world overview,” Microsoft said on Xbox Wire.
Eight new Gamerscore achievements are unlockable on the Minecraft: Windows 10 Beta edition. These include (source):
Camouflage – “Kill a mob while wearing the same type of mob head”
Dispense With This – “Construct a dispenser.”
Tie Dye Outfit – “Dye all 4 unique pieces of leather armor.”
Map Room – “Place 9 fully explored, adjacent maps into 9 item frames in a 3 by 3 square.”
Trampoline Bounce – “30 blocks upward off of a slime block.”
Freight Station – “Use a Hopper to move an item from a Chest Minecart to a Chest.”
Smelt Everything! – “Connect 3 Chests to a single Furnace using 3 Hoppers.”
Taste of Your Own Medicine – “Poison a witch with a splash potion.”
Lastly, fifteen new redstone skins are available. Composer and Artisan are free, but the rest of them can be purchased in-app as a $2 bundle.
The Minecraft: Windows 10 Beta ($9.99) is available for download here, while the Minecraft: Pocket Edition ($6.99) is available for download on iOS, Android, Kindle and Mobile Windows. Previous purchasers of the Java/Mac version of Minecraft are eligible for a free download of Minecraft: Windows 10 BetaMinecraft: Windows 10 Beta.
