Minecraft’s long-delayed archaeology system coming in this year’s 1.20 update

Almost two years after its preliminary delay, Minecraft’s long-awaited archeology characteristic is lastly on the horizon, with developer Mojang now confirming it’s going to be arriving as a part of the sport’s 1.20 replace later this yr.

Archeology was originally announced throughout 2020’s Minecraft Dwell, and was deliberate to launch as a part of the sport’s expansive Caves & Cliffs replace the next summer time. Nonetheless, as its launch date neared, Mojang – because it grappled with the results of the coronavirus pandemic – introduced it had made the choice to split Caves & Cliffs’ feature list into two, with a second launch due earlier than the top of the yr. Archeology, although, had been decoupled from even that and would arrive at an unspecified future level.

Skip forward nearly two years and we’re again to immediately, and the announcement that archeology will lastly debut with Minecraft’s subsequent main replace.

Initially, budding Minecraft archeologists will need to head into the desert and dig close to temples to uncover unique wonders, however Mojang notes it plans so as to add additional dig websites because it iterates on the characteristic. Whereas digging, gamers ought to hold an eye fixed out for suspicious sand blocks which, as soon as found, should be given a fragile tickle with the brand new brush software.

With sufficient brushing, the suspicious sand will reveal its secrets and techniques, be they random objects or pottery shards. The latter might be assembled into an entire pot as soon as 4 shards have been collected – however gamers might want to hold an in depth eye on their patterns to verify they’ve an identical set. “There are totally different patterns that inform distinctive tales and make for very ornamental accents in your builds,” Mojang explains.

Mojang says it’s going to be revealing Minecraft 1.20’s remaining options over time – and whereas it would not have an ETA but past a obscure “2023”, those who need to dig in early can achieve this as quickly as its related snapshots, betas, and previews begin to launch, as explained here.