Java Edition 1.9

, known as The Combat Update, is an upcoming update to Minecraft with no set release date. Dinnerbone has stated that many of the features he has shown for 1.9 are not “100% final”, so things may change later. Dinnerbone also stated that snapshots will be starting 'soon', and at the Minecon "Behind the Scenes" panel it has been said that snapshots will begin as soon as the new combat mechanics have been implemented, which might be in 2-3 weeks.

General

 * Animations/Entity models
 * Might include model changes within the NBT data.
 * Would be implemented via resource packs.
 * Will make better use of code so that map/mod makers can create better/new mobs.
 * Same as the block data changes in 1.8.
 * Captions/Subtitles
 * Subtitles which display for each sound for the hard of hearing/deaf.
 * An example would be “Creeper hissing”.
 * Would have to point in the direction this sound is coming from.

Gameplay

 * Left hand option
 * Option to play with the left hand as the main hand.
 * The main hand acts as the right hand did previously, while the other hand may equip an item through a new off-hand slot.
 * The off-hand slot is shown to the left or right of the inventory hotbar, depending on whether left or right hand is selected.
 * While weapons can be equipped in both hands, a weapon may only be used while equipped to the main hand.
 * The other hand is only visible to the player when something is equipped there.
 * The right click action of your off-hand item is used if your main-hand doesn't have its own.
 * For example, if you have a pickaxe in your main hand and a torch in your other hand, right click places the torch.
 * Items in the off hand and the main hand can be swapped by pressing a key, which defaults to.
 * Some attributes and enchantments will apply to the off-hand item, while others will not.
 * Arrows in the off hand are prioritized over arrows in the rest of the inventory slots.

Blocks

 * New block type.
 * Grass Path
 * A 15/16 block tall grass-like “path”. It features a somewhat similar texture to the grass block.
 * Chorus plants
 * Generates in the End
 * Farmed for chorus fruit
 * Used to create the purple blocks
 * Only the flowers atop the chorus fruits let you replant the plants
 * Chorus plants drop the whole plant at once, like cacti
 * New purple blocks
 * Derived from the chorus plant
 * End stone bricks
 * Slabs and Stairs
 * White glowing pole blocks
 * Placable horizonally and vertically which produce white particles

Items

 * Chorus fruit
 * Obtained from chorus plants
 * Arrow
 * At least 4 new arrow types.
 * The gold colored arrow is the spectral arrow, which when shooting provides a glow effect to what it hits.
 * When hitting player on a team, they glow the color of the team
 * When invisible, the entity still provides an outline
 * You can find out whether you're glowing from a spectral arrow using the potion effect HUD
 * Green arrow is the poison arrow
 * Grey arrow is the invisibility arrow
 * Arrows can be tipped with potions which will be applied on hit
 * Shields
 * Will be used for blocking instead of a sword.
 * Can be used to attack and defend at the same time.
 * Can use two shields at the same time
 * Shields can have customizable patterns, like banners
 * Patterns obtainable by combining shields with banners
 * Shields block attacks from the side they're held on

World generation

 * End city dungeon
 * A new type of dungeon with new blocks and the shulker mob.
 * Generated structures
 * Added support to rotate and mirror structures.
 * End islands
 * Infinite number of islands in the end
 * End gateway portal
 * Used to access other islands after defeating the Ender dragon the first time.

Mobs

 * Shulker
 * Short for "Shell Lurker"
 * Appears in the End city dungeons
 * Opens up and shoots projectiles which only move along the x/y/z axis
 * Can be used as part of a team to attack other teams and use as defense mobs
 * Knocking away projectiles provides a levitation potion effect which makes players travel upwards

General

 * Shaders
 * Switch away from using fixed-function OpenGL to using Shaders.
 * Super secret settings removed

Gameplay

 * Bosses
 * Proper support for multiple bosses’ health bars, so they show at the same time without obstructing each other.
 * Clouds
 * New cloud rendering system.
 * Death messages
 * Death messages will now be displayed on the player's death screen as well as in the chat.
 * Inventory
 * Rearranged the survival inventory and the creative "survival tab" to accommodate the new shield slot.
 * Status effects
 * Now shows in the top right of the screen
 * Good effects on the top, bad effects on the bottom, left-most effects expire sooner
 * Effects that are about to run out will blink

Commands
More different textures for mobs
 * Allows for mirroring/rotating structures
 * Allows for mirroring/rotating structures

Blocks

 * Armor stands
 * Can now dual wield
 * Command blocks
 * Will have a new UI
 * Will contain tab to complete.
 * Ender crystals
 * A version of the ender crystals can be crafted which spawn another dragon when placed

Items

 * Bows
 * Now have an animation in the inventory sprite when being used which show how far the arrow has been drawn.
 * Ender pearls
 * Can now be thrown in creative mode
 * Maps
 * Are now only held in one arm, rather than two.
 * Swords
 * Can no longer be used for blocking.

Mobs

 * Ender dragon
 * Revamped boss fight inspired by the Console Edition.
 * Obsidian pillars will have iron bars surrounding the ender crystal.
 * The player must climb to the top to deactivate the crystals, and the Ender Dragon will protects pillars more the further you progress
 * The ender dragon now breathes purple particles and fire
 * Hostile mobs
 * Will now have animations to show that they are attacking.
 * Can dual wield.
 * Skeletons
 * Will have animated arms and bows.
 * Act a bit more like the player.
 * Arms are normally down, but they will bring them up to aim when aggravated.
 * They now have the same drawing animation as the player, indicating when they are going to attack and with how much force.
 * More different textures for mobs

Trivia

 * This has been the longest span of time between the release of a major update to Minecraft and a snapshot for the next major update, with 3616 days days now having elapsed since the release of 1.8 on September 2, 2014.
 * Until this point, the longest waits had been those between 1.7.2 and 14w02a (76 days), between 1.4.2 and 13w01a (70 days), and between 1.6.1 and 13w36a (66 days).