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.

Planned additions

 * 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.


 * Blocks
 * New block type.
 * New unknown dark colored block.
 * Two new unknown blocks.
 * Cannot be obtained and does not naturally generate.
 * Has a visual effect on the world.
 * Grass Path
 * A 15/16 block tall grass-like “path”. It features a somewhat similar texture to the grass block.
 * 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
 * Added a left hand.
 * 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 by a shield outline in the inventory.
 * 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.


 * Generated structures
 * A new type of dungeon with new blocks and mobs.
 * Related to the “new dark colored block”
 * Added support to rotate and mirror structures.


 * Items
 * Quivers
 * Can hold arrows.
 * Texture was originally made by Notch for his abandoned project Legend of the Chambered, and was added in Indev in 2009, albeit only as an unused texture.
 * This would make it the longest time since an unused texture was implemented, until it would actually have a proper use.
 * At least 4 new arrow types.
 * The gold colored arrow is the spectral arrow, which is a “utility” rather than being good at hurting.
 * Shields
 * Shown by a black shield outline in the picture.
 * Will be used for blocking instead of a sword.
 * Can be used to attack and defend at the same time.

Planned changes

 * Bosses
 * Proper support for multiple bosses’ health bars, so they show at the same time without obstructing each other.
 * Ender dragon boss fight:
 * Will make it more similar to the fight in the Console Edition.
 * Some obsidian pillars will have iron bars surrounding the ender crystal.
 * The ender dragon now breathes purple particles.
 * The dragon will be able to respawn without resetting the End if it has already been killed.
 * Clouds
 * New cloud rendering system.
 * Command Blocks
 * Will have a new UI
 * Will contain tab to complete.
 * Death messages
 * Death messages will now be displayed on the player's death screen as well as in the chat.
 * Maps
 * Are now only held in one arm, rather than two.
 * Inventory
 * Rearranged the survival inventory and the creative "survival tab" to accommodate the new quiver and shield slots.
 * Shaders
 * Switch away from using fixed-function OpenGL to using Shaders.
 * 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 agroed.
 * They now have the same drawing animation as the player, indicating when they are gonna attack and with how much force.
 * Strongholds
 * Doors in strongholds are no longer mis-placed.
 * Swords
 * Can no longer be used for blocking.
 * All hostile mobs
 * Will now have animations to show that they are attacking.

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).