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, Searge said that snapshots will begin as soon as the new combat mechanics have been implemented, which might be in 1-2 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.
 * Status effects
 * Status effects are now displayed on the HUD, instead of just in the inventory, similarly to the Pocket Edition
 * Displays status effect icons ordered by time left
 * Positive effects are on the top row, negative effects on the bottom row
 * Effects that are about to run out blink, faster when closer to running out

Gameplay

 * Dominant hand option
 * An option for players to change their dominant hand on their player model
 * Dual wielding
 * Only the main hand can be used for attacking
 * Bows can be used even when something is in the other hand
 * The other hand is invisible in first person view when not holding something
 * Key to swap items between hands, default:
 * If the item in the main hand doesn't have a right-click action, the other item will be used; Workaround for placing blocks while holding tools with right-click action
 * For example, if you have a pickaxe in your main hand and a torch in your other hand, right click places the torch.
 * The off-hand slot is displayed next to the hotbar, on the off-hand side (left for right-hand players and vice versa)
 * Some attributes and enchantments will apply to the off-hand item, while others will not.
 * Levitation status effect
 * Recieved when player is hit by shulker projectiles
 * Makes player involuntarily float high into the air
 * Can be used to get to higher places
 * Listed as a negative effect due to the potential to kill from fall damage

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
 * Tree/cactus-like arrangements of new purple block
 * Drop when supporting block is destroyed, like cacti
 * Drop edible chorus fruit items
 * Can be farmed by planting the chorus fruit flowers on top of the plants
 * Flowers don't drop when the supporting block is destroyed so you need to hand-pick them
 * Grow in stages
 * Can be planted on endstone in any dimension
 * New purple blocks
 * Derived from the chorus plant
 * A brick block with slabs and stairs and a chiseled brick block.
 * 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
 * Arrows
 * 4 new arrow types.
 * New spectral arrow (gold colored)
 * Shows mob and player outlines in their team color when hit - even when invisible
 * NBT tag for entities to disable outlines
 * The glowing is a status effect - you can find out whether you're glowing from a spectral arrow using the status effect HUD
 * Arrows can be tipped with potions
 * Each differently tipped arrow is available in the creative menu, just like enchanted books
 * Effect is 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
 * Used to block attacks from the side the shield is held on
 * Sounds for when you blocked an attack

World generation

 * End city dungeon
 * Dungeon-type structure: "Tree" houses made of endstone and new blocks, including stairs
 * Contains the shulker mob
 * Generates on separate end islands arranged around the main island in a donut fashion
 * Generated structures
 * Added support to rotate and mirror structures.
 * End gateway portal
 * Appears after killing the dragon
 * New type of portal, due to its size it is only accessible using ender pearls.
 * Used to warp to other end islands depending on the direction of the ender pearl throw.

Mobs

 * Shulker
 * Short for "Shell Lurker"
 * Disguises as a block on the ground or on walls
 * Appears in the End city dungeons
 * When attacking, opens up and shoots projectiles which only move along the x/y/z axis
 * Using commands, they can be made to be part of a team to attack other teams and can be used as defense mobs
 * Launch projectiles, which run across the X, Y, or Z axis, though they can change axis.
 * Projectiles can be knocked away by attacking them.
 * Getting hit by one causes damage and provides the levitation status effect

General

 * Shaders
 * Switch away from using fixed-function OpenGL to using Shaders.
 * Removed/moved the Super Secret Settings and Broadcast Settings
 * Block models
 * Models can be put together based on BlockState attributes - As a result, the vanilla set of block models was reduced by almost 300 models

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

 * 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 crystal can be crafted which spawns another dragon when placed

Items

 * Bows
 * The bow in your hotbar now shows an arrow when being drawn.
 * Arrows in the off hand are prioritized over arrows in the rest of the inventory slots.
 * Ender pearls
 * Can now be thrown in creative mode
 * Maps
 * Now display as a mini map when held in either hand, rather than being held with both hands.
 * Swords
 * Can no longer be used for blocking.

World generation

 * End island
 * A set amount of differently-sized pillars are arranged in a circular fashion
 * The tallest pillars have iron bars around their ender crystal
 * This makes it so that you have to climb some of the pillars, making the fight harder
 * The exit portal is pre-generated, but without the dragon egg and portal blocks
 * Infinite number of islands in the end

Mobs

 * Ender dragon
 * Revamped boss fight inspired by the Console Edition.
 * The dragon can be respawned as often as you want by placing player-made craftable ender crystals, but subsequent dragons don't drop as much XP
 * The dragon breathes fire/purple particles on players and mobs
 * The dragon will defend the obsidian pillars more the further the fight progresses
 * Every dragon drops dragon breath, but only one dragon egg can be obtained
 * Hostile mobs
 * Will now have animations to show that they are attacking.
 * Can dual wield, but only use their right hand item.
 * Skeletons
 * Skeletons now animate their bow
 * They pull it out when becoming hostile and draw it back to shoot arrows
 * Mapmakers can make skeletons shoot potion-tipped arrows
 * All mobs
 * 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).