The Update that Changed the World
This guide is a simplified overview of all the changes in The Update that Changed the World (Java Edition 1.7.x releases), which assumes at least some familiarity with the Horse Update (Java Edition 1.6.x releases).
Mobs
Changed
Name
Image
Changed
Iron golems
File:Iron Golem Revision 1.png
Drop poppies instead of roses.
Creepers
Can be detonated using a flint and steel.
Zombies
File:Zombie Revision 1.png
Reduced the lag that zombies created by pathfinding.
Can now spawn with and drop armor, bows and swords with the "Unbreaking" enchantment.
Witches
Now drink a potion of water breathing, when they are trapped underwater.
Can drop a potion of water breathing upon death, as a rare drop.
Have been added to the mix of low light-level hostile mobs, spawning anywhere where the light level is below 7, including at night in every biome and in caverns.
They usually spawn in groups
They have roughly the same spawn rate as the enderman.
Spiders , cave spiders & endermen
Don't become hostile when attacking them in creative mode
Blocks
New
Name
Image
Obtaining
Tool Required
Uses
Stained glass
File:White Stained Glass Revision 1.png
It can be mined with pickaxe only
Can be crafted into stained glass panes using the same recipe as normal glass panes.
Can be used as decorative block
Acacia wood
Found in Savanna biomes.
Can be mined with any tool or hand.
Can be crafted to Acacia wood planks
Dark oak wood
Found in Roofed Forest biomes.
Can be mined with any tool or hand.
Can be crafted to Dark Oak wood planks
Acacia and Dark oak wood planks
Can be mined with any tool or hand
Acacia and Dark Oak Wood Slabs , Stairs , Leaves and Saplings .
File:Acacia Wood Revision 3.png File:Acacia Slab Revision 1.png File:Acacia Stairs Revision 1.png File:Acacia Leaves TextureUpdate.png File:Acacia Sapling JE1 BE1.png
File:Dark Oak Slab Revision 1.png File:Dark Oak Stairs Revision 1.png File:Dark Oak Leaves TextureUpdate.png File:Dark Oak Sapling JE1 BE1.png
All they can be founded in Overworld or all except Leaves and Saplings can be crafted too.
All slabs, stairs, leaves and sapling can be mined with any tool or hand
Can be used as decorative block, or for crafting.
Packed ice
It can generates in Ice theme biomes
It can be mined with pickaxe, that have got Silk Touch enchantment
When broken, it doesn't turn into water, like normal ice blocks do.
Does not melt.
Podzol
Only found naturally in Mega Taiga Biomes.
It can be mined with any tool or pickaxe, but drops dirt.
Can be used as decorative block
Coarse Dirt
Obtainable only through commands.
It can be mined with any tool or pickaxe.
Can be used as decorative block
Red sand
Generated in the Mesa biome.
Can be mined with any tool or hand
Can be smelted into glass and crafted into TNT.
Flowers
File:Red Tulip JE1 BE1.png File:Orange Tulip JE1 BE1.png File:White Tulip JE1 BE1.png File:Pink Tulip JE1 BE1.png
Red, orange, white and pink tulips can be fonded in Flower Forest biome
Can be mined with any tool or hand
Can be crafted to red, orange, light gray and pink dyes.
Changed
Items
New
Biomes
New
Name
Image
Description
Structures
Mesa
Composed of multiple colored hardened clay that are layered in a way that resembles sedimentary rock.
There are seven colors including normal, orange, red, yellow, white, light gray and brown.
Has a floor similar to a desert biome, but made of red sand instead of sand.
Dead bushes spawn in this biome.
Occasional dying forests spawn on top of the clay mountains.
There is no rain in this biome.
Savanna
Very flat with plateaus and the occasional giant mountain.
There is no rain in this biome.
Sunflower Plains
Exactly the same as plains, but can spawn sunflowers.
Roofed Forest
Forest with Dark Oak Trees and mushrooms.
Monsters will most likely be able to spawn during the day and the night.
Birch Forest
A forest made entirely of birch trees.
Flower Forest
Forest variant with several of the new flowers , including peonies, orange tulips, white tulips, oxeye daisies, rose bush and allium.
Very densely packed with the various new flowers, including dandelions, but excluding sunflowers.
Cold Taiga
The old variant of Taiga
The newer variant without snow is called "taiga" instead.
Mega Taiga
Extreme Hills+
Goes considerably higher than the normal Extreme Hills.
Lakes of packed ice are dotted around the biome.
Deep Ocean
Is about ten blocks deeper than normal oceans; the maximum depth is in the low 30s.
Biome Variants/Technical Biomes
Over 20 variants for the biomes.
M – Biomes with an M variant are much rarer than any other variant.
Plateau – Biomes with a plateau variant are like the hills technical biome, but flattened at the top.
* Mesa (Bryce) – A rare variant of the mesa biome which works similar to ice spikes, with tall clay spikes generating from the sandy mesa floor.
Hills – More technical hills biomes have been added to fit with the new biomes.
Beach – Separate certain biomes from oceans and rivers.
World types
New
Name
Image
Description
Structures
Amplified
It scales up all world generation rules, so it uses the entire world height.
Almost all biomes can generate huge mountains that can reach well above Y: 200.
Extreme Hills biomes frequently reach the world height limit at Y: 256.
Swampland and ocean biomes are unaffected by this world type.
Extremely resource intensive and requires powerful computer to run.
Ravines here can reach down to bedrock.
Contains numerous various landforms that are very rare or non-existent in default generation.
Some examples include floating islands, overhangs, large water and lava falls and huge indents.
Taiga biomes reach such altitudes that snow starts generating (about Y=130).
All structures