The Wild Update

The Wild Update is the name of an upcoming major themed update set to release in 2022 as Java Edition 1.19 and Bedrock Edition 1.19.0. It will add the deep dark biome, along with the warden, sculk blocks and deep dark cities, and completely overhaul the swamp biome, adding a mangrove variant. It's also planned to make various other biomes more atmospheric and immersive.

Notable features

Blocks

File:Magrove log.jpg Mangrove Log

• Generated as a part of mangrove trees which are located in swamps.
• Can be crafted into mangrove planks.

Mangrove Leaves

• Generated in mangrove trees.
• A decorative block.

Mangrove Planks

• Crafted from the respective logs.
• Can be used to craft respective slabs, stairs, fences, fence gates, pressure plates, signs, buttons, doors, boats and trapdoors.

Mangrove Roots

• A decorative block.
• Can be waterlogged.

File:Mangrove Sappling.png Mangrove Propagule

• Grows into a mangrove tree.
• Can be placed both on land and in water.

Mud

• Found in swamps.
• Can be created by using a water bottle on a dirt block.
• Can be placed on top of dripstone to form clay.

Mud Bricks

• Crafted using mud, sand, and wheat.
• A decorative block.

This image shows the sculk blocks in the Redstone tab in creative mode, implying that the other sculk blocks also have redstone uses.

Sculk (block)

• Generates in the mysterious new cave biome where the Warden lives, called the Deep Dark.
• Has an animated texture.
• Drops only experience when broken without Silk Touch.
• May be used in redstone.

Sculk Catalyst

• Generates in the Deep Dark.
• Made of sculk and a bone-like material.
• May be used in redstone.
• May have something to do with axolotls.
• Will spread Sculk blocks to wherever a nearby mob dies. The amount it spreads depends on the amount of experience the mob is meant to drop.
  • This means that even if the mob doesn't drop experience as it wasn't killed by a player, the blocks would still spread based on the amount of experience it normally drops.
• Blooms when activated.
• Drops experience if broken without Silk Touch.
• Emits light.

Sculk Vein

• Generates in the Deep Dark.
• Generates in a layer on top of blocks, similar to snow.
• Can be placed in all directions, like glow lichen.
• Has an animated texture.
• Drops only experience when broken without Silk Touch.
• Some have parts that are transparent, allowing the player to see the block it is on top of.
• May be used in redstone as seen in this video when they talk about the sculk sensor.

Sculk Shrieker

• Generates in the deep dark.
• Perhaps made of sculk and a bone-like material.
• Has 2 soul-shaped patterns in the center.
• Has the ability to 'shriek'.
• Will be activated by the sculk sensor.
• When activated, gives players the Darkness effects.
• If activated too many times, a warden will spawn.

Frame Block

• Composes a large open frame at the center of the deep dark city generated structure.
• Appears to be composed of deepslate.
• Has some unknown "interesting" purpose.

Items

Spawn Eggs

• Warden spawn egg.
• Frog spawn egg.
  • Possibly tadpol spawn egg.
• Allay spawn egg.
• Firefly spawn egg.

Mobs

Allay

• Voted to be in the update during Minecraft Live 2021.
• Can find dropped blocks or items for a player.
  • Picks up dropped items in loaded chunks and will be able to carry up to a stack at a time, and cannot duplicate items or take items out of chests. It will drop the items that it collects when in range of a note block.
• Drops the items next to a playing jukebox or note block.

Frog

• Comes in three variants: default, tropical, and snowy.
  • Variants depend on the temperature of the biome.
  • The tropical frog is based on the grey foam-nest tree frog..
• Likes to jump on lily pads and big dripleaves.
• Each variant is planned to have a unique use for players, currently unknown.

Firefly

• Glows in the dark.
• Are eaten by frogs.
• Are currently only two pixels big, making them the smallest mob in the game.

Tadpole

• Grow up into frogs.
• Can be held in buckets.
• Frog type dependent on which temperature a tadpole grows in. With 3 variants, tropical, temperate, tundra.

A picture of the Warden and Iron Golem standing side by side

Warden

• Will spawn in the new Deep Dark biome within Deep Dark Cities.
• The first fully blind mob (bats, despite relying almost exclusively on echolocation, still have basic eyesight).
  • Has a sense of smell. It will detect a player if they get too close, regardless if they made any vibrations.
  • Has a sense of sound. When sensing movement, it moves toward the source of the movement.
    • It follows and attacks players, mobs, and other entities that make vibrations.
      • It does not attack other Wardens.
    • When attacked, it path finds toward the player.
    • Seems to follow the same rules as the sculk sensor when detecting noise.
      • When it detects a vibration, the growths on its head rattle and light up, similar to the sculk sensor.
    • If any projectile (e.g. egg, snowball, arrow) lands near the Warden, the mob inspects the location where the projectile landed, due to the projectile creating movement and noise. This feature can be used in order to cause a distraction.
    • Does not detect players that are sneaking.
    • When aggravated for long enough, the warden follows the player continuously, regardless of any other distractions.
• Because of this, it can detect players that are invisible.
• Will burn in direct daylight.
• Incredibly strong, doing 30 × 15 damage, bringing players wearing full netherite armor from full health to 7 health points.
• It is the only mob that spawns in Deep Dark.
• Will spawn from sculk blocks, appearing to rise out of them, when a sculk shrieker is activated a certan amount of times.
• A mob designed to be extremely difficult, intended to be fled from.
  • Has a way to counter the strategy of building up 3 blocks to avoid attacks.
• At least as fast as the player's walking speed.
• Seems to have knockback resistance.
• The warden's chest has a glowing core that appears to brighten and dim in tandem with the ambient lighting of the deep dark city generated structure.
  • The core creates a low throbbing sound as it pulses. The sound and animation seem to speed up rapidly when the warden notices a player.
• Is about 3.5 blocks tall, making it one of the tallest mobs in the game, exceeding the iron golem and enderman in height and width (the same).
• Can be summoned by Sculk Shriekers; a Warden will rise out of the ground nearby if too many are activated.

Biomes

Swamp

• Completely overhauled.
• Mangrove trees can be found there.
• Contains mud.
• Can spawn frogs.

Mangrove Swamp

• New biome variant of a Swamp.
• Will contain mangrove trees.
• Contains mud as ground.

Deep Dark

• New biome at the "deepest depths of the world".
• Originally planned for 1.17, then moved to 1.18, and was postponed to 1.19 yet again.
• May not contain any water or lava aquifers.
• May be the rarest cave biome.
• Will tend to generate under continental/mountainous areas.
• Generates exclusively within the deepslate layer between Y=-1 and Y=-64.
• Contains the new Deep Dark City generated structure.
• Wardens can spawn there.
• Contains all Sculk-related blocks.
• With the exception of spawners, no mobs other than Wardens can spawn there, similar to mushroom fields.

Non-mob entities

An image of two variants of the Boat with Chest shown during Minecraft Live 2021

Boat with Chest

• Similar to a Minecart with Chest but with boats.
• Unlike the functionality of a Minecart with Chest, a player can still ride in the boat when the chest is present.
• Different wood variants.

Structures

Deep Dark City

• New structure that generates within the Deep Dark.
• Includes all of the Deep Dark features within it.
• Made of Deepslate and Basalt blocks and their variants.
• Contains Soul Sand, Soul Fire and Soul Lanterns.
• Contains Candles and Skeleton Skulls.
• Contains Chests with unique loot.
• Contains the unknown frame block.

Mangrove Trees

• New type of tree.
• Contains roots made out of mangrove root blocks.
• Has propagules hanging from leaves.
• Are found in swamps.

Effects

Darkness

• A status effect triggered by the sculk shrieker block, causing the player's camera to dim in brightness thus limiting vision.
• Originally acted as a warning that the warden is nearby in earlier development, however this has likely changed.

Particles

• Sculk catalysts will emit a new particle, resembling the existing soul particle, but blue, when triggered:

File:Sculk Soul (texture 10).png

• Sculk shrieker will emit a new particle, resembling a ring or smoke signal, when activated.

Mechanics

• Clay is renewable (other than by stone masons giving it to you after getting Hero of the Village) by placing mud over a dripstone block with a stalactite dripstone growing under. The dripstone will dry it out, producing a clay block.

Planned additions

Biomes

• Updating various Overworld biomes, such as Birch Forests, to make them more biodiverse, unique and add more immersion to biomes in general.

Unconfirmed features

World generation

Fallen Trees

• Similar to how Bedrock Edition generate its terrain.

Gameplay

Archeology

• Originally announced at Minecraft Live 2020, it was originally going to be added in 1.17. When the Caves and Cliffs update was split into two parts however, it was pushed past both releases. It may come in 1.19.

Trivia

• The warden was originally known as a "stalker" early during development. That iteration also had white flesh with holes in it, to the point where it was deemed too gory by the developers and had to be tuned down.
  • Brandon Pearce also mentioned that this is one of various "wildly different" iterations that he's going to preview once the warden is released to the public.

Gallery

• 

  The Wild Update logo

• Frog tropical white.png

  White frog

• Frog green.png

  Green frog

• 

  Orange frog

• 

  Tadpoles

• 

  Fireflies

• 

  A mud brick house

• 

  A mangrove swamp

• 

  Mangrove tree

Concept artwork

Some concept art in this gallery are originally made for the Caves & Cliffs update.

• 

  Concept art of the deep dark.

• 

  Concept art of the warden.

• 

  More concept art of the warden.

• 

  Axolotl and warden.

• 

  Concept art for the axolotl, goat, and warden.

• Mangrove concept art.png

  Concept art for mangrove trees

The Warden Emerging from the ground of the Deep Dark. Please find a clearer picture if possible.