New Minecraft Nether Wastes Update! New Biomes, Creatures, Items and More!

Since it’s debut in 2009, Minecraft has earned it’s place as one of the gaming industry’s mainstays. One of the many reasons for it’s continued popularity is the seemingly constant updates that release fresh, new content for players to enjoy and Update 1.16 is no different.

The Biomes

The Nether Update adds a ton of new content, including three new creepy biomes to explore.

Soul Sand Valley

A moody, eerie, blue tinted region composed of soul sand and soul soil and filled with skeletons and basalt pillars from floor to ceiling. There are also ancient fossils of unknown creatures to discover, and ash fills the air, along with your vision.

Warped Forest

A fungal forest filled with luminescent mushrooms called Shroomlights that light up the dark areas beneath shadowed boughs of the Warped Fungi tree things. A blue fog completely permeates the area, along with Warped Spores that float freely through the air.

Crimson Forest

The proverbial red to the Warped Forest’s blue, the Crimson Forest is where players will find Crimson Nylium in abundance and Crimson Spores choking the air they breath. Unsettling Crimson Vines hang from multiple surfaces lending a slight sense of the macabre to the area.

The Blocks

The 1.16 Nether Update is also full of useful new blocks to acquire to help you navigate the exciting new Biomes. They’ll also be really helpful in the overworld as well!

Basalt blocks: These are very similar to pillars, except that they can be placed in any direction. They’re found mostly in the Soulsand Valley Biome
Soul Soil: This has the same fire feeding effect as netherrack, but turns the flames a blue hue! It’s found exclusively in the Soulsand valley Biome.
Crimson Stems and Warped Stems: These are like wood from trees, only you get them from giant mushrooms in the Nether!
Crimson Nylium and Warped Nylium: These are surface blocks that can be spread wider by placing bonemeal on Netherrack.
Nether Sprouts, Crimson Roots and Warped Roots: These are the vegetation blocks for the fungal forest biomes.
Crimson Fungus and Warped Fungus: These are what grows first when you use bonemeal on Netherrack.
Weeping Vines: Similar to regular green vines in the Overworld, only red. Still climbable!
Shroomlights: These are a source of abundant, though eerie light throughout the fungal forest biomes.
Warped Warts: These are totally not gross decorative fungal warts!
Target blocks: These are really cool! You can hit them with an arrow which will send out a redstone signal. The best part is that the closer you hit to the bulls eye, the larger the signal you send. This has a multitude of applications.
Crying Obsidian: You can acquire these horrifying decorative blocks from new mobs called Piglins discussed below.

The Creatures

Piglins/Zombiefied Piglins

These creatures are a new hostile mob that seems to absolutely adore gold of any kind. This love of gold is so strong that if the player is wearing golden armor, the Piglins will not even attack and act calmly in their presence. If the player is wearing an entire suite of their nicest golden armor, the Piglin will even engage in trade. This is, incidentally, how to acquire Crying Obsidian, which is, of course, exchanged for a gold ingot.

Hoglins

These mysterious creatures were originally known as Piglin Beasts. A hostile mob, the Hoglin attacks using its sharp gouging tusks. Don’t be fooled by their adorable floppy ears, they can and will charge you if you get too close. All of that being said, you can apparently breed them with Crimson Fungus.

Netherite

Don’t forget about the coolest new addition in the update! There’s finally an upgrade to your gear from diamond! Netherite can be found in the Nether now and the tools, weapons and armor crafted from it are far superior to Diamond. Netherite armor is also lava resistant, so even if you fall into a deadly pool and die, that doesn’t mean you have to lose ALL your gear now! Too bad it doesn’t make YOU immune to lava. Oh well, maybe next patch.