Release Date:
- Java Edition: June 23, 2020 (1.16)
- Bedrock Edition: June 23, 2020 (1.16.0)
- Education Edition: November 2, 2021 (1.17.30)
- China Edition: January 28, 2021
Version(s):
- Java Edition 1.16
- Bedrock Edition 1.16.0+
The Nether Update is a major Minecraft update focused on overhauling the Nether dimension. It introduces new biomes, blocks, mobs, and items while providing players with richer exploration and gameplay in the Nether. The update was announced at MINECON Live 2019 and developed for Java Edition starting with snapshot 20w06a. It included eight pre-releases and one release candidate before the official launch.
Contents
- Additions
1.1 Blocks
1.2 Items
1.3 Mobs
1.4 Generated Structures
1.5 Biomes
1.6 Enchantments
1.7 Music - Changes
2.1 Blocks
2.2 Mobs - Further Revisions
3.1 Java Edition
3.2 Bedrock Edition - Videos
4.1 Trailer
4.2 Showcases
4.3 Other
4.4 Soundtrack - Quotes
- Trivia
Additions
Blocks
- Soul Fire: Burns infinitely on soul soil or soul sand. Deals double damage and emits blue light. Scares piglins.
- Soul Torch / Soul Lantern / Soul Campfire: Light sources with blue glow, scaring piglins.
- Crimson & Warped Fungi: Grows huge fungi with bone meal; used for crafting stems, planks, and decorative blocks.
- Shroomlight: Light-emitting block, generated on huge fungi.
- Weeping & Twisting Vines: Growable vines for decoration and mobility.
- Crimson & Warped Nylium: Grass-like blocks of the crimson and warped forests.
- Nether Gold Ore / Crying Obsidian / Ancient Debris / Netherite Block / Lodestone / Respawn Anchor: Core resources for crafting, exploration, and respawn mechanics.
- Blackstone & Basalt: Decorative and functional building blocks with multiple variants.
Items
- Netherite Scrap & Netherite Ingot: Used to upgrade diamond tools/armor.
- Netherite Tools & Armor: Stronger and more durable than diamond; resistant to fire/lava.
- Warped Fungus on a Stick: Controls striders like pigs with carrots.
- Music Disc – Pigstep: Found in bastion remnant loot chests.
- Lodestone Compass: Points to a lodestone for navigation.
- Spawn Eggs: Hoglin, Piglin, Piglin Brute, Strider, Zoglin.
Mobs
- Hoglin: Hostile, spawns in crimson forests, scared by warped fungus, breedable with crimson fungus.
- Piglin: Neutral unless provoked, attacks if player isn’t wearing gold, barterable with gold ingots.
- Piglin Brute: Aggressive, spawns in bastion remnants, cannot be bartered.
- Strider: Passive, lava-dwelling, rideable with warped fungus on a stick.
- Zoglin: Aggressive variant of Hoglin when in Overworld or End.
Generated Structures
- Bastion Remnants: Rare structures housing piglins, piglin brutes, and hoglins, containing loot and gold blocks.
- Basalt Pillars: Natural formations in soul sand valleys.
- Huge Fungi: Crimson or warped tree-like structures, with stems, wart blocks, shroomlights, and vines.
- Ruined Portals: Scattered across Nether and Overworld, containing loot and gold blocks.
- Nether Fossils: Bone-block structures in soul sand valleys.
Biomes
- Soul Sand Valley: Dangerous terrain with soul sand, soul soil, and lava pools; spawns skeletons, ghasts, and occasional endermen.
- Crimson Forest: Red-themed biome with crimson fungi, huge fungi, weeping vines, hoglins, piglins, and zombified piglins.
- Warped Forest: Blue/green-themed biome with warped fungi, huge fungi, twisting vines, and endermen.
- Basalt Deltas: Rugged biome with basalt pillars, blackstone patches, lava pools, and magma cubes.
Enchantments
- Soul Speed: Allows faster movement on soul sand.
Music
- Original Game Soundtrack – Lena Raine
- Crimson Forest: Chrysopoeia
- Nether Wastes: Rubedo
- Basalt Deltas & Soul Sand Valley: So Below
- Music Disc: Pigstep
Changes
- Blocks: Nether wart block texture updated; walls now connect to glass panes and iron bars properly.
- Mob: Zombie Pigman renamed to Zombified Piglin with updated model and texture.
Further Revisions
Java Edition
- 1.16.1–1.16.5: Stability, bug fixes, piglin brutes, social features, duplication exploit fix.
Bedrock Edition
- 1.16.1–1.16.61: Stability fixes, piglin brutes, PlayStation VR support, RenderDragon support, new commands, technical and bug fixes.
Videos
- Trailer: Released June 23, 2020 – Nether Update: Official Trailer
- Showcases:
- What’s New in Minecraft Java Edition 1.16 – The Nether Update?
- Bastion Remnants & Ruined Portals Generation
- Technical Changes in Java Edition 1.16
- Other: Dev diaries covering Nether update mechanics and sounds.
Quotes
“Welcome to the Nether. Stronger materials, scarier biomes, and snoutier mobs bring the heat to an already fiery dimension.”
— minecraft.net
Trivia
- The update was initially planned for 1.13 but was postponed in favor of the Update Aquatic.
- Version numbers were unified for Java and Bedrock starting with this update.
- The Allay mob was originally planned for this update but was added later in The Wild Update.