Big changes are coming to Minecraft, as the construction-focused sandbox game takes up arms for its "Combat Update".

Battling skeletons, venom-spewing spiders, or -- worst of all -- Creepers has always been a part of the survival mode, but combat itself was never a brilliant mechanic. Mojang is looking to address that with the reveal of version 1.9 of its unstoppably popular game, with the majority of the tweaks and additions it brings centred on, well, let's call it 'cube-based conflict resolution'.

"It contains a lot of changes. Most remarkably, the combat mechanics have been updated to make fighting more interesting and offer more map-making options," the developer wrote in its announcement.

Players can now craft combat-specific tools beyond swords and axes, with the notable addition of shields joining the inventory. There are also new types of arrows, and fresh attacks for existing weapons -- a "crushing blow" for axes, and a sweep attack for swords. The way you'll fight in Minecraft is changing too. Attacks now have a cool-down delay, forcing you to consider timing rather than endlessly hacking away.

Posted: Feb 29, 2016 7:33 pm
Related Forum: Gaming Discussion

Source: http://www.wired.co.uk/news/archive/2016-02/29/minecraft-combat-update