Minecraft New Snapshot 25W18A Updates: Happy Ghast
Are you ready for the latest Minecraft snapshot? This week brings some exciting changes to the Happy Ghast update, with several new features that will change how you play the game. From improved mob behavior to simplified crafting recipes, let's dive into everything you need to know about the latest Minecraft snapshot 25W18A!
What's New in the Latest Minecraft Snapshot 25W18A?
The Happy Ghast continues to be the star of this update, receiving significant buffs and improved functionality. But that's not all - this snapshot also introduces changes to mob behavior, crafting recipes, and more! Let's break down all the new features.
The Mysterious Bowtie.png
One of the most intriguing discoveries from last week's snapshot was a mysterious file called "bowtie.png" found in the game files. Located in
Minecraft/textures/GUI/sprites/HUD/locator bar, this strange addition sparked much speculation.
Interestingly, the bowtie.png file still exists in this week's snapshot. Could this be:
- An Easter egg
- A feature waiting for Bedrock edition to catch up
- Something with a future use
- Just an oversight
The mystery continues!
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Major Mob Behavior Changes
One of the most significant changes in this snapshot is the addition of home position and home radius fields to all mobs. This means:
- When you interact with a mob using a lead, it sets its current location as its "home position"
- After releasing the mob from the lead, it will stay closer to that location
- The mob will limit its pathfinding and remain within the indicated area
This opens up exciting possibilities for free-range mob farms and more natural-looking pens! No more need for tight enclosures to keep your animals from wandering off.
Note: Some mobs will ignore these home position settings, including:
- Bats
- Slimes
- Magma Cubes
- Phantoms
- Ender Dragons
Simplified Lead Crafting Recipe
Leads are now much easier to craft! The recipe has been simplified to use only string, removing the need for slime balls completely. The new recipe:
- Five strings arranged in the crafting table
- Produces two leads
This makes leads much more accessible, especially for players in biomes where slimes are rare.
Fishing Rod Improvements
The fishing rod has received a visual upgrade in this snapshot. When you hook a mob with your fishing rod, the line appears thicker and more visible. This subtle but welcome change improves the overall experience when using fishing rods for more than just catching fish!
Bug Fixes and Technical Changes
The snapshot also includes several important bug fixes:
- Fixed an issue where sprinting and entering a boat would cause the boat to glitch through blocks
- Removed unused "red sus sand" tags from the game files
- Updated Unifont to version 16.0.3 (for technical users who work with glyphs)
- New animation system for the locator bar's up and down arrows
Happy Ghast Updates
The Happy Gast, the centerpiece of this update, has received significant changes:
New Crafting Recipe
The recipe for crafting dried gasts has been updated. Previously, it required different materials, but now you'll need soul sand instead. The new recipe makes more logical sense and might actually be easier for most players!
Piglin Bartering
In an exciting addition, you can now obtain dried gasts through piglin bartering! When trading gold ingots with piglins in the Nether, there's a chance they'll give you dried gasts in return.
Potion Effects on Happy Gasts
There was some confusion about potion effects on Happy Gasts in previous snapshots. To clarify:
- Previously: Potions only worked when thrown at the bottom of a Happy Ghast
- Now: Potions will work when thrown at any part of the Happy Ghast, including the head
This works with almost every potion in the game, opening up new possibilities!
Improved Potion Mechanics
This snapshot also brings a technical update to how splash potions work:
- The strength of potion effects now depends on the closest distance between the entity hitbox and where the potion landed
- If a potion hits a group of entities, the entity directly hit will receive a stronger/longer effect than nearby entities
- This calculation change makes splash potions more realistic and strategic
What's Coming Next?
While this snapshot is smaller than some players might have hoped, it continues to refine the Happy Ghast update. With the promised release date in June, there's still time for more features to be added.
Some players are hoping for:
- More uses for the Happy Ghast
- Additional Nether improvements
- The ability to connect fences directly with leads
- Custom potion textures (a possibility hinted at in previous updates)
How to Try the Snapshot 25W18A
Want to check out these changes for yourself? Here's how to access the snapshot:
- Open your Minecraft Launcher
- Click on the "Installations" tab
- Enable "Snapshots" in the settings
- Create a new installation and select the latest snapshot
- Launch the game and explore!
Conclusion
While this snapshot 25W18A may not be the largest we've seen, it brings important refinements to the Happy Gast update and introduces some exciting new mechanics. The home position feature for mobs alone could revolutionize how players build farms and manage animals in Minecraft.
What feature are you most excited about? The simplified lead recipe? The mob home positions? Or are you still trying to figure out what that mysterious bowtie.png is for? Let us know in the comments!
Stay tuned for more Minecraft snapshot updates as we get closer to the final release of the Happy Gast update in June!
This blog post was based on information from the latest Minecraft snapshot. Features may change before the final release.
