I wasn't expecting too much from Minecraft Live 2025. We've already got new cow and pig variants coming in different biomes, and with A Minecraft Movie just weeks away from release, I was sure that this broadcast from Mojang would just be a recap of what's coming out and not much else. But it appears I was wrong.
Alongside the upcoming Spring to Life update, which will bring the new warm and cold animal variants and ambient features like crunchy leaves and fireflies, Mojang Studios' Agnes Larsson and Jens Bergensten revealed that we'll be getting built-in shaders, some Minecraft Movie-inspired minigames, and a new mob—the happy ghast.
Anyone who's ever ventured into the Netherworld knows what a ghast is—they've likely come out of nowhere to hit you with a fireball which has sent you barrelling down into the fiery lava below, or just acted as a general nuisance while you've been fighting Piglins or trying to find your lost Nether portal. Needless to say, I never liked them and honestly went out of my way to strike them down with my bow and arrow, but now Mojang has revealed the history of the ghast, I feel really bad for my past transgressions.
Later this year, Minecraft will add a new block, the dried ghast. This is a baby ghast that you can pick up and bring to the Overworld. There, you can rehydrate it with a bucket of water to make the ghastling, which will eventually grow up into a happy ghast, a friendly mob that you can put a saddle on and ride through the sky with up to three other players: "This update brings new mechanics, a new level of cute, and a new perspective on the Overworld."
So it turns out that the ghasts in the Nether are so sad because they're actually aquatic mobs which have been trapped in the Nether. They cry to try and keep their young alive and fight you out of pain and confusion. Meaning this update has confirmed that I'm officially the worst person ever, or at least I feel like it for hurting so many ghasts.
I'll be rescuing as many dried ghasts as humanly possible, and you, too, can join in on the effort soon during testing or later on in 2025 once the new block and mob are finally added to the vanilla version of Minecraft.
We don't have a confirmed date for this addition yet, but we do know it'll be added as part of the second Minecraft game drop of 2025. At the beginning of the Minecraft Live 2025 stream, Agnes and Jens explained that instead of one big update, Mojang will be adding features gradually throughout the year in what they now call game drops. This is part of Mojang's new initiative, which was first introduced at the end of 2024 with the Pale Garden biome to give players more consistent new additions instead of one big update irregularly.
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