Minecraft: Bedrock 1.22 Update – What to Expect?

A new update is always a reason for heated discussions in the Minecraft: Bedrock community, and the Mounts of Mayhem update is no exception: fans are actively discussing and praising the new features, but they are not holding back on criticism either.

What’s new in 1.21 (and what players call 1.22)

Spear and Mounted Combat

Perhaps the most enthusiastic reaction has been to the Spear and mounted combat. Many players are delighted that Mojang has added authentic medieval weapons and even even hinted at jousting-style horseback fights. Everyone is already imagining how they will knock each other out of the saddle and stage duels on horseback in multiplayer.

Nautilus Mount and Nautilus Breath

Others like the Nautilus: underwater builders and explorers have been wanting better deep-water mobility for years, and a living “diving suit” in the form of a mollusk has become the perfect solution in Minecraft: BE 1.21. “This completely changes the game – you can build an underwater base without tons of potions and beacons!” rejoice ocean lovers.

The Nautilus Breath efect is also causing debate: some believe that Mojang has made the task too easy (since potions and conduits are now partially obsolete), while others counter that the effect is not infinite and does not replace preparation. Overall, the Nautilus has been positively received, although some have aptly noted: “The nautilus is the same as the happy ghastling, only underwater.” Indeed, there is a similarity in concept: first a “mount in the sky,” now a “mount in the ocean.” But that doesn’t make it any worse, Mojang just decided to diversify travel in 1.21 along all axes.

Desert Additions in Bedrock 1.21

In MCPE 1.21, new desert additions also received their share of attention, and many players are happy that the desert will no longer be empty: camels, skeletons, and zombie riders will add content to the usually boring biome. It’s especially nice that the husk camel can be tamed after battle, which means there will be a new rare pet (previously there was only a skeleton horse, and even that couldn’t be bred).

Husks make sense as mounts as they are immune to the sun (unlike regular zombies), and the new desert skeleton variant with unique arrows adds a challenge even during the day.

Not everyone was impressed more from this drop. Some fans, spoiled by the major updates of previous years, consider Mounts of Mayhem to be too small an update. The reasons given varied. Some blame leaks (saying that all the surprises were known in advance, which is why the reaction is restrained), while others point out that the nautilus is similar to the already added baby ghast, saying, “they gave us a mount in the spring, and another mount in the fall,” and that they wanted something fundamentally different.

Reactions to the Update Format and Version Parity

There is also a general feeling that the year has passed without a “big update” – everything is broken down into small portions, and some players miss the days of major releases (such as the Nether Update or Caves & Cliffs). On the other hand, many recognize the advantages of the new drop model: content comes more often, there is less waiting, and feedback is taken into account quickly.

The topic of version parity and balance also comes up often in conversations. After each announcement, Bedrock players rightly ask, “Will we definitely get the same thing?” In the past, there have been unfortunate incidents when some things were released on Java and delayed on the mobile/console version. But in the case of Mounts of Mayhem, the Mojang team emphasizes synchronization: all of the listed features will appear in both versions at the same time.

Moreover, the Java snapshots and Bedrock beta were practically neck and neck: first, the spear and nautilus were released on Java, and a couple of weeks later on Bedrock Preview 1.21. So fans of both versions are happy. All that remains is to wait for Mojang to satisfy their common request, namely a full-fledged off-hand. This is perhaps the most hotly debated missing feature.

Rumors and Expectations for Minecraft Bedrock 1.22

No major Minecraft: BE update is complete without rumors, leaks, and fan theories. In the case of 1.22, from believable to completely wild.

Expectations for the End Update

Let’s start with the most talked about: expectations for the End Update. The End is the only dimension that hasn’t received a major update since 2016, and the community has long been eager for it to be revamped. Before Minecraft Live 2024, many were convinced that Mojang’s next big step would be to update The End.

Minecraft Live 2024 ended up presenting a completely different concept through several small “drops” instead of a single large release, and there was no mention of The End. Thus, the global overhaul of The End has been postponed. Nevertheless, rumors about updating the End have not gone away. Fans closely examine every new event for “Ender hints.”

For example, at Live 2025, attentive viewers looked for hidden symbols of Endermen or phrases like “The End?” in the developers’ speeches. So far, Mojang is keeping the intrigue alive, and many are convinced that after a series of themed drops in 2025, something grand awaits us in 2026, possibly the very End Update with new biomes (Ender Jungles? Shulker Mountains?), mobs (enderfish, giant worms?), and dungeons (End cities have long needed neighbors). There is no official confirmation, but the fandom dreams and believes that The End will definitely be transformed; fans think it’s bound to happen eventually.

Leaks About Mounts of Mayhem and New Mobs

More down-to-earth rumors concern specific features of Mounts of Mayhem, which have not been officially announced but have surfaced in leaks. Even before Minecraft Live 2025, insiders on social media published lists of alleged innovations. These included items such as “horseshoes,” “enchantments for horse armor,” “a new Barnacle mob,” “piglins with Golden Spears,” etc. Some of this has been confirmed; for example, piglins do indeed value the Golden Spear as a favorite item and may appear with it. However, we have not yet seen horseshoes and horse enchantments in the game.

Nevertheless, players really liked the idea of horseshoes, because it is logical that since the focus is on mounts, why not introduce a horseshoe forge that would give horses speed or jump bonuses? Mojang has not officially commented on this rumor, but fans remain hopeful that horseshoes will appear (perhaps as a secret feature or in one of the next patches).

As for the Barnacle mob, there has been speculation that it will be a new sea monster, perhaps a boss or a large creature of the deep. In the code of snapshot 25w43a, enthusiasts allegedly found a mention of entity.barnacle, which started a wave of rumors. Some suggested that Barnacle is the code name for a nautilus or zombie nautilus (which is possible in principle).

Others decided that it was a scrapped mob from The Update Aquatic, but be that as it may, no “Barnacle” has been shown explicitly, so it is most likely either an early name for a known mob or a figment of the imagination. Nevertheless, the very idea of a large deep-sea creature in Minecraft 1.22 has stirred up the community, and many are now asking Mojang to add a deep-sea biome with a new boss. Ideas range from an Ender whale to an ancient sea guardian.

Future of Bedrock: What Comes After 1.22?

Finally, in the wake of Mounts of Mayhem, players are speculating about the future development of Minecraft Bedrock 1.22. Since the update is unofficially called 1.21 (or 1.22), everyone is wondering, “Will there even be a ‘Minecraft 1.22/1.23’ in the usual sense?”

The transition to a format of frequent drops makes one wonder whether Mojang will abandon the old scheme of annual mega-releases, and it is difficult to say at this point. Perhaps in 2026 we will see something like “MCBE 1.22,” but divided into four parts (as in 2025). Or perhaps the developers will alternate: one year of minor updates, one year of one major update.

In any case, the community continues to dream of major themes. In addition to the aforementioned End, there are frequent requests to update Overworld structures (new generated buildings, for example, different types of dungeons, pyramids, ruins to diversify exploration), improvements to old biomes (swamps, deserts can still be enriched, etc.), new opportunities for redstoners (many are waiting for the official appearance of filter blocks, copper wires, and other technical stuff).

Parity of the combat system is a separate dream of the PvP community. They want Bedrock 1.22 to get critical hit mechanics, sword attack delay, swing attacks, and other features of Java combat, or, conversely, for Java to allow spam clicking with a sword like in Bedrock. So far, Mojang has been cautiously merging systems (for example, the introduction of Spears is a step towards a common combat system), but a complete merger has not yet taken place.

Of course, we can’t forget to mention the voted-out mobs. Every year at Minecon Live, a vote is held, and players then hope that the losers will be brought back someday. So, after the Armadillo’s victory in 2023, many people really wanted to see both the crab and the penguin, but Mojang rarely revisits losing ideas.

However, some in the community believe that crabs would fit perfectly into the nautical theme of Nautiluses, and penguins would bring the cold oceans to life. One can dream…

What’s Next?

What’s next? According to Mojang, Mounts of Mayhem will be released by the end of 2025 (tentatively in December). So very soon, all of the features described will be available to every Bedrock and Java player, so be ready to update your game soon! What will Mojang focus on in 2026 with Minecraft PE 1.22? Will it be the long-awaited End revamp or perhaps something completely unexpected? For now, we can only guess. Also read about the latest updates and download Minecraft Bedrock 1.21 using the link.