‘Minecraft’ Pocket And Win10 Editions Getting Bosses And More In Next Update


Minecraft: Pocket Edition and Windows 10 Edition continues the race to catch up with the mainline version of the popular sandbox game. Mojang announced Monday bosses like the Elder Guardian and Wither will be coming in the next update along with other much awaited features.

Dubbed the “Boss Update,” the 0.16 update to Minecraft: Pocket Edition and Windows 10 Edition will add some of the tougher mobs that have been missing from the alternate version of the game. The three-headed Wither will be added to the over-world to terrorize players with its skull-bomb projectiles. The creature is hostile to everything that is not already dead, which should liven up the mobile gaming version.

“Thanks to update 0.16 that’s about to change. Soon Pocket Edition/Windows 10 players will have access to some of the most ferocious mobs we’ve ever devised,” Mojang’s Owen Hill stated.

The Wither will be joined, so to speak, by the Elder Guardian. This underwater mob lurks in ocean monuments, where it protects the valuable loot hidden in the treasure chamber. It is extremely aggressive against players.

The Elder Guardian lurks. [Image via Mojang]
The addition of the Elder Guardian boss also signals the addition of the ocean monuments they guard. Minecraft: Pocket and Windows 10 Edition players will finally have a reason to venture into the ocean beyond just basic exploring.

Mojang has other plans for the Boss update beyond adding more mobs to challenge Minecraft players. New blocks are coming along with beacons. What blocks are coming hasn’t been specifically announced yet. Beacons are a welcome addition, though, as they’ve been part of Minecraft for console and PC for over two years.

“In less creepy news we’re also bringing Slash commands to Pocket and Windows 10 Editions of Minecraft. They give you the chance to tweak the way the game plays – you can give items away, summon mobs, change the time of day, and lots more, all while playing the game. This update included 20 commands but we’ll be adding more in the future,” Mojang’s Hill also revealed.

Minecraft: Pocket Edition and Windows 10 Edition still have quite a way to go to catch up with the primary edition of Minecraft. However, the mobile and Windows 10 PC version of the game have developed quickly since Microsoft purchased Mojang from creator Markus “Notch” Persson and his studio co-founders. Better Redstone support has been added along with the ability to play with friends via Xbox LIVE and Minecraft Realms across Android, iOS, and Windows 10 devices. Support for VR devices like Oculus Rift has also been added.

The Wither. [Image via Minecraft]
Microsoft has used the development of Minecraft for other platforms as an opportunity to push the game towards using the C++ programming language over the Java version used by the original release of Minecraft. Could there be a future where the Pocket Edition and Windows 10 Edition supplant the original? Perhaps, but there is still a lot of time to makeup and other hurdles that must be overcome first to even reach feature parity.

The Boss Update for Minecraft: Pocket Edition and Windows 10 Edition will be fully revealed during the Minecon 2016 convention taking place on September 24 at the Anaheim Convention Center in California. Android users can get an early peek by signing up for the beta on the Google Play site. Mojang does ask players to provide feedback on their beta testing experience on the official Minecraft site.

Those that do participate in the beta will not be able to access their Minecraft Realms worlds while testing. Players will need to revert back to the official 0.15.6 version in order to play on their server and with friends.

What do you think of the Minecraft 0.16 Boss Update for mobile devices and Windows 10? What should Mojang work on next to bring to the platforms? Sound off in the comments below.

[Image via Mojang]

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