Java Minecraft now has pillaging

Minecraft’s Java edition has been updated to version 1.14, which adds a host of new features that include pillagers, crossbows, and raids. Now, groups of Illagers, including the crossbow-equipped Pillagers, will attack and raid towns, which can ring a new bell in order to call everyone inside.

Crossbows fire arrows, but with a bit more oomph – they’ll do more damage than bows will, but have less durability. They can be enchanted with multishot (which splits arrows into three projectiles), piercing (crossbow bolts will travel through enemy mobs), and quick charge (which decreases reload time).

Crossbows also have their own reloading mechanics, and you’ll have to hold down the ‘Use’ button until the crossbow string is pulled back all the way.

The Village & Pillage update also pillager patrols, which will roam around the world periodically raiding towns. They also have their own pillager outposts, which are generated by a “new mystery block,” called the jigsaw.

Some illagers now will have scary-looking banners over their heads, and these indicate a raiding party. Mojang’s patch notes are a bit cagey about how these work, but they say that you should be careful not to kill illagers with banners. If you do, you could find yourself cursed with “Bad Omen,” which will make you extremely unwelcome in most normal villages.

There’s a ton of additional additions and changes in version 1.14. Ocelots and cats are now considered separate animals, and the important difference between them is that cats can be tamed, while ocelots cannot. Phantoms, it turns out, are extremely scared of cats, which makes them handy to have around.

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You can read the full patch notes here. There’s a lot in there, including a new blast furnace, bamboo blocks, a new latern block, foxes, flowers, and a bevy of new decorative blocks.

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