Want a Minecraft feature you can really dig? Update 1.20 is finally adding archaeology to the game.
Why finally? Because Minecraft’s archaeology was originally announced back in 2020, as part of the Caves & Cliffs update. It was ultimately removed and now, three years later, the feature is making its debut as part of Minecraft Update 1.20.
We were going to say something along the lines of “Lara Croft would be proud”, but Minecraft already lets you shoot animals in the face, albeit not with twin pistols. Instead, this is more your Time Team sort of thing, with players using their brushes to reveal treasures.
Yes, we do mean brushes. Developer Mojang has recognised that letting players go at valuable artefacts with pickaxes might not be a good thing. So they’re introducing a new tool, the brush.
Using the brush, you might find pottery shards, which can be combined, or something else altogether. You’ll find the special blocks around desert temples, though we’d like to see them crop up further afield.
Mojang hasn’t explained what you can do with your finds, though taking them home and putting them on display seems pretty standard – just ask the British Museum. Or, if you’re feeling particularly malicious, you could always hurl them into the ocean, watching Tony Robinson weep openly.
There’s no date for the Minecraft 1.20 update as yet, but it’ll be arriving at some point this year. There’s also a Minecraft movie in the works, though we wouldn’t count on seeing it in 2023.
