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Minecraft's big Nether Update arrives next week

Lavaly.

The Nether Update, Minecraft's biggest addition in years, will finally arrive next Tuesday, 23rd June.

Meet the Piglins.

That date applies to the game's Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Windows 10, iOS and Android editions, as well as the classic Java version of the game on Windows, Mac and Linux.

Up until now, the Nether has been a fairly uninhabitable hell dimension - and one that hasn't changed a great deal since it was first introduced.

So, what's changing? Well, the Nether is getting biomes - so not all of it will be covered in lethal lava. It's getting new residents, too, in the Villager-like Piglins who'll barter with you for gold.

New enemies include the Hoglin, a feral hog hunted by the Piglins. New blocks include the target block, which lets you activate Redstone switches using arrows.

Minecraft is also finally getting a material stronger than diamond: netherite. Forged from netherite scraps and turned into ingots, this stuff can be used to upgrade diamond gear to make it even more durable.

Watch on YouTube

Last but not least, the update brings a rare set of fresh music tracks to the game to accompany the new Nether areas. These have been put together by Lena Raine, composer of Celeste, and you can listen to them now via Spotify.

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