The skies are officially open. Chase the Skies, Minecraft’s latest update, has landed today, June 17th, and it’s packed with new ways to explore, build, and play. With flying mounts, multiplayer tools, and a major visual glow-up, this update brings something new for all of us!
Ride Into the Clouds with the Happy Ghast
Say hello to your new sky buddy. The Happy Ghast is a peaceful, rideable version of the classic Nether mob. Once fully grown, it can carry up to four players and even be used as a floating platform. To get one, you’ll need to start with a Dried Ghast, hydrate it into a Ghastling, and either wait for it to grow or speed things up with Snowballs. For those who want to skip the steps, spawn eggs are also available.
The Locator Bar
Multiplayer just got easier. The new Locator Bar replaces the XP bar when playing with others and helps you track down your friends faster. It’s a small change with a big impact, especially on large servers or community worlds.
Vibrant Visuals
If you’re playing on Bedrock Edition, the new Vibrant Visuals mode is now available. It adds water shaders, emissive textures, specular highlights, and full directional lighting. The difference is immediate and impressive.
It works on Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Android, iOS, and PC. It does not currently support splitscreen or custom texture packs. It looks like this is also an upcoming feature for Java Edition!
Other Additions and Features
There’s plenty more packed into today’s drop:
Harnesses: let you ride Happy Ghasts and come in 16 different colors.
A new music disc: Tears by Amos Roddy, drops when you defeat a Ghast using a deflected fireball.
Dried Ghasts and Ghastlings: introduce a new mob progression system and can be crafted, discovered, or summoned.
Leads, Saddles, and Shears: all have expanded functionality. You can craft them, use them in new ways, and even remove gear from mobs with shears.
Conclusion
Between soaring through the skies on a Happy Ghast and watching your world glow with Vibrant Visuals, Chase the Skies adds a whole new layer of magic to Minecraft. It’s weird, it’s wonderful, and it’s waiting for you. It's time to hop in, hold on tight, and let the chaos (and cuddly Ghasts) begin.
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