Minecraft Resolves 12-Year-Old Glitch Allowing Players to Cheat Deaths

Minecraft players often find themselves navigating perilous circumstances as they strive to advance in the game. One of the most prevalent hazards pertains to falling from significant heights, leading to fall damage—an experience familiar to many players in their survival adventures. Over time, the gaming community has discovered various methods to mitigate this risk.

One particularly intriguing approach involved exploiting a longstanding bug that allowed players to completely avoid fall damage without the need for any specialized techniques. This glitch was first uncovered nearly 12 years ago, during the early days of Mojang Studios’ iconic game. However, this loophole has now been fixed in the latest Java Edition snapshot.

Old Exploit for Fall Damage No Longer Works in Minecraft

The Nature of the Fall Damage Bug

Players could exit the world just prior to impact to completely avoid fall damage (Image via Mojang Studios)

In the world of Minecraft, falling from heights triggers the game’s gravity mechanics, which causes an acceleration of speed and an increase in potential fall damage upon landing. Resourceful players realized that by exiting their survival world just before hitting the ground and then reopening it, they could escape any harm without losing health. This exploit was limited to single-player and local area network (LAN) worlds.

The fall damage bug was first documented in October 2012 on Mojang Studios’ bug tracking platform, specifically tagged under version 1.4.2. It quickly amassed attention, resulting in 40 additional reports and a substantial 117 votes advocating for its resolution.

Despite its popularity and widespread acknowledgment, Mojang did not rectify this issue for over a decade, allowing players to continuously utilize the glitch as a means to evade fatal falls in their single-player or LAN sessions.

Resolution Implemented in the Latest Snapshot

Players will incur fall damage regardless of reopening the game after a fall (Image via Mojang Studios)

The latest update to Minecraft Java Edition, version 24w45a, has officially fixed this enduring fall damage exploit. According to the patch notes, Mojang identified and addressed this long-standing issue, marking it as a priority due to its historical significance within the game.

As a result of this fix, players can no longer circumvent damage by exiting and re-entering their game world immediately before impact. This change marks a significant shift in gameplay strategies, compelling players to adapt their approach to managing falls.

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