Top 5 Exciting Features in the Minecraft 1.21.40 Update

The Minecraft 1.21.40 update, known as Bundles of Bravery, has finally brought the long-awaited bundles feature to the Bedrock edition. This update also presents a range of new features, including a hardcore game mode, while resolving more than 140 bugs that previously hindered gameplay. Additionally, several adjustments were made to enhance the overall player experience.

Here are the top five features highlighted in the Minecraft 1.21.40 update.

Top 5 Features of the Minecraft 1.21.40 Update

1) Bundles

Bundles have finally arrived (Image via Mojang Studios)

The standout feature in the Minecraft 1.21.40 update is undoubtedly the introduction of bundles. This new mechanic allows players to combine various blocks or items into a single inventory slot. Players can now store up to 64 mixed items, including other bundles, making this feature invaluable for resource gathering.

Through bundles, players can conveniently group items and access a tooltip to view the contents inside. Any item displayed can be selected for removal during gameplay. There are currently 16 distinct color variants available for these bundles:

White
Light Gray
Gray
Black
Brown
Red
Orange
Yellow
Green
Lime
Light Blue
Cyan
Purple
Blue
Magenta
Pink

2) Hardcore Mode

The new Hardcore mode makes its way to Bedrock with the Minecraft 1.21.40 update (Image via Mojang Studios)

Another exciting addition is the Hardcore game mode for the Bedrock edition, which builds on the existing survival mode. In this mode, the player’s world is permanently set to Hard difficulty, featuring a permadeath mechanic that prevents respawning after death.

Once players opt for Hardcore mode, their world remains locked to this highest difficulty level, disallowing any changes via commands or settings. This mode is unforgiving—if players perish, they can only spectate their world and cannot revive through commands, charms, or totems. They retain the ability to observe and wander but cannot engage or reconstruct.

The update also includes Hardcore mode for Minecraft Realms, allowing players to create Hardcore Realms directly in-game.

3) Enhanced Creative Inventory

The Minecraft 1.21.40 update enhances the creative inventory layout (Image via Mojang Studios)

The Minecraft 1.21.40 update brings significant enhancements to the organization of the creative inventory. Items and blocks have been rearranged for better classification and placement accuracy. For instance, trial chamber items such as trial keys and ominous bottles have been moved into more appropriate categories.

The stone group has been relocated to the nature tab, establishing stone as the primary block and repositioning it at the front of the list. Additionally, other stone variants like tuff and polished tuff have been grouped with blocks such as basalt and smooth basalt.

The copper family has undergone a substantial reordering, now better reflecting item progression—from raw copper, raw iron, and raw gold appropriately. Copper doors are categorized under doors, and copper trapdoors are now aligned with other non-trapdoor items. Furthermore, metals are systematically arranged by block type followed by oxidation level.

This update also includes many balancing and organizational changes for bricks and dirt within the creative inventory.

4) Changes to Mob Behavior

Mob behavior adjustments are part of the Minecraft 1.21.40 update (Image via Mojang Studios)

The behavior of in-game mobs has seen notable tweaks with the Minecraft 1.21.40 update. Now, polar bears will drop cooked fish if eliminated by fire or lava. Additionally, companion animals such as wolves, cats, and parrots will teleport to their owners in distress and when isolated in combat.

Balancing changes now prevent piglin mobs from picking up and admiring powered rail items, facilitating smoother redstone builds like the insta-kill auto turret. Furthermore, carved pumpkins and skulls will rotate synchronously with the wearer’s head.

The update addresses the breeze mob’s interaction resulting in it no longer jumping away from players when on a honey block. The breeze received enhancements to boost its jump ability, enabling higher leaps. Bats are now governed by new rules allowing them to spawn at any height, and can only spawn on specific block types like stone, diorite, granite, deepslate, and tuff.

5) Enhancements for Vanilla Parity

Changes for vanilla parity are introduced in the Minecraft 1.21.40 update (Image via Mojang Studios)

One of the significant features in the Minecraft 1.21.40 update is related to achieving better parity between the vanilla gameplay of Bedrock and Java editions. Following this update, creepers will drop music discs when killed by a bog, similar to how it operates in the Java edition. Players can expect bogged mobs to yield poison arrows upon their defeat by tamed mobs.

Moreover, the composting chance of mushroom stems in the composter is now adjusted from 85% to 65%. The all-sided pore mushroom block is removed from the creative inventory to align with Java standards.

Additionally, enchanted apples now confer the regeneration II effect instead of regeneration V, and the placement of cocoa beans triggers a sound effect. Bee hives and nests have also received updates, rendering them ineffective as furnace fuel.

Commands have been improved as well, with the Effect command now capable of removing specific effects, and identical lodestones can now be stacked up to 64.

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