6 things to know about the Minecraft Chase the Skies update
The Minecraft Chase the Skies game drop will release on June 17, 2025. Mojang has been working on this game drop for months, announcing it in March along with some of its most game-changing features. They were later released in snapshots and beta/preview testing versions. Now, they are ready to be released in a stable version.
Here are some of the major features and changes players should know in the Minecraft Chase the Skies game drop.
Note: There are several other features and changes in this update.
List of 6 major features to know about the Minecraft Chase the Skies game drop
1) Vibrant Visuals (BE only)
Vibrant Visuals may be Mojang's most significant addition to Minecraft in a long time. The Java Edition will also get this graphics update later, but it will only be available for Bedrock Edition in the Chase the Skies game drop.
Vibrant Visuals is essentially Mojang's first official shader pack for their primary sandbox game, which they created using their latest engine, Render Dragon. This overhauls the visuals of the game in certain situations and areas by adding volumetric lighting, directional shadows, screen-space reflections, volumetric fog, point light, and much more.
2) Happy ghast
Happy ghast is one of the biggest new additions in the Chase the Skies update. It is a friendlier version of a regular ghast and can be grown from a dried ghast block. When the dried ghast block spawns into a ghastling, the baby variant can be fed snowballs to become a happy ghast. The typical ghast from the Nether is completely different from this new ghast variation.
With a serene smile on its face, this mob will be completely passive to all entities, including players. The primary purpose of this new ghast is to help players fly the Overworld when it is harnessed. This mob can be lured with a snowball, leash, or harness.
3) Lead changes
The lead also underwent several adjustments in the Chase the Skies game drop. To begin with, two entities can be tied together using a lead without the player being connected to either.
The item also has better mechanics and physics, particularly when linked entities are in the air. When in the air, entities will be less likely to be struck by falls due to the lead's reduced stretch.
A unique four-lead connection can be formed between the new happy ghast and any other larger entity, including sniffers, boats, camels, horses, etc. Hence, moving mobs will become easier because of the new mob and lead changes.
Finally, a new crafting recipe was given to the lead. Mojang made the process easier by replacing the slime ball with another string. From now on, lead will just require five strings to craft.
4) Craftable saddles
Saddles are rare loot items that can only be obtained in chests in specific structures ever since the initial release of Minecraft. After many years, Mojang is finally making them craftable in the Chase the Skies game drop.
Saddles can now be crafted with three leathers and one iron ingot. As a result, it will be simpler to get saddles, especially early in the game.
5) Player locator bar
Previously, players in a multiplayer world had no way of knowing where their friends were. To find others, the only visual cue was the username box above their heads, which was not visible from a distance. Installing a map mod or minimap for Minecraft was the only option that really worked in this regard.
Hence, Mojang is launching a new player locator bar that will show dots for all players in the world. The size and shape of each player's dot will dictate how close or how far away they are from another player.
This new player locator bar will take the place of the XP bar when players are not actively absorbing XP in the game.
6) Tears music disc
Tears is a new music disc that will be included in the Chase the Skies game drop for Minecraft. The spooky reverbed vocals of a ghast singing in a certain beat open this new track. The tune then transitions to a medium-paced set of beats that fits the ghast's voice rhythm.
The Tears music disc can be obtained by killing a Nether ghast with its own fireball. Players will receive this music CD as a mob drop once they have achieved the "Return to Sender" milestone. A jukebox can then be used to play the disc.
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