Creeper

Pretty scary update 1.4.2
Minecraft's spooky Halloween patch

Spooky new monsters are hunting for players in Minecraft after Halloween’s patch release. Patch 1.4.2, released by independent game developer Mojang, is dubbed the, “pretty scary update.” Witches, bats and two new skeletons are the root of the spookiness, and new blocks and items have been added to the game as well.

The change with the most impact on game play has to be the four new monsters added to the game. One of these monsters is a bat. The bat, a passive monster that does not attack the player, flies around and squeaks when disturbed. It can be found hanging on the ceiling of underground caves.

 Witches are another new monster that can be found living in their huts in Minecraft’s swamps. The witch’s hut spawns randomly in swamp biomes. The witch, unlike the bats, is hostile and will attack players by throwing damage potions.

In the Nether, a fiery underground realm entered through a portal, players will find two new skeletons. The whither skeleton is much bigger than the bow and arrow wielding skeletons still found outside of the Nether. Whither skeletons, which are dark gray in appearance, carry stone swords and are immune to lava unlike the regular skeletons. The boss monster skeleton must be summoned using items collected in the Nether. This boss monster, called a Whiter, is much different than a whither skeleton. It flies around and hurls explosive skulls at the player. Not a monster to be taken lightly. Players need to be well armed before taking on one of these foes.

Additions

New Monsters:

Bat
Witch
Whither Skeleton
Whiter

New Blocks:

Anvil
Beacon
Command Block
Cobblestone Fence
Flower Pot
Item Picture Frames
Wooden Buttons
Mob Heads

New Items:

Carrot
Potato
Carrot on a Stick
Pumpkin Pie
Night Vision Potion
Invisibility Potion
Nether Star

  • Carrots growing in a garden

  • A Nether Skelleton

  • Basking in the glow of sucess

  • New Bat monster hanging in a cave

With patch 1.4.2, undead monsters such as zombies, skeletons, nether skeletons and zombie pigmen are now able to wield items and armor. Being charged by a zombie wielding a cobblestone block is quite humorous. Undead can pick these items up off of the ground or in some cases spawn in with the item equipped. When these monsters are defeated, those weapons and items drop to the ground.

Several of the patch’s new items and blocks are useful, but the anvil is probably the most useful of them all. It is a block that, when placed, has an interactive menu that allows users to repair equipment without destroying the equipment’s enchantments. The anvil allows users to combine multiple enchantments onto one weapon using experience they have earned.

The update is full of surprises. New sounds, new items and new monsters will make the game more immersive and more challenging. The game can be purchased from Minecraft’s website at www.minecraft.net for $26.95. The official patch trailer can be found here on www.youtube.com.

The Mainstream is a student publication of Umpqua Community College.