Minecraft has come a long way since its original Alpha release. What was once a simple digging simulator has become its own, full-fledged adventure game: Mojang has been updating the game on a regular basis for years now, to the point where Minecraft is a basically a different game than the one that originally launched back in 2009.
That being said, one of the game's core mechanics has gone largely unchanged since Minecraft's first public release: combat. For the better part of seven years, Minecraft combat has been about as simple as you can get: click a button, swing your pickaxe/sword/axe and hope the Creeper dies. It's functional, sure, but fans have been begging for a deeper combat and inventory system for years.
Thanks to Mojang's latest patch, they're finally about to get one: dubbed the "Combat Update," the Minecraft 1.9 patch introduces a host of new features, including an upgraded and expanded set of combat options. If you've ever wished for true sword-and-shield combat in Minecraft, you're in luck.
Despite the update's name, the 1.9 patch isn't just about combat: Mojang has significantly expanded the End biome, which now hosts a new type of dungeon called "End Cities." It's also possible to re-summon the Ender Dragon, just in case you needed something to test the new combat mechanics on. There's also a new flying cape called the Elytra, a new "Shulker" mob and, of course, a ton of new blocks.
As you can see, it's a pretty big update — and it's available now! All you have to do is open up Minecraft and let the update download, and you're set to go! For more on everything that the studio's added into the game with patch 1.9, head on over to Mojang's official blog.
