Minecraft: Windows 10 Edition, Minecraft: Pocket Edition and Minecraft: Gear VR Edition will be receiving what is known as the Boss Update on Oct. 18.
The update, as can be discerned from its name, will bring boss battles for the first time to these versions of Minecraft. Included are boss fights against the Wither and the Elder Guardian, along with Ocean Monuments that can be explored.
In addition to boss fights, the Boss Update will also introduce Add-Ons, which will allow players to make changes to their Minecraft playing experience by tweaking text files.
Among the things that Add-Ons can do include adjusting AI, customizing mobs and making changes to other elements of the game. Players will be able to share the Add-On worlds that they create directly with other users, or uploaded them to their Realms and access them anytime.
Several examples of Add-Ons can be downloaded for free through the official website of Minecraft once Oct. 18 rolls around. Among these worlds are the Castle Siege and Alien Invasion Add-Ons which were demonstrated earlier this year at E3 2016.
The Boss Update will also add new input options for players, finally allowing them to use their Bluetooth-enabled Xbox Wireless Controllers with the Windows 10 and Gear VR editions. VR players on the Windows 10 edition will also be able to begin using the Oculus Touch devices.
Players on the Minecraft: Console Edition will also have something to look forward to this October, with lots of new content to be added to the game on Oct. 4.
Among the additions is the Chinese Mythology Mash-Up Pack, which will be sold for $4.99. The package include a pre-made world that features mountain ranges where dragons live, a monastery and a new map designed for the Battle mini game. Additional new content included in the pack are 41 skins and 13 music tracks, with the pack also adding dungeons, hidden areas and boss fights.
Alongside the launch of the Chinese Mythology Mash-Up Pack is a free content update that will add new mobs such as polar bears; new items such as beetroots that can be harvested; special features on terrains such as new materials for villages, fossils and igloos; new blocks such as magma, grass paths, bone blocks and frosted ice; and new decorative banners.
In other Minecraft news, Microsoft will officially roll out Minecraft: Education Edition on Nov. 1 in time for the incoming school year. The version of the game retains the core functions of Minecraft, but it streamlined to be used by teachers and students as an element of an efficient learning environment.
