Minecraft may be an enormous sandbox where you can build anything you like, but that doesn’t mean the laws of nature shouldn’t be adhered to. That was the conclusion Mojang came to in 2022, anyway, when it scrapped plans to add fireflies in as a passive mob because, in the real world, they are poisonous to frogs. Yes, really. Well, over two years on from that moment, fireflies are coming back to Minecraft – but not as a mob.
Few sights in nature are as stunning as a swarm of dancing fireflies, and that’s why they’re often leaned on by videogames to make night time environments more beautiful and vibrant. Minecraft knows this, but in order to keep its pesky amphibians happy, the firefly mob (which would’ve been a food source for the frogs) was cut from the game. However, Mojang has announced that it’s bringing them back, but as a block instead of a mob.
Now available in Java snapshot, but soon to be added to Minecraft’s first game drop of 2025, is the firefly bush plant block. If you head to swamps and bodies of water in the sandbox game you’ll find these new bushes growing, and as you’d expect, they are orbited by tiny little glow-in-the-dark particles that resemble fireflies.
As well as looking very scenic during your night time adventures and brightening up your latest Minecraft house ideas, Mojang says they will also affect other blocks. “You can bury the firefly bush below other blocks to make them sparkle!” it says.
The firefly bush is just one of several new additions being added to Minecraft’s upcoming game drop. Another new plant block, this time simply known as the ‘bush,’ is joining the game to give you more options when it comes to greenery.
There are two new cow variants that look very different from the standard mob – a cold cow with a big fuzzy coat of fur, and a warm cow with a shorter brown coat.
Also keep an ear out for some new audio if you’re exploring desert biomes, because Mojang has added new ambient sounds. Clusters of sand or terracotta blocks will emit the sound of sand being gently blown by the wind, while the dead bush now creates sounds such as “chirping of crickets, rustling twigs, and howling winds.”
For more, check out our guides to the best Minecraft seeds and best Minecraft mods right now.
You can also follow us on Google News for daily PC games news, reviews, and guides, or join our community Discord to stay in the know.
