Minecraft has a weird way of changing right under your nose. One day you’re punching trees, and the next, you’re sifting through gravel with a brush like some pixelated Indiana Jones. That’s the Minecraft Trails and Tales update in a nutshell. It wasn’t just about adding "stuff." It was about changing the pace of a game that had started to feel a bit too much like a speedrun for most people.
Honestly, when Mojang first announced version 1.20, the community was skeptical. We’d come off the back of some pretty massive overhauls—the Caves & Cliffs saga literally changed the foundations of the world—and then came a "smaller" update focused on expression. But if you look closer, the Trails and Tales update actually solved a major problem: it gave us a reason to stop and look at the ground.
The Archaeology Mechanic Isn't Just for Loot
Most players treat archaeology as a way to get a Sniffer egg and then they basically forget it exists. That’s a mistake. The actual mechanic of "Suspicious Sand" and "Suspicious Gravel" introduced a layer of history to the world that wasn't there before. Before 1.20, every desert temple was the same. You drop down, break the pressure plate, take the gold, and leave.
Now? You’re looking for those subtle texture differences. Using the brush tool feels fundamentally different from mining. It's slow. It’s deliberate. If you click too fast or use the wrong tool, the item breaks. It’s the first time Minecraft really forced us to be gentle. You’ll find these blocks primarily in Desert Temples, Desert Wells, and the Cold/Warm Ocean Ruins.
What you’re actually looking for in the dirt
Aside from the obvious Sniffer eggs (which we’ll get to, because those giant six-legged cows are weird), you're hunting for Pottery Sherds. There are 20 different designs. If you combine four of them on a crafting table, you get a Decorated Pot. Here is the thing: most people just make a pot with a random design. But the Sherds actually tell a story. There’s the "Burn" sherd, the "Friend" sherd, and the "Heartbreak" sherd. Putting a "Danger" sherd next to a "Prize" sherd on a pot outside your base is basically environmental storytelling. It’s a flex. It says "I survived this."
The Sniffer: More Than a Weird Looking Mob
The Sniffer won the 2022 Mob Vote, beating out the Rascal and the Tuff Golem. It’s huge. It’s ancient. And it’s technically the first "extinct" mob we’ve brought back to life. You find the eggs in Warm Ocean Ruins—specifically in that suspicious sand we talked about.
Once it hatches into a Snifflet, it grows into this massive beast that wanders around and literally sniffs the air. When it catches a scent, it digs up seeds for Torchflowers and Pitcher Plants.
- Torchflowers: They don’t actually glow. Yeah, that was a big disappointment for a lot of people. They are purely decorative, though they look cool in a dark forest.
- Pitcher Plants: These have several growth stages and look like something out of a prehistoric jungle.
Is the Sniffer "useful" for beating the Ender Dragon? No. Not at all. But the Trails and Tales update wasn't about the "meta" of winning. It was about the "trail" you leave behind. The Sniffer is a trophy. Having a farm of these things signifies that you’ve mastered the archaeology system. It’s a status symbol.
Why Armor Trims Changed the Multiplayer Vibes
If you’ve played on a big SMP (Survival Multiplayer) server lately, you’ve noticed everyone looks different. That’s thanks to Armor Trims. Before 1.20, everyone at the endgame looked exactly the same: a walking hunk of dark purple Netherite.
Trims changed that.
There are 16 different smithing templates found across the world. Some are easy to find, like the Sentry Trim in Pillager Outposts. Others, like the Silence Trim found in Ancient Cities, have a drop rate so low (about 1.2%) that owning one makes you a legend on your server.
The Cost of Style
Here is the catch: Trimming armor is expensive. You need the template, a piece of armor, and a material for the color (like Diamond, Gold, or even Redstone). But if you want to copy a template so you can trim your whole set, it costs seven diamonds. Seven!
Mojang basically created a diamond sink. They needed a way to make diamonds valuable again now that everyone just trades with villagers for gear. It worked. People are actually mining again. They are exploring Bastions not just for gold, but for the "Snout" trim. They are diving into Shipwrecks for the "Coast" trim.
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The Cherry Grove: Not Just for "Cutesy" Builders
The Cherry Grove biome is the "Tales" part of the update. It’s rare, usually spawning on the lower layers of mountains, similar to Meadows. It’s pink. Very pink.
But beyond the aesthetics, the wood type is incredibly versatile. The Cherry wood set has a unique pinkish-tan hue that works surprisingly well with Stone Bricks and Spruce. Plus, the falling leaf particles add an atmosphere that no other biome has.
A lot of veteran players dismissed the Cherry Grove as "too soft" for their brutalist fortresses. However, the pink petals that grow on the ground are actually a stackable decorative item. You can place up to four in a single block, similar to Sea Pickles. This is a game-changer for adding texture to forest floors or custom paths.
The Technical Shift: Hanging Signs and Chiseled Bookshelves
We have to talk about the Chiseled Bookshelf. For a decade, bookshelves were just blocks that gave you enchantments. They were static.
Now, you can actually put books in them. Real books. Written books, Enchanted books, or Book and Quills.
- Redstone Integration: This is the big one. A Chiseled Bookshelf outputs a Redstone signal through a comparator based on which book you last touched.
- Secret Entrances: You can finally build a "pull the book to open the secret door" library without using complicated, glitchy observers. It’s clean. It’s intuitive.
Hanging Signs also added a lot of verticality to builds. You can hang them from the bottom of blocks or the side. You can even hang signs from other signs. It sounds small, but for town builders, it finally allows for "street signs" and "shop shingles" that don’t look like a floating mess.
Camels and the New Perspective on Travel
The Camel is the underrated hero of the Trails and Tales update. Found in Desert Villages, it’s a two-person mount.
Why use a camel when you have horses or Elytra?
First, because they are tall. So tall, in fact, that most hostile mobs—like Zombies or Husks—can't reach you when you're sitting on one. You can just trot through a desert at night while the monsters fruitlessly swing at your feet.
Second, the dash ability. Camels can leap over ravines or rivers that would stop a horse in its tracks. They aren't the fastest, but they are the safest. They represent the "Trails" aspect—taking the long way home with a friend, rather than just rockets and wings.
Misconceptions about Version 1.20
There's a common complaint that this update was "bloated" or "random." I disagree. When you look at the features together—Archaeology, Armor Trims, Sniffers, Camels, and Cherry Groves—a theme emerges.
The theme is Legacy.
Everything in this update is about finding what was left behind (Archaeology/Sniffer) or leaving something behind for others (Signs/Armor Trims/Pottery). It's Mojang telling us that the "story" of Minecraft isn't written by them; it’s written by the paths we walk.
The Smithing Table Overhaul Controversy
One thing that really annoyed the community was the change to Netherite. You can no longer just put a Diamond chestplate and a Netherite ingot into a table. You now need a "Netherite Upgrade" smithing template, found only in Bastion Remnants.
Some called it "unnecessary grind." I see it as a way to preserve the "Endgame." Before 1.20, getting full Netherite was too easy for experienced players. Now, you have to actually brave the Nether's most dangerous structures to earn it. It makes the armor feel like an achievement again, rather than a checkbox.
How to Get the Most Out of the Update Right Now
If you're jumping back into your world, don't just go looking for a Cherry Grove. You'll get bored in ten minutes. Instead, treat it like a scavenger hunt.
- Start at a Desert Well. Most people have ignored these for ten years. Now, they are the best place to find your first Pottery Sherds.
- Fix your Armor. Go to a Pillager Outpost, grab a Sentry Trim, and use some Copper or Iron to trim your gear. It's cheap and looks better than plain Diamond.
- Build a Library. Use the Chiseled Bookshelves to store your actual Enchanted books. Stop putting them in chests where you'll forget them. Label the shelves with the new Hanging Signs.
The Minecraft Trails and Tales update is about slowing down. In a world of automated farms and instant travel, it’s a reminder that the best parts of the game are often found in the dirt, under a pink tree, or in the patterns on your chestplate.
Take your Camel out for a ride. Dig up a giant prehistoric bird-cow. Paint your armor. The game is as big or as small as you want it to be, but 1.20 made sure that even the small things have a story to tell.
To really master the new content, focus on finding a "Trail Ruins" structure. They are buried almost completely underground in Taigas and Birch Forests. They are the ultimate test of your new archaeology skills, containing the rarest trims and sherds in the game. Stop flying over the world and start looking at the blocks beneath your feet. That is where the actual "Tales" are hidden.