Minecraft’s archeology feature has been on hiatus for years, but developers at Mojang have finally confirmed that it’s ready to land as part of update 1.20.
Archeology was announced (opens in a new tab) for the Caves & Cliffs update in 2020, but due to update delays and being split into two parts, the developers announced in 2021 (opens in a new tab) that some features, such as archeology, had been “put on hold”, though they definitely weren’t “cancelled” and would “go to Minecraft in the future when we can add them from the best possible way”.
It looks like the future is 2023, as Mojang has now confirmed (opens in a new tab) that Archeology will be released as part of update 1.20 later this year. If you want to try it before the proper release, the feature will be available to test in snapshots and beta previews “very soon”.
In its current iteration, Archeology relies on a new block called Suspicious Sand. You can use a new tool, the paintbrush, to discover what is hidden inside these blocks. Rewards can include random items, as well as pottery shards, which can have many individual patterns. Combine four shards of your choice and you’ll get a nifty jackpot with a custom design.
The developers are providing drip information on what to expect from Minecraft 1.20, but the update will bring us some long-awaited new features like the armor tuning system.
A recent snapshot also confirmed that Fixed one of Minecraft’s most infamous bugs. – Only a decade behind.