Exploration Update

Exploration Update
Release date	November 14, 2016
Version(s)	Java Edition 1.11
	◄◄ Frostburn Update World of Color Update ►►

There is a guide for this update!

See Java Edition guides/Exploration Update for a guide to all of the new features introduced in Exploration Update.

The Exploration Update is the name for Java Edition 1.11, a major update released on November 14, 2016.^[1] The official name for the update, the Exploration Update, was revealed on September 24, 2016, during the Opening Ceremony at MINECON 2016.^[2] During the "Casual Chat with Jens" panel at MINECON, he suggested that the name "Expedition Update" was more suitable to the theme of the update compared to the "Exploration Update".^[3]

The main features of the update were announced on the second day of MINECON 2016, during "The Minecraft 1.11 Change Log" on September 25, 2016.^[4] However, snapshots for the update initially began around two months prior to the reveal of the main features, with the features being added in a snapshot just a few days after MINECON.

Mojang released the first (and only) pre-release for the Exploration Update on November 8, 2016.

Additions

New blocks

Observer
- Crafted using six cobblestone, two redstone dusts, and a Nether quartz.
- Used to give a redstone signal when it detects a block update.
Shulker Box
- Crafted using a chest with two shulker shells enclosed on top and at the bottom.
- Allows the player to access storage on the go by keeping any inventory it has when broken.
- Can be dyed to any of the available colors.

New items

Shulker Shell
- Obtained as drops from shulkers.
- Used to craft a shulker box.
Totem of Undying
- Obtained as drops from evokers.
- Holding it in the main hand or offhand resurrects the player upon being killed.
  - Absorption and Regeneration is granted upon activation.
  - Cannot prevent deaths when falling through the void.
Explorer Map
- Obtained by trading with cartographer villagers.
- Used to locate ocean monuments (blue) or woodland mansions (brown).
- The map shows the outline of land and where the location is and it is filled in as the player approaches the vicinity.
Spawn eggs:
- Donkey Spawn Egg
- Elder Guardian Spawn Egg
- Evoker Spawn Egg
- Husk Spawn Egg
- Llama Spawn Egg
- Mule Spawn Egg
- Skeleton Horse Spawn Egg
- Stray Spawn Egg
- Vex Spawn Egg
- Vindicator Spawn Egg
- Wither Skeleton Spawn Egg
- Zombie Horse Spawn Egg

New mobs

Llama
- Spawns in extreme hills biomes.
- Attacks when provoked by a player or mob.
- Can be tamed similar to horses, but does not permit the usage of a saddle to be able to ride them freely.
- Using a lead on a llama causes other nearby llamas to follow and form a caravan.
- Can be bred using hay bales.
- Drops leather when killed.
Evoker
- Found in woodland mansions.
- Attacks any players and villagers nearby.
- Summons fangs and vex to deal with the player.
- When near a blue-dyed sheep in a 16-block radius, it converts their color into red.
- Drops emeralds and a totem of undying when killed.
Vex
- Summoned by evokers.
- Attacks any players and villagers nearby.
- Are able to phase through blocks to attack their opponents.
Vindicator
- Found in woodland mansions.
- Attacks any players and villagers nearby.
  - Vindicators named "Johnny" or have the Johnny byte tag enabled become aggressive to all but other illagers.
- Primarily attacks using an iron axe that can disable shields.
- Drops emeralds and rarely an iron axe when killed.
2 new villager professions:
- Cartographer
  - A white-robed villager (librarian) that can sell explorer maps.
- Nitwit
  - Cannot trade with the player at all.

New non-mob entities

Evocation Fangs
- Summoned by evokers.
- Causes 6HP hearts of damage to players and mobs.
- Does not harm any illagers unless it was spawned by the player.

New structures

Woodland mansion
- Found in roofed forests.
- Consists of three floors that are procedurally-generated.
- Evokers and vindicators can be found here.

New gameplay

Enchanting
- Curse of Vanishing
  - Items and armor pieces enchanted with Curse of Vanishing disappear upon the player using them getting killed.
- Curse of Binding
  - Armor pieces enchanted with Curse of Binding cause the player to be unable to take off the armor piece until its durability is gone or the player dies.
    - It's also possible to enchant items such as mob heads or pumpkins in which the only way to remove them is by dying.

Other additions

The command /locate

Further revisions

1.11.1 added iron nuggets and the Sweeping Edge enchantment, among numerous changes and bug fixes.
- Firework rockets can now cause damage to entities that are within their explosion radius.
- Firework rockets can now boost players while flying with elytra.
1.11.2 was released soon thereafter to fix a crash involving chicken jockeys.