Java Edition guides/1.3 releases

1.3 releases
Edition

Java Edition

Version(s)

This guide is a simplified overview of all the changes in the Java Edition 1.3.x releases, which assumes at least some familiarity with the Java Edition 1.2.x releases.

Mobs

Changed

Name Image Changed
All mobs Mobs can now spawn on top of all upside down slabs and stairs.
Pigs Drop 1–3 porkchops instead of 0–2.
Silverfish Now spawn more silverfish from nearby infested blocks more often, when suffering from Poison potions.
Creepers
  • Now have increased knockback effect.
  • Now do more or less damage depending on difficulty:
    • Easy: ~50% less damage.
    • Normal: same damage as before.
    • Hard: 33 1⁄3% more damage.
Endermen
  • Now stop in front of the player.
  • Now teleports behind the player when the player swings their sword.
Villagers Now get a random profession when spawned from spawn eggs.

Blocks

New

Name Image Obtaining Tool Required Uses
Emerald ore Generates in extreme hills. Pickaxe (iron or better) Drops emeralds, which can be used for villager trading or crafted into a block of emerald.
Block of emerald
Ingredients Crafting recipe
Emerald
Invicon Emerald.png: Inventory sprite for Emerald in Minecraft as shown in-game linking to Emerald with description: EmeraldInvicon Emerald.png: Inventory sprite for Emerald in Minecraft as shown in-game linking to Emerald with description: EmeraldInvicon Emerald.png: Inventory sprite for Emerald in Minecraft as shown in-game linking to Emerald with description: EmeraldInvicon Emerald.png: Inventory sprite for Emerald in Minecraft as shown in-game linking to Emerald with description: EmeraldInvicon Emerald.png: Inventory sprite for Emerald in Minecraft as shown in-game linking to Emerald with description: EmeraldInvicon Emerald.png: Inventory sprite for Emerald in Minecraft as shown in-game linking to Emerald with description: EmeraldInvicon Emerald.png: Inventory sprite for Emerald in Minecraft as shown in-game linking to Emerald with description: EmeraldInvicon Emerald.png: Inventory sprite for Emerald in Minecraft as shown in-game linking to Emerald with description: EmeraldInvicon Emerald.png: Inventory sprite for Emerald in Minecraft as shown in-game linking to Emerald with description: Emerald
Invicon Block of Emerald.png: Inventory sprite for Block of Emerald in Minecraft as shown in-game linking to Block of Emerald with description: Block of Emerald
Pickaxe (iron or better) Can be used as a decorative block.
Ender chest
Ingredients Crafting recipe
Obsidian +
Eye of Ender
Invicon Obsidian.png: Inventory sprite for Obsidian in Minecraft as shown in-game linking to Obsidian with description: ObsidianInvicon Obsidian.png: Inventory sprite for Obsidian in Minecraft as shown in-game linking to Obsidian with description: ObsidianInvicon Obsidian.png: Inventory sprite for Obsidian in Minecraft as shown in-game linking to Obsidian with description: ObsidianInvicon Obsidian.png: Inventory sprite for Obsidian in Minecraft as shown in-game linking to Obsidian with description: ObsidianInvicon Eye of Ender.png: Inventory sprite for Eye of Ender in Minecraft as shown in-game linking to Eye of Ender with description: Eye of EnderInvicon Obsidian.png: Inventory sprite for Obsidian in Minecraft as shown in-game linking to Obsidian with description: ObsidianInvicon Obsidian.png: Inventory sprite for Obsidian in Minecraft as shown in-game linking to Obsidian with description: ObsidianInvicon Obsidian.png: Inventory sprite for Obsidian in Minecraft as shown in-game linking to Obsidian with description: ObsidianInvicon Obsidian.png: Inventory sprite for Obsidian in Minecraft as shown in-game linking to Obsidian with description: Obsidian
Invicon Ender Chest.png: Inventory sprite for Ender Chest in Minecraft as shown in-game linking to Ender Chest with description: Ender Chest
  • Pickaxe
    • Drops itself when mined with a tool enchanted with Silk Touch, otherwise drops eight obsidian.
Can store items per player, and which contents can be accessed from anywhere in all dimensions.
Tripwire hook
Ingredients Crafting recipe
Iron Ingot +
Stick +
Any Planks
Any Can be used with tripwires to activate redstone.
Tripwire Obtained from killing spiders and breaking cobwebs, and generates naturally in jungle temples. Any
  • The block form of string.
  • Used to activate tripwire hooks.
Cocoa pod Generates naturally on jungle trees, and created by placing cocoa beans on jungle logs. Any
  • The block form of cocoa beans.
  • When fully grown, drops additional cocoa beans when broken.
Sandstone stairs
Ingredients Crafting recipe
Sandstone
Pickaxe Can be used as a decorative block.
Spruce, birch and jungle stairs and slabs

Ingredients Crafting recipe
Spruce Planks or
Birch Planks or
Jungle Planks
Ingredients Crafting recipe
Spruce Planks or
Birch Planks or
Jungle Planks
Axe Decorative building blocks.
Wood Only obtainable by third party programs. Axe Can be used as a decorative block.

Changed

Name Image Changed
Wooden slabs and wooden stairs

  • Added all wood types.
    • Wooden slabs crafted after the update act like wood.
    • Adjusted hitbox.
Wooden pressure plate Can be triggered by arrows.
Log
  • Can now be placed in 3 different directions.
    • Placement works similar to piston placement.
Furnace
  • Can now be fueled by wooden tools.
  • Now return an empty bucket when using lava buckets as fuel.
Ice
  • Now disappears instead of melting when placed in the Nether, regardless of light.
  • Can now be obtained using Silk Touch-enchanted tools.
Glass panes Can now be obtained using Silk Touch-enchanted tools.
Dispenser
  • Minecarts & boats are now placed if there's rails/water in place respectively.
  • Now suck in or place water or lava in front of them instead of dispensing buckets.
Gravel Changed texture.
Levers Can be placed on the underside of blocks.
Pistons Now take 2 redstone ticks (4 game ticks) to extend.
TNT
  • Now does different amounts of damage depending on difficulty:
    • Peaceful: no damage.
    • Easy: ½ less damage.
    • Normal: same damage as before.
    • Hard: ⅓ more damage.
Nether wart Can now be grown in the Overworld and in the End.
Signs
  • Now stack up to 16.
  • Crafting now gives 3 signs instead of 1.
Monster spawners
  • Added NBT data to further customize spawned mobs.
    • Only changeable using map editors or mods.
Doors Now show their damage when being broken by zombies.
All slabs & stairs
  • Are now placed upside-down when placed against the upper half of a block's side.
    • When placed upside down, rails, pressure plates, levers, doors, torches, redstone torches, repeaters, redstone dust and beds can be placed on them - redstone dust behaves like on glowstone - It transmits power horizontally and upwards, but not downwards. Redstone torches don't power redstone placed on slabs/stairs above them.

Items

New

Name Image Obtaining Uses
Emerald Can be obtained by mining emerald ore. Used to trade with villagers.
Book and quill
Ingredients Crafting recipe
Book +
Ink Sac +
Feather
Invicon Book.png: Inventory sprite for Book in Minecraft as shown in-game linking to Book with description: BookInvicon Ink Sac.png: Inventory sprite for Ink Sac in Minecraft as shown in-game linking to Ink Sac with description: Ink SacInvicon Feather.png: Inventory sprite for Feather in Minecraft as shown in-game linking to Feather with description: Feather
Invicon Book and Quill.png: Inventory sprite for Book and Quill in Minecraft as shown in-game linking to Book and Quill with description: Book and Quill
  • Right-click to read or write in and edit up to 50 pages.
  • Clicking 'Done' saves the text edited into the book.
  • Clicking 'Sign' chooses a title to finalize the book.

Changed

Name Image Changed
Tools Breaking a block that can be instantly mined by hand while holding a block-breaking tool no longer reduces the tool's durability.
String Can now be placed as tripwire.
Cocoa beans
  • Changed texture.
  • Can be planted & grown on jungle wood now.
  • Can be grown instantly using bone meal.
Cookie Gives a full hunger point now.
Book Changed crafting recipe: 3 pieces of paper and one piece of leather in any shape.
Bucket Stacks up to 16 now.

Structures

New

Name Image Generates Chests Mobs Description
Desert village Deserts Can generate blacksmith buildings with 1 chest. Villagers Desert village variant made from sandstone instead of cobblestone and wood.
Desert pyramid Deserts 4 chests None
  • Built out of various kinds of sandstone and wool.
  • Includes hidden chest room and TNT trap, with loot including rotten flesh, bones, iron ingots and gold ingots, diamonds and emeralds.
Jungle pyramid Jungles 2 chests None
  • Built out of various kinds of cobblestone.
  • Contains multiple tripwire traps triggering dispensers filled with arrows.
  • Loot chests include bones, rotten flesh, gold ingots, iron ingots, diamonds and emeralds.

World types

New

Name Image Description Structures
Large biomes
  • Generate as default worlds, but biomes are 16× bigger.
  • Beaches look similar to their appearance in Java Edition Beta 1.7.3 and prior.
Same as in a default world.

See also