This guide is a simplified overview of all the changes in Update Aquatic (Java Edition 1.13.x releases), which assumes at least some familiarity with the World of Color Update (Java Edition 1.12.x releases).
Mobs[]
New[]
Several new mobs are added to the game. Here is a list of the mobs to look out for:
Name |
Image |
Habitat |
Drops |
Note
|
Dolphin |
|
All oceans except for Frozen oceans |
|
|
Turtle |
|
Any beaches except for cold beaches |
|
- Turtles can be bred with seagrass. After mating, one turtle travels back to its home beach to lay its eggs, regardless of the distance.
- Baby turtles drop one scute when they grow into an adult.
|
Cod |
|
- Cold, warm, and lukewarm oceans, including deep variants.
|
|
- Cod group together with other Cod, forming small schools.
- Cod can be captured with a bucket of water, becoming a bucket of cod.
|
Salmon |
|
- Cold and frozen oceans, and normal and frozen rivers.
|
|
- Salmon group together with other Salmon, forming small schools.
- Salmon types can be captured with a bucket of water, becoming a bucket of salmon.
|
Pufferfish |
|
- Lukewarm and warm oceans.
|
|
- Pufferfish group together with other Pufferfish, forming small schools.
- Pufferfish can be captured with a bucket of water, becoming a bucket of pufferfish.
|
Tropical Fish |
|
- Lukewarm and warm oceans.
|
|
- Tropical Fish group together with other Tropical Fish, forming small schools.
- Tropical Fish can be captured with a bucket of water, becoming a bucket of tropical fish. Tropical fish retain their type when captured and placed again.
|
Drowned |
|
Drowned spawn in all ocean, swamp and river biomes. Additionally, groups of drowned spawn in ocean ruins when the structures are first generated. |
Spawned Equipment
|
- During the day, drowned stay on the ground underwater, ignoring players on land no matter how close they may get.[verify]
|
Phantom |
|
Phantoms spawn at night and during thunderstorms high above players who are above sea level, have no obstructions above them, and have not entered a bed for at least three ingame days. |
|
- Phantoms are the fastest mob in the Overworld. Players are unable to outrun them. A good strategy versus phantoms is to obstruct their path, since they fly up if they collide with any block during an attack.
- Cats hiss at phantoms that are currently attacking players, and phantoms try to stay at least 16 blocks away from them.
- Phantoms do not spawn if the player has a solid block above them, meaning they do not spawn around players underground or within enclosed structures. Additionally, they do not spawn if the player is below sea level.
- Sleeping through the night is not actually required. The statistic that controls their spawning is reset when the player leaves a bed, so simply entering and then leaving a bed is enough.
|
Changed[]
Name |
Image |
Changed
|
All undead mobs |
|
- All undead mobs, excluding phantoms, now sink in water as opposed to floating to the surface.
- Skeleton horses can now be ridden underwater.
- Zombies, zombie villagers, husks, drowned, and zombie pigmen actively seek out and trample turtle eggs.
- Additionally, zombies, zombie villagers, husks, drowned, and skeletons actively seek out and attempt to kill baby turtles.
|
Husk |
|
- Husks turn into zombies when underwater for a period of time.
|
Zombie |
|
- Zombies and baby zombies convert into drowned after being underwater for at least 30 seconds.
- Baby zombies now burn in daylight like other undead mobs.
|
Squid |
|
- Squid now release ink when injured by the player.
- Squid now spawn only in rivers, oceans, and beaches.
|
Blocks[]
New[]
Name |
Image |
Obtaining |
Tool Required |
Uses
|
Blue Ice |
|
- Additionally blue ice can be found naturally as part of icebergs.
|
Pickaxe (only drops with Silk Touch) |
- Can be used as a decorative block. Like packed ice, blue ice does not melt.
- Blue ice has the lowest friction compared to any other block, including packed and regular ice.
|
Conduit |
|
|
Any |
- Conduits give the Conduit Power status effect when powered.
Click on the link to the Conduit page listed to the left for more information
|
Coral, Dead Coral, Coral Fan, Dead Coral Fan, Coral Block, and Dead Coral Block |
|
- Coral, coral fans, and coral blocks can be found in coral reefs.
- Coral and coral fans can be obtained by applying bone meal to dirt, coarse dirt, sand, red sand, or gravel underwater in a warm ocean biome.
- Dead coral, dead coral fans, and dead coral blocks can be obtained by placing their living variety in any area not directly adjacent to water.
- Alternatively dead coral blocks can be obtained by being mined with a pickaxe not enchanted with Silk Touch.
|
- Coral, dead coral, coral fans, and dead coral fans can be broken with any tool as well as by hand.
- Coral blocks can be mined with any pickaxe enchanted with Silk Touch.
- Dead coral blocks can be mined with any pickaxe.
|
- Can be used as decorative blocks.
|
Dried Kelp Block |
|
|
Any |
- Can be crafted into nine dried kelp.
- Can be used as a fuel in a furnace; can smelt twenty items.
|
Kelp |
|
- Can be obtained by breaking kelp plants.
|
Any |
- Can be broken to obtain kelp items.
|
Seagrass |
|
- Created by using bonemeal underwater.
|
Shears |
|
Sea Pickles |
|
- Can be found in warm oceans as well as part of coral reefs.
- Can be grown by placing one sea pickle on a coral block underwater and applying bonemeal to the sea pickle.
|
Any |
- Can be used for decoration.
- Emits 3 light levels for every sea pickle in the block while underwater, does not emit light while outside of water.
|
Turtle Eggs |
|
- Can be obtained by breeding two turtles
|
Any (only drops with Silk Touch) |
- Can be used as a decorative block.
- Hatches into baby turtles.
|
Bubble Column |
|
- Created by magma blocks and soul sand placed underwater.
|
N/A |
- Bubble columns produced by magma blocks pull entities downwards.
- Bubble columns produced by soul sand push entities upwards.
|
Prismarine, Prismarine Brick and Dark Prismarine Slab and Stairs |
|
|
Pickaxe |
- Can be used as decorative blocks.
|
Wood |
|
|
Axe |
- Can be used as a decorative block.
- Can be crafted into planks of the same wood type.
|
Stripped Log |
|
- Can be obtained by right clicking any log with any tier of axe, this consumes one durability on the axe.
|
Axe |
- Can be used as a decorative block.
- Can be crafted into planks of the same wood type.
|
Stripped Wood |
|
- Can be obtained by right clicking any wood with any tier of axe, this consumes one durability on the axe.
|
Axe |
- Can be used as a decorative block.
- Can be crafted into planks of the same wood type.
|
Trapdoors for all wood types |
|
|
Axe |
- Can be opened and closed.
|
Pressure Plates for all wood types |
|
|
Axe |
- Produce a redstone signal when stepped on.
|
Buttons for all wood types |
|
|
Axe |
- Produce a redstone signal when pressed.
|
Pumpkin |
|
- Now generates throughout the world without carved faces on any sides.
- Can be grown using pumpkin seeds.
|
Axe |
- Can be used for everything the pumpkin could be used for previously, except for being worn.
|
Purple Shulker Box |
|
|
Any |
- Used in the same way as all other Shulker boxes.
- Has a darker purple color than the non-dyed variant.
|
Changed[]
Name |
Image |
Changed
|
Most of the semi-transparent blocks |
|
Most of the semi-transparent blocks can now have water placed within them by right clicking them with a water bucket
|
Carved pumpkin |
|
- Name changed from pumpkin to carved pumpkin.
- Now obtained by using shears on a pumpkin to carve the face into a side.
- Can no longer be used to craft pumpkin pie.
|
Shulker Box |
|
- Purple shulker box is now a regular shulker box.
- Purple shulker box can be crafted with a shulker box and purple dye.
- Shulker boxes can now be undyed with cauldrons, similar to leather armor.
|
Packed Ice |
|
- Packed ice can now be crafted with nine ice.
|
Items[]
New[]
Name |
Image |
Obtaining |
Uses
|
Buried Treasure Map |
|
|
|
Bucket of Fish |
|
- Obtained by using a bucket on a fish.
|
- Can be used to spawn the respective fish type.
|
Heart of the Sea |
|
- Can be found in all buried treasure chests in stacks of one.
|
- One of the ingredients for crafting the conduit.
|
Nautilus Shell |
|
- Drowned occasionally spawn holding a nautilus shell in their off-hand, which they drop when killed.
- Can be caught as a treasure item from fishing.
|
- One of the ingredients for crafting the conduit.
|
Kelp |
|
- Kelp can be found growing underwater in all ocean biomes.
|
- Kelp can be smelted in a furnace to obtain dried kelp.
|
Dried Kelp |
|
|
- Dried kelp can be eaten to regain one hunger point. It can be eaten faster than any other food.
- Dried kelp can also be crafted into a dried kelp block.
|
Scute |
|
- Dropped by baby turtles when growing into an adult.
|
|
Turtle Shell |
|
|
|
Trident |
|
- Can be dropped by drowned as part of their naturally spawned equipment.
|
- Used as a melee or ranged weapon.
- Most effective weapon underwater.
- When enchanted with Channeling, it can be used to turn creepers into charged creepers, pigs into zombie pigmen, and villagers into witches during thunderstorms.
- When enchanted with Impaling, it does more damage to aquatic mobs (excluding drowned).
- When enchanted with Loyalty, it returns to the player when thrown.
- When enchanted with Riptide, it takes the player with it when thrown underwater or in rain.
|
Phantom Membrane |
|
|
|
Cod, Salmon, Pufferfish, Tropical Fish, Dolphin, Turtle, Drowned and Phantom Spawn Eggs |
|
- Obtained from the creative inventory.
|
- Can be used to spawn the respective mob.
|
Debug Stick |
|
- Only available with commands.
|
- Can be used to change block states.
|
Changed[]
Potions[]
New[]
Effects[]
New[]
Name |
Image |
Causes |
Description
|
Slow Falling
|
|
Slow Falling potions
|
Reduces falling speed and fall damage
|
Conduit Power
|
|
Conduits
|
Provides water breathing, night vision and haste while underwater.
|
Dolphin's Grace
|
|
Dolphins
|
Increases swimming speed
|
Enchantments[]
New[]
Enchantment
|
Max Level
|
Applicable Items
|
Notes
|
Impaling
|
V
|
|
- Increases damage against aquatic/wet mobs.
|
Channeling
|
I
|
|
- Causes a lightning strike where the trident hits.
|
Loyalty
|
III
|
|
- Causes the trident to return to the owner once thrown.
|
Riptide
|
III
|
|
- Allows the player to propel themselves through water and precipitation.
|
Structures[]
New[]
Name |
Image |
Generates |
Chests |
Mobs |
Description
|
Shipwreck
|
|
Underwater
|
Yes
|
Drowned
|
An underwater structure resembling a sunken ship.
|
Ocean Ruins
|
|
Underwater
|
Yes
|
Drowned
|
An underwater structure resembling a ruined building.
|
Coral Reef
|
|
Warm Oceans
|
No
|
Tropical Fish, Pufferfish
|
A large growth of coral on the ocean floor.
|
Iceberg
|
|
Frozen Oceans
|
No
|
Polar Bears
|
A large chunk of ice and snow floating in the ocean.
|
Biomes[]
New[]
Name |
Image |
Description |
Structures
|
Cold Ocean |
|
Like the frozen ocean, this ocean variant has a gravel seabed, with the occasional patch of sand or dirt. Additionally this ocean biome has dark indigo water. It is home to kelp, seagrass, cod, salmon, and dolphins. |
|
Cold Deep Ocean |
|
Cold deep oceans are the same as cold oceans, with the exception that they are twice as deep, as well having the potential to generate ocean monuments. |
|
Frozen Ocean |
|
A partially frozen area of ocean, with large, broken up sheets of ice covering the water. This variant of ocean has a gravel seabed and is home to kelp, seagrass, squid, salmon, strays, and polar bears. |
- Cold underwater ruins
- Shipwrecks
- Icebergs
|
Frozen Deep Ocean |
|
Essentially the same as the frozen ocean biome, but is deeper and able to generate ocean monuments. |
- Cold underwater ruins
- Shipwrecks
- Icebergs
- Ocean monuments
|
Lukewarm Ocean |
|
This ocean variant can be recognized by its light teal water and sandy seabed. It is home to kelp, seagrass, pufferfish, dolphins, tropical fish, and cod. |
- Warm underwater ruins
- Shipwrecks
|
Deep Lukewarm Ocean |
|
Similar to the lukewarm ocean, but twice as deep and can generate ocean monuments. |
- Warm underwater ruins
- Shipwrecks
- Ocean monuments
|
Warm Ocean |
|
An ocean variant with bright teal water at the surface. It can contain coral reefs, sea pickles, seagrass, dolphins, tropical fish and pufferfish. |
|
Deep Warm Ocean |
|
Similar to the warm ocean, but twice as deep and can generate ocean monuments. |
- Warm underwater ruins
- Shipwrecks
- Ocean monuments
|
Small End Islands |
|
This biome is part of the outer End islands. They're between the bigger islands, which can be accessed easily by End gateway portals. |
|
Music tracks[]
Note: these track previews have been shortened to 30 seconds on the wiki due to an agreement with the author to allow them on the wiki
New[]
Water[]
The physics for water have also been changed, and the way the player interacts with water has also changed.
Swimming[]
There is now an actual swimming animation used by the player while underwater, which can be activated by sprinting underwater. This also allows the player to move in any direction they are looking including down. Players who cannot sprint, i.e. are too hungry to sprint, cannot swim. Crouching underwater also allows the player to descend at a faster rate.
While swimming, players can go through one block gaps similar to when using an elytra.
Item and Experience[]
Items and experience orbs now float to the surface of water rather than sink, this makes dying underwater easier to deal with because all of the player's items now wait at the surface. This also allows for easy vertical item transportation.
Bubble Columns[]
For more detailed information see Bubble Columns.
Magma and soul sand now make bubble columns when placed underwater. Magma naturally generates in underwater ruins and where underwater ravines meet lava, while soul sand does not currently generate naturally in oceans. Players are able to breathe while in bubble columns.
Magma bubble columns pull things down to the bottom; this includes items, players, mobs, and boats. Soul sand bubble columns rapidly push all entities, including players, to the surface.
Breath[]
The breath meter no longer instantly refills when entering air from underwater; this means it is no longer possible to instantly refill the air meter with a torch while underwater.
Vision[]
Water has been given unique colors depending on the biome they are in.
Water is also now clearer, and the longer the player is underwater the clearer it becomes.