The latest snapshot cycle for Minecraft Java Edition has delivered 1.21.11 Pre-Release 1. While much of the focus is on stabilizing the recent "Mounts of Mayhem" content drop, Mojang has slipped in some significant graphical updates and gameplay tweaks that change how mobs interact with the new weaponry.
Texture Filtering Overhaul
For players obsessed with visual fidelity without relying on heavy shaders, this pre-release introduces a new "Texture Filtering" option in the Video Settings. This replaces the old, binary system with a more granular approach.
You now have three distinct choices:
- None: The classic, pixelated look we all know.
- RGSS: A step up for smoother edges.
- Anisotropic: This is the big one. If your hardware supports it, this setting drastically improves how textures look at oblique angles, reducing that blurry "noise" you often see on distant blocks.
Piglin AI and Spear Mechanics
The meta around the new Spear weapons is shifting, particularly regarding how the AI handles them. In a move that fits perfectly with lore, Piglins now actively prefer Golden Spears. If you're exploring the Nether, expect the locals to be packing gold-plated heat more often. It makes sense—Piglins have always been obsessed with gold, so prioritizing a Golden Spear over other variants adds a nice layer of immersion.
Mechanically, Spears have received a quality-of-life buff regarding damage charging. Continuous damage charging is now enabled, making the weapon feel more fluid in sustained combat scenarios. However, there is a slight nerf to mob scavenging: Skeletons and Drowned generally can no longer pick up Spears, which should prevent early-game PvE from becoming accidentally impossible because a random skeleton found a high-tier weapon.
What technical changes are in 1.21.11?
For the map makers and server admins out there, the technical backend is moving forward. This pre-release bumps the Data Pack version to 94.0 and the Resource Pack version to 75.0. It also introduces new components like minecraft:attack_range, giving creators more control over combat mechanics in custom maps.
Additionally, the "Mob Kabob" advancement has been reclassified. It is no longer considered a "challenge" advancement, meaning it won't trigger the dramatic purple toast notification or sound effect upon completion. It's a small change, but one that tidies up the progression UI.
As always with pre-releases, these builds can be unstable. If you're planning to test the new texture settings or Spear mechanics, make sure to back up your world before loading it in.