Mojang has deployed Minecraft Java Edition 1.21.11 Pre-Release 3, focusing on critical quality-of-life adjustments before the full release. This build specifically targets the new Spear weapon's combat feel and addresses a long-standing frustration for explorers: suicidal horses.
While primarily a bug-fixing stage, this pre-release adds polish to the mechanics introduced earlier in the update cycle. If you are testing the waters in Minecraft Java Edition, here is why these tweaks matter for your survival world.
Spear Combat Gets Smoother
The Spear is receiving significant attention in this snapshot. Previous iterations left the weapon feeling slightly disjointed, but Pre-Release 3 aligns the charging behavior more closely with player expectations.
Specifically, the developers have synchronized the animation and sound effects. In a game where combat timing is everything—especially with a weapon that relies on reach and charge mechanics—audio cues need to match the visuals perfectly. Additionally, the update fixes rotation alignment in both first and third-person views. This might sound minor, but if you're playing PvP or trying to land precise hits on a creeper, having the weapon model actually point where you are aiming is non-negotiable.
Tamed Horses Are Finally Smarter
This is arguably the most impactful change for survival players: tamed horses will no longer pathfind into cacti or sweet berry bushes.
Anyone who has spent hours exploring a desert biome knows the pain of dismounting for two seconds, only to watch their horse wander directly into a cactus and perish. By updating the pathfinding AI to recognize these blocks as hazards, Mojang is saving countless virtual pets from unnecessary deaths. It’s a massive quality-of-life win for the exploration meta.
Graphics and Bug Fixes
On the technical side, the "See-Through Leaves" video setting now defaults to OFF when you select the "Fast" graphics preset. This makes sense for performance optimization, ensuring that players looking for maximum frames per second aren't accidentally rendering transparent foliage.
The team also squashed several specific bugs:
- Spear Interaction Range: Fixed issues where the spear's reach wasn't registering correctly (Bug MC-302900).
- Copper Golem Statues: Addressed rendering glitches with these decorative items.
- UI Cursor: Fixed behavior quirks in the menu interface.
How do I play the Pre-Release?
To access these changes, open your Minecraft Launcher and enable snapshots in the "Installations" tab. Remember, this is test software. It can corrupt your world, so always backup your saves before loading them in a pre-release version.