Minecraft Secrets You Probably Didn’t Know

Minecraft is a huge and expansive world with endless possibilities. It is so complex yet fun to play that players are still discovering interesting new secrets even after its release 10 years later.

Some secrets are well known throughout the player base, but other secrets are still being discovered and shared around. In fact, here are some Minecraft secrets you might not have known about and can discover in your child’s next gaming session!

Creepers evolve when struck by lightning.

Yes, you heard that right. The already frightening creeper gets a significant boost in power when there is a thunderstorm. You would not know true fear until you have come across one of these charged creepers.

You can only encounter this extra rare version of the creeper when there is a thunderstorm happening. A charged creeper might spawn naturally during this time, or a regular creeper will transform into this version when struck by lightning.

An even more fascinating thing is that if any mobs are killed by the charged creeper’s explosion, the mobs will drop its head. If you’ve seen videos of players decorating their houses with heads in survival mode and wondering how they did it, this is the most common way of finding these head blocks.

Related: Is Minecraft Educational? A Guide for Parents and Educators.

You can name your boats

One of the biggest additions to the game was anvils as they allowed players to attach enchantments and even give names to their armor and weapons. This was a step up from the normal enchanting table. However, what most players are not aware of, is that anvils can also be used to name boats as well.

In order to do this, you must first place a boat in the first square in the anvil UI and type a name for it. It might not be a huge secret, but it still is fun knowing that you can name your boats and flex on your friends when they come into the server!

Boats aren’t just to get you across the water – they’re multipurpose!

On the topic of boats, most players assume the boat is just a means of transportation over the water surfaces and nothing more. However, they do not realize that it is capable of doing so much more than they can imagine.

Boats are able to not only act as mob traps for hostile and passive tameable mobs, but they are also great for never taking any fall damage, no matter how high you fall from. If you are looking to capture something, instead of a lasso try a boat next time. Heck, try to capture a skeleton or even a creeper if you feel up for the challenge. In case you find yourself falling from a high place, getting in the boat at the last moment ensures your safety a-la Looney-Tunes style.

Another great utility for the boat is to move super fast over ice. In fact, it is a common fan favorite for players to build ice walkways and then travel across them using boats as it can be even faster than using the tracks.

You can trap mobs with rails

Many Minecraft players have tried their hands at taming or at least capturing an aggressive mob. As mobs such as zombies and skeletons can’t be tamed like livestock, players will often resort to digging a hole to trap them, or building a cage around them. However, this can be a tedious process, especially if the mob moves a lot.

A much simpler way to live out your dreams as a mob tamer is through the use of rails. While we mentioned you can trap mobs with boats, you can also do it by setting up rails around the mob, in case you want to give them a little bit of space to move around. This works because mobs don’t know how to walk over or across rails, so by enclosing them in a small square made out of rails, their AI gets confused and acts as if it is trapped within confinement. However, this method will not last forever as the mobs might escape sooner or later and if you want to keep your monster friend around for a long time, it is better to build an enclosure around the railing.

Related: What soft skills do kids learn when playing video games?

So many more secrets to uncover

Minecraft is HUGE with endless possibilities. There are so many more secrets to uncover, and it gives the game new meaning every time you pick up the controller or keyboard to play. You may or may not have known the secrets mentioned in this article, but you should also experiment with the game, you might be surprised at the new things you’ll find. You may even discover something completely new!

While these secrets are just a few fun things to do in the game, Minecraft also offers many educational aspects as well. If you’re looking for a summer camp or afterschool program that is intriguing and educational for students, check out some of our Minecraft programs offered at many of our Engineering For Kids locations across the United States, Canada, and over 30 international countries.