I’ll never forgive Mojang for murdering Moobloom, the yellow cow that trailed buttercups wherever it walked. It was the obvious winner of 2020’s Minecraft Mob Vote. Sure, not in actual numbers of votes, but, come on, Mojang hinted it would have a special relationship with bees. What right-thinking player could say no to that power couple?
Sadly all of my hopes, dreams, and speculation were for nothing. The moobloom lost out on the final stage, never to be seen again. Instead, glowsquid, a watery creature that emits blue-green light, won. It’s okay, I suppose – you can collect their ink sacks and make shiny picture frames. But it’s no Moobloom.
Waiting with bated breath has become something of an annual tradition for me. Every October, Mojang hosts Minecraft Live to celebrate the much-loved game and show what it has to offer for the year to come. But there are also some skeletons in Mojang’s closet.
- Check out our list of the best Minecraft server hosting
Graveyard
The Minecraft mob graveyard is big, and every year it increases by two. Whether it be my beloved moobloom or last year’s copper golem, there are tons of wonderful creations and ideas that Mojang has buried.
The barnacle was a particular favorite of mine. It was a deep sea monster that could drag sailors down to the ocean's depths. Don’t get me wrong, I love Minecraft’s cute atmosphere, but it always had a creepy undercurrent. Just look at the warden, the newest addition to the game, he’s a big, angry, nightmare of a monster, that lurks around the depths of cave systems, always creeping up on people to give them a heart attack.
The Minecraft Mob Vote isn’t always for adding new creatures to the game, in some years, Mojang has expanded into biomes, offering new environments to be added to the world of Minecraft. Back in 2019, I could choose between Swamps, Mountains, and Badlands. I had to go for the Badlands, the wild west-like open plains and rocky mountains riddled with mine systems. Luckily, I came out on top that time, and the badlands were the winner.
However, Mojang has since added the losing Swamp and Mountain environments to Minecraft. First, we got a Mountain Update that doubled the size of mountains in Minecraft, and now swamps are coming in the Nature Update.
If biomes can exhumed from the Minecraft graveyard, why should mobs be different? It’s a waste to kill off these wonderful creations simply because they lost a public vote. Many losing mobs would fit in with Mojang's planned updates for Minecraft. Why, the upcoming Nature Update would be the perfect way to re-introduce the Moobloom. Nudge nudge, Mojang.
What’s to come
I’m readying my heart for another loss. This year’s Minecraft Mob Vote has us picking between the rascal, tuff golem, and sniffer. They all look lovely, but I’m not sure I could take saying goodbye to a mob as great as the sniffer. Looking like a cross between a turtle and a shrubbery, this little guy sniffs out rare seeds, so he’ll be a wonder for farmers like me. You can take them adventuring, have them help you around the homestead, or just let them wander the fields of Minecraft, sniffing out seeds to their nose’s content.
The other two candidates don’t seem like they will survive the popular votes: one, the rascal, is always up to play hide and seek with you. After you find them three times, they will hand over a reward of something enchanted. While this is a cool concept, I’m not sure I want to be running around dark caves playing games with a mob.
The other option is the tuff golem. Like a regular golem, you’ll have to construct him with an assortment of blocks to use one of these guys. This chunky boy is like a walking art installation. He can wear or hold items that are given to them. This is a nice idea, but I can’t see how it will practically add to my experience playing Minecraft.
The Minecraft Mob Vote opens on Saturday, 15 October, it will carry on until the following day, so there will be plenty of time to get your vote in. The winner will be announced at the end of Minecraft Live, so there will be plenty of time to get excited, nervous, or maybe both. But, please, Mojang, raid your own graveyard and bring back some of the dead mobs of years gone by.
