Java Edition snapshot 25w45a is the fifth pre-release build targeting version 1.21.11 and lands on November 4, 2025. It introduces Netherite-tier horse armor, a coral variant of the Zombie Nautilus in warm oceans, balance tweaks to spears, and a new spear-focused advancement. There are also visual updates, performance notes, and a substantial set of data pack and resource pack format changes for creators.
| Key detail | What changed in 25w45a |
|---|---|
| Release | November 4, 2025 (Java snapshot for 1.21.11) |
| Headline additions | Netherite Horse Armor; Coral Zombie Nautilus; “Mob Kabob” advancement; spear tuning |
| Notable gameplay changes | Zombie Horses, Camel Husks, and Nautilus mobs become persistent on any player interaction; sunrise/sunset sky now reacts to rain and thunder |
| Performance note | Lowered video memory impact from anisotropic filtering (still high) |
| Pack formats | Data pack 93.0; Resource pack 73.0 |
| Creator-facing concepts | Timelines in data packs; item textures moved to a new items atlas |
New item: Netherite Horse Armor
The strongest armor tier now extends to mounts. Netherite Horse Armor is obtained by upgrading Diamond Horse Armor at a Smithing Table, aligning with how other Netherite upgrades work. Beyond the cosmetic match to late-game gear, it improves a horse’s survivability for mounted combat and traversal challenges.
New mob variant: Coral Zombie Nautilus
Warm oceans get a distinct undead swimmer. The Coral Zombie Nautilus is a new variant that replaces the standard Zombie Nautilus in those biomes. Expect it anywhere you’d explore warm waters, introducing a different look and atmosphere to ocean travel in those areas.
Weapon and advancement tweaks
- Spears are less forgiving on a missed charge attack, raising the risk of whiffing a big swing.
- A new advancement, “Mob Kabob,” tracks a high-skill spear moment: hitting five enemies with a single charge attack.
Mob behavior, visuals, and performance changes
- Persistence: Zombie Horses, Camel Husks, and Nautilus mobs now persist after any player interaction, not only when ridden. This reduces unwanted despawns of interacted mounts and ocean mounts-in-training.
- Sky color: Sunrises and sunsets are now influenced by rain and thunder, tying sky gradients more closely to weather conditions.
- Anisotropic filtering: The video memory footprint has been reduced, though it remains costly. If you’re GPU-limited, consider testing with the setting lowered or disabled.
Loot and drops
- Camel Husk: Drops 2–3 Rotten Flesh on death, with an extra 0–1 per level of Looting.
Technical changes for creators (data packs and resource packs)
Pack authors will want to read this closely—25w45a introduces structural changes and new capabilities.
- Formats:
- Data pack version: 93.0
- Resource pack version: 73.0
- Timelines (data packs): A new concept that lets packs modify game behavior based on in-game day time. New timeline tags define where a timeline is active:
#universal– active in all dimensions#in_overworld,#in_nether,#in_end– active in a specific dimension
- Environment attributes and time:
has_fixed_timeis a boolean that preserves certain fixed-time behaviors.- Sun position and other time-based effects now live under Environment Attributes, separating visual time-of-day from other fixed-time behaviors.
- Zombie Nautilus variants: Variants, including the new coral type, can be data-driven, enabling pack-defined behavior and visuals across the family.
- Biome tags:
- Removed
#without_patrol_spawnsin favor of a gameplay Environment Attribute (gameplay/can_pillager_patrol_spawn). - Added
#spawns_coral_variant_zombie_nautilusto govern coral variant spawns.
- Removed
- Resource pack atlases:
- Item textures move off the blocks atlas to a new items atlas without mipmaps.
- All textures used in an item model must come from the same atlas (items or blocks). Block models must source from the blocks atlas.
- Commands or definitions that previously referenced the blocks atlas for item textures must be updated to reference the items atlas.
- Advancements:
- New
spear_mobstrigger, with fields:player– optional entity predicate for the player using the kinetic weaponcount– optional integer for mobs hit in a single use
- New
- New assets:
- Item sprite:
item/netherite_horse_armor - Entity textures:
entity/equipment/zombie_nautilus_coral.png,entity/equipment/horse_body/netherite.png - Sound events (Parrot imitations):
entity.parrot.imitate.parched,entity.parrot.imitate.zombie_horse,entity.parrot.imitate.zombie_nautilus
- Item sprite:
Bug fixes in 25w45a
- Fixed long-lived entities losing animations.
- Fixed view bobbing failing after extended elytra flights.
- Resolved jump bar progress rendering unused pixels from a dynamic atlas.
- Armadillo scute drops now respect the
mob_dropsgame rule. - Mace smash no longer shoves flying Creative players.
- Corrected broken
entity_dataitem component detection in resource packs. - Copper golems in cave/void air properly become statues.
- Addressed NaN velocity from creepers with zero explosion radius at the player’s position.
- Loot tables restored support for SNBT as entity data.
- Additional item-related fixes.
How to try the snapshot
In the Minecraft Launcher, select the Latest Snapshot installation and create a new world to test new features safely. If you run your own server, you can download the official 25w45a server build directly: download the 25w45a server jar.
This snapshot is a capstone for Mounts of Mayhem’s mount and ocean features. Expect follow-up builds to refine performance and creator tools as 1.21.11 approaches release.
