Minecraft Secrets You Probably Didn’t Know

Minecraft is an 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 ten years later.

Some secrets are well-known throughout the player base, but others are still being discovered and shared. In fact, here are some Minecraft secrets you might not have known about and can find 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 genuine fear until encountering one of these charged creepers.

When a thunderstorm happens, you can only encounter this rare version of the creeper. 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 the charged creeper’s explosion kills any mobs, the mobs will drop their heads. 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 most significant additions to the game was anvils, which 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, most players are unaware that anvils can also be used to name boats.

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!

Most players assume that boats are just a means of transportation over water surfaces and nothing more. However, they do not realize they can do much more.

Boats can act as mob traps for hostile and passive tameable mobs and protect from fall damage, no matter how high you fall from. If you want to capture something instead of a lasso, try a boat next time. If you are up for the challenge, try capturing a skeleton or even a creeper. If you fall 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. It is a standard fan favorite for players to build ice walkways and travel across them using boats, which can be even faster than the tracks.

You can trap mobs with rails.

Many Minecraft players have tried taming or at least capturing an aggressive mob. As mobs such as zombies and skeletons can’t be tamed like livestock, players often dig a hole to trap or build a cage around them. However, this can be tedious, 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 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 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?

There are so many more secrets to uncover

Minecraft is huge and has 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.

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 Minecraft programs offered at many of our Engineering For Kids locations across the United States, Canada, and over 30 international countries.