Minecraft 1.13 Update - What's New
Massive ocean overhaul with coral reefs, kelp, sea turtles, dolphins, Drowned, tridents, the Conduit, and new water physics. Also flattened block IDs.
Overview
Minecraft 1.13 is a stable release for Minecraft: Java Edition, published on July 18, 2018. It is the base 1.13 release, known to the community as the Update Aquatic, and it bundles 30 documented changes across 5 areas of the game.
The work in this update spans gameplay, mobs, blocks & items, commands, and performance. On the gameplay side it brings complete ocean biome overhaul with warm, lukewarm, cold, and frozen variants and underwater ruins and shipwrecks.
Within Minecraft's history, 1.13 is the technically pivotal release that rewrote the world format ('the Flattening') and overhauled the oceans. Its signature additions include oceans and coral, the trident, the conduit, and the new command syntax, and this release is where they first arrived for everyone playing on the stable channel.
Changes
#Gameplay(6)
- Complete ocean biome overhaul with warm, lukewarm, cold, and frozen variants
- Added underwater ruins and shipwrecks
- Added buried treasure with treasure maps
- Water now flows through non-solid blocks
- Swimming mechanics added (sprint-swim)
- Data pack system for custom advancements, recipes, and loot tables
#Mobs(6)
- Added Dolphins (lead players to treasure)
- Added Sea Turtles (with scute and turtle shell helmet)
- Added Drowned (underwater zombie variant, can hold trident)
- Added Phantom (attacks players who skip sleep)
- Added tropical fish with thousands of color variants
- Added Cod, Salmon, Pufferfish as entities
#Blocks & Items(11)
- Added coral blocks, coral fans, dead coral (5 types each)
- Added kelp and dried kelp
- Added sea pickles (underwater light source)
- Added trident with Loyalty, Riptide, Channeling, Impaling enchantments
- Added Conduit (underwater beacon)
- Added Heart of the Sea
- Added blue ice
- Added stripped logs
- Added bark blocks
- Added seagrass and tall seagrass
- Added nautilus shell and Conduit
#Commands(5)
- Block ID flattening - numeric IDs removed
- New command syntax with tab completion
- Added /data command for NBT manipulation
- Added /bossbar command
- Commands now use namespaced IDs (minecraft:stone instead of 1)
#Performance(2)
- Improved world loading performance
- Optimized chunk generation for ocean biomes
Server Admin Migration Guide
- MAJOR: Block ID flattening breaks all plugins using numeric IDs
- All commands using numeric IDs must be updated to namespaced IDs
- World conversion required - large worlds may take significant time
- Back up everything before upgrading
- Most plugins need updates for the new command system
- Phantom spawning may need to be managed via gamerule
Known Issues
- World conversion can take a long time for large worlds
- Some chunk errors may occur at old/new chunk boundaries
- Phantom spawn rate may be too aggressive for some players
What This Means
For players
If you play singleplayer or on a server, 1.13 is safe to update to. New blocks and items become craftable, new mobs begin to spawn in eligible worlds, and existing worlds carry forward without resetting. Back up your save first as a habit, then load it on the new version.
For server admins
Server owners should not rush a production upgrade. Wait for your platform (Paper, Spigot, Fabric, Forge, NeoForge) and every plugin or mod to publish 1.13-compatible builds, then test the full stack on a staging copy before touching the live world. Command or datapack changes in this version can break custom map logic, so re-check those especially.
Background & Context
- 1.13 (the Update Aquatic) was a major version bump, the kind of release that introduces a new theme of content to the technical watershed era.
- Minecraft: Java Edition keeps full backward compatibility for worlds, so saves created on 1.13 continue to open and upgrade on later releases.
- Always keep a backup of important worlds before changing versions; the Astroworld versions database tracks client and server compatibility for 1.13.
Frequently Asked Questions
When was Minecraft 1.13 released?
Minecraft 1.13 was released on July 18, 2018 as a stable release for Minecraft: Java Edition.
What does the Minecraft 1.13 update add?
Massive ocean overhaul with coral reefs, kelp, sea turtles, dolphins, Drowned, tridents, the Conduit, and new water physics. Also flattened block IDs. Notable entries include: Complete ocean biome overhaul with warm, lukewarm, cold, and frozen variants; Added underwater ruins and shipwrecks; Added buried treasure with treasure maps. In total it documents 30 changes across 5 categories.
Is Minecraft 1.13 stable for survival worlds?
Yes. 1.13 is a stable release; existing worlds upgrade in place and the version is intended for normal singleplayer and multiplayer play. Back up your save before updating as a precaution.
Can I run 1.13 on a Minecraft server?
You can, but wait until your server software (such as Paper, Spigot, Fabric, Forge, or NeoForge) and all of your plugins or mods publish builds compatible with 1.13, then test on a staging server before upgrading the live one.
What is Minecraft 1.13 called?
Minecraft 1.13 is the Update Aquatic. It is the technically pivotal release that rewrote the world format ('the Flattening') and overhauled the oceans, headlined by oceans and coral, the trident, the conduit, and the new command syntax.
Are there known issues in 1.13?
Yes. Documented issues for this build include: World conversion can take a long time for large worlds; Some chunk errors may occur at old/new chunk boundaries; Phantom spawn rate may be too aggressive for some players. These are typically resolved in a later point release.
Looking for version compatibility info?
Check client and server version details on our versions database.