Minecraft 24w44a Update - What's New
The first snapshot for Minecraft 1.21.4. The winter drop left the experiments, and the pale garden got eyeblossoms that open at night and resin that the creaking heart gives off when its creaking is hit. Resin turns into a whole family of brick blocks.
Overview
Minecraft 24w44a is a weekly development snapshot for Minecraft: Java Edition, published on October 30, 2024. Snapshots are Mojang's weekly previews of in-progress features (development week 44 of 2024), shipped early so the community can test and report problems before anything is finalized. This one logs 9 changes you can try in a throwaway test world.
The work in this update spans new features, changes, and technical. On the new features side it brings the winter drop is no longer an experiment and Eyeblossoms open at night, close by day and glow when open.
This build is part of the development cycle leading to 1.21.4 (The Garden Awakens drop, after 1.21). Treat it as a preview rather than a destination: features can change, be renamed, or be cut entirely before they reach the stable release, so it is meant for testing and feedback, not for your main world or a live server.
Changes
#New Features(5)
- The winter drop is no longer an experiment
- Eyeblossoms open at night, close by day and glow when open
- Hitting a creaking makes its heart give off 2 to 3 resin clumps
- Block of resin, resin bricks, slabs, stairs, walls and chiseled resin bricks
- Resin clumps work as an armor trim material and appear in woodland mansion chests
#Changes(3)
- Blocks that drop when their support breaks also drop when mined with any tool
- The creaking heart can be taken with Silk Touch or crafted from resin and pale oak logs
- Pale oak leaves drop falling leaf particles and the pale garden has no music
#Technical(1)
- Data pack version 58 and resource pack version 43
Server Admin Migration Guide
- Snapshot only, not for a live server: keep production on 1.21.3
- Pale gardens only appear in chunks that generate after the update
Known Issues
- Development snapshot for 1.21.4, features could still change before the release
What This Means
For players
Snapshots are opt-in through the official launcher. Always make a copy of any world before opening it in 24w44a, because development builds can corrupt saves and there is no guarantee the world will open in a later version. Use a fresh test world to try the new content safely.
For server admins
Do not run 24w44a on a public server. Snapshots are unsupported by server software and most plugins. Spin up a private staging instance, confirm your plugins load, and report regressions while there is still time to fix them before release.
Background & Context
- Snapshots ship roughly once a week during active development and are enabled through the "Latest snapshot" toggle in the official launcher.
- The content here was being developed toward 1.21.4 (The Garden Awakens drop, after 1.21); individual features may have been adjusted, renamed, or removed before that version shipped.
- Always keep a backup of important worlds before changing versions; the Astroworld versions database tracks client and server compatibility for 24w44a.
Frequently Asked Questions
When was Minecraft 24w44a released?
Minecraft 24w44a was released on October 30, 2024 as a weekly development snapshot for Minecraft: Java Edition.
What is new in 24w44a?
The first snapshot for Minecraft 1.21.4. The winter drop left the experiments, and the pale garden got eyeblossoms that open at night and resin that the creaking heart gives off when its creaking is hit. Resin turns into a whole family of brick blocks. Notable entries include: The winter drop is no longer an experiment; Eyeblossoms open at night, close by day and glow when open; Hitting a creaking makes its heart give off 2 to 3 resin clumps. In total it documents 9 changes across 3 categories.
Should I use 24w44a on my main world?
No. 24w44a is a weekly development snapshot meant for testing. Keep your main world on the latest stable release and only open a backup copy in a separate test world to try the new content.
Can I run 24w44a on a Minecraft server?
It is not recommended for a public server. Snapshot only, not for a live server: keep production on 1.21.3. Use a private staging instance to test plugins and mods, not to host players.
Which Minecraft version is 24w44a a preview of?
24w44a is part of the development cycle for 1.21.4 (The Garden Awakens drop, after 1.21). Features shown here are still in progress and may change before the final release.
Are there known issues in 24w44a?
Yes. Documented issues for this build include: Development snapshot for 1.21.4, features could still change before the release. Development builds are expected to have rough edges that get fixed before release.
Looking for version compatibility info?
Check client and server version details on our versions database.