Mojang listens to us, makes Minecraft wolf armor more protective (and colorful) to keep our furry friends safe
What you need to know
- Mojang Studios is in the midst of developing the Minecraft 1.21 content update, with one of the biggest new features being Wolf Armor.
- Early testers in the Minecraft community have been submitting feedback, and Mojang is listening with some significant changes to this feature.
- Available now in the latest Minecraft: Java Edition snapshot, Wolf Armor now totally protects our furry friends from most damage sources until it’s broken.
- Players can also repair their wolves’ armor with Armadillo Scutes, and dye it just like leather armor.
Mojang Studios has been hard at work on the next major Minecraft update, developing it alongside the community with a host of new features and mobs. One of the more anticipated features is the addition of Wolf Armor, which will help players protect their tamed wolves from danger. On Wednesday, Mojang revealed that it is, in fact, listening to feedback, rolling out some major changes to Wolf Armor in the latest Minecraft: Java Edition snapshot.
Players can go test the new and improved Wolf Armor now, which no longer functions like player armor (which simply reduces incoming damage). Instead, Wolf Armor will completely negate most forms of damage until it’s broken, thoroughly protecting our precious pets from the hazards of Minecraft. That’s a great change on its own, but there are other improvements baked into Minecraft: Java Edition Snapshot 24w09a, the changelog for which you can now checkout at Minecraft.net.
Wolf Armor, which is made from Scutes dropped by Armadillos, will now gradually show signs of damage as it protects your wolves. Players can repair the armor on wolves they own with more Scutes, ensuring that their wolves’ hearts are never reduced. Finally, Wolf Armor can now be dyed similar to players’ leather armor; turn your wolves into fashion icons with colored collars and armor, with tons of possible combinations.
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Of course, all of this is still in early preview. You can read our Minecraft 1.21 FAQ for all the details on upcoming features and when you can expect them. For today, the new and improved Wolf Armor is also only available through this Minecraft: Java Edition snapshot. The matching Minecraft Preview will be arriving on Thursday for Xbox, Windows PC, Android and iOS, and now even PlayStation!
In other Minecraft news, one of the best Xbox games of all time is finally getting official, cross-platform add-ons. That’s right, Minecraft mods are coming to players on every device! Minecraft: Bedrock Edition add-ons is one of the biggest features added in years, but I do have some concerns that have yet to be answered.
Never again will I have to fear for my wolves
Some of the most traumatic experiences I’ve had in all my years of gaming have been losing my protective, furry best friends in Minecraft. Humans can’t help it; we see something cute that we can call ours, and we become attached to it, even if it’s just a digital wolf in a blocky game. For years, Minecraft players have been calling for Mojang Studios to make our wolves more durable for fear of losing their long-term partners, but the cries have seemingly fallen on deaf ears.
I’ve lost enough wolves that I simply stopped taking them on adventures with me, opting to leave them home in relative safety. Any advantages wolves provided to defense and attack power were mitigated by the greater dangers posed to them in the outside world. Wolf Armor finally makes that a non-issue, and the latest iteration of Wolf Armor is practically perfect. All I’d like to see now is a way to upgrade Wolf Armor with even greater levels of durability, like potentially combining Armadillo Scutes with Iron, Diamonds, and even Netherrite.
The Minecraft 1.21 update should be arriving later this year, and it’s shaping up to be a good one.
