Minecraft:Java Edition 26w14a

26w14a, supposedly the first and only snapshot for the "Herdcraft Update", is an April Fools' Day joke snapshot released on April 1, 2026.<ref>Template:Mcnet</ref> Similar to 22w13oneBlockAtATime, it disables many inventory features. Instead, the player can command "living blocks" using various tools in their hotbar. The blocks act as mobs, meaning they can be hurt, moved, and attacked.

This snapshot is a fork of 26.1.1.

Additions

Blocks

Template:Animate Copper trap

• A full block with the same texture as copper bars.
• Has an item form that stacks up to 64 (observable by luring them into a container).
• Does not appear in the Creative inventory. It can however be obtained in Creative mode using the Template:Cmd command.
• Has all oxidization stages and waxed variants.
• Appears when 8 copper bars are close together.

File:Iron Trap.png Iron trap

• A full block with the same texture as iron bars.
• Has an item form that stacks up to 64 (observable by luring them into a container).
• Does not appear in the Creative inventory. It can however be obtained in Creative mode using the Template:Cmd command.
• Appears when 8 iron bars are close together.

Items

All of these items share these properties:

• Does not appear in the creative inventory
• When the player dies:
  • These items do not drop (other items do if they are somehow in the inventory and Template:Cmd)
  • If Template:Cmd, they are restored to the inventory in their original order if the player somehow loses or rearranges them.
  • If Template:Cmd, the inventory is not modified
• Dropping these items doesn't summon anything.
  • The item still disappears from the inventory, but nothing appears in its place.
  • Other items, in turn, summon a living block of the item or, in some cases like a default spawn eggs, an associated entity.
  • However, this item can still summon as living blocks in other situations, such as via the Template:Cmd command or by breaking a container.
• These items cannot be removed using the hotbar shortcut key.
  • For example, if punch is in slot 1, opening a chest and clicking the number 1 will do nothing. Other items can still be moved this way.
    • However, the reverse works. If the punch is outside slot 1 and slot 1 doesn't contain any action items, then clicking on 1 in the punch moves it to slot 1.
  • This, along with the items not being in the inventory upon death, makes it difficult to remove them from the hotbar in survival mode, and it was probably intentional to make it impossible to remove these items from the inventory, consequently preventing the player from using other items.
    • However, it is possible to remove them from the inventory by interacting with a Minecraft:shelf or item frame.
    • It is also possible to remove the item by opening the inventory while mounted on a mob with an inventory, such as horses and llamas, and then simply dropping them. Although to take these animals the player needs to have an empty hand, this is possible by selecting the ninth slot or mounting a mob that has already been taken, such as skeleton horses from traps.
    • Using a shelf with a Minecraft:hopper, a living block container plus a hotbar shortcut key, or a flower pot, it's possible to place other items in the hotbar, after removals.

Template:InvSprite Punch

• Used to mine and attack (as most other tools prevent this)

Template:InvSprite Minecraft:Follow Me

• Template:Control to select living blocks, which begin glowing
• Template:Control to leash selected blocks to the player
  • If no blocks are explicitly selected, will use the current group from the Group / Ungroup tool

Template:Darkbg Move

• Same selection functionality
• Template:Control to command blocks to move to the targeted location

Template:InvSprite Attack / Mine

• Same selection functionality
• Template:Control to command blocks to attack mobs, including other players
• Template:Control to command living tools to mine (regular) blocks.

Template:InvSprite Craft

• Template:Control to create a 2×2 crafting grid (entity), requires enough flat space

Template:Darkbg Build

• Same selection functionality as Follow Me
• Template:Control to command blocks to move to the target location, and then turn back into regular non-living blocks.
  • Living items and some living blocks will not respond to this command.

Template:InvSprite Group / Ungroup

• Template:Control to cycle group None → Red → Blue → Lime → Yellow → Purple → Aqua → All → Repeat. Hold shift to cycle in reverse order.
• Template:Control to add living blocks to the selected group
• Selected group affects which blocks are commanded by other tools if no blocks are explicitly selected first
  • When "None", no blocks are selected
  • When "All", all blocks that are part of a group are selected
  • When a command is issued to a group that doesn't have any members that are within loaded chunks (or "None" is selected), the actionbar shows the message "Selected group contains no blocks in the area"
• Living blocks that are members of a group glow in the corresponding color
• In multiplayer, each player has their own set of groups
  • Blocks that are members of a player's group appear to glow gray to other players
  • Blocks that are members of one player's group cannot be commanded by another player (blocks that are not part of a group may be commanded by anyone)
    • Other players may still interact with them in other ways, such as attacking them, opening containers, crafting, etc.

Template:InvSprite Minecraft:Highlight

• Hold it to make all living blocks glow.

Non-mob entities

File:2x2 Crafting Grid (Entity).pngFile:3x3 Crafting Grid (Entity).png Crafting grid

• Created with the "Craft" tool (2×2) or by living blocks that are crafting tables or crafters (3×3)

Template:InvSprite Hovering item

• Created by using the crafting grid
• Template:Control or Template:Control it completes the crafting process, converting it into living blocks

File:Dirt.png Living block

• Created any time an item would normally appear
• Can collide with other mobs
  • Hitbox matches the shape of the block if it is a block (but doesn't rotate with the visual tumbling animation)
  • Other items use a small cube
  • The player and other mobs can stand on living blocks (but not living items), similar to boats. Special block contact properties are not retained (e.g. the slipperiness of ice).
• Can be damaged and die
  • Max health depends on the hardness of the block. Defaults to 10 health (5 hearts) for non-block items.
  • Heal gradually over time
  • Blocks display health using the block breaking animation
  • Won't take knockback from most damage, but can take knockback from explosions, lightning strikes, or if the player obtains a regular item with the knockback enchantment (through creative mode)
• If struck by lightning, it becomes a Minecraft:shroomlight.
• Depending on which block or item it is, it may have special properties.

File:Command Block.png Living block command

• Created by tools Follow Me, Move, Attack / Mine, and Build to show an icon
• Used as a target by living blocks

General

Splashes
This version has unique splashes:

#Template:Fn	Splash text	Explanation
1	Watch out for traps!	Refers to the behavior of iron and copper traps.
2	Biggest herd in town!
3	Cozy dirt house!
4	Have you herd the news? The blocks came alive!	Refers to Sheep, a 1977 song by the British band Pink Floyd from the album Animals. The original line says “Have you heard the news? The dogs are dead!”.
5	They see me rolling!	Refers to Ridin', a 2005 song by Chamillionaire, and the tumbling animation of living blocks. The first line of the song is "They see me rollin', they hatin' ".
6	272 Cobblestone!	Refers to the "nine by nine" structure
7	Nom nom nom!
8	15 minutes 6 seconds!
9	Gooey!	Possible reference to the update removing all inventory GUIs, which are pronounced "gooey".
10	Don't let your tools loose!
11	What's an item entity?	Reference to the item entity, which was removed in this snapshot.
12	We solved the inventory problem!
13	Several blocks at a time!	Reference to the snapshot 22w13oneBlockAtATime, where the inventory was also removed.
14	What's that mysterious clicking noise?	Refers to the behavior of living levers Reference to a 2007 "Potter Puppet Pals" video by Neil Cicirega.<ref>Template:YouTube link</ref>
15	Why, you stuck-up, half-witted, scruffy-looking block herder!	Reference to Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back, in which Leia Organa says to Han Solo, "Why, you stuck-up, half-witted, scruffy-looking nerf herder!"
16	What is the collective noun for a group of blocks?
17	A blockade.	Answers the question posed by the previous splash in the list.
18	Marching Cubes!	Might be a reference to the Template:W algorithm used in computer graphics.
19	Moving Block Entities!
20	Beautiful Block Balloons
21	Don't let the wool float away	These two refer to the behavior of living wool, which floats upward, and looks like balloons when leashed to the player by the Follow Me tool.
22	Pogo Tools	Refers to the hopping animation of living mining tools.
23	Cute Cuboid Companions
24	Slice some blocks into the lime group	Might be a reference to Java Edition technical lead Mikael Hedberg, whose username is Slicedlime.
25	Large block the size of a small block	Reference to an X post by the San Miguel sheriff stating that a "Large boulder the size of a small boulder is completely blocking east-bound lane Highway 145 mm78 at Silverpick Rd".<ref>Template:Tweet</ref>
26	Anything can be an entity if you try hard enough	Refers to the fact that living blocks are entities
27	Blocked.
28	The true meaning of block game	Modified version of the existing splash, "The true meaning of covfefe"
29	Hungry, hungry chests	Refers to the ability of chests to pick up other living blocks Might also be a reference to the tabletop game Template:W.
30	Auto-Assembling Automata	May refer to the behavior of the crafter.
31	Like sleeping in a tumble dryer	Refers to the ability to sleep in a living bed that is rolling.
32	It's alive!	Reference to Tiny Agnes's dialogue in the Mob Vote 2022 trailer.
33	Fifteen years of ... whatever this is!	Modified version of the existing splash, "15 years of Mining and Crafting!"
34	26w14a!
35	Enough balloons make you walk on water	Reference to Jesus Refers to the behavior of living wool
36	Wool is lighter than air	Refers to the behavior of living wool
37	Flashes make so much light
38	Lightning for the miners
39	Who Let the Blocks Out?	Might be a reference to the Baha Men song "Who Let the Dogs Out?".
40	This portal is not going to build itself	Refers to the behavior of obsidian/flint and steel and End portal frames

Advancements

Added the "HerdCraft" tab: Template:AdvancementTable Template:AdvancementRow Template:AdvancementRow Template:AdvancementRow Template:AdvancementRow Template:AdvancementRow Template:AdvancementRow Template:AdvancementRow Template:AdvancementRow Template:AdvancementRow Template:AdvancementRow Template:AdvancementRow Template:AdvancementRow Template:AdvancementRow Template:AdvancementRow Template:AdvancementRow Template:AdvancementRow Template:AdvancementRow Template:AdvancementRow Template:AdvancementRow Template:AdvancementRow Template:AdvancementRow Template:AdvancementRow Template:AdvancementRow Template:AdvancementRow Template:AdvancementRow Template:AdvancementRow Template:AdvancementRow Template:AdvancementTable

Structures

• Nine by Nine
  • Created by combining 272 living cobblestone, 16 living glass, and 4 living torches (see above)
  • Has variants for copper and soul torches

Technical

Block tags

Some properties of living blocks are defined by block tags. Although living blocks are not technically blocks, they are associated with items which in turn can be associated with blocks. Living blocks that are not associated with a block are, by default, treated as if the block were air.

builds_into_houseTemplate:Anchor

Living blocks in this tag can be combined with a door to form a house. By default, it contains a variety of common terrain blocks and building blocks.

living_block_takes_fall_damage

Living blocks in this tag can takes fall damage. By default, it contains all glass and glass panes.

cow_food

Living blocks in this tag can be used to tempt cows and mooshrooms.

pig_food

Living blocks in this tag can be used to tempt pigs.

sheep_food

Living blocks in this tags can be used to tempt sheep.

chicken_food

Living blocks in this tags can be used to tempt chicken.

horse_food

Living blocks in this tags can be used to tempt donkeys, horses and mules Template:Tag list

llama_tempt_items

Living blocks in this tags can be used to tempt llamas and trader llamas.

zombie_horse_food

Living blocks in this tags can be used to tempt zombie horses.

panda_food

Living blocks in this tags can be used to tempt pandas.

turtle_food

Living blocks in this tags can be used to tempt turtles.

strider_tempt_items

Living blocks in this tags can be used to tempt striders.

cat_food

Living blocks in this tags can be used to tempt cats.

rabbit_food

Living blocks in this tags can be used to tempt rabbits.

Item tags

block_placers

Living blocks of items in this tag are treated as items and not blocks. Only items that already have an associated block can be treated as blocks; therefore, adding items that are not associated with blocks has no effect.

Changes

Gameplay

Inventory

• Opening the inventory in any mode except Creative mode only shows crafting recipes.
  • Selecting a crafting recipe will fill it into a nearby 2x2 crafting grid entity.
  • An "i" icon appears above the recipes. When clicked, it opens the advancements.
• The inventory can be opened as normal in Creative mode.
  • The hotbar will appear empty except on the "Survival Inventory" tab, which accurately shows the inventory contents (by default the 8 special tools added with this update).
  • This functions completely normally, including allowing the special tools to be moved, removed and/or replaced.
  • Other items work normally when moved into the hotbar this way.
  • Creative and loading the 9th saved hotbar does not work, perhaps because the key bind for the 9th hotbar slot is disabled, but the other 8 do work; however, see Issues below.
• The inventory can be opened when mounted on a mob with an internal inventory.
  • The mob's inventory renders normally; the bottom part of the player's inventory does not render and remains invisible, although the items are still visible. The ninth slot in the hotbar is rendered.
  • Unlike the creative inventory, when the player holds an item with the mouse it is automatically dropped, and they cannot organize items with the mouse.
  • It's possible to drop action items, which are then deleted, freeing up space in one of the first 8 slots of the hotbar.
  • Using the hotbar shortcut buttons, it's possible to remove items from hotbar and place them in the player's internal inventory, and vice versa.
    • However, it's not possible to move items to a slot that already has an action item in that way, but it is possible to move action items to a slot that doesn't have an action item. This way it is possible to move the action items to slot 9, which is empty by default, and re-register the action items, also freeing up a space without having to drop an action item.
    • Non-action items can be moved from the hotbar to the internal inventory, and items from the internal inventory can be moved to a hotbar slot that does not contain action items.
• The ninth hotbar slot is invisible and cannot be accessed by controls (e.g., mouse roll or number 9)
  • It is still possible to select using the middle button on an entity (such as a boat, minecart, mob, end crystal).
    • If in creative mode, slot 9 is empty and slots 1 to 8 are occupied with different items of the entity, slot 9 will be selected.
    • If slot 9 is the first to contain the item corresponding to the entity (in the case of mobs, the spanner egg), it will be selected.
    • Selecting a block will have no effect, as instead of adding it to the inventory it summons the corresponding living block (in creative mode) or does nothing in survival mode.
• Living crafting tables and crafters can be used to create 3x3 crafting grids.
  • Interacting will open the recipe list, including recipes that require a 3x3 grid.
  • Selecting a recipe will fill it into the grid.
  • For crafting tables, the ingredients must be commanded into place with the Move tool. Once this is done, a hovering item entity appears showing the result of the recipe, and punching it completes the recipe (converting the hovering item into living blocks).
  • For living crafters but not crafting tables, other living blocks nearby will automatically start to position themselves to complete the recipe. Once all are positioned correctly, the recipe will be completed automatically as well. Recipes can still be done manually as with crafting tables.

General

• The offhand keybind has been removed.
• Using Template:Control on a block in Creative mode will clone the block toward the player.

Recipe unlocking

• All recipe unlocks that previously required an inventory update have changed and now require summoning a living block of the same item.
  • Note that adding items to the inventory, creative mode, or using Template:Cmd for example, does not unlock recipes.
  • Many generations of living blocks are counted, summon by the player.
• The chest recipe is unlocked by summoning a plank. Previously, it was unlocked by having ten slots occupied in the inventory.

Blocks

Minecraft:Interactable blocks

Interactable blocks with menu has been modified to prevent access to the internal inventory. However, some of these blocks have replaced their interaction with block behavior such as living blocks.

• Minecraft:Furnace, blast furnace, Minecraft:smoker, Minecraft:barrel, Minecraft:chest, trapped chest, copper chests, Minecraft:crafter, and shulker boxes should have their interaction completely removed.
  • It is still possible, for example, to use honeycomb and axes on copper chests, as this behavior is controlled by the item and not the block.
• Minecraft:Anvils, Minecraft:beacon, brewing stand, cartography table, Minecraft:dispenser, Minecraft:dropper, enchanting table, Minecraft:grindstone, Minecraft:hopper, Minecraft:lectern, Minecraft:loom, smithing table, and Minecraft:stonecutter no longer open the menu.
  • It's still possible to interact by increasing specific stats, activating the advancement triggers, and moving the hand.
• The crafting tables menu must be changed; it now only shows the recipe book.
• When interacting with the ender chest, they are still trying to create a menu based on the player, but it fails to do so, making it seem as if there is no menuTemplate:More info.
  • It is still possible to access players' ender chest slots by Template:Cmd.

Minecraft:Chest

The blast resistance has changed to 6.0, previously it was 2.5.

• The trapped chest's blast resistance has remained at 2.5

Items

• Using a Minecraft:boat now won't fail if the hitbox intersects with a block or entity, making it easier to place.
  • This is the behavior of using the item as a living block that was maintained for the normal item.
• Minecraft:Bows and fishing rods no longer have durability and can be stacked up to 64.

World generation

Stronghold

• Strongholds do not contain end portal frames
• Instead, the silverfish spawner is replaced with one that spawns living end portal frames
  • The spawner functions until it contains living 12 End portal frames around it. However, it is possible to move the End portal frames far away or place them in a container, causing the spawner to continue functioning.

Command format

Template:Cmd

• Now spawns living blocks instead of putting items in the player's inventory.

Template:Cmd

• Template:Cmd spawns living blocks instead of items.
• Template:Cmd, Template:Cmd, and Template:Cmd keep adding items to the inventory.
  • Block containers can still receive items even if they can't be accessed via the menu, with Template:Cmd and Template:Cmd. It's still possible to access them by breaking them, using commands, etc.
  • Living container blocks cannot receive items with Template:Cmd and with no other Template:Cmd command, because the container does not belong to the entity in itself and if it belongs to the item.

General

Loot tables

• Now, instead of the loot tables controlling the drop of items, it controls the "drop" of living blocks.
  • If a dropped living block is of the same block type as the broken block, it copies the block state of the broken block.
• Many loot tables have been modified:
  • Leaf litters, it doesn't drop anything.
  • All slabs, pink petals, sculk vein, sea pickle, Minecraft:wildflowers, Minecraft:composter, all candles, resin clump, and glow lichen, which previously could drop multiple items in certain states, now only drop a single living block of themselves. Sculk vein only drop with Silk Touch, glow lichen only drops with shears, all the rest have no additional conditions on the loot table.
    • Note that when breaking a block with 4 candles, for example, only one living candle block is dropped. However, this block has the block state of 4 candles. If the old loot table were maintained, 4 living blocks with 4 candles would be dropped.
• Some loot tables now ignore the item count, for example Template:Cd, which when interacting with shears on a pumpkin only generates one living block of pumpkin seed and not 4.
  • If Template:Cd is modified to produce more than one item entry, carving a pumpkin will result in one item from each entry, regardless of the count of each entry.
  • Using the command Template:Cmd, for example, still works normally. The items are added to the inventory (and not as living blocks) and with the correct count.
• Added loot tables for the new blocks (iron trap and copper trap), in which they are looted themselves as living blocks, without any additional conditions.

Removals

Non-mob entities

Item

• Completely removed and replaced with living blocks.

General

Advancements

• Removed all vanilla advancements.
  • Not including recipe unlock advancements.

Splashes

• Removed all regular splashes.

Issues

26w14a is not supported due to being an April Fools' joke, and therefore issues affecting it get closed as "Invalid" in the issue tracker.

• Loading any saved hotbar in creative mode will most likely crash the game with the error message java.lang.ArrayIndexOutOfBoundsException: Index 8 out of bounds for length 8 due to the removal of the 9th hotbar slot.
  • It occasionally works, restarting Minecraft and reentering the world may show the new hotbar contents.
  • Saved hotbars are also shown incorrectly in their tab in the creative inventory — for each row with data, the 9th item is missing, causing all of the rows below to be shifted. Empty rows still correctly take up 9 slots.
• Summoning a living block of air or other block with no model crashes the game when attempting to animate it.
• If holding wool blocks and jumping, then killing the wool blocks (for example being blown up by a creeper), the player will retain the slow falling and higher jump effect, but take normal fall damage upon landing.

Trivia

• This is the first and only version to use the YYwWWn snapshot naming format since 25w46a.
  • This is the second April Fools' Day jokes version to regularly use the YYwWWn snapshot naming format (i.e., with n as a single letter). The first was 15w14a.
  • Since 2020 (20w14∞), all versions of April Fools' Day jokes version have used this format.
• Since 2019 (3D Shareware v1.34), all April Fools' Day jokes version have either added a new dimension or featured a change to the hotbar. This was the third release to have a change to the hotbar, after 3D Shareware v1.34 and 22w13oneBlockAtATime.
• This version was released on the same day as 26.1.1.
• In the official trailer, the player seems to have nine inventory slots, one empty, but in the final version there are only eight.
  • There also seems to be a pre-release texture of the Punch item
• The ninth inventory slot can still be selected using external editors or using Template:Control on a mob to get their spawn egg.
  • The selected slot border will display off to the right, but the slot itself remains invisible (both the background and the held item).
  • In creative mode, other items can be moved into this slot and will function normally.
• There seems to be unused item textures for signalling_arrow and attack_signalling_arrow.
• The main menu panorama textures are not quite in the usual location: instead of assets\minecraft\textures\gui\title\background, they are one layer deeper in assets\minecraft\textures\gui\title\background\af. af likely stands for "April Fools".
• The random toggling behavior of living levers is called AnnoyingClickClackBehavior in the code.
• When a Minecraft:wither is spawned in this version, the color tones on screen change. This is reverted when the wither is killed.
• The iron and copper traps "are a reference to the Cage Trap in the mod SecurityCraft that" bl4ckscor3 was "a part of…since long before" joining Mojang Studios.<ref>Template:Tweet</ref>

Gallery

Mojang images

• Herdcraft Logo
  Herdcraft Logo
• File:26w14a alternate key art.jpg

Mojang screenshots

• File:Herdcraft S1.jpg
• File:Herdcraft S2.jpg
• File:Herdcraft S3.jpg

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