Minecraft: Java Edition · Game update
Minecraft 1.16: Nether Update
The Nether Update turned the Nether into somewhere worth building in, with four biomes, four mobs and netherite gear. It also added bastion remnants, ruined portals, respawn anchors and piglin bartering.
- Released
- Server needs
- Java 8
- Protocol
- 735
Seven days free, no card. Pick 1.16 when you create the server, or switch an existing one from the panel.
What is new in Minecraft 1.16
The additions people noticed first, then everything else by area.
- Four new Nether biomes
- Netherite tools and armour, upgraded from diamond
- Piglins, hoglins, zoglins and striders added
- Bastion remnants, ruined portals and nether fossils generate
- Respawn anchors let players set a spawn point in the Nether
- Target block, chains, lodestone and crying obsidian added
Blocks and items
- Ancient debris and netherite, used to upgrade diamond gear
- Crimson and warped wood sets with non flammable planks
- Blackstone and its polished, brick and gilded variants
- Respawn anchor, charged with glowstone
- Crying obsidian and lodestone, which compasses can point to
- Soul fire, soul lanterns, soul torches and soul campfires
- Nether gold ore
- Target block and chains
Mobs
- Piglins, which barter items for gold ingots
- Hoglins, the Nether food source
- Zoglins, what a hoglin becomes in the Overworld
- Striders, which walk on lava and can be ridden
World and biomes
- Crimson forest biome
- Warped forest biome
- Soul sand valley biome
- Basalt deltas biome
- Bastion remnants generate in the Nether with chest loot
- Ruined portals generate in both the Nether and the Overworld
- Nether fossils generate in soul sand valleys
Gameplay
- Bartering with piglins by giving them gold ingots
- Soul Speed enchantment with three levels for soul sand and soul soil
- Respawn anchor holds up to four glowstone charges
- A respawn anchor explodes if used outside the Nether
- Soul campfires deal double damage
- Smithing tables now upgrade diamond gear to netherite
- Target blocks emit a redstone signal based on how close the hit was
Commands and technical
- Data pack format 5
- Data version 2566
Running a Minecraft 1.16 server
What the release means for whoever runs the server.
- Requires Java SE 8
- Protocol version 735
- Data pack format 5
- Data version 2566
- It is mitigated by adding a JVM argument to the startup command line
Before you update a world: take a backup. A world opened in 1.16 cannot be opened in an older version again. How backups work here.
1.16 on FadeHost
- The right Java, set for you
- A 1.16 server needs Java 8 or newer, and the panel starts it with a Java that fits. Nothing to install, nothing to pick.
- Server software for 1.16
- SpigotVanillaFabric
- Who can join
- Players on 1.16. Other versions need plugins such as ViaVersion on a Paper server.
Patches after 1.16
The fix releases that followed, oldest first.
Minecraft 1.16.1
· Java 8
1.16.1 was a hotfix released one day after the Nether Update, fixing four issues including a crash. Its protocol number changed, so it is not compatible with 1.16 servers.
What 1.16.1 changedMinecraft 1.16.2
· Java 8
1.16.2 fixed 156 issues and added piglin brutes to bastion remnants. For server owners it is the important one, because it added client rate limiting and custom biome support in data packs.
What 1.16.2 changedMinecraft 1.16.3
· Java 8
1.16.3 was a hotfix that resolved two issues left by 1.16.2. Both were piglin problems, one of them an item duplication bug.
- Two issues fixed
- Piglins, brutes, hoglins and zoglins path to the player correctly again
- Fixed item duplication involving baby piglins
Minecraft 1.16.4
· Java 8
1.16.4 added the social interactions screen, which lets players hide chat from individual players. It also fixed four issues, including a world generation deadlock that crashed servers.
What 1.16.4 changedMinecraft 1.16.5
· Java 8
1.16.5 was the final release in the 1.16 line and fixed two major stability issues. It keeps protocol 754, so servers on this version still accept 1.16.4 clients.
What 1.16.5 changedQuestions about 1.16
When was Minecraft 1.16 released?
Minecraft: Java Edition 1.16, Nether Update, was released on June 23, 2020.
What Java version does a Minecraft 1.16 server need?
Java 8. On FadeHost the server starts with the right Java for its Minecraft version on its own, so there is nothing to install or switch.
What did Minecraft 1.16 add?
The Nether Update turned the Nether into somewhere worth building in, with four biomes, four mobs and netherite gear. It also added bastion remnants, ruined portals, respawn anchors and piglin bartering.
Can players on another version join a 1.16 server?
Only players on 1.16 itself: its network protocol (735) is its own. A Paper server can let other versions in with plugins such as ViaVersion and ViaBackwards.
Can I update my world to Minecraft 1.16?
Yes. Take a backup, switch the server to 1.16 and start it: the world is converted on the first boot. A world opened in 1.16 cannot be opened in an older version again, so keep the backup until you are sure.
How do I start a Minecraft 1.16 server?
Create a server on FadeHost and pick 1.16 in the software list: Spigot, Vanilla and Fabric are there for this version. It is online in about a minute. The free tier runs a 2 GB server at no cost, and a paid server is sized to the RAM you need.
Read on
Change a server's version
Version, software and loader build are one setting in the panel.
Java version errors
What the wrong Java looks like in the console, and why it does not happen here.
RAM calculator
How much memory a server needs, sized from servers measured on our nodes.
Every Minecraft version
All releases, what each one added and the Java it needs.
Release facts from the Minecraft Wiki:Java Edition 1.16. Minecraft is a trademark of Mojang; FadeHost is not affiliated with Mojang or Microsoft.