Minecraft introduces Herdcraft, Mojang's latest annual joke update, and suddenly I'm a pseudo-summoner with a sentient inventory to command

Although Mojang is now focusing on smaller updates for Minecraft, like the recent Tiny Takeover drop and soon-to-come Chaos Cubed, it's still made time for its annual April Fool's snapshot – and Herdcraft, as this year's prank patch is dubbed, is brilliant.

The Herdcraft "update," as Mojang outlines in its joke – but very real – patch notes online, takes your inventory… and, well, deletes it. Sort of, anyway. "The inventory is gone, and it's gone for good," as the developer writes. "Now, the world is your inventory."

What does that mean, though? Your inventory items will be, uh, literally everywhere instead of just trapped within a menu. You'll need to place a lead on them, much like you would a wolf.

And that's because every item essentially becomes a pseudo-summon or pet – and, yes, you can command your inventory, too. Mojang reveals as much in its new Herdcraft trailer on YouTube, which shows the April Fool's snapshot in action.

Want to gather? Get your blocks to do it for you, or with you. Trying to take on the Ender Dragon? Use your newly sentient ingots instead, and sit back while they slay the final Minecraft boss.

THE HERDCRAFT UPDATE - YouTube

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As Mojang concludes in its trailer, "Let the herding begin!" Unsurprisingly, players (hi, it's me, I'm players) are obsessed already, with a recent Reddit thread on Herdcraft highlighting fans' thoughts on the hilarious "update."

One person echoes my own read of the snapshot, that Mojang "finally added a summoner class" to Minecraft – even if it's via an April Fool's patch. Another adds, "This could be the framework for pet update," and I certainly hope so.

I see some other responses regarding the potential of "movable chests" in the future, and this April Fool's snapshot being a sort of framework for that – and I'd love that. That, plus the ability to command pets (like wolves) the way we do inventory items in Herdcraft.

With how the community has been split on Mojang's move to smaller updates, a patch in that realm, I think, could act as a nice middle ground with some real game-changing tweaks.

Only time will tell, though, I suppose… but, sadly, past April Fool's additions, like the 2024 potato dimension, haven't exactly lived on outside of their respective snapshots. That's not to say proper summoning won't ever happen, however, and I'm keeping my fingers crossed.

Smaller Minecraft updates like Tiny Takeover and Chaos Cubed "feel more sustainable" for Mojang, says lead: "There's always another one right around the corner."