Minecraft players are blown away by the blocky builder's newly-added Wind Charges

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Minecraft's latest update includes a tool that sends enemies flying and makes scaling structures a breeze

Minecraft Steve
(Image credit: Mojang Studios)

Minecraft's latest addition is blowing players away, and I mean that literally as well as figuratively. 

The blocky builder's 1.21 update is expected to arrive midway through 2024, and to make sure everything's shipshape in time for its release, players can now test some of the new features and items set to be added, including Wind Charges.

Wind Charges are dropped by Breezes - a brand-new hostile mob - and as players have been discovering over on Twitter, these are not only an extremely helpful tool but are also a lot of fun to use. You could say they bring a breath of fresh air to the sandbox game (sorry not sorry).

Minecraft fan @DRAXOMOSPHERE shared a series of videos showing just what these babies can do. The first, which you can check out below, demonstrates just how fast and effortless it is to scale tall structures. Another shows the player launching themselves from an even higher structure and using the device to reach the ground unscathed. "You don't even take fall damage while using this thing," they exclaim. "This is amazing."

It turns out ledges aren't even necessary, as you can use the wind machines to fly straight up in the air, as demonstrated by Twitter user @CagilMartin with a clip that shows them ascending a smooth structure 30 blocks high. 

Then there's @CraftyMasterman, who seemingly tried to launch themselves into outer space by stacking a bunch of Wind Charges beneath them.

As Mojang explains in a post on the official Minecraft website, Wind Charges can also be used to launch projectiles at your enemies, which, as well as dealing damage, also sends them flying. Crucially, though, the developer points out that the device "doesn't give you a set of very majestic eyebrows."

Back in October, Minecraft made history by being the first game ever to sell over 300 million copies, and it continues to go from strength to strength. It's spawned several spin-offs, including Minecraft Dungeons and Minecraft Legends, and a live-action Minecraft movie starring Jason Mamoa and Jack Black is set to release in 2025.

Let your imagination run wild with these games like Minecraft.

Anne-Marie Ostler
Anne-Marie Ostler
Freelance Writer

Originally from Ireland, I moved to the UK in 2014 to pursue a Games Journalism and PR degree at Staffordshire University. Following that, I've freelanced for GamesMaster, Games TM, Official PlayStation Magazine and, more recently, Play and GamesRadar+. My love of gaming sprang from successfully defeating that first Goomba in Super Mario Bros on the NES. These days, PlayStation is my jam. When not gaming or writing, I can usually be found scouring the internet for anything Tomb Raider related to add to my out of control memorabilia collection.