Minecraft's 'the Nether Update' snuck in Achievement rewards and emotes in the Bedrock Edition

Minecraft Nether Update Java Image
Minecraft Nether Update Java Image (Image credit: Windows Central)

What you need to know

  • Mojang Studios just released the Nether Update for Minecraft, which added a ton of new features and changes.
  • One of the lesser known features added was the addition of Achievement rewards and emotes in the Bedrock Edition.
  • Achievement rewards gift players various prizes for completing certain Achievements.
  • Emotes are animations that players can use to express different emotions or communications.

With the many, many things Mojang Studios added in the Nether Update, it's not surprising they sneakily included a brand-new feature at the last minute. With the Nether Update, two new player-focused features have been added, at least for Minecraft: Bedrock Edition, that rewards players for accomplishing goals in the game, and gives players a new way to communicate with each other. Achievement rewards and emotes are officially active, and will be continuously added to over time.

Related: All the essential details of the Nether Update, here in a handy cheat sheet

  • Achievement rewards. Twenty-eight of Minecraft's numerous Achievements now grant rewards for accomplishing them. Twenty-five of these achievements are character creation items like clothing and accessories. The other three tie into the second secret feature added in the Nether Update.
  • Emotes. Players can now express themselves with emotes, or animated motions that you can activate at any time. Every player gets a collection of free emotes to start off with, but you can earn an additional three by completing certain Achievements. On top of that, new premium emotes will start appearing in the Minecraft Marketplace starting July 7, 2020.

This is hardly the most exciting development from the Nether Update, but it's still interesting to see Minecraft evolve and add more player-centric features on top of its incredibly versatile gameplay. I don't know if I'll be incorporating emotes into my everyday playstyle, but at the very least I'm sure to take advantage of the character creation rewards by completing Achievements!

If you're interested, you can check out Mojang Studios' announcement post for all the details.

What do you think of the new features? Will you use emotes, or take advantage of the new rewards? Let us know in the comments below!

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Zachary Boddy
Staff Writer

Zachary Boddy (They / Them) is a Staff Writer for Windows Central, primarily focused on covering the latest news in tech and gaming, the best Xbox and PC games, and the most interesting Windows and Xbox hardware. They have been gaming and writing for most of their life starting with the original Xbox, and started out as a freelancer for Windows Central and its sister sites in 2019. Now a full-fledged Staff Writer, Zachary has expanded from only writing about all things Minecraft to covering practically everything on which Windows Central is an expert, especially when it comes to Microsoft. You can find Zachary on Twitter @BoddyZachary.