Minecraft 1.21.6: Chase the Skies - Everything You Need to Know

Released on June 17, 2025, Minecraft's 1.21.6 update brings the highly anticipated "Chase the Skies" drop to Java Edition. This update transforms the way players explore the Overworld by introducing flying mounts, improved visuals, and several quality-of-life features that the community has been requesting for years.

The Happy Ghast: Your New Flying Companion

The star of this update is undoubtedly the Happy Ghast, Minecraft's first mountable flying mob. Unlike their hostile Nether cousins, Happy Ghasts are friendly creatures that can carry players through the skies. Here's how they work:

Growing Your Ghastling

The journey begins with a Dried Ghast block, which can be found in Nether Fossil structures or crafted using 1 Soul Sand block and 8 Ghast Tears. When waterlogged, the block undergoes three hydration stages over approximately 20 minutes before spawning a baby Ghastling. The hydration process reverses if the block is removed from water, so patience and proper placement are key.

Taking Flight

Once your Ghastling grows into a Happy Ghast, you can equip it with a harness (crafted with three leather, two glass blocks, and one wool block) and saddle up for aerial adventures. The harness features adorable vintage aviator goggles that flip down when mounted. Players can control their Happy Ghast's flight direction and altitude, opening up entirely new ways to explore, build, and travel across your world.

Finally: Craftable Saddles!

After years of community requests, saddles can now be crafted! The recipe is refreshingly simple: 3 Leather and 1 Iron Ingot. This change ends the long-standing Minecraft "lore" about the lost saddle recipe and makes early-game horse taming much more accessible. The recipe unlocks automatically when you pick up your first piece of leather.

Enhanced Multiplayer Experience with the Locator Bar

The new Locator Bar is a game-changer for multiplayer servers and realms. This HUD element works like a compass, showing dots that indicate the direction of nearby friends. No more getting lost or spending ages trying to find your teammates – the Locator Bar keeps everyone connected while maintaining the spirit of exploration.

Revolutionary Leash Mechanics

Transporting multiple animals just got significantly easier with the improved leash system:

• Chain Leashing: You can now leash mobs to each other, creating chains or caravans of animals

• Improved Physics: Reworked leash mechanics provide more stable connections, especially for airborne entities

• Visual Updates: Leashes are now twice as thick, matching Bedrock Edition

• Smart Re-leashing: The game prevents re-leashing that would immediately break due to distance

Simply sneak-interact on any mob while holding leashed mobs to create chains. Imagine leading a caravan of camels across the desert or tying multiple villagers to your flying Happy Ghast!

Vibrant Visuals: A More Beautiful Overworld

The first steps toward bringing Vibrant Visuals to Java Edition include:

• Extended Clouds: Clouds now stretch all the way to the horizon, creating more immersive skies

• Improved Fog: New fog rendering makes distant landscapes more atmospheric

• Enhanced Draw Distance: Better visual clarity when viewing far-off terrain

These changes make building sky bases and flying with your Happy Ghast even more spectacular.

Quality of Life Improvements

Shearing Equipment

You can now use shears to remove saddles, horse armor, harnesses, and carpets from mobs (except Ravagers). This works as long as the mob doesn't have a rider and you're not crouching.

Bug Fixes and Performance

The update addresses numerous bugs including:

• Fixed minecart behavior through Nether portals

• Resolved redstone power update issues with /setblock and /fill commands

• Fixed boats falling through blocks when sprint-hit

• Improved memory usage with minecarts

• Corrected various item component and enchantment issues

Community Impact

This update represents Mojang's new approach to more frequent, focused updates throughout the year rather than single massive annual releases. The Chase the Skies drop directly addresses several long-standing community wishes: flying mounts, craftable saddles, and better multiplayer coordination tools.

Getting Started

To experience Chase the Skies:

1. Update your Minecraft Java Edition to 1.21.6

2. Explore Nether Fortresses to find Dried Ghast blocks or craft your own

3. Start growing your Ghastling in water

4. Craft a saddle and harness

5. Take to the skies!

The 1.21.6 update proves that Minecraft continues to evolve in exciting ways, adding features that enhance gameplay without losing the charm that has captivated millions of players worldwide. Whether you're soaring above your builds on a Happy Ghast, leading a caravan of animals across the plains, or simply enjoying the improved visuals, Chase the Skies offers something for every type of player.

Happy flying, crafters!