Minecraft’s New Firefly Bush is Bittersweet

Minecraft has been shaking up its usual approach to extra in-game content, promising more consistent changes. Traditionally, Minecraft would save its big updates for the summer, but now, the sandbox survival title is bringing these additions to players more frequently. It’s an exciting change of pace, and one of the newest block variants, the Firefly Bush, is a charming piece of plant life.

However, despite the Firefly Bush being a great inclusion in the newest snapshot, it also serves as a bittersweet reminder of what could have been. There was once a time when fireflies were supposed to come to Minecraft, but this unfortunately never came to fruition. Now that the Firefly Bush is present, it makes the omission of a full-blown firefly mob that much stranger.

Related

Minecraft’s Warm and Cold Animal Mobs Deserve to Be a Complete Set

Mojang has been on an ongoing trend of adding mob variants in Minecraft, and it should add more mob forms to fully diversify all biomes.

Minecraft’s Forgotten Firefly Mob Lives on in the New Firefly Bush

Fireflies Were Scrapped For a Strange Reason

Mojang cited a clash with real-life ecosystems when explaining their reasoning for taking fireflies out of the Wild Update in 2022. According to Mojang’s Anna Lundgren, fireflies were removed because they are poisonous to frogs in real life when eaten. While this reasoning would make sense for a game that was based on realism, Minecraft is hardly known for its lifelike qualities, so the removal of fireflies was confusing for many players. Theoretically, one would think Mojang could simply just program the fireflies to not poison frogs when they ingested the glowing insects, but it remains a mysterious case within the Minecraft community.

The Firefly Bush is a Full-Circle Moment

The updated Minecraft snapshot brings a lot of exciting extra content to players, but the Firefly Bush is one of its most standout features. It’s a wonderful piece of plant decor that finally makes fireflies within the game a reality, which is better than nothing. Unfortunately, for those who remember how great the once-planned firefly mob was, it can leave a bit to be desired, as well. The prospect of fireflies flying around and illuminating one’s world was incredibly exciting, so now the Firefly Bush also serves as a reminder of what could have been.

After the initial removal in 2022, it feels both thrilling and bizarre to finally have the presence of fireflies in a completely different form than originally expected. Minecraft‘s smaller content drops have already proved surprising, and the Firefly Bush presents a moment many players have been waiting for, even if it’s not exactly in the way some had envisioned.

Firefly Bush Details

• The Firefly Bush can be found in Swamps and by Rivers.
• The Firefly Bush emits glowing particles when it’s dark.
• Using Bone Meal on a Firefly Bush will spawn another.
• The block glows at a light level 2.

Granted, fireflies coming to Minecraft in any form, not just as a mob, is great news. The Firefly Bush makes a wonderful addition to the landscapes, allowing players to build a serene area with calming lowlights. Since announcing a change of pace when it comes to in-game updates, Mojang has come out swinging with new Minecraft content teases, and the Firefly Bush is clearly just the tip of the iceberg.

As the year continues, there’s no telling what else Mojang has in store for Minecraft. This new method of content dropping seems to be working wonders, and the possibilities of what other features lie on the horizon are compelling. Mojang’s divergence from tradition has breathed new life into the community, and the rest of the year is bound to bring more surprises. Fireflies may not be present in the way they were originally crafted, but it’s better late than never.

Game

My Favorite Games
My Played Games
My Games Wishlist

Released

November 18, 2011

ESRB

E10+ For Everyone 10+ Due To Fantasy Violence