A renowned author who resided in France, Victor Hugo, stated in 1877: “An idea whose time has come cannot be stopped by any army.” While it may sound more eloquent in French, the essence remains unchanged. This quote was originally made regarding Louis-Napoleon’s coup in 1851, but that doesn’t prevent us from applying it to other contexts. For instance, turtles. Yes, you heard correctly, turtles!
When our developers were working on the Aquatic update, they realized that an idea long overdue for realization had finally arrived. The brainchild of this concept belongs to Reddit user billyK_.
In March 2015, he proposed replacing boats with something else, and turtles were chosen.
“For the past 2.5 years, I have been advocating for the addition of turtles,” – he shared earlier this year. “Things got a bit complicated when I found out that they weren’t mentioned in the Aquatic update.” However, he eventually succeeded in getting them included. This idea not only made him popular within the Minecraft community but also earned him a unique cloak. “We often receive feature suggestions for Minecraft Pocket Edition, but very few achieve the same level of recognition as those on Reddit,” – noted Jens Bergensten, the chief creative officer at Mojang.
Turtle shells are wearable items that allow players to stay underwater longer than usual. When used as a helmet while on land or in a bubble column, it grants the player “water breathing,” meaning the countdown starts only upon immersion. It seems like extra air is stored somewhere in the upper part of the shell, but who knows what magical powers these turtles truly possess?
Another function is their use in potion brewing. By combining a shell with some rough potion on a brewing stand, one can create a Turtle Master Potion, which provides Resistance III but also Slowness IV. Despite this drawback, it’s still preferable: better slow and sturdy than fast and vulnerable.
It’s likely that all these factors have influenced your thoughts, leading you to consider killing a turtle to obtain these benefits. But please, don’t do that! Not only are many species endangered, but they also do not drop their shells upon death. To collect your own turtle shell, you’ll need to gather the scales shed by baby turtles as they grow. These can also be useful for repairing an old helmet.
So, how do we find baby turtles? You could search along the beach, but that would take too long. A second option is to breed them yourself. Simply feed two turtles and then trust nature while waiting. After some time, locate the spot where the eggs are laid and guard it carefully until they hatch. If anything happens—if they’re struck by tools, if blocks fall on them, or if hostile mobs approach—the eggs will be destroyed. Under no circumstances should you let that happen. Protect these tiny creatures!
If billyK_ has inspired you with his example and you also have fantastic ideas to improve Minecraft Bedrock, here’s a little advice from him.
“If there’s something that can spark a great idea to enhance Minecraft, you should definitely share it because it might just make its way into the game,” – he advised. “Just be patient and wait; don’t annoy the developers with persistence. It might not affect them positively.”
He is right. Once again, we urge you, do not harm the turtles!
