Overview
The Exploration Update, numbered 1.11, pushed Minecraft's map outward, and it did so with an item rather than a mechanic: the woodland explorer map, sold by cartographer villagers, which points at a Woodland Mansion that may be tens of thousands of blocks away. That turned exploration from aimless wandering into a stated destination with a distance attached. Inside the mansion Mojang put the illagers — vindicators and evokers — and these were the first mobs designed to be a real threat to a player in full enchanted armour. A vindicator hits for 13 and disables shields; an evoker summons vexes that fly straight through walls. Their reward is the totem of undying, which cancels an otherwise fatal blow and remains one of the strongest items in the game a decade later. Two other additions from this release quietly changed everyday play: shulker boxes made inventory management a solved problem, since a broken shulker box keeps its contents and any chest becomes portable; and llamas, which follow one another in caravans when led, made overland hauling of goods practical for the first time.
Long-range exploration with a destination: explorer maps, woodland mansions and the illagers who live in them. It also gave the game the totem of undying, shulker boxes as portable storage, observers for redstone, and llama caravans for hauling.
The Exploration Update pushed players thousands of blocks from spawn with woodland explorer maps and the mansions they point to. Vindicators and evokers were the first mobs designed to threaten a fully armoured player, and the totem of undying they drop remains one of the strongest items in the game. Shulker boxes solved inventory management permanently, and llama caravans made overland hauling practical.
How to get it
Java Edition 1.11 was released on 14 November 2016, with 1.11.2 following within 2 months. Shulker boxes, totems and woodland mansions all date from this release and are present unchanged in every version since.
Tips
- A totem only works from your main hand or off hand, not from the inventory — this is the most common way players waste one.
- Shulker boxes keep their contents when broken, so 1 box in your inventory effectively multiplies your carrying capacity.
- Buy the explorer map from a cartographer before setting out; searching dark forests for a mansion by hand is impractical.
- Vindicators disable shields on hit, so fight them with a bow or in a doorway rather than trusting a raised shield.
Version notes
Released 14 November 2016. Added woodland mansions, vindicators, evokers, vexes, the totem of undying, llamas, shulker boxes, observers, explorer maps and the two curse enchantments.
What it added
- Woodland mansions, hidden deep in dark forests far from spawn
- Illagers: the vindicator, the evoker and the summoned vex
- The totem of undying, which cancels a lethal hit
- Llamas, which form caravans when led
- Shulker boxes, the first portable storage in the game
- Observer blocks
- Explorer maps sold by cartographer villagers
- Curse of Vanishing and Curse of Binding
Properties
Minecraft 1.11 was released on November 14, 2016 as a major release. It added 4 mobs, 3 blocks and items the site documents, and 1 generated structures.
- New blocks and items
- 3
- New structures
- 1
New mobs
Vindicator, Evoker, Vex, and Llama arrived in this release.
New blocks and items
Observer, Shulker Box, and White Shulker Box were added, and each has its own page with the recipe, the drops and the break times.
New structures
Woodland Mansion first generated in 1.11.
- Woodland Mansion — An enormous three-storey house of dark oak and cobblestone, generated only in dark forests and typically tens of thousands of blocks from spawn, which makes a woodland explorer map from a cartographer villager the practical way to find one.
Where it sits in the release line
1.11 sits 17 of 28 in the release list this site covers, with 1.12 after it and 1.10 before.
Worlds always upgrade forwards and never downgrade: a world opened in a newer version cannot be opened in an older one again, so back it up before the first launch on a new release.
| Version | Name | Released | Type | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | Minecraft 1.12 | World of Color Update | June 7, 2017 | Major release |
 | Minecraft 1.11 ← | Exploration Update | November 14, 2016 | Major release |
 | Minecraft 1.10 | Frostburn Update | June 8, 2016 | Major release |
Guides and tools that cover this
Frequently asked questions
What is the totem of undying and where does it come from?
It cancels a lethal hit and restores you to half a heart with Regeneration, Absorption and Fire Resistance. Only evokers drop it, in woodland mansions and in raid waves five and above.
How many shulker shells does a shulker box need?
Two shells and a chest. Shulkers are found only in End cities, so shulker boxes require a completed dragon fight first.
Do woodland explorer maps cost much?
A cartographer sells one for emeralds and a compass at journeyman level. It is far cheaper than searching for a mansion unaided.
What did Minecraft 1.11 add?
Woodland mansions, hidden deep in dark forests far from spawn Illagers: the vindicator, the evoker and the summoned vex The totem of undying, which cancels a lethal hit
When was Minecraft 1.11 released?
Java Edition 1.11 was released on November 14, 2016. Bedrock dates for the same content often differ by days or weeks.