Overview
The World of Color Update, shipped as 1.12, is a builder's release, and its contribution is easy to underrate because it is a palette rather than a mechanic. Concrete gave the game sixteen flat, fully saturated colours for the first time — wool is soft and noisy, terracotta is muted, and neither can produce a clean block of pure red. The catch, which is also the charm, is that concrete powder only sets into concrete on contact with water, so you place the powder and then flood it, which makes large colour builds a small engineering exercise. Glazed terracotta added sixteen patterned tiles whose design rotates with placement direction, so a single block type produces radically different floors depending on how you lay it. Away from the palette, the recipe book made the game teachable: recipes unlock as you acquire ingredients, which removed the wiki from a new player's first hour. Advancements replaced achievements with a tree that map makers could extend through data packs and functions. Parrots came with the update too, tameable, shoulder-riding, and able to imitate the sounds of nearby hostile mobs — which is a genuinely useful early warning system.
Sixteen saturated concrete colours and sixteen patterned glazed terracotta tiles for building, the recipe book to teach new players, advancements and functions for map makers, and parrots that warn you about mobs you cannot see.
A builder's update. Concrete gave the palette sixteen flat, saturated colours that terracotta and wool could not, and glazed terracotta added patterned tiles that tile differently depending on rotation. The recipe book made the game far more approachable for new players, while advancements replaced achievements with a tree that map makers could extend. Parrots that imitate nearby mob sounds were a surprisingly practical addition.
How to get it
Java Edition 1.12 was released on 7 June 2017, and 1.12.2 is the version the modding community stayed on for years afterwards. If you are installing an older modpack there is a good chance 1.12.2 is the number you need.
Tips
- Concrete powder only hardens on contact with water, so place the powder first and flood it rather than crafting the block directly.
- Glazed terracotta patterns rotate with the direction you place them, so all 4 orientations of the same block look different.
- Parrots imitate hostile mobs nearby, which makes a shoulder parrot an audible warning system underground.
- 1.12.2 is the most-modded version in the game's history, so check it before assuming a modpack needs something newer.
Version notes
Released 7 June 2017. Added concrete and concrete powder in sixteen colours, glazed terracotta, coloured beds, parrots, the recipe book, advancements, functions and the knowledge book.
What it added
- Concrete and concrete powder in all sixteen colours
- Glazed terracotta with sixteen distinct patterns
- Coloured beds
- Parrots, tameable and shoulder-mounted
- The recipe book, which teaches recipes as you obtain ingredients
- Advancements replacing the old achievement system
- Functions and the knowledge book for map makers
- The illusioner, added but never given a natural spawn
Properties
Minecraft 1.12 was released on June 7, 2017 as a major release. It added 2 mobs, 4 blocks and items the site documents, and 0 generated structures.
- New blocks and items
- 4
- New structures
- 0
New mobs
Parrot and Illusioner arrived in this release.
New blocks and items
White Concrete, White Concrete Powder, White Glazed Terracotta, and Observer were added, and each has its own page with the recipe, the drops and the break times.
Where it sits in the release line
1.12 sits 16 of 28 in the release list this site covers, with 1.13 after it and 1.11 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 1.13 | Update Aquatic | July 18, 2018 | Major release |
 | Minecraft 1.12 ← | World of Color Update | June 7, 2017 | Major release |
 | Minecraft 1.11 | Exploration Update | November 14, 2016 | Major release |
Guides and tools that cover this
Frequently asked questions
How do you make concrete?
Craft concrete powder from sand, gravel and a dye, place it, then let water touch it. The powder hardens into concrete in place; it cannot be crafted directly.
Why do glazed terracotta floors look different each time?
The pattern orientation follows the direction you were facing when you placed the block, so rotating placement produces four distinct looks from one block.
What happened to achievements?
They were replaced by advancements, a tree structure that data packs and map makers can extend with custom criteria and rewards.
What did Minecraft 1.12 add?
Concrete and concrete powder in all sixteen colours Glazed terracotta with sixteen distinct patterns Coloured beds
When was Minecraft 1.12 released?
Java Edition 1.12 was released on June 7, 2017. Bedrock dates for the same content often differ by days or weeks.