Overview
Two things arrived in 1.3.1 that the game has never operated without since. The first is the emerald economy: villagers gained the ability to trade, emerald ore was seeded into mountain biomes, and the emerald became a currency rather than a gem. Every trading hall, every librarian reroll and every discount chain a modern player builds descends from that single decision, even though the profession and levelling system did not arrive until 1.14. The second is the Ender Chest, which gives you one inventory shared across every ender chest you ever place, in any dimension, at any distance. That solved the mining-outpost problem outright — carry the eye of ender and a couple of obsidian, place a chest at the bottom of a branch mine, and your ore is at home. Desert and jungle pyramids were added in the same release as the first two loot temples, and tripwire hooks came with them. Underneath, singleplayer was rebuilt on an internal server so both modes ran the same code, which is what made open-to-LAN possible and shaped every multiplayer feature since.
Villager trading with emeralds as currency, emerald ore in mountains, ender chests as a shared inventory across any distance, desert and jungle pyramids as the first loot temples, cocoa beans on jungle logs, and open-to-LAN multiplayer.
This release introduced the trading economy that villagers still run on, alongside the first two loot temples. Ender chests gave players a shared inventory across any distance, which changed how bases and mining outposts were organised. Technically it merged singleplayer and multiplayer onto the same code path, an internal change that made open-to-LAN possible and shaped everything that followed.
How to get it
Java Edition 1.3.1 was released on 1 August 2012, the first stable build after the Adventure Update. It merged singleplayer and multiplayer onto 1 code path, which is why every world since has effectively been a server you are connected to.
Tips
- An ender chest's contents are per player and shared across every ender chest in the world, including 1 in the Nether.
- Breaking an ender chest without Silk Touch returns 8 obsidian, so the eye of ender is the only part you truly risk.
- Emerald ore generates as single blocks rather than veins, so a strip mine in a mountain biome finds one at a time.
- Bookshelves around an enchanting table were tuned here, which is why 15 shelves became the number everyone quotes.
Version notes
Released 1 August 2012. Added villager trading, emerald ore, desert and jungle pyramids, ender chests, tripwire hooks, cocoa beans and books and quills, and merged singleplayer onto an internal server.
What it added
- Villager trading with emeralds as currency
- Emerald ore in mountain biomes
- Desert pyramids and jungle pyramids
- Ender chests, sharing one inventory across every ender chest you place
- Tripwire hooks and string tripwires
- Cocoa beans growing on jungle logs
- Books and quills, and bookshelf-based enchantment tuning
- Singleplayer rebuilt on an internal server, enabling LAN play
Properties
Minecraft 1.3.1 was released on August 1, 2012 as a major release. It added 0 mobs, 5 blocks and items the site documents, and 2 generated structures.
- New blocks and items
- 5
- New structures
- 2
New blocks and items
Ender Chest, Emerald Ore, Block of Emerald, Tripwire Hook, and Cocoa were added, and each has its own page with the recipe, the drops and the break times.
New structures
Desert Pyramid and Jungle Pyramid first generated in 1.3.1.
- Desert Pyramid — A sandstone temple with an orange-and-blue terracotta motif on its floor, always with a hidden shaft under the centre tile.
- Jungle Pyramid — A mossy cobblestone temple buried in jungle canopy, and the only structure in the game built around an actual redstone puzzle.
Where it sits in the release line
1.3.1 sits 25 of 28 in the release list this site covers, with 1.4.2 after it and 1.2.1 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 1.4.2 | Pretty Scary Update | October 25, 2012 | Major release |
 | Minecraft 1.3.1 ← | Adventure Update follow-up | August 1, 2012 | Major release |
 | Minecraft 1.2.1 | Jungle Update | March 1, 2012 | Major release |
Guides and tools that cover this
Frequently asked questions
How does an ender chest work?
Every ender chest opens the same 27-slot inventory for the player using it, and that inventory is per player. Two players at the same chest see entirely different contents.
When did villager trading start?
In 1.3.1, with emeralds as the currency. Professions tied to job site blocks, levelling and trade rerolling came much later, in 1.14.
What changed about singleplayer in this release?
It was rebuilt on an internal server, so singleplayer and multiplayer run the same code. That is what made opening a world to LAN possible.
What did Minecraft 1.3.1 add?
Villager trading with emeralds as currency Emerald ore in mountain biomes Desert pyramids and jungle pyramids
When was Minecraft 1.3.1 released?
Java Edition 1.3.1 was released on August 1, 2012. Bedrock dates for the same content often differ by days or weeks.