There’s been a lot of talk about the ‘caves’ side of the Minecraft 1.17 update, but not a ton about the ‘cliffs’ and their newest Minecraft mob – goats. We get it. Minecraft axolotls are the best underwater companions and are potentially game changing. The Minecraft Warden on the other hand is a new terrifying monster that is completely blind, but packs a punch. But won’t someone think of Minecraft’s goats?
Yes, goats are in Minecraft. Finally! There are many types of goats in the real world, from the ibex that can somehow walk on steep inclines, to the rather tragic fainting goat. The Minecraft goats are based on the Rocky Mountain goat (or Oreamnos americanus), and are well suited to both alpine and subalpine conditions. They are also not technically goats. Instead, they are more closely related to antelopes, the square-shaped fakers.
Oh well, whatever the inspiration, they’re we have and they at least seem to act like the woolly beasts of the mountain tops we know and love. Here is everything you need to know about Minecraft goats.
Where to find goats in Minecraft
Goats in Minecraft are found on top of high surfaces at a light level of seven or higher, such as cliffs. It doesn’t seem to matter too much if the cliffs are covered in snow or grass, but they do seem to roam around more during the daytime.
If you’re really lucky, you can also encounter screaming goats. The only difference between them and regular goats is their bleats, so you’ll have to listen closely to find them.
What Do Minecraft goats DO?
As we mentioned before, they’re based on the Rocky Mountain goat – an antelope masquerading as a goat for coolness sake. It’s pretty hard to simulate their distinctive trait: being able to climb high and balance on steep surfaces.
So instead, goats in Minecraft can jump two blocks high rather than the standard one block. They can clear small gaps with ease and look majestic when they do so. When encountered with a hole in the ground or blocks of powder snow, they can jump up to ten blocks high into the air.
They have ten health points (five full hearts) and can attack for around seven damage (three and a half hearts).
Generally goats seem quite passive, and as CaptainSparklez discovered during the 1.17 beta snapshots, they won’t attack you if you hit them first. Instead, they’ll randomly decide you need to be yeeted off a ledge and ram into you with full force. Even if they do get a little angry for no reason, they’re more likely to target enemies to protect you. If the goat is attacked, it will run away from its attacker.
How to get the Goat Horn?
The Minecraft 1.17 update also adds a new item called the goat horn. You can get up to a maximum of two goat horns when the goat rams into blocks, though they drop one at a time. The easiest way to acquire a goat horn is to gather several goats in one area and have them charge at you. Once a charging goat hits a block, their horn should break off.
When you use a goat horn, you’ll make a noise as if you’re blowing through the horn to sound an alarm. It’s the same sound that’s heard during raids against Minecraft villages. What does this noise do? There’s some speculation that suggests the goat horn may be used in a future easter egg, but as of right now, the horn only makes the raid noise.
What do Minecraft Goats eat?
In the real world, goats were one of the first animals to be domesticated for their grass eating, milk producing udders and tasty meat. You can use wheat to get them to follow you and feeding them the wheat puts them in love mode for breeding. You can also produce milk by using an empty bucket on them, kill them for raw mutton, or cooked mutton if the goat was on fire, but who would do such a horrible thing?
Their ill-tempered nature does make it impossible to ride them, unlike Minecraft’s horses, so they’re probably the more valuable pet.
Still, there’s plenty more to learn about what’s already in Minecraft via the Caves & Cliffs update and what’s to come, and we’re not just talking about the new mobs. From copper ore, to the Lush Caves, there is something for everyone, with more on the way when the Minecraft 1.18 update release date finally drops.