Minecraft: Bedrock Edition 1.21.60, documented by Mojang on 11 February 2025, added a dedicated Drop 1 2025 experimental toggle for trying features still in development. The testable gameplay changes included Warm and Cold Pig variants, falling-leaf particles for most leaf blocks, and a revised Lodestone recipe with new Ruined Portal loot. The update also changed world generation, spawning, Windows profanity filtering, and the Play Screen, while creator tools followed a separate track that did not require experiments.
This is a release-specific explanation. Microsoft warns that experiment names and availability vary between retail, Beta, and Preview builds, so the same toggle should not be assumed to exist in current Minecraft versions.
What did Minecraft Bedrock 1.21.60 make available for testing?
The 1.21.60 Bedrock changelog presented the first 2025 game-drop experiments as a group. Its instruction was: “Just enable the Drop 1 2025 experimental toggle to test these out!” In that changelog, the toggle was the route to three prominent gameplay changes:
- Warm and Cold Pig variants with different textures and geometry.
- Falling-leaf particles for a broad set of leaf blocks.
- A new Lodestone crafting recipe and Lodestone loot in Ruined Portals.
These were development features rather than a guarantee of the final content in every later build. Mojang’s notes also listed ordinary release changes and separate creator updates, so it is important to distinguish what required the experimental switch from what did not.
How do I test the Drop 1 2025 features?
Use a disposable copy of a world and inspect the Experiments menu in the exact Bedrock build you are running. The 1.21.60 notes identify the Drop 1 2025 experimental toggle, but Microsoft says toggle choices differ between retail and Preview versions and can change frequently.
- Start Minecraft Bedrock 1.21.60 or the specific compatible Preview/Beta build you intend to test.
- From the world-creation screen, open Experiments before creating a world. When editing an existing world, open its world settings and then the same Experiments area.
- Look for the option labeled Drop 1 2025 or Drop 1 2025 experimental toggle. If it is not listed, your build does not expose that historical option.
- Enable the toggle, accept the warning, and create a new test world. For an existing world, use the copy Minecraft offers and, preferably, make an additional manual copy first.
- Enter the world and check the relevant biome, leaves, or crafting station to verify the behavior. Keep the test world separate from any long-term survival save.
Do not infer that a missing option means the update is broken. Experimental controls are build-dependent, and a retail release can expose a different set from Preview. Conversely, seeing a similarly named control in a newer version does not prove it has the same implementation as 1.21.60.
What are the new Warm and Cold Pig variants?
Warm and Cold Pigs are biome-selected forms of the normal pig. Each has its own texture and geometry, but neither has a separate spawn egg. The biome where a pig appears determines which variant you see.
| Variant | Biomes listed in the 1.21.60 changelog | How to obtain it |
|---|---|---|
| Cold Pig | Old Growth Pine Taiga; Old Growth Spruce Taiga; Taiga; Snowy Taiga; Windswept Hills; Windswept Gravelly Hills; Windswept Forest | Find or breed pigs in one of the listed cold biomes; there is no dedicated spawn egg. |
| Warm Pig | Savanna; Savanna Plateau; Windswept Savanna; Jungle; Sparse Jungle; Bamboo Jungle; Eroded Badlands; Wooded Badlands; Badlands | Find or breed pigs in one of the listed warm biomes; the biome controls the appearance. |
| Existing pig appearance | Forest; Flower Forest; Birch Forest; Old Growth Birch Forest; Dark Forest; Swamp | These temperate biomes retain the same pig form as before this change. |
The biome list matters when transporting animals. Moving a pig to a pen does not provide a manual variant selector or a new egg type. If you want to observe both new forms, build or visit test areas in the corresponding warm and cold biomes rather than expecting a menu choice.
Which leaf blocks emit falling particles?
In the experimental change, falling-leaf particles were added to nine leaf types: Oak, Jungle, Acacia, Dark Oak, Spruce, Mangrove, Birch, Azalea, and Flowering Azalea Leaves. Cherry Leaves and Pale Oak Leaves already emitted falling particles, so their behavior remained unchanged.
| Category | Leaf blocks | 1.21.60 status |
|---|---|---|
| Newly covered | Oak, Jungle, Acacia, Dark Oak, Spruce, Mangrove, Birch, Azalea, Flowering Azalea | Gain falling-leaf particles when the experimental feature is active. |
| Already supported | Cherry, Pale Oak | Already had falling particles; no new behavior was described. |
This is a visual effect rather than a new item or block drop. To check it, place the relevant leaves in a quiet test area and watch the canopy over time; compare a newly covered leaf type with Cherry or Pale Oak if you need a control.
What changed about Lodestones?
The experimental Lodestone update changes both acquisition routes and crafting. The new recipe is one Iron Ingot surrounded by eight Chiseled Stone Blocks. In a crafting grid, that means the Iron Ingot occupies the center and every other slot contains a Chiseled Stone Block.
The recipe unlocks when a player obtains an Iron Ingot or a Lodestone. Lodestones also become loot in Ruined Portals located in either the Overworld or the Nether, giving explorers a chance to find one without crafting it.
- Recipe: 1 Iron Ingot plus 8 Chiseled Stone Blocks.
- Recipe unlock trigger: obtaining an Iron Ingot or Lodestone.
- Structure loot: Ruined Portals in the Overworld or Nether.
If the recipe does not appear while testing, confirm that the experiment is enabled and that the recipe book has received the unlock trigger. Finding a Lodestone in portal loot is an alternative way to verify the change without relying on the crafting interface.
What other player-facing changes arrived in the 1.21.60 notes?
How did Pale Gardens and Woodland Mansions change?
Pale Gardens generate more frequently and are larger overall in the 1.21.60 changes. Woodland Mansions can also generate in Pale Gardens, creating a new combination of structures and terrain to look for while exploring.
What happened to world spawning?
The update includes an improved world spawn point algorithm. The changelog does not present a single universal spawn coordinate; the practical effect is that newly generated worlds use revised logic when selecting the initial player location.
What is the Windows Filter Profanity setting?
Windows Bedrock received a Filter Profanity setting that is enabled by default. Child accounts and players who are not signed in cannot change it, so the control’s availability depends on account status rather than only on the world’s settings.
What is new on the Play Screen?
A new Play Screen organizes Worlds, Realms, Servers, template creation, and Friends areas. Rollout was incremental across platforms and excluded Nintendo Switch from that rollout description, meaning players could see the interface at different times depending on platform.
Was the Pause Feature part of the same experiment?
No. The 1.21.60 changelog says the Pause Feature was available only in Beta and Preview “for the time being.” Treat that as a separate availability note, not as one of the features enabled by the Drop 1 2025 experimental toggle.
Which 1.21.60 features did not require experimental toggles?
Microsoft’s creator notes state that the listed creator features did not require experimental toggles. They are separate from the gameplay experiments above.
| Area | Availability and examples |
|---|---|
| Editor | Editor v0.8.5, called “The Sculpting Update,” was available on stable builds through the Minecraft Launcher on Windows PC. Named additions included Workbench, Roughen Brush, night vision, Action Bar updates, and fly-speed and compass updates. |
| Creator APIs and rendering | Input detection APIs, block-item and rendering improvements, liquid detection, and Focus Target camera functionality moved to stable according to the creator notes. |
| Gameplay experiments | Warm and Cold Pigs, falling-leaf particles, and Lodestone changes were presented under the Drop 1 2025 experimental toggle in the 1.21.60 changelog. |
If you are evaluating an add-on or an editor workflow, do not enable a gameplay experiment merely because the creator notes mention the same release. The two lists describe different feature tracks.
Can experimental features damage or lock a Bedrock world?
Yes. Microsoft warns that a world using experimental features may crash, break, or fail to work with future updates. A world that has used experimental features cannot be restored to a non-experimental state, so the safest approach is to preserve an untouched copy and perform testing elsewhere.
- Use a newly created test world whenever possible.
- When enabling experiments on an existing world, keep the automatic copy and make a manual backup as well.
- Do not open the only copy of an important survival world with an experimental toggle.
- Expect future updates to change, remove, or replace the control and its behavior.
- If the test world becomes unstable, stop using it rather than attempting to convert it back into a normal, non-experimental world.
These precautions are especially important when moving between retail and Preview installations. The toggle list and warning behavior can differ by build, and a world created under one version may not behave identically after an update.
How should I compare the experimental toggle with creator features?
Use three checks: the build’s available toggle list, the world-safety consequences, and whether your goal is gameplay observation or content creation.
- Check the build: Confirm that the version actually lists Drop 1 2025 under Experiments. Do not rely on a screenshot or an older menu from another platform.
- Check the world: Use a copy because experimental worlds can break and cannot be returned to a non-experimental state.
- Check the purpose: Use the toggle to inspect pig variants, leaf particles, or Lodestone behavior; use the stable creator tools and APIs for the editor and development features identified in the creator notes.
This separation prevents a common testing mistake: treating every 1.21.60 note as though it belonged to one switch. The changelog grouped experimental gameplay under Drop 1 2025, while creator documentation explicitly described its listed tools as not requiring experiments.
What should players remember about Bedrock 1.21.60?
Bedrock 1.21.60’s 11 February 2025 changelog made the Drop 1 2025 experimental toggle the historical gateway to Warm and Cold Pigs, expanded falling-leaf particles, and revised Lodestone acquisition. The same release notes included world-generation, interface, account-setting, and platform-rollout changes, but those should be tested according to their own availability rules. Because Microsoft changes experiment menus by build and warns about permanent world-state consequences, a copied test world is essential.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do Warm and Cold Pigs have separate spawn eggs?
No. The 1.21.60 change gives the variants unique textures and geometry but does not add separate spawn eggs. Their appearance is selected by the biome in which they spawn.
Can I turn off experiments and keep the same world as a normal save?
Microsoft says worlds that use experimental features cannot be restored to a non-experimental state. Test on a separate copy instead of planning to convert the world later.
Why is the Drop 1 2025 toggle missing from my Bedrock menu?
Experimental options vary by build, platform, and whether you are using retail or Preview. A newer version may rename, remove, or replace the historical 1.21.60 option.
Does the new Lodestone recipe work without enabling experiments?
The revised recipe and Ruined Portal loot were listed among the Drop 1 2025 experimental gameplay changes. In a build where that experiment is unavailable or disabled, you should not expect the 1.21.60 behavior.