Minecraft Java 26.3 Snapshot 2: Order-Independent Transparency & More
What Changed
The second snapshot in the 26.3 cycle lands with a headline graphics upgrade and a handful of meaningful gameplay tweaks.
- Order-Independent Transparency (OIT): The old "Improved Transparency" video setting has been rebuilt from the ground up. The new algorithm lets the game draw translucent surfaces, water, glass, stained glass, particles, and more, in any order without needing to sort them first. That kills the most common glitch where objects would vanish or look wrong when seen through transparent blocks. There is a small trade-off: cloud colours can look slightly off when viewed through many layers of glass, and performance cost is a touch higher than before. When the setting is turned off, nothing changes from previous behaviour.
- Persistent mob optimisation: Mobs that are marked as "persistent" (ones that won't despawn naturally, such as named mobs or those you've interacted with) used to keep running their random walk and swim behaviours even when no player was anywhere near them. Now they go idle just like regular mobs do, saving server resources.
- Shield + tool priority fix: Holding a Shield alongside a Hoe or Shovel? Raising the Shield now always takes priority over tilling soil or flattening a path. No more accidental dirt-tilling mid-combat.
- Drowned melee range tweak: Drowned carrying Tridents will switch to a melee attack whenever a player comes within three blocks, making close-quarters underwater encounters more dangerous.
- New
minecraft:block_transformerdata component: A powerful addition for data-pack creators. Items can now define exactly how they transform blocks on interaction, covering sounds, particles, loot drops, face restrictions, and even double-chest-aware copper waxing logic. - World-generation refinements: The basalt column and basalt pillar feature types have been renamed and vastly expanded with new block providers, replacement predicates, and cluster controls. Cave Air is no longer generated inside Nether caves.
- White-list now on by default: New servers launched from fresh properties files will have
white-list=trueset automatically, a welcome security default. - Pack versions bumped: Data Pack version is now 109.0; Resource Pack version is now 90.0.
Why It Matters
The OIT renderer is the biggest quality-of-life visual change Java Edition has seen in some time. Anyone who has ever watched a beautiful underwater build look broken through layers of glass, or seen nether portals eat the scenery behind them, will feel the difference immediately. The persistent-mob idle fix is quieter news but has a real impact on server tick rates, particularly in worlds where players have named or tamed lots of creatures far from spawn.
The block_transformer component is a significant data-pack tool, consolidating what previously required multiple scattered mechanics (axe stripping, hoe tilling, scraping copper, waxing) into a single, flexible, configurable system.
Java and Bedrock
This is a Java Edition snapshot only. Bedrock Edition players and server owners are unaffected by these specific changes. Bedrock has its own separate rendering pipeline and update schedule, so none of the OIT work or data-component additions cross over.
For Server Owners
Two items deserve immediate attention if you're running a Java server:
- White-list default change: If you ever regenerate or reset your
server.propertiesfile on a server running a build based on this snapshot or later, the whitelist will be on by default. That's good security hygiene, but make sure you don't accidentally lock out your players after a fresh setup. - Pack version bumps (109.0 / 90.0): Any custom data packs or resource packs you maintain will need their
pack_metaversion numbers updated to stay compatible. Test in a staging environment before rolling changes to a live world. - Persistent mob optimisation: If you run heavily populated survival worlds with many named or tamed mobs spread across large areas, this change should gently reduce background tick load, a free performance improvement.
- Basalt feature renames: Data packs that reference
minecraft:basalt_columnsorminecraft:basalt_pillarworld-generation feature types will break. Update references tominecraft:stepped_column_clusterandminecraft:single_block_pillarrespectively.
For Parents
If your child plays on a Java Edition server and mentions that water or glass "looks weird" or that things disappear behind transparent surfaces, this snapshot directly addresses those frustrations. The new transparency renderer is a genuine visual improvement. It is still a snapshot, meaning it's a work-in-progress test version, not a finished release, so keep that in mind before letting younger players switch to it on their own. Snapshots can have bugs (there are already two known issues noted: a pink screen on Mac with Vulkan, and incorrect entity lighting), so sticking to the stable release is always the safer choice for everyday play.
For Players
Here's what this snapshot means for your adventures:
- Clearer glass and water: Turn on "Improved Transparency" in your Video Settings and enjoy properly rendered stained glass windows, underwater scenes, and portal views without objects vanishing or flickering.
- Sneakier Drowned: Watch your feet when fighting Trident-carrying Drowned underwater, get too close and they'll switch from throwing to stabbing.
- Shield safety: Raising your Shield while holding a Hoe or Shovel now works reliably, so you won't accidentally redecorate the ground during a fight.
Remember: snapshots aren't the full game release. Save your important worlds under the stable version before experimenting!
Do SNT Kingdoms Need an Update?
No action is needed, and SNT kingdoms cannot run this snapshot yet. Our kingdoms run on Paper 1.21.11 backends with a Fabric 1.21.4 world for SharedLife, all sitting behind a Velocity proxy with ViaVersion/ViaBackwards/ViaRewind for broad client compatibility (1.13 through 1.21.11). Mojang's new year-based versioning scheme, which 26.x is part of, has not yet been adopted by PaperMC, Velocity, or the Via ecosystem, so 26.x clients cannot connect to SNT kingdoms at this time.
The OIT renderer and graphics improvements are entirely client-side, so they don't touch your kingdom's worlds or player data regardless. The pack-version bumps (109.0 / 90.0) and world-generation feature renames are only relevant once a server platform officially supports 26.x builds. We're watching the PaperMC and Velocity roadmaps closely and will let you know the moment an upgrade path is ready. Until then, your kingdom keeps running smoothly on the current stable stack, no disruption, no action required.