Minecraft is one of those things that is best described as a cultural phenomenon. Since it was first launched, the sandbox game has infiltrated virtually every available platform, spawned spin-offs, even been appropriated for use in an educational capacity. But it was only very recently that Mojang updated the game’s rather rudimentary combat system.

With version 1.9, players will no longer be able to protect themselves with a fusillade of clicks, but instead will need to consider cooldown delays. According to Kotaku, the faster you swing, the less damage you’ll inflict. Additionally, the update introduces shields, dual-wielding, and new weapon effects. Axes are now capable of “crushing” blows, while swords now have the capacity to deal “sweep” attacks. There are also new arrow types, new block varieties, a new critter, and an assortment of other changes. The challenge-starved can even re-summon the powerful Ender boss now, in order to reenact their battles over and over again. Check out the changelog for a full list of tweaks.

This is the first official update to significantly alter Minecraft’s combat system. (There are numerous fan mods that have done the same.) Previous versions were more concerned about introducing changes to the world and expanding the sandbox elements of the game.

Interestingly, 1.9 is also the first update since way back in September 2014, which comes as a welcome relief to fans who might have been concerned about Microsoft’s takeover of the company in the same year. It's also worth noting that it is only the PC version of Minecraft that has been upgraded to version 1.9; other versions, such as the Pocket Edition for various mobile platforms, may or may not get the same update at a later date.

It’s still relatively uncertain as to where where the mega-corporation intends to take the game, which secured creator Markus “Notch” Persson an almost unimaginable amount of fame and fortune. But virtual and augmented reality is definitely on the cards: last year, Microsoft invited Mojang’s Lydia Winters on stage during a pre-E3 press conference to show off a demo of Minecraft, which had been built specifically for the Hololens.