Whether you’re discouraged about having yet another streaming service to subscribe to, or you’re looking forward to having all your favorite Marvel, Star Wars, and Disney Animated features in one place, there’s one thing for sure; the House of Mouse is not messing around with putting out a ton of content for its new Disney Plus streaming service, and making that content exclusive.

Marvel Studios head Kevin Feige, and Disney CEO Bob Iger have been opening up a lot in the past year about the future of Disney Plus, and specifically how it relates to the MCU. Expect to see fan-favorite characters like Loki, Falcon, Bucky Barnes, and even Lady Sif get their own series, while future Marvel Studios pictures go directly to the service. We couldn’t be more excited to see how the “long form” of televised storytelling adds to the richness the MCU has already created. Here’s what we know so far!C

11 CAPTAIN MARVEL WILL BE THE FIRST EXCLUSIVE MARVEL FILM AVAILABLE

Brie Larson has been declared the next “billion dollar” Marvel star, and her new film Captain Marvel is set to smash box office records when it hits theaters on March 8th. It doesn’t even need to make the 400 million dollars domestically that Wonder Woman did to be considered a great success; it has another ace up its sleeve.

Captain Marvel will be the first Marvel Studios film to exclusively premiere on Disney Plus, which means anyone that doesn’t want to subscribe to the service in 2019 will just have to hurry off to the theater to see it.

10 AVENGERS: ENDGAME WILL GO DIRECTLY TO DISNEY PLUS

After Captain Marvel debuts in March, Avengers: Endgame will hit theaters in late April, effectively concluding the incredible conflict between the Avengers and the Mad Titan Thanos that had been building to its climactic final showdown for years.

Avengers: Endgame will see the end of many of the story arcs for favorite Marvel characters while launching opportunities for stories including several new heroes. It will be the next Marvel Studios title to exclusively be distributed through Disney Plus, bypassing the big trio of streaming services (Netflix, Hulu, and Amazon Prime) completely.

9 LOKI GETS HIS OWN LIMITED SERIES

One of the most anticipated series being talked about in connection to Disney Plus is the as yet untitled Loki spin-off. It will star fan favorite Tom Hiddleston in the role of the prankster god of Asgard and half-brother to the God of Thunder and Avenger, Thor.

Given Loki’s fate at the end of Avengers: Infinity War, it’s unclear exactly when the series will take place, and it may end up being a prequel. What is known, is that it will be a limited series of 6-8 episodes and a chance for fans who thought Loki didn’t have enough screen time to watch him cause even more chaos.

8 SCARLET WITCH AND VISION GET THEIR OWN LIMITED SERIES

Along with the hype surrounding the Loki series, there’s been considerable interest in the Scarlet Witch and Vision series rumored to also be in development. Fans of both characters liked watching their connection grow in the Avengers movies, but felt that they didn’t get nearly enough screen time.

There’s no information on when the series will be set, or if it will feature familiar characters from their past (Magneto), but we do know that both Elizabeth Olsen and Paul Bettany will return to reprise their roles. It will also be a mini-series, of 6-8 episodes.

7 THE WINTER SOLDIER AND FALCON GET THEIR OWN SHOW

Much praise has been heaped on Falcon and Bucky Barnes (the Winter Soldier) for being second-tier Marvel characters that managed to leave a big impression. It also helps that Anthony Mackie and Sebastian Stan have a fun camaraderie both on and off the silver screen.

We have no release date, but we do know that it will be written by Malcolm Spellman, and consist of 6-8 episodes. Considering both Falcon and Bucky turned to dust at the end of Avengers: Infinity War, it’s unclear when it will take place, but based on interviews with both Stan and Mackie, they’re interested in it having a “buddy cop” vibe.

6 LADY SIF GETS HER OWN SERIES

Lady Sif, Marvel’s favorite shield-maiden and battle buddy of Thor’s, had been conspicuously absent from Marvel films following Thor: The Dark World. Marvel Studios head Kevin Feige cited scheduling conflicts as to why Jaimie Alexander didn’t appear in Thor: Ragnarok, but she’s apparently ready and willing to return as Lady Sif for Disney Plus.

Aside from Kevin Feige producing the series, no writers have been named, and it’s unclear in what time period it will take place. If it takes place during Thor: Ragnarok, perhaps it will create an intriguing in-universe reason why Lady Sif wasn’t present, or what her fate was in Avengers: Infinity War.

5 IT WILL HAVE EVERY PREVIOUS MARVEL STUDIOS RELEASE AVAILABLE

It probably comes as no surprise, but Disney will be pulling its collective Marvel Studios releases from their homes on other streaming services to be offered exclusively on Disney Plus. While some properties like Star Wars live-action films may live on due to licensing agreements for the next few years, Marvel television shows and films will only be found on Disney Plus.

This accounts for why fan-favorite Marvel series like Daredevil, Luke Cage, and to a lesser extent Iron Fist were unceremoniously canceled on Netflix. The contract for their collective licenses ran out with Netflix, and it didn’t want to produce what Disney would solely profit from.

4 THERE PROBABLY WON’T BE A DEADPOOL SERIES

In one of the largest mergers in recent times, Disney acquired Twentieth Century Fox and with it, a lot of hot intellectual properties. Aliens, Predator, and the X-Men characters are now all fair game for Disney Plus to make into series, as well as one very special superhero: Deadpool.

While it’s entirely possible Disney will choose to launch a Deadpool series, they have to be careful with the material they work with. Bob Iger has been firm that there won’t be anything R-Rated on the streaming service, which basically takes all the fun out of anything Deadpool related.

3 THERE WILL BE A POSSIBLE X-MEN SERIES

Until recently, Marvel Studios had to tread lightly with the entire X-Men catalog, especially since it was owned by Twentieth Century Fox. Use of the word “mutant” wasn’t happening, so strategic nomenclature was put in place (Scarlet Witch isn’t a mutant, she’s an “Inhuman”).

Now that Disney has acquired Fox, however, things may change for the better. The X-Men may get to be involved with the main plots of the big Marvel Studio films, instead of appearing isolated from the monumental goings-on in the rest of the MCU like they have been.

2 DAREDEVIL, LUKE CAGE, AND IRON FIST PROBABLY WON’T RETURN

Fans were surprised when popular Marvel shows like Daredevil, Luke Cage, and Iron Fist were canceled abruptly and without any quantifiable reason. They then came to find out that Disney itself was giving up $300 million in annual licensing fees to house its IP’s on Netflix by moving them over to Disney Plus.

With that being said, don’t expect your favorite Marvel shows to come back right away; Bob Iger, Disney CEO has stated that the content for the streaming service will be very family friendly, and their more mature themes may not make the cut.

1 IT WILL FOCUS ON SECONDARY CHARACTERS

One of the biggest complaints from Marvel fans is that many of the characters they like in the MCU don’t get enough screen time, with their backstories often abbreviated or entirely written out in favor of propping up more important characters. These are characters that would never even be considered for their own stand-alone film, despite having large followings among fans of their comic books.

Disney+ has heard these complaints and plans to devote the majority of its Marvel films and television series produced exclusively for the service to these second-tier characters. It’s time for Iron Man and Captain America to play second fiddle for once.

The CW Network certainly knows their stuff when it comes to entertaining content: dramas, comedies, mysteries, teen favorites, they’ve got it all! Despite many of the shows going on hiatus during the winter months, we’re happy to share that your most loved CW shows are coming back, and pretty soon, too.

Whether you’ve been able to wait for them to pop up back on your screens or not, the time has come. Here are the top CW shows returning this 2019.

10 ROSWELL, NEW MEXICO

Roswell, New Mexico is CW’s newest 2019 addition and has instantly become a fan favorite. The show follows the main character, Liz Ortecho, played by actress Jeanine Mason, and her return back to her hometown of Roswell, New Mexico.

The show first aired last month and tells the tale of Liz discovering her teenage crush is really an alien who has kept his extraterrestrial abilities at bay. However, when there is a violent attack on Earth, things start to get very interesting. If you’re into sci-fi and mystery style television shows, then this is the perfect fit for you.

9 BLACK LIGHTNING

Black Lightning is yet another CW show that has become quite the television hot topic. The show first made its way to the CW back in 2018, and luckily for us, it was just renewed for a third season on January 31, 2019. The show follows a high school principal, Jefferson Pierce, and his past as a superhero named Black Lightning.

Although Pierce has since retired from fighting crime, he is forced to throw his suit back on when a local gang known as the 100, starts causing havoc throughout the city of Freeland. It goes without saying that this superhero show is definitely one to keep your eye on.

8 ARROW

CW’s Arrow has been around since 2012 and has easily earned its spot on this list. The show has officially been renewed for an eighth season this past month and will continue to air its phenomenal episodes each week starting this spring. The show follows the main character Oliver Queen, who is a billionaire turn vigilante who finds himself in far too many predicaments.

The show not only features Green Arrow, but has seen several DC Comicscharacters throughout its time on television, and it’s expected that there are even more to come.

7 DC’S LEGENDS OF TOMORROW

DC’s Legends of Tomorrow, or simply Legends of Tomorrow is a spin-off CW show features characters introduced from other shows including Arrow and The Flash. The series itself is based on DC Comics and was officially renewed for a fifth season last month.

The popular show, which is set in the Arrowverse, illustrates the lives of characters Firestorm, Atom, Rip Hunter and so many more. Viewers can expect the show to return this upcoming spring, and considering the action and excitement the show has provided in past season, fans can expect even more to come.

6 RIVERDALE

Riverdale is probably one of the most popular shows amongst teenagers right now. Not only does the show appear on the CW network, but it is also available on Netflix. The show is based on the famous Archie Comics, with a very dramatic and cinematic twist to it.

Viewers can tune in to watch Archie, Betty, Veronica, and Jughead take on the unfortunate events that seem to continuously find their way to the town of Riverdale. Not only does the storyline keep you invested, but the diverse and relatable cast keep audience members engaged, making their renewal for a fourth season coming this spring, totally understandable.

5 IN THE DARK

In The Dark is the CW’s newest addition. Despite it not having even made its way to television just yet, it is one of the CW’s most highly anticipated shows of 2019. Set to his television screens across North America on April 4, 2019, In The Dark follows the life of a 20-year-old blind woman who finds the corpse of her best friend.

The series follows the main character, Murphy, in her quest to find out just what happened to her friend, Tyson. Although she may be blind, Murphy is not letting that stop her from seeking revenge on her friend’s death. Definitely set your PVRs for this one, because it’s bound to be a whirlwind drama series.

4 THE 100

The 100 has easily become one of the most watched and loved shows on The CW. If you are into post-apocalyptic fiction, then this is the show for you. The 100 follows a group of people who land on Earth from a space habitat known as “the Ark” after a nuclear apocalypse takes out the entire planet.

The series is based on the novel The 100, with added in twists and turns that keep audience members wanting more. Luckily for fans of the show, the CW smash hit will be returning for its sixth season on April 30, 2018, so you better mark your calendars.

3 IZOMBIE

iZombie will scratch any zombie itch you may have. This CW show follows the life of main character and medical school resident, Olivia Moore, who is turned into a zombie on a boat party one night. The series follows her incessant cravings, that leads her to abandon her career, family, and friends, and take on a position at the morgue where she feeds on the brains of those she autopsies.

Her secret doesn’t last long, and it just so happens that those she feeds on become a part of who she is. If that doesn’t sound compelling enough, we aren’t sure what will. iZombie has become a CW sensation and has just been renewed for their fifth and final season airing May 2, 2019.

2 SUPERNATURAL

Supernatural is probably one of the longest running shows on the CW. If the title doesn’t already give it away, the show follows supernatural phenomenons witnessed by demon-hunting brothers Sam and Dean Winchester and the countless adventures they go on.

From demons, ghosts, monsters, to other supernatural beings, there is certainly never a dull moment in the Winchesters’ lives, making for quite the roller coaster ride of a show. Supernatural is currently in their fourteenth season, and on January 30, 2019, the CW announced that the show would be renewed for a fifteenth.

1 JANE THE VIRGIN

Jane The Virgin, stars lead actress Gina Rodriguez who plays Jane Villanueva. The premise of the show is quite simple, Jane is a virgin, yet becomes pregnant. Despite the straight forward storyline, Jane The Virgin has become the CW’s most loved show with ratings you wouldn’t believe.

The series, which is currently in its fourth season, follows the life of Jane and her son and the constant ups and downs the two go through. Viewers can expect to be taken on a trip of emotions when watching the show, which is what makes it such a phenomenal television program. With that being said, fans can expect the fifth and unfortunately final season to air on March 27, 2019.

Another era of Batman has come to an end. With Matt Reeves’ The Batmanbeginning to ramp up its production, it was finally confirmed that Ben Affleck would not continue in the role of the Dark Knight. After appearing as Batman in Batman V Superman, Suicide Squad, and Justice League, he will pass the cape on to a new actor.

The general consensus about Affleck in the role was that he was a pretty good Batman in some pretty bad Batman films. As a result, Affleck leaves us with some memories, both good and bad, of his time as the Caped Crusader. Check out Batfleck’s best and worst moments!

10 BEST: WITNESSING SUPERMAN

For all its faults, Batman V Superman started the movie off in a brilliant way. The film opens with the battle between Superman and Zod at the end of Man of Steel. But this time we see it from Bruce Wayne’s point-of-view on the ground. The destruction is frightening and immediately makes you understand why the world would be afraid of these aliens.

The sequence also helps establish Affleck’s Bruce Wayne as fearless and heroic. As Metropolis falls around him and its citizens flee, he charges directly into the destruction. It’s the kind of moment that gives you goosebumps.

9 WORST: HIS ORIGIN

Some origin stories don’t need to be retold. Everyone knows Bruce Wayne’s tragic past, but we got to see it yet again in Batman V Superman. However, one small change to the well-worn tale changed things for the worse.

We see the mugger approach Bruce and his parents with a gun. Then, we see Thomas Wayne take a swing at the gunman, which gets him and his wife killed. It’s a small moment but helps encapsulate what’s wrong with this take on Batman. It suggests that violence and being a hero are the same thing, which is why Affleck’s Batman was sometimes hard to cheer for.

8 BEST: PEP TALK

Affleck had a tall order to fill when it came to the Justice League. He needed to convincingly show why a man dressed as a bat should be the leader of these god-like beings as they attempt to save the world. One scene between him and Flash achieves this.

As they prepare to do battle with Steppenwolf, Flash voices his concerns about whether he really belongs in this group of heroes. Batman’s response is simple: save one person, then you’ll know if you’re a hero. Short as it is, it’s one of those great inspirational speeches that gets your heart pumping.

7 WORST: MURDER

Snyder seems to have some fascination with pushing his heroes to their deadliest potential. The death of Zod in Man of Steel is still a controversial moment. And he certainly didn’t let up at all when it came to Batman in Batman V Superman.

Quite unlike the strict code that Christian Bale’s Batman lived by, Affleck’s Batman has no problem killing bad guys. We see him shoot, bludgeon and burn baddies without batting an eye. Sure, this is a more cynical Batman, but the cold-blooded nature leaves a bad taste in the mouth.

6 BEST: RELATIONSHIP WITH ALFRED

The one relationship that Batman has always had is with his trustee right-hand man, Alfred. While it is not a huge part of the Affleck films, the interplay between him and Jeremy Irons as Alfred is a highlight of each of the films.

We get the sense that these two men have been doing this together for a long time and both might be getting a little tired. They aren’t afraid to voice differences with each other. And the banter between them offers some much-needed comedic relief. It’s a shame we won’t see more of these two together.

5 WORST: WONDER WOMAN ROMANCE

Wonder Woman and Batman have a long history in the comics. Affleck had good chemistry with Gal Gadot in the role, making them a good team. However, the filmmakers seemed to want to take that chemistry to a very obvious and dull place.

In the midst of trying to save the world, the film unwisely took some time to plant the seeds for a romance between Wonder Woman and Batman. It’s hard to say if this was Snyder or Joss Whedon, but it’s a bad move to saddle the only female on the team with a boring romance. Luckily that won’t be going anywhere now.

4 BEST: SUPERMAN FIGHT

Affleck’s introduction as Batman came along with a lot of expectations as he would face-off with Superman for the first time on the big screen. The film took some strange paths to get to that final battle, and while the motivations behind it made little sense, the fight delivered.

3 WORST: SUICIDE SQUAD POST CREDITS

Seeing Affleck’s Batman show up in Suicide Squad as a figure lurking in the shadows of Gotham was cool. But when Bruce Wayne shows up in the film’s post-credit scene, things quickly went downhill.

The scene finds Bruce meeting with Amanda Waller, the mastermind behind the Suicide Squad. She provides him with information on metahumans in exchange for protection for the chaos she caused. Aside from being a pretty lame set-up for Justice League, it was one more example of how this Batman isn’t a great hero. He’s agreeing to protect a woman responsible for the death of countless people. Not a great look.

2 BEST: WAREHOUSE FIGHT

The cinematic Batmen have varied in quality, but Affleck is undoubtedly this most frightening of them all. Fear is a big part in what makes Batman work and Affleck showed us why criminals would be scared to get caught by this guy. Mainly because he can kick a lot of butt.

The warehouse fight sequence in Batman V Superman is the film’s highlight, even surpassing his fight with Superman. We have never seen Batman fight like this. He expertly and entertainingly takes out a whole room of thugs with little more than his fists. We’d like to see Clooney to that!

1 WORST: MARTHA

Though it isn’t Affleck’s fault, his Batman is part of one of the most embarrassing moments in Batman’s long history. If the set-up to his fight with Superman was clunky, the reason the fight stops is just laughable. As it turns out, their mothers share the same first name, so now they’re best friends.

This is the moment that Batman V Superman will be remembered for and that’s not good. The anticlimax leads to an unintentionally funny moment. You just know that this was a reveal the filmmakers were so excited about and sadly it just falls flat.

There are no games quite like Minecraft. Initially released back in May of 2009, Minecraft has swiftly grown into a worldwide phenomenon that still manages to grip fans old and young to this day. The game is made up of random, procedurally generated worlds that players can create and interact with; every world is made up of blocks, and each block can be changed, harvested or even destroyed (TNT is one particularly amusing way to accomplish this).

Players pay a one time fee in order to own a copy of the game, and as time goes on, the team behind Minecraft is constantly releasing more exciting additions to keep fans searching and fighting and building on. Some of these add-ons include whole new biomes, like oceans or jungles, exciting new mobs like turtles or dolphins, or cats and parrots to befriend and follow you along; there are even new weapons, armors and color blocks for building up a world that truly reflects your individual personality.

Some of the items in Minecraft – whether they have been around since the days of Alpha testing or added later on as a teaser for fans – are just plain difficult to find. Hidden, even. Maybe they are mob drops from creatures that hardly show up, or they’re the kind of thing that you have to be ‘in the know’ for to even come across. Maybe you have to make them yourself, but the ingredients are near impossible to collect.

Whatever the case, here are 20 Hidden Things Only Real Fans Know How To Find, focussing mostly on Survival mode.

20 EMERALD ORE

When Minecraft first began, there were only a few different ores for players to mine and collect. Coal was, and still is, considered the most widespread and common to find. On the opposite end, diamond ore was once thought of as the rarest; it was almost a status symbol to have some diamonds in your world’s inventory. However, nowadays the emerald ore is the rarest of them all. It is found very rarely in caves and only drops a single emerald when mined. You would have to spend a very long time in Minecraft to actually come across even one of these, let alone enough to build up a solid collection of emeralds for trade.

19 TOTEM OF UNDYING

The Totem of Undying is a mystical item that can only be found by seeking out one of the incredibly rare Woodland Mansions that pops up randomly within a world. Venture inside, and you will undoubtedly come across the Evoker, a grey-skinned illager (that is, evil villager type). He is a powerful sorcerer who will attack you with many spells. If you can defeat the Evoker, he will drop the Totem of Undying.

If something ends you while you have it equipped in your off-hand slot, you will pop right back to life. This makes the item highly sought-after, even for all the hoops you have to jump to find one.ADVERTISING

18 NAME TAGS

If you’re new to the game or have just started up a world, it’s unlikely that your priorities will be geared much towards naming the many items you have accumulated. However, for more experienced players and longer-running worlds, it can be fun to give a name to your things. What about calling that diamond sword ‘Destroyer of Worlds’ and slaying a sheep? You’ll get a funny little message in the chat that makes it all worthwhile.

The problem is, name tags cannot simply be crafted. If you want one, you’ll have to start dungeon-crawling. It could be many hours of gameplay before you finally find a chest with those elusive name tags in it.

17 PINK WOOL (FROM A PINK SHEEP)

One of the great things about this game is how in-depth you can get with customization, making buildings and structures of any shape and color. You could make the world’s most detailed rainbow if you really wanted to.

Part of that is accomplished by gathering a bunch of different dyed wools. You can get dyes from random items and apply them to wool blocks, or even straight to one of the sheep you own. But, coming across a wild sheep that naturally has a crazy color like yellow, blue, or especially pink, is very rare. Usually, that takes one red and one white sheep coming together to make it happen. So, traveling long enough to find and shear a natural pink sheep is quite the achievement.A

16 BLAZE RODS

Blaze rods are an item essential for the complicated art of potion-brewing. In fact, you can’t even make a potion stand without one, making them a valuable commodity. However, they are only acquired by destroying a creature called a Blaze, and Blazes cannot be found in the overworld (that is, the main world you spawn in). Instead, you must harvest enough obsidian (which, in itself, requires a diamond pickaxe to achieve) to build a Nether portal and enter that Nether World. Once there, if you can bring down a Blaze, you can have as many of these rods as you like. Unfortunately, newbies are unlikely to get to this point for quite a while into their game.

15 SLIME BALLS

Slime balls are one of those items that aren’t strictly necessary in day-to-day gameplay, but one that opens up a whole new world of possibilities if acquired. To get slime balls, you have to venture far and wide to find a swamp biome (or, rarely, they will spawn underground) where bouncy, cuboid creatures called Slimes may appear. Attack a Slime, and they will break into smaller versions of themselves, making it easy to get overrun if you’re not prepared.

Finally slaying a Slime will net you some slime balls, which can be used to make sticky pistons; these pistons are part of advanced mechanisms made by players to control their world, so these slime balls are always sought after.A

14 SADDLE

Sure, it’s fun enough to run around your Minecraft world, using up energy to traverse those long distances. It can even be exciting to hop in a boat and journey across the vast oceans. But, few things beat coming across a ride-able mob, such as a horse, or – much sillier – a pig, slapping a saddle on their back, and hitting the road with your new pal.

Saddles are another item that cannot simply be crafted, though, so you will have to seek one out. The problem is, saddles are only found in a small percentage of chests within strongholds, villages, Nether fortresses, temples and End cities. Though the possible places to acquire one are widespread, the actual odds are very low.

13  COMMAND BLOCKS

Unlike most of the other entries on this list, command blocks are not actual items that can be regularly found during gameplay. Instead, the only way to get your hands on one is by entering various commands into the console, such as /give @s minecraft:command_block. These special blocks are predominantly used by Minecraft multiplayer servers, although they can also be useful to more experienced single players.

When powered by Redstone, command blocks unlock powerful cheats that can make – or literally break – the game. There are even three types of command blocks to choose from: an impulse command block, a chain block, and a repeating block. With so much to choose from and so much power, make sure that you use them with caution!

12 ENDER PEARLS

Playing a bit on the idea of ‘Slenderman’, the Endermen are spooky, infrequently-spawning mobs that slither in the night, steal blocks, and stare into your soul. Unlike skeletons, creepers, and zombies, Endermen don’t pop up all the time. If you do manage to come across one, they can be very tricky, as they poof in and out, teleporting around you. Wearing a pumpkin on your head stops them from getting hostile before you can attack, and once it has been slain, you can harvest a couple of ender pearls, which let you teleport long distances.

It takes some dedication to seek out Endermen and go through the trouble to harvest these pearls, but if you can, it will make your travels a lot more fun.

11 MONSTER SPAWNER

Who wouldn’t love to have a room where you can spawn endless amounts of skeletons, zombies, or more? Well, all right, maybe that sounds a bit odd, but think about it. If you had one of these rooms, you could farm hostile mobs for all of their useful drops! But how would this come about? You’ll need to find a monster spawner.

These cage-looking blocks can be found very occasionally after a while of mining. These dungeon rooms are often pitch black and deadly to drop into, but if you can get to the spawner and cover it with torches, you can neutralize it and make it your own. Unfortunately, these cannot be picked up, only destroyed, so any monster-farming rooms that you make in Survival Mode will have to stay where you found them.ADVERTISING

10 NOTCH APPLE

Golden apples are a food item that can be crafted with relative ease by adding gold ingots to a regular apple at a crafting table. These apples provide health regeneration and absorption buffs, even when the health bar is already full. If that’s not enough for you, it may be time to seek out the much more elusive enchanted golden apple, otherwise known as a Notch apple.

The only way to get an enchanted apple is to find them in chests like saddles, though this is incredibly rare. You used to be able to craft them by using gold blocks, but this is not the case anymore. If you can find one, you’ll have in your hands one of the most powerful food items in all of the game.

9 MELON SEEDS

There are so many delicious and colorful foods to find and grow in Minecraft. From jaffa cakes to baked potatoes and mushroom soup, there are many ways to restore your health after an intense raid or a zombie horde attacking your base. One of the seemingly more simple items is the melon; like pumpkins, it is a block item that you can grow yourself, except when you harvest a melon, you get multiple slices to eat.

Melon seeds only appear in 18.5% of dungeon chests, and some chest mine carts and wooden mansions. Luckily, once you some seeds, you can grow infinitely more, but finding them in the first place isn’t easy.

8 MOB HEAD

If you want to get yourself one of these odd little trophies, you’ll have to look towards the many hostile mobs in the game. The easiest to get your blocky hands on is the Wither Skeleton head. Providing you can find enough Wither Skeletons to go after, you’ve got a 2.5% chance of receiving one as a drop – if it’s slain by a wild or tamed wolf. What, you didn’t think this would be easy, did you?

For zombie, creeper, dragon or skeleton heads, the only way to get them is if the mobs perish due to a charged creeper’s explosion – and the only way to get a charged creeper is for one to be struck by lightning! It’s a lot to go through, but wearing those heads around does look pretty cool.

7 BEACON BLOCK

Beacons are a unique item that goes on top of a pyramid made of either iron, gold, or diamond blocks. When this is crafted, the beacon is activated and can provide buffs to any players in the vicinity. Even more, you can change the color of the beam emitted by the beacon just by placing some colored glass over the top of it. You can even mix the colors!

A beacon block can be mined (if you’re somehow lucky enough to find one in Survival) or crafted by putting together glass blocks, obsidian, and a nether star. The rarity of the obsidian and nether star make this a difficult thing to obtain, and even harder to set up at full capacity. Best of luck!

6 NATURALLY-GENERATED PACKED ICE

Ice is one of those rare Minecraft blocks that can be generated (by placing water in cold biomes) but you can’t actually harvest it in survival mode. Regardless, it’s still pretty easy to make. On the opposite end, we have packed ice. If you want to get your hands on some packed ice, the most difficult way to do so is by navigating your way to the rare Ice Spike biome. There, you can harvest some using a pickaxe that has been enchanted with Silk Touch.

If you don’t want to find some packed ice in the wild, you can try harvesting regular ice with your enchanted pickaxe and crafting it in the table – but the adventure of trying to find the Ice Spike biome is there for any truly dedicated fans.

5 MUSIC DISCS

There are few things better than wandering through the game’s wilderness, putting your favorite tunes on blast and just completely losing yourself to the setting. One way to get even more immersed in this blocky world, however, is to try collecting all the music discs that can be found randomly throughout. Created by the artist C418, each disc has a special colour and name – such as Cat, Wait, Far, etc.

There are twelve unique discs (which can be played in a jukebox) that players can discover in various chests. Of course, to collect them all in Survival Mode, it will take a lot of time and dedication, leaving this venture to only the most hardcore of fans.

4 HORSE ARMOR

So, you’ve got yourself a new horse pal to ride around the vast, lonely world – but wait, now you want to take your equine friend into battle against undead hordes or Ender dragons? Well, it’s only fair to equip your noble steed with a suitable set of horse armor.

The caveat here is that horse armor cannot be crafted like player armor. But don’t give up! Like many other rare items, horse armour has a chance of popping up in various chests in wild structures such as dungeons, villages, strongholds, or temples. Keep a keen eye out – especially for that most elusive diamond set, which grants your steed a whopping eleven points of defense.

3 JEB SHEEP AND DINNERBONE

Minecraft is not a game known for being chock-full of easter eggs, inside jokes or hidden secrets, but there certainly are a few to be discovered. One of the funniest and most random of these is the Jeb sheep or Dinnerbone. The Jeb sheep, named after one of the game’s designers, occurs when a player gets a name tag (either in Survival or Creative mode) and changes it in an anvil to be called “jeb_,” then applies it to a sheep. That sheep’s wool will then cycle through all the colours of the rainbow in a magical display!

Getting another name tag and calling it “Dinnerbone” or “Grumm,” then applying it to any animal will make that animal flip upside down and live out the rest of its existence staring up at the sky.

2 SEA LANTERN

A relatively recent addition to the game, sea lanterns are another glowing block that you can use to light up the world around you. These subtle, pale cubes emit a nice white light, perfect for chilled-out bases and castles.

To find yourself a sea lantern, you’ll have to get good at holding your breath! These unique blocks only generate in the rare ocean monuments and ocean ruins, acting as their light source so you can see where you’re going as you mine. If you’ve spent enough time in the game to find some of these lanterns, grab as many as you can while you’ve got the chance.

1 DRAGON EGG

Perhaps the one truly unique item to be found in any Minecraft world, the dragon egg is a trophy item and the absolute rarest thing in all of the game. If you play any single player world long enough to make it to the End – another realm, like the Nether – you will be faced with a dangerous battle against the mighty Ender dragon, the ultimate boss.

When the Ender Dragon is defeated, a dragon egg will appear on the exit portal. Unfortunately, the egg is not normally something that can be mined, as doing so will cause it to teleport. But there is good news – if there are no air blocks for it to teleport into, the egg can be mined, and you will have yourself the ultimate hidden item in Minecraft.

—

Are there any hidden or rare items that we missed? Let us know in the comments below.

December was the Minecraft Marketplace’s biggest month yet. Downloads skyrocketed to 10,872,443 on Windows 10, iOS and Android, Xbox One, and Nintendo Switch. December doubled the 4.57 million downloads from November, which in turn doubled October’s 2.26 million.

The exponential growth for the Minecraft Marketplace is due to a number of factors. The Minecraft Team is releasing more free promotional content. This includes items such as the Catastrophic Pandamonium world, which Marketplace creator GameMode One built in partnership with Microsoft.

Catastrophic Pandamonium is a free download that highlights the Minecraft’s updated cat and panda creatures. Of December’s 10.87 million downloads, Catastrophic Pandamonium represented more than 4 million of those.

In addition to the free content, the Minecraft Marketplace is benefiting from timing and improved features. December is one of the biggest times of the year for live-service games. People who get new smartphones, consoles, or PCs for the gift-giving holidays return to something like Minecraft or to try it for the first time. And with better search and promotional features, The Minecraft Team has turned its Marketplace into a major attraction.

Let’s get to the charts.

Top 10 most downloaded

Click to view slideshow.

1. Catastrophic Pandamonium by Gamemode One: “Welcome to the Minecraft Preserve, a sanctuary for the mobs of Minecraft. Your dream job is about to become a nightmare when you realize the pandas are missing!”
2. Winter Gifts Bundle by Minecraft: “Whether you were naughty or nice this year (hopefully nice!), this bundle is our holiday gift to you! Last winter, we gave away amazing skins, worlds and adventures from some of your favorite Marketplace community creators. And now you can download them all again in this bundle of Winter Wonders!”
3. Minecraft Texture Update Beta by Minecraft: “The extraordinary Minecraft Texture Update has been on the Java Edition in beta for quite a while, and now it’s finally on Bedrock! We’re renovating the old textures of Minecraft and polishing them up for a new beginning. Don’t panic! This won’t completely overhaul the look of Minecraft — these new textures just give it a much-needed update!
4. Inspiration Island by Minecraft: “Visit Inspiration Island, a floating theme park world filled with creative challenges. Whether you are new to Creative Mode or just need a little extra inspiration, a visit here sets you on the path to craft your own groundbreaking worlds.”
5. Purple Parrot Party Place by Minecraft: “A celebration of all things purple parrot party and palace! Master the mechanics of fireworks, armor stands, jukeboxes, and banners. Traverse a jungle island to find a massive parrot temple.”
6. Legacy Skin Pack by Minecraft: “Get cracking with these starter skins and old favorites brought over from Minecraft editions of yore.”
7. Grid Runners by Noxcrew: “Take on Noxcrew’s Grid Runners: a mini-game map made up of classic Minecraft challenges where you can craft, mine and jump your way to victory. Compete against the clock for the fastest times and team up with all of your friends to find out who is the ultimate Minecraft champion! This is a free map, created exclusively for Minecon Earth 2018.”
8. ABSTRACTION: Minecon Earth by Jigarbov Productions: “Featuring the logos that were just begging to be played on, MINECON EARTH has floating landmasses with a surprising amount of hidden secrets and challenges.”
9. Luxury Life by PixelHeads: “Luxury Life is a world where you role-play life as a billionaire. Cruise the streets in a sports car or any of the 10 other vehicles, explore luxurious mansions and decorate with furniture!”
10. Aquatic Life by Cyclone Designs: “Get ready for a realistic aquarium experience with Aquatic Life! Dive into large tanks and swim with whale sharks! Discover dangerous shark species and hop on a boat and feed the Piranhas!”

Top 10 highest grossing

Click to view slideshow.

1. Luxury Life by PixelHeads: “Luxury Life is a world where you role-play life as a billionaire. Cruise the streets in a sports car or any of the 10 other vehicles, explore luxurious mansions and decorate with furniture!”
2. The Nightmare Before Christmas by Minecraft: “A nightmare? Before Christmas? Enjoy this themed pack by Minecraft.”
3. City Mash-Up by Everbloom Studios: “With over 1,000 hand-detailed rooms, there are stories, secrets, and mini-games around every corner. Build with the city’s full texture pack in your own worlds or take on any role you can imagine!”
4. Aquatic Life by Cyclone Designs: “Get ready for a realistic aquarium experience with Aquatic Life! Dive into large tanks and swim with whale sharks! Discover dangerous shark species and hop on a boat and feed the Piranhas!”
5. CampCraft by Blockworks: “A vast wilderness awaits you and your friends in CampCraft. Discover forest animals, ride camper vans, toast marshmallows, sit around the campfire and set up your own camp!”
6. City Life by PixelHeads: “Cruise through the big city in City Life! Chase down a bandit in your police car, save the day as a firefighter or take your dog for a walk.”
7. Spooky Pizza Place by InPvP: “Do you dare to enter? Try to survive all of the waves with five custom monsters. Includes pizzeria and surrounding buildings.”
8. Immersion: Chicago by Shapescape: “Immerse yourself in Chicago, the windy city. Visit the river with your friends, race through the streets and roleplay your daily life.”
9. Super Cute Texture Pack by Minecraft: “The Super Cute Texture Pack lets you create a cheerful world full of the cutest and cuddliest mobs! Bouncing bunnies, ultra-adorable unicorns, brilliant bumblebees and, er, burgers? Yes, burgers! This texture pack comes with 15 skins.”
10. Millionaire Mansions by Noxcrew: “Explore a town filled with beautiful mansions, sports cars, and a new toolset to help you design your dream house. Noxcrew’s Creative Toolbox is perfect for roleplay or building with your friends.”

It was a record year for video games in the United States. The industry generated more than $43.4 billion in revenue, according to industry-tracking firm The NPD Group. That is up 18 percent year-over-year when you include in-game purchases and subscriptions.

If you just look at hardware, software, accessories, and game cards, the industry was up 13 percent to $16.7 billion.

“This is the highest annual tracked consumer spend total since the $17.4 billion generated in 2011,” NPD analyst Mat Piscatella said. “Annual dollar sales of tracked console, portable, and PC video game software reached $7.1 billion in 2018, growing 7 percent when compared to 2017. This is the highest annual total for tracked video game software spending since the $7.5 billion generated in 2012.”

We’ll check out the best-selling games of the year, but hardware was also up over the last 12 months.

“For the 2018 year, hardware spending increased 8 percent to $5.1 billion,” said Piscatella. “Console hardware sales drove the growth, as PlayStation 4, plug-n-play devices, Switch, and Xbox One all experienced year-on-year gains.”

So hardware is a healthy as it has ever been. Now, let’s see the best-selling games of the year.

NPD’s 20 best-selling games of 2018

*Does not include digital sales
**Does not include PC digital sales

1. Red Dead Redemption 2
2. Call of Duty: Black Ops 4
3. NBA 2K19
4. Madden NFL 19
5. Super Smash Bros. Ultimate*
6. Marvel’s Spider-Man
7. Far Cry 5
8. God of War 2018
9. Monster Hunter: World
10. Assassin’s Creed: Odyssey
11. Grand Theft Auto V
12. Mario Kart 8*
13. FIFA 19**
14. Battlefield V**
15. Super Mario Odyssey*
16. Call of Duty: WWII**
17. Dragon Ball: FighterZ
18. The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild*
19. Super Mario Party*
20. Pokemon: Lets Go Pikachu*

State Farm announced today that it has entered a sponsorship agreement with Benjamin “DrLupo” Lupo, one of the most popular Fortnite streamers in the world.

DrLupo often plays with Richard Tyler Blevins, the Fortnite player better known as Ninja, who is the most popular streamer in the world with over 13 million followers on Twitch. DrLupo has just shy of 3 million subscribers. He is also captain of esports group Rogue’s Fortnite team. DrLupo raised $1.3 million for St. Jude’s Research Hospital in 2018, and he was nominated for a Game Awardlast year for Content Creator of the Year, a category that Ninja won.

This is the insurance company’s first sponsorship of an esports star, although State Farm has been evolved with esports before. It has sponsored the League of Legends Championship Series, NBA 2K League, and the Rocket League Championship Series.

As part of the deal, DrLupo’s stream will include State Farm branded replays, giveaways, and “in-stream stunts and product integration” (aka product placement).

Fortnite has become one of the most popular games in the world. The battle royale shooter is a massive hit on PC, mobile, and consoles. A large part of its success comes from its community of successful and popular streamers, including DrLupo.

After a huge December, the Minecraft Marketplace quieted down in January. But a slow month for the in-game store is now 4.56 million downloads. That’s down from 10.8 million in December, but it’s flat compared to November’s 4.57 million.

The Minecraft Team and its community didn’t have too many new releases for January. Instead, people were showing up to download previously released free content. That includes the beta for the upcoming texture update and the Winter Gifts Bundle.

Let’s check out the charts for the most-downloaded and highest-grossing Minecraft Marketplace creations:

Top 10 most downloaded

 7. Grid Runners

1. Minecraft Texture Update Beta by Minecraft: “The extraordinary Minecraft Texture Update has been on the Java Edition in beta for quite a while and now it’s finally on Bedrock! We’re renovating the old textures of Minecraft and polishing them up for a new beginning. Don’t panic! This won’t completely overhaul the look of Minecraft — these new textures just give it a much-needed update!”
2. Winter Gifts Bundle by Minecraft: “Whether you were naughty or nice this year (hopefully nice!) this bundle is our holiday gift to you! Last Winter, we gave away amazing skins, worlds and adventures from some of your favorite Marketplace community creators. And now you can download them all again in this bundle of Winter Wonders!”
3. Catastrophic Pandamonium by Gamemode One: “Welcome to the Minecraft Preserve, a sanctuarky for the mobs of Minecraft. Your dream job is about to become a nightmare when you realize — the Pandas are missing!”
4. Purple Parrot Party Place by Minecraft: “A celebration of all things purple parrot party and palace! Master the mechanics of fireworks, armor stands, jukeboxes, and banners. Traverse a jungle island to find a massive parrot temple.”
5. Legacy Skin Pack by Minecraft: “Get cracking with these starter skins and old favorites brought over from Minecraft editions of yore.”
6. ABSTRACTION: Minecon Earth by Jigarbov Productions: “Featuring the logos that were just begging to be played on, MineCon Earth has floating landmasses with a surprising amount of hidden secrets and challenges.”
7. Grid Runners by Noxcrew: “Take on Noxcrew’s Grid Runners: a mini-game map made up of classic Minecraft challenges where you can craft, mine and jump your way to victory. Compete against the clock for the fastest times and team up with all of your friends to find out who is the ultimate Minecraft champion! This is a free map, created exclusively for Minecon Earth 2018.”
8. Inspiration Island by Minecraft: “Visit Inspiration Island, a floating theme park world filled with creative challenges. Whether you are new to Creative Mode or just need a little extra inspiration, a visit here sets you on the path to craft your own groundbreaking worlds.”
9. Luxury Life by PixelHeads: “Luxury Life is a world where you role-play life as a billionaire. Cruise the streets in a sports car or any of the 10 other vehicles, explore luxurious mansions and decorate with furniture!”
10. Aquatic Life by Cyclone Designs: “Get ready for a realistic aquarium experience with Aquatic Life! Dive into large tanks and swim with whale sharks! Discover dangerous shark species and hop on a boat and feed the Piranhas!”

Top 10 highest grossing

 7. Ninja School Roleplay

1. Luxury Life by PixelHeads: “Luxury Life is a world where you role-play life as a billionaire. Cruise the streets in a sports car or any of the 10 other vehicles, explore luxurious mansions and decorate with furniture!”
2. City Mash-Up by Everbloom Studios: “With over 1,000 hand-detailed rooms, there are stories, secrets, and mini-games around every corner. Build with the city’s full texture pack in your own worlds or take on any role you can imagine!”
3. Aquatic Life by Cyclone Designs: “Get ready for a realistic aquarium experience with Aquatic Life! Dive into large tanks and swim with whale sharks! Discover dangerous shark species and hop on a boat and feed the Piranhas!”
4. City Life by PixelHeads: “Cruise through the big city in City Life! Chase down a bandit in your police car, save the day as a firefighter or take your dog for a walk.”
5. CampCraft by Blockworks: “A vast wilderness awaits you and your friends in CampCraft. Discover forest animals, ride camper vans, toast marshmallows, sit around the campfire and set up your own camp!”
6. The Nightmare Before Christmas by Minecraft: “A nightmare? Before Christmas? Enjoy this themed pack by Minecraft.”
7. Ninja School Roleplay by Everbloom Studios: “Always wanted to be a ninja? Enroll in Ninja School! Learn the ways of the shinobi in this ancient village by practicing shuriken throwing, archery and katana fighting.”
8. Millionaire Mansions by Noxcrew: “Explore a town filled with beautiful mansions, sports cars, and a new toolset to help you design your dream house. Noxcrew’s Creative Toolbox is perfect for roleplay or building with your friends.”
9. Cobble Clicker by Polymaps: “Experience survival skyblock in a whole new way with Cobble Clicker. Start small with an island, then collect enough Cobblestone to unlock rewards.”
10. Dogs by Shapescape: “Get yourself a puppy from the pet store, go to the park or take it for a walk through the Nether. But above all, explore Minecraft with your new best friend!”

Considering how popular Minecraft is, one can expect it to have some of the best co-op features of any mainstream game. And while it does definitely hold up in this department, it can be a bit tricky getting your own private server up and running. Realms are Minecraft’s easy solution to co-op play, where you can pay to have Minecraft take care of hosting and creating your server for you. However, some players prefer to have a free local server that they host themselves. Here is how to make that server and how to have your friends connect to it once it’s up:

How to create and connect to a local Minecraft server

Step 1: Make sure you have the newest version of Java installed.

Step 2: Download the Mojang Minecraft server software (you’ll need to keep track of whatever folder you download this to, as there will be multiple programs from the software you’ll need to access. You should create your own folder to keep all of these in).

Step 3: Run the .jar file from the software you downloaded

From here the instructions branch off depending on whether you have a PC or a Mac.

For PC:

Step 4: There will be a text document created called “eula.txt”. Open this in a text editor like Notepad, and change “eula=false” to “eula=true”.

This is you accepting the terms and conditions of Minecraft.

Step 5: Go to your computer’s command prompt and type the following

java -Xmx1024M -Xms1024M -jar {server file name}

Replace server file name, with the name of your server’s file (this can be found by copying the file location of the .jar program). If you want to disable the graphical user interface (GUI), you can add “nogui” to the end of this command line. Players have reported this lowers CPU and memory usage.

Step 6: While this is optional, you may want to create a .bat file with the same command used above, in order to quickly access the server, instead of needing to open the command prompt each time. For the .bat file you can use the command:

@Echo Off

java -Xmx1024M -Xms1024M -jar {server file name}

If you’ve completed step 5, then your server should be fully functional. Other players connected to your home network will be able to connect directly to the server.

Notepad++FREE DOWNLOAD8

For Macs:

Step 4: Open a text editing program like TextEdit and input the following:

#!/bin/bash cd “$(dirname “$0″)” exec java -Xms1G -Xmx1G -jar {server name}

Server name should be replaced with the file location of the .jar file. You can choose to add nogui at the end if you’d like to remove the graphical user interface (GUI). Players have reported doing this used less memory and CPU.

Step 5: Save this document as “start.command” in the same folder as the .jar file.

Step 6: Open the Terminal program, and type:

chmod a+x 

And make sure there is a space after the x. Then drag the start.command file into the Terminal window. This will give executive permissions to the start.command program. Once done, you can simply click start.command to open your Minecraft server.

Hosting a Minecraft server can take a bit of a toll on your computer. We recommend you avoid trying this on a laptop, unless it’s a high-end gaming laptop, and even then you may prefer hosting on a desktop instead.

These instructions work for hosting a Minecraft server on your local network with other devices connected to that network. If you wish to host a server online, you’ll have to PortForward your router. It will take a bit of programming knowledge and your router information to PortForward your Minecraft server.

Simple Port ForwardingFREE DOWNLOAD6

Note: PortForwarding a server will also make your home network more vulnerable for strangers to access. If that’s something you’re worried about, you could pay a third-party hosting service to host your server instead, or you could create a Minecraft Realm. Realms are similar to local servers, but require a monthly payment and are hosted by Minecraft itself.