New on Realms: Diamond Defense and Islands Immense

In our penultimate Java Realms release of the year, we’ve got returning favorites, suggestions for starting new survival worlds, and even a challenging wool-assisted adventure for experienced players. Much like a Swedish “julbord”, the annual holiday dinner with family or coworkers, it’s got a nice mix of offerings and something for everyone (unless you’ve got allergies). If you happen to be allergic to any specific Minecraft maps, you should probably submit yourself to the world of science for a potentially large amount of cash OR just be very careful as you read about this week’s seven delicacies!

Magma Runner Remastered

by Vertex Creations

Long-time subscribers may recall “Magma Runner”, a minigame first published on Realms in 2017 about outrunning an inevitable flow of lava. If you’re not overwhelmed by your impending death, take note that tools such as TNT or speed potions are available to give you a slightly higher chance of outrunning the lava. Or at least your friends.

Diamond Defender 3

by Vertex Creations and Xisuma

Another returning favorite, “Diamond Defender 3” is the latest entry in a series of fast-paced diamond-defending minigames. For the uninitiated, Diamond Defender games ask that instead of picking up the blue currency, you protect said diamonds in an arena filled with decidedly extra versions of Minecraft’s green, volatile mascot. Creeper jockeys (scary), TNT creepers (...excessive), and ender creepers (prohibited by the Geneva Convention), are just some of the foes that you’ll face while running around in a panic. Make it through the waves of baddies and bosses and you’ll finally be able to collect the remaining diamonds.

Confinement

by Ty

Some of the best Minecraft adventure maps’ strengths come from taking the skills that you learned in the base game and applying them to new and different scenarios. Here, as with most other maps in the CTM (complete the monument) genre, that’s proved true as the mapmaker runs you through a series of challenges such as fighting through mobs to reach and destroy a spawner, or to grow sustainable food while besieged on all sides. Each treasured wool block that you discover must be returned to the monument, and each returned block expands the impassable world border, allowing you to explore further into the area. With elements harkening back to classic CTM’s, or the Captive Minecraft series, Confinement is a worthy and natural extension to Minecraft adventure gameplay.

Farmstead’s Breeze

by ZzLEMONzZ

Survival world spawns are a very personal thing to Minecraft players. Some players will generate dozens of worlds before finding the one that they’d like to settle in, spending the next hundred hours of their life digging around the blocky world. While some prefer the default world generation, it’s nice to change it up sometimes. Maybe you want to skip the first hour of farming, or you just want a roof over your head so you can focus on the survival aspects.

"Farmstead’s Breeze” is a great choice for starting a new world with a few friends. It’s a coastal town with fields and market stalls, perfect for roleplaying in a small community. Crops are abundant and in close proximity, and if you’d like to strike out on an adventure, you can stock up on food and climb to the top of the nearby mountain, camping out at the summit. If you want to venture into default terrain generation, just point yourself in your direction of choice, and in a few minutes you’ll be back to the Minecraft you’re used to, hopefully with some new ideas on things to build.

Castle Island

by feran, 62h, and Bikesnob

“Castle Island” (the map, not the island) is a straightforward way to start up a new survival world with a little something extra. But Castle Island (the island, not the map) is a mystery, comprised of a derelict castle and a small town whose flags still fly. Who were the people that lived here, and why did they abandon the island? How far did the prison’s escapee get when digging their way out of their cell? Why is there inexplicably a perilous, and likely costly, bridge from the watchtower to the dragon statue? Maybe it’s best not to strain your brain too much, because no one in-world is asking these questions, and these dwellings are free to move into whenever you’d like!

Forgotten Island

by Tomm2000

Somewhere off in the distance, where players and villagers alike have long since forgotten, lies a forgotten island. Why the island contains an abandoned fort and village are questions that you’ll need to answer on your own. Maybe a disaster befell the civilization, or maybe a really cool pizza joint opened up on the next island over, causing a mass exodus. The island is full of custom terrain and trees, perfect for changing things up a bit from the default experience. It’s quite large as well, and one could live their whole Minecraft life on the island. If roleplaying with a beached volleyball while slowly spiralling into madness isn’t your jam, the rest of the world is just a boat ride away.

Ordinance of the Tropic

by SuchAGod

What’s this whimsical tropical map that’s made its way across my desk? As an inspiration map, it’s got to inspire players to create something new or different, and as a tropical map (as someone who lives in the Cold North), it is totally my jam.

I spoke with the creator about Ordinance of the Tropic, and they let me know that the intent was to make a mythological world where almost everything adds to the mysterious backstory. You, as a player, can travel to the different builds and locations to put together the details and possibilities of that story. Very cool!

Tidying Up

Our last update of the year, planned for December 13th, will contain any remaining maps we have that are ready to go. This means we have no idea what the release contains, which is both exciting and scary! But that’s alright, because with Realms maps published and Marketplace maps nice and tidy for their scheduled releases, the Minecraft Content Team will be taking a much-needed break until early January.

To learn about loading this and other content into Java Realms for your PC, visit our help site. If you haven't yet tried Java Realms for yourself, you'll have a blue diamond on the Minecraft Realms button, located on the main screen of Minecraft: Java Edition. Click it, then follow the instructions to try Realms free for 30 days.

Want to have your own Minecraft creations featured on Realms and on this blog? Head over to this page, which explains the Java Realms Content Creator Program. If you have questions about this process, you can find me on Twitter.

Happy Minecrafting!