I was baffled when I found out Minecraft’s most popular Marketplace mod just adds owls—but now I’ve tried it, I can’t live without it

Whenever I get the itch to play Minecraft again, I always browse the Marketplace first to see if there are any packs I can add to make the game that little bit more exciting. There’s an overwhelming amount of content you can spend your coins on, like adding a larger variety of animals and fish to the game, or even dinosaurs if you fancy re-creating your own Jurassic Park.

But you can also add new, horrifying mobs to the game, different animations, and a number of new blocks created by other players which all alter the core Minecraft experience in one way or another. However, the most popular add-on currently available on the Marketplace doesn’t add terrors or a huge variety of wildlife to the game. Instead, it focuses on one thing and one thing only: owls.

Obviously everyone loves Minecraft’s existing mob selection, but I can’t lie, I do find myself getting a bit bored of seeing nothing but pigs, chickens, cows, and sheep. That said, I still get incredibly excited on the odd occasion I stumble across a fox, so I can understand why so many people have jumped at the opportunity to add an all-new creature to the game. Plus, the add-on being entirely free definitely helps.

Nine different species of owl are available, three in the wild and six through cross-breeding species, which is thrilling enough if you ask me. But unlike other animals, these aren’t just for looks. You can tame owls with raw rabbit meat and give them tools and essentially jobs to help you out on your adventure, including the ability to craft a Witch Staff which your player can ride with your owl to soar through the skies without the need for an Elytra.

These jobs include becoming a battle companion, a healer, or a potion brewer—it all depends on what equipment you craft. You can even change the role of your owl by removing the equipment and handing it something else, making them incredibly valuable companions to have if you find yourself constantly wandering around and taking unnecessary damage from enemies.

So actually, it’s much more than just adding owls to the game in an attempt to bulk out the animal roster. I can see why it’s quickly crept up to the most popular spot on Marketplace and stayed there for a decent amount of time now, and the extra help goes a long way. I wouldn’t be surprised if owls eventually made their way into the base game, but I don’t know if they’d be as useful as they are here.