A new patch for sandbox game Minecraft is coming soon. An early version of the update, 1.9, is available now, while the final version is expected to land on Thursday, February 25, Mojang said on its website.

　　The new update fixes bugs (a rail duplication glitch and save file problems are among them) and increases durability of shields. Additionally, it adds "34.7 percent for hype," Mojang said.

　　Below are the high-level patch notes for Minecraft 1.9, while the full list of changes and tweaks will be released when the patch officially arrives next week.

　　You can opt-in to download the pre-release 1.9 patch by opening the Minecraft launcher and selecting the "New Profile" button. From there, check the box that says "Enable experimental development snapshots" and you should be good to go.

　　Mojang warns that pre-release patches can corrupt your Minecraft world, so it's advised that you back up your creation and/or run it in a different folder.

Minecraft 1.9 Early Patch Notes:

　　Bugs fixedIncreased durability of shieldsSome crystals in the end are protected by cages againAdded 34.7% more hype for Minecraft 1.9Bugs fixed:

　　[Bug MC-96863] - Marker ArmorStand Should Not Have Passenger Offset[Bug MC-97217] - Weird placement of player while riding an entity after swimming with elytra[Bug MC-97235] - Resource pack in minecraft world save file not working[Bug MC-97251] - Rail Duplication Glitch