Minecraft's Vexes were freaky little things. They used to be humanoid Steve reskins with wings and a sword, flurrying out of a Pillager mage's spell to attack you, swarming you all at once. And they're tiny, like little fairies spliced with a bee hive. At least now, they're kind of cute.
They're more chibi-like with squashed proportions rather than being a shrunk down 'humanoid' Minecraft character, complete with proportionally bigger wings and deeper-coloured eyebrows to highlight their anger. And already, some are pointing out similarities to other mobs and items in-game.
Firstly, they look a lot like the Allay, which isn't too surprising. Allay are similarly fairy-like creatures, albeit blue rather than grey, and without the angry eyebrows. Their eyes are also vertical rather than horizontal, and they have shorter bodies and smaller wings. However, the two share a similar aesthetic, and so the Vex has understandably been dubbed the evil Allay. Given that Pillagers are just evil Villagers, that's perfect.
Allay, for context, are a passive mob that will collect items for you. You can find them kidnapped and placed in cages in Pillager outposts, or in woodland mansion jail cells. Maybe our Pillager pals are collecting Allays, experimenting on them, and turning them into the Vexes. Or maybe I'm digging too deep into Minecraft lore. Who knows, eh?
The new Vexes have also been compared to Totems of Undying, the little icons that you can hold to stave off death and get a second chance. They have green eyes, are gold, and don't have angry eyebrows, but the general shape is close enough that it's a fair comparison to make.
Whatever the case, the Vexes have been given a facelift, and are a little less terrifying now. There are already tweaks being made by the community, fan art en masse, and theories, all from a little aesthetic change.