diff --git a/changelogs/5.34.md b/changelogs/5.34.md
new file mode 100644
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@@ -0,0 +1,104 @@
+# 5.34.0
+Released 26th September 2025.
+
+This is a minor feature release containing performance improvements, new gameplay features, new API additions and network changes.
+
+**Plugin compatibility:** Plugins for previous 5.x versions will run unchanged on this release, unless they use internal APIs, reflection, or packages like the `pocketmine\network\mcpe` or `pocketmine\data` namespace.
+Do not update plugin minimum API versions unless you need new features added in this release.
+
+**WARNING: If your plugin uses the `pocketmine\network\mcpe` namespace, you're not shielded by API change constraints.**
+Consider using the `mcpe-protocol` directive in `plugin.yml` as a constraint if you're using packets directly.
+
+## General
+- PocketMine-MP now requires and uses [`pmmp/ext-encoding`](https://github.com/pmmp/ext-encoding) version `1.0.0`, a PHP extension designed to significantly improve performance of data encoding and decoding (@dktapps).
+  - This first pass only implements support in low-risk areas, such as network protocol and read-only data. Further integration will follow in future minor versions with additional performance improvements.
+  - While ext-encoding has been heavily tested, we can't be sure there won't be major issues once it reaches production. Please report any bugs you find on the GitHub issue tracker.
+- New Bedrock OpenID authentication support has been implemented (@dries-c, @dktapps).
+  - This system fetches keys from an API provided by Microsoft. Therefore, your server must now have internet access to authenticate players. 
+- `/timings paste` now creates private reports by default on `timings.pmmp.io` (@dktapps).
+  - Private reports require an access token to view, so your timings reports can no longer be viewed by others just by guessing the ID.
+  - If you're using a custom timings host, be sure to update it to get support for this feature.
+  - The command will generate a warning in the console if the target timings host doesn't support private reports.
+
+## Performance
+- Significantly improved performance of packet encoding and decoding using `ext-encoding` (@dktapps).
+- Unnecessary NBT is now stripped from items before sending them over the network. This significantly improves performance when working with writable books, shulker boxes, etc. (@dktapps).
+- Improved performance of item saving in `ItemSerializer` by avoiding slow `hasNamedTag()` call followed by `getNamedTag()` (both will rebuild the NBT) (@dktapps).
+
+## Gameplay
+- Implemented basic Trident functionality (@IvanCraft623).
+- Implemented Firework and Firework Star (@IvanCraft623).
+- Editing the rear side of signs is now supported (@dktapps).
+- Sneaking hitbox height has been adjusted to match vanilla (@Dasciam).
+
+## API
+### General
+- `pocketmine/nbt` version `1.2.0` is now used ([changelog](https://github.com/pmmp/NBT/releases/tag/1.2.0)).
+- `pmmp/ext-encoding` version `1.0.0` is now required and used.
+  - This can be used as a faster alternative to `BinaryStream` and `Binary` in most use cases. However, please note that its API is very different, and it hasn't been battle-tested yet.
+  - A recent JetBrains IDE stub can be found in our [custom stubs repository](https://github.com/pmmp/phpstorm-stubs/blob/fork/encoding/encoding.php).
+
+### `pocketmine\block`
+- The following API methods have been added:
+  - `public BaseSign->getFaceText(bool $frontFace) : SignText`
+  - `public BaseSign->setFaceText(bool $frontFace, SignText $text) : $this`
+  - `public BaseSign->updateFaceText(Player $author, bool $frontFace, SignText $text) : bool` - called by the network system when a player edits a sign, triggers `SignChangeEvent` etc.
+  - `protected BaseSign->getHitboxCenter() : Vector3` - returns the center of the sign's hitbox, used to decide which face of the sign the player is editing
+  - `protected BaseSign->getFacingDegrees() : float` (to become abstract in PM6) - returns the horizontal facing of the sign in degrees, used to decide which face of the sign the player is editing
+- The following API methods have been deprecated:
+  - `public BaseSign->getText() : SignText` - use `getFaceText()` instead
+  - `public BaseSign->setText(SignText $text) : $this` - use `setFaceText()` instead
+  - `public BaseSign->updateText(Player $author, SignText $text) : bool` - use `updateFaceText()` instead
+
+### `pocketmine\entity`
+- The following API classes have been added:
+  - `NeverSavedWithChunkEntity` - implement this instead of overriding `canSaveWithChunk()` if your entity will never need a save ID
+    - Used currently by `Player` and `FireworkRocket`.
+  - `animation\FireworkParticlesAnimation`
+  - `object\FireworkRocket`
+  - `projectile\Trident`
+- The following API methods have been added:
+  - `public Living->getSneakOffset() : float` - returns how much the entity's hitbox is shortened and eye height lowered when sneaking (0 by default)
+  - `protected Projectile->despawnsOnEntityHit() : bool` - returns `true` by default, overridden by tridents (to be removed in a future major version in favour of cleaner BC-breaking methods)
+
+### `pocketmine\event\block`
+- The following API methods have been added:
+  - `public SignChangeEvent->isFrontFace() : bool` - returns `true` if the front face of the sign is being edited, `false` for the rear face
+
+### `pocketmine\inventory\transaction`
+- `InventoryTransaction` no longer shuffles actions before executing a transaction.
+  - This was intended to prevent dependency on weird client behaviour, but it is no longer necessary, as the order is now consistent since the introduction of the `ItemStackRequest` system.
+
+### `pocketmine\item`
+- The following API classes have been added:
+  - `FireworkRocket`
+  - `FireworkRocketExplosion`
+  - `FireworkRocketType` (enum)
+  - `FireworkStar`
+  - `Trident`
+- The following API methods have been added:
+  - `VanillaItems::FIREWORK_ROCKET() : FireworkRocket`
+  - `VanillaItems::FIREWORK_STAR() : FireworkStar`
+  - `VanillaItems::TRIDENT() : Trident`
+
+### `pocketmine\player`
+- The following API methods have signature changes:
+  - `Player->openSignEditor()` now accepts an optional `bool $frontFace = true` parameter
+
+### `pocketmine\world\sound`
+- The following API classes have been added:
+  - `FireworkCrackleSound`
+  - `FireworkExplosionSound`
+  - `FireworkLargeExplosionSound`
+  - `FireworkLaunchSound`
+  - `TridentHitEntitySound`
+  - `TridentHitBlockSound`
+  - `TridentThrowSound`
+
+## Internals
+- Many low-risk data handling areas have been switched to use `ext-encoding`, including:
+  - Bedrock packets
+  - Bedrock chunk serialization
+  - `FastChunkSerializer` (used for transmitting chunks between threads)
+  - GS4 Query
+  - Auxiliary read-only data loading in the `pocketmine\data\bedrock` package
diff --git a/src/VersionInfo.php b/src/VersionInfo.php
index 944d6d84f..55495a959 100644
--- a/src/VersionInfo.php
+++ b/src/VersionInfo.php
@@ -31,8 +31,8 @@ use function str_repeat;
 
 final class VersionInfo{
 	public const NAME = "PocketMine-MP";
-	public const BASE_VERSION = "5.33.3";
-	public const IS_DEVELOPMENT_BUILD = true;
+	public const BASE_VERSION = "5.34.0";
+	public const IS_DEVELOPMENT_BUILD = false;
 	public const BUILD_CHANNEL = "stable";
 
 	/**