Minecraft’s 1.17 “Crack Carvers” Might Be Renamed—For Search Safety

Minecraft’s upcoming Caves and Cliffs update (1.17) looks like it’ll be one of the biggest that the game has ever had. In fact, it’s so big that developers have increased the world height by 128 blocks by making caves deeper and the sky taller. Part of the update has also introduced what has hitherto been known as “crack carvers”—massive gashes in the ground that can be taller than 60 blocks.

However, one Twitter user asked if these features could be renamed to “crevices” instead, citing two reasons for the suggestion. First, because it would fit in well with the Cliffs side of the 1.17 update, and second, searching the term “Minecraft Crack” returned unwanted results.

Good idea!

— Henrik Kniberg (@henrikkniberg) February 28, 2021

The name “crevice,” on the other hand (or crevasse), returned much more appropriate results. Developer Henrik Kniberg reacted favorably to this suggestion, saying that changing the name was a “Good idea.” Whether that means that the name will actually be changed or if Kniberg was simply saying that it was a good idea is unknown at this point.

That being said, Minecraft’s developers are extremely open to community feedback, so the name change may happen. Crack Carvers (we’ll go with that unless or until the name is officially changed) are the easiest way to get to the new Deepslate blocks, but they are also extremely dangerous if you aren’t prepared.

The Caves and Cliffs update is attempting to make exploring the underground more difficult but also more rewarding. The deeper you dig in the world, the more diamonds you’ll find, but it’s not going to be as simple as just digging. At these depths, you’ll find the new Warden mob that is so strong that you aren’t actually meant to fight it.

The Warden also lives in what is being called the Deep Dark biome, which is meant to instill fear into those who discover it. Of course, if you’re brave enough to get past the Warden, you’ll be rewarded with unknown treasures.

The update isn’t set to release until this summer, so there is plenty of time left to make additional changes to everything we’ve seen—including names. We also have previews of archaeology and mountain generation to look forward to in the coming weeks.

Minecraft’s 1.17 Update Previews Flip Between Bedrock And Java

Minecraft’s 1.17 update (Caves and Cliffs) is slated for release sometime this summer, but that doesn’t mean that Mojang is keeping anything secret until then. For the last few months, Mojang has been releasing previews of the features that appear in 1.17—oddly enough, though, they have chosen to alternate these previews between the Bedrock and Java editions of the game.

For example, glow squid were first added to Minecraft with snapshot 21W03A on Java Edition, while mountain goats were introduced on Bedrock. More recently, it appears that these previews are leaning more on the Java edition of the game. The reasoning for this isn’t immediately clear. Still, in November Minecraft developer, Henrik Kniberg tweeted that the two versions would eventually be the same—or as close to the same as possible.

As you've noticed, during the snapshot/beta period we ship some Caves & Cliffs features on bedrock first, others on java first. But don't worry, we'll gradually converge and for the final release we aim to have all new features on both platforms (or as close as possible).

— Henrik Kniberg (@henrikkniberg) November 4, 2020

Snapshots (the name given to previews on Java edition) have been coming almost weekly since the 1.17 update was announced in early October. Snapshot 20W06A increased the world height (and depth) for the game, making room for deeper caves and more dramatic mountains.

The so-called Caves and Cliffs update appears to be one of the biggest updates to Minecraft that we’ve ever seen—if not the biggest. Last year’s update, appropriately called the nether update, completely overhauled how the nether dimension looks, feels, and works in the game. At the time, the additions that came with the nether update felt enormous.

The nether update added new types of “wood,” new mobs, and new biomes to explore. It also added new blocks, structures, and ways to obtain items. However big the Nether Update was, it pales in comparison to Caves and Cliffs, though. Even with everything we’ve seen so far, we have barely reached the half-way point for new features.

We still haven’t seen archaeology, the new mountain generation, tinted glass, nor the Warden. Of course, that also excludes whatever other small surprises that Mojang may introduce along the way. The Caves and Cliffs update is scheduled to release sometime in the summer, so we should have plenty of time to preview and test out more of the features coming with the update.

Read More: Minecraft’s 1.17 Update Doesn’t Include Colored Lights