For several weeks now, the Mojang team has been releasing both snapshots and beta tests for the upcoming 1.17 update dubbed Caves and Cliffs. Last week, we looked at the Lush Caves and everything they bring to the game. This week, we are getting additional functionality with the new copper blocks.
When copper was first introduced, it was described as the first block in Minecraft that would show the world’s age. As time goes on, the block will oxidize and turn a turquoise color rather than the penny color of fresh copper. Of course, Minecraft is about crafting your own experiences and building the way that suits you. As such, you can stop the oxidation process by applying beeswax, in the form of honeycomb, to the copper to protect it from oxidation—in real-life, this would be protecting the metal from water. The question was, then, how do you remove the wax if you want to?
Snapshot 21w11a gives us an answer to that question. To remove wax from your copper blocks, you will simply need an ax. Just as you can strip trees of their bark, you can strip copper blocks of wax, allowing the oxidation process to continue. Additionally, any time that lightning strikes a lightning rod block placed on copper, the blocks’ oxidation will be removed—as seen in the featured image for this article and in the above tweet.
Other snapshot changes include the ability to craft waxed copper blocks into four copper ingots, increased diamond veins, and the ability to add moss to cobble and brick blocks—creating mossy variations of those blocks.
However, perhaps the most interesting—and potentially worthy of another article altogether—is the addition of a 10-second screen capture system that will allow you to capture in-depth performance metrics. As explained in Mojang’s blog post, this functionality will help developers to better understand what is happening when you encounter a bug. Pressing F3+L will allow you to record such a clip to send to Mojang if you find a bug.
The Caves and Cliffs update will be released sometime this summer, leaving plenty of time for further snapshots. For example, we still haven’t seen one of the biggest changes to the game—archaeology. Neither have we seen the Deep Dark or Mesh Caves biomes. It is also rumored that the iceologer mob will be added to the game alongside mountain-specific cave generation. The Mojang team aims to release a preview every Wednesday, so keep an eye out for further updates.
Source: Mojang