Tag: caves and cliffs

Minecraft Caves And Cliffs Snapshot Shows Off New Copper Functionality

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

Minecraft Caves And Cliffs Snapshot Shows Off Lush Caves

We first learned about the Lush caves in October during the Minecraft Live event that introduced the new Caves and Cliffs update. However, this is the first time we’ve had an extended look at what this particular cave biome will bring to the table. Minecraft snapshot 21w10a, as it’s known, brought with it spore blossoms, Azalea trees, cave vines, glow berries, and a ton of other elements.

There will be different cave biomes—or environments—to be found in the underground of Minecraft for those who may not know. These biomes have a specific name, be it the Mesh Caves, the Deep Dark, the Lush Caves, or the Dripstone Caves. Of course, you’ll find different things depending on the biome that you find yourself in. In the case of the Lush Caves, you’ll find the new axolotl mob, as well as huge pockets of clay.

As the name implies, the Lush Caves are where you will find all kinds of greenery in the underground. It is the only cave biome with this particular feature, so it’ll be instantly recognizable when you find one. Additionally, the Lush Caves can generate at any depth, meaning that you’ll find a food and light source—in the form of glow berries—at convenient locations throughout the underground. If you’re on the surface, you can find this cave type by simply looking for the Azalea tree—which is the first to feature flowers in the leaves. The Azalea tree will only grow above a Lush Cave, so you know what you’ll find when digging beneath one.

The team at Mojang has been attempting to get previews—be it in the form of a beta version for bedrock or a snapshot java edition—out to the public roughly every Wednesday. The last time we got a preview of the 1.17 update, we looked at the new mountain generation coming to the game. Since this article is a week behind, of course, that means that there is yet another snapshot that has been released—showing off new features for copper blocks.

The Caves and Cliffs update to Minecraft will be released sometime this summer, though there is no hard date yet. It is rumored that Mojang will be releasing the update in June because it is pulling support for the game on a few platforms in June. However, it is important to note that the June window is merely speculation, and there has not been any official announcement beyond the “summer of 2021” for the Caves and Cliffs update.

Source: Mojang

Minecraft 1.17 Caves and Cliffs Beta Adds Mountain Biomes

The Lofty Peaks, Snow Capped Peaks, Snowy Slopes, Mountain Groves, and Mountain Meadows are the new sub-biomes you can visit in the beta.

Minecraft’s Caves and Cliffs update has been getting previews for the last several weeks, allowing players to test out the new features coming this summer when the update launches. We’ve waited for quite some time to learn what will be on the “Cliffs” side of the Caves and Cliffs update—with most previews focusing on caves. Today, however, we have a look at some Cliffs in the form of new mountain biomes for 1.17.

The Lofty Peaks, Snow Capped Peaks, Snowy Slopes, Mountain Groves, and Mountain Meadows are the new sub-biomes you can visit in the beta. In addition, mountains now generate up to 256 blocks high—thanks to the recent increase in world height.

Mountain goats now generate in the “snowy slopes” biome, and rabbits spawn in the “Mountain Grove” biome. As we’ve seen in the update ore generation, you’re going to want to find these mountain biomes if you’re going to get the most iron, emerald, or coal ore possible. Changes are still possible, but for now, you’ll find the most iron and emerald between layers 248 and 256.

This Bedrock Beta update also reintroduced Glow Squid into the game after developers removed it for causing constant crashes.

Minecraft update previews are flipping between Bedrock and Java edition of the game, as we’ve reported before—so it’s likely that the next preview will be on Java edition. Last week, in the Java snapshot, we looked at the new Deepslate blocks and ores, which make mining more difficult. However, we still haven’t seen the Deep Dark biome or the Warden in either a beta or snapshot preview. Neither have we had the chance to test out archaeology features that are coming with 1.17.

With plenty of time between now and summer—the anticipated launch window for 1.17—we can expect to get a detailed preview of those features.  

Speculation:

YouTuber Xisumavoid has speculated in a recent video that Iceologers will be making their way to the Caves and Cliffs update, despite having lost the community vote during the reveal for Caves and Cliffs. If this speculation is correct, you’ll need to expect a fight when climbing Minecraft’s new mountains. The Iceologer was introduced in Minecraft Dungeons: Creeping Winter and can summon ice clouds that will drop on you—giving you the slowness effect and potentially stunning you.

There has been no official news that I’ve seen to corroborate this speculation, but it is a logical conclusion to draw. If it is true, we should expect to see the Iceologer in an upcoming preview.

Source: Mojang | Xisumavoid

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

Because searching the term “Minecraft Crack” returned unwanted results.

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.

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.

The Deeper You Dig In Minecraft 1.17, The More Diamonds You’ll Find

Currently, diamonds are most often found between y-level 0 and 16 and are exposed to air. In 1.17, though, you’re going to want to go as deep as you can to find the most diamonds.

This week’s snapshot showed off a ton of little tweaks and changes to 1.17’s cave and ore generation. One of the most important changes, though, was to ore distribution. Essentially, the deeper you dig, the more diamonds you’ll find.

That’s a big change from the existing 1.16. Currently, diamonds are most often found between y-level 0 and 16 and are exposed to air. In 1.17, though, you’re going to want to go as deep as you can to find the most diamonds. Developer Henrik Kniberg shared a graph that shows how this kind of distribution is going to work.

Looking at the side-by-side comparison, it’s clear that you’re going to find the most diamonds at y-level (-)64. However, there is a little bit of a twist. Diamonds aren’t going to be found just lying around anymore. The ores will try not to generate next to an air block, which means that you’ll need to dig to find them. The other thing to keep in mind is that, the deeper you go, the more likely you are to run into a Warden.

Developer Kingbogz assures us, though, that the Deep Dark isn’t the only biome that you’ll find at these depths. You’ll also find the Lush and Dripstone cave variants along with the “Cheese” and “Spaghetti” noise caves. That being said, you might want to be extra careful, because while you’re looking for diamonds, you could be lulled into a false sense of security and tip off the Warden—who will then quickly take you down.

All of this appears to be working well for the balance of the game. New players will still be able to access diamonds without going below y-0, and veteran players are going to have to worry about running into a Warden when they are strip mining at the deepest depths of the world. If that wasn’t enough, the new deeplsate block—which is about all you’ll find at the bottom of the world—is twice as hard to mine as stone.

Of course, there are still several more weeks until the update is set to be released, so we are going to see further tweaks to how everything is working. Based on community feedback, though, it appears that we are nearing the final version of the caves side of the Caves and Cliffs update.

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