Minecraft Wiki
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:*New overworld [[ore]] variants that will generate in the deepslate layer (below Y = 0).
 
:*New overworld [[ore]] variants that will generate in the deepslate layer (below Y = 0).
:*Functionally similar to their normal ore variants but are twice as tough to mine.
+
:*Functionally similar to their normal ore variants but take twice as long to mine.
 
:*Ores that generate with deepslate variants include [[iron]], [[gold]], [[lapis lazuli]], [[diamond]], and [[redstone]].
 
:*Ores that generate with deepslate variants include [[iron]], [[gold]], [[lapis lazuli]], [[diamond]], and [[redstone]].
 
:**Ores that do not generate in the deepslate layer do not have a deepslate variant.
 
:**Ores that do not generate in the deepslate layer do not have a deepslate variant.
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*[[Smooth Basalt]]
 
*[[Smooth Basalt]]
 
:*Spawns as an outer covering of [[amethyst geode]]s on the outer side of [[calcite]], similar to real-life geodes.
 
:*Spawns as an outer covering of [[amethyst geode]]s on the outer side of [[calcite]], similar to real-life geodes.
  +
:*Very similar in texture to calcite but different in color.
 
:*Can be obtained by smelting [[basalt]] in a [[furnace]].
 
:*Can be obtained by smelting [[basalt]] in a [[furnace]].
   
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=== Biomes ===
 
=== Biomes ===
   
* [[Dripstone Caves]] {{BiomeSprite|Dripstone Caves}}
+
;[[Dripstone Caves]] {{BiomeSprite|Dripstone Caves}}
 
[[File:Dripstone Caves.png|thumb|180px|A [[dripstone caves]] biome.]]
 
[[File:Dripstone Caves.png|thumb|180px|A [[dripstone caves]] biome.]]
 
:*Contains [[pointed dripstone]] and [[dripstone block]]s.
 
:*Contains [[pointed dripstone]] and [[dripstone block]]s.
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;Height limit
 
;Height limit
* Has been increased to 384 blocks, expanding 64 blocks up and 64 blocks down, with 320 being the limit upwards and -64 being the limit downwards.
+
:* Has been increased to 384 blocks, expanding 64 blocks up and 64 blocks down, with 320 being the limit upwards and -64 being the limit downwards.
  +
  +
;[[Ore]]s
  +
:* Most of the overworld ores have been retextured and touched up mainly for accessibility reasons. These also apply to the new [[deepslate ore]]s.
  +
:** This is a great help for colorblind people that have difficulties distinguishing a certain ore of similar texture from another.
  +
:** [[Diamond ore]] is an exception to this for being the "iconic" ore of the game.
  +
:* Ore distribution has been changed for more strategic [[mining]].
  +
:** Certain ores are more common at certain depths, and some may generate in lower quantities or not generate at that level at all.
   
 
==Planned additions==
 
==Planned additions==
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*Swedish painter {{w|John Bauer (illustrator)|John Bauer}} was one of the main inspirations behind the design and idea of the lush caves [[biome]], specifically Bauer's 'Oskuldens Vandring' (Innocent's Journey) painting.{{citation needed|date=December 2020}}
 
*Swedish painter {{w|John Bauer (illustrator)|John Bauer}} was one of the main inspirations behind the design and idea of the lush caves [[biome]], specifically Bauer's 'Oskuldens Vandring' (Innocent's Journey) painting.{{citation needed|date=December 2020}}
 
*This is the first update to add a new [[ore]] to the [[Overworld]] since [[emerald ore]] was added in {{verlink|JE 1.3.1|}} ({{verlink|JE 12w21a|}}) for {{el|je}} and {{verlink|PE v0.9.0 alpha|v0.9.0 alpha}} for {{el|be}}, in 2012 and 2014 respectively.
 
*This is the first update to add a new [[ore]] to the [[Overworld]] since [[emerald ore]] was added in {{verlink|JE 1.3.1|}} ({{verlink|JE 12w21a|}}) for {{el|je}} and {{verlink|PE v0.9.0 alpha|v0.9.0 alpha}} for {{el|be}}, in 2012 and 2014 respectively.
*This is the first update to add a real-world [[metal]] into the game since [[Classic 0.0.14a]] in 2009 for {{el|je}}, which brought both [[iron]] and [[gold]], and {{verlink|PE v0.3.0 alpha|v0.3.0 alpha}} in 2012 for {{el|be}}, which brought [[iron]].
+
**This is the first update to add a real-world [[metal]] into the game since [[Classic 0.0.14a]] in 2009 for {{el|je}}, which brought both [[iron]] and [[gold]], and {{verlink|PE v0.3.0 alpha|v0.3.0 alpha}} in 2012 for {{el|be}}, which brought [[iron]].
 
*Although the axolotl is the first amphibian mob implemented into ''Minecraft'', it was not the first announced one, since frogs were announced during the [[MINECON Live 2019]] [[biome vote]].
 
*Although the axolotl is the first amphibian mob implemented into ''Minecraft'', it was not the first announced one, since frogs were announced during the [[MINECON Live 2019]] [[biome vote]].
 
*Despite ores being shown to emit light during the reveal of this update, this was later confirmed to be just for demonstration purposes, to give a much clearer vision for viewers, and not for the final version.
 
*Despite ores being shown to emit light during the reveal of this update, this was later confirmed to be just for demonstration purposes, to give a much clearer vision for viewers, and not for the final version.

Revision as of 15:18, 25 February 2021

This page documents a major update currently being worked on. 
Therefore, not all official feature names or items are mentioned.
Caves & Cliffs logo

The official logo for Caves & Cliffs.

Caves & Cliffs is an upcoming major themed update set to release in mid-2021[1] as Java Edition 1.17 and Bedrock Edition 1.17.0. It was announced in Minecraft Live 2020[2] and includes new features for caves, mountains, and new mobs.

This update's development on Java Edition started with snapshot 20w45a, which was released on November 4, 2020.

This update's development on Bedrock Edition started with beta 1.16.200.52, which was released on October 28, 2020, although most of the features are behind experimental gameplay toggle until 1.17.0 and were not included in the full 1.16.200 release.[3][4]

Notable features

This section is about features that are included in the development versions. For planned additions, see  § Planned additions. For planned changes, see  § Planned changes.

Blocks

  • Grow on any side of budding amethyst blocks over time.
  • Emit a small amount of light.
  • Can be placed on any solid block in any direction.
  • Requires at least an iron pickaxe to mine, otherwise will drop nothing.
  • Breaking a fully developed amethyst cluster with a non-Silk Touch pickaxe drops 4 amethyst shards.
    • These can be crafted into spyglasses and tinted glass.
    • Using Silk Touch on an amethyst bud or cluster will drop the block as an item.
  • Part of a new tree, marking the location of a lush cave.
  • Has variants with either no blossoms or pink blossoms called flowering azalea leaves.
  • A plant that can be used for platforming.
  • If a player or a mob stands on top of the plant for two seconds (40 ticks), the player or mob will fall through the plant.
  • Can be placed on any solid block.
  • Will still tilt, even if the player is sneaking.
  • If hit by a projectile (such as snowballs, arrows, etc.), it will tilt over.
  • If it is powered by a redstone block, it will not tilt, unless hit by a projectile.
  • Can be bonemealed to grow taller.
  • When it receives a random tick, it has a 20% chance to generate or grow an amethyst bud on one of its sides.
  • Relatively rare, generates only in amethyst geode structures.
  • Not obtainable, even with Silk Touch.
  • Spawns between smooth basalt and blocks of amethyst, much like real-life geodes.
  • Visually similar to diorite, but with a smoother texture.
  • Found underground surrounding the outsides of amethyst geode formations.
  • A light source, has light level of 3.
  • Up to four can be placed in a single block, similar to sea pickles. If 1 more candle is placed in a block, it increases the light level by 3, making a max light level of 12.
  • Can be lit with a flint and steel, fire charge, an arrow fired from a flame-enchanted bow, or a fire charge shot by a dispenser if it hits the candle.
    • Emits fire particles when lit.
    • The player can left click it to snuff it.
  • Can only be placed if there is a solid surface below.
    • Can still float if the block below them is broken.
  • Have variants for uncolored and all 16 colors.
    • Uncolored candle is crafted with 1 string and 1 honeycomb.
    • Colored candle is crafted using one of the 16 dyes and one uncolored candle.
  • Right-clicking a candle on an uneaten cake makes a "birthday cake", which can have 1 candle placed on it.
    • If the cake is eaten, the candle will pop off.
  • Grow on the bottom side of a block.
  • Can be planted using glow berries.
  • Produce edible glow berries which are a light source.
    • Glow berries on the body of the plant produces a higher light level compared to the tip (bottom-most) of the plant.
  • Bonemealing a cave vine will produce glow berries (similar to sweet berry bushes) instead of growing the vine itself, unlike other vines.
    • Can be extended downwards using glow berries, and also have an age mechanic, similar to kelp.
  • Is slightly tougher to mine than normal stone.
  • Mining deepslate drops cobbled deepslate, similar to stone dropping cobblestone.
  • Can be crafted into the following blocks:
    • Deepslate Slab
    • Deepslate Stairs
    • Deepslate Wall
    • Polished Deepslate
    • Polished Deepslate Slab
    • Polished Deepslate Stairs
    • Polished Deepslate Wall
    • Deepslate Bricks
    • Deepslate Brick Slab
    • Deepslate Brick Stairs
    • Deepslate Brick Wall
    • Deepslate Tiles
    • Deepslate Tile Slab
    • Deepslate Tile Stairs
    • Deepslate Tile Wall
    • Chiseled Deepslate
  • Copper blocks are used for crafting and storage.
  • The stonecutter can be used to craft the different copper block variants.
    • Only cut copper can be used to make stairs and slabs.
      • Made with four copper blocks.
      • Cannot be turned back into regular copper blocks or copper ingots.
  • Develops a patina of pale green copper carbonate over multiple stages, which might be sped up by weather such as rain.
    • Honeycombs can be used to make waxed copper, which does not progress beyond the patina stage it has at the time.
  • Drowned can drop copper ingots.
  • New ore that is found underground.
  • Drops itself when broken, like other metal ores.
  • Spawns in ore veins similar to iron (current generation is not the final version).
  • Can be smelted into a copper ingot, which can be used to craft copper blocks, lightning rods, and spyglasses.
  • Does not generate below Y = 0
  • Can be found below Y = 0.
  • Generates as base stone below Y = 0, gradually replacing stone.
  • Previously known as "grimstone".
  • Has similar texture to cobbled deepslate but with a different top texture.
  • Is slightly tougher to mine than normal stone.
  • Drops cobbled deepslate when mined without the Silk Touch enchantment.
    • Silk Touch can be used to obtain the deepslate without it turning into cobbled deepslate.
  • New overworld ore variants that will generate in the deepslate layer (below Y = 0).
  • Functionally similar to their normal ore variants but take twice as long to mine.
  • Ores that generate with deepslate variants include iron, gold, lapis lazuli, diamond, and redstone.
    • Ores that do not generate in the deepslate layer do not have a deepslate variant.
  • Spawn in Dripstone Caves.
  • Purely decorative block.
  • Can be crafted from four pointed dripstone.
  • A decorative block.
  • Can be water-logged.
  • Looks similar to vines.
  • Emits a light level of 7.
  • Spreads to a random nearby block in a cross formation when bonemealed.
  • This block was hinted at by Henrik Kniberg, who explained that the glowing ores at Minecraft Live 2020 were prototypes for this. [5][6]
  • Seen in the distance of a lush caves biome behind a spore blossom.
  • A decorative block.
  • Crafted with 3 copper ingots.
  • Redirects nearby lightning strikes to the top of the rod, which can prevent flammable structures from catching fire during thunderstorms.
  • Emits a redstone signal when struck by lightning, with the exception of when it gets struck by lightning from a channeling trident in a thunderstorm, in which it emits nothing.
  • Can be oriented in different directions.
  • An opaque block that appears grassy on all sides.
  • Can be bonemealed to grow grass, tall grass, moss carpets and both types of azaleas on it and in its vicinity.
    • Can also be bonemealed to grow over (expand) which will convert stone surfaces, sand, dirt, etc. but not grass surfaces. May still generate moss carpets on non-convertible blocks including grass blocks.
  • Breaks when pushed by a piston.
  • Same texture as the moss block, but one pixel thick. Basically the moss version of a carpet.
  • Can occupy the same block with grass.
  • Comes in two forms, stalactites and stalagmites.
    • Stalactites hang from the ceiling and will drip water or lava, based on what was above them. The stalactites will still drip water naturally without a source block above it, but it does not fill the cauldron.
      • Placing a cauldron under a stalactite will slowly fill the cauldron with water or lava depending on the source block above them (enables renewable lava).
      • If the block on which a stalactite hangs is broken, the stalactite will fall, and this will damage players and mobs.
    • Stalagmites are found on the floor of the cave and deal damage if landed on.
    • The damage inflicted of pointed dripstone is directly proportional to the height from which the stalactite or player/mob falls from.
  • Similar to snow, but entities fall through it, similar to the effect of cobwebs, but faster.
  • If the player does not have any leather armor equipped and they walk or fall in, they will start to freeze and take damage.
    • Freezing lowers the player's FOV (field of view), turns the health bar blue, and puts a frosty vignette on their screen.
    • Any leather armor prevents freezing.
      • Wearing leather boots will allow the player to walk on top of powder snow and make it function like scaffolding.
    • Most mobs can also take freezing damage.
  • Certain mobs have unique properties with powder snow.
  • "Snowier snow" was announced to be part of the Mountains biome in the biome vote at MINECON Live 2019, a joke teaser for powder snow.[7]
  • Part of the Azalea plant.
  • Resembles a dirt block, but with the roots of the Azalea tree intertwined.
  • Planned to lead to the Lush Caves biome.
  • Generates in the deep dark cave biome.
  • Can be used for wireless redstone.
  • Senses vibrations created by things such as block placement, footsteps, and projectiles, including fishing rods.[8]
  • Wool can occlude its ability to sense. This can be placed between or completely around the source of the input.
  • Cannot detect players sneaking.
  • Can be used with a piston to create a wireless redstone clock.
  • Emits particles ( File:Particle of the Vibration.gif) and light[more information needed] when it senses a vibration nearby, except when waterlogged.
  • Are not affected by ambient weather such as rain,[9] nor other sculk sensors and/or the warden.[10]
  • Appears highly varied in models.
  • Can only be placed in water or on clay, which counts as a 'moist' block.
  • Can be bonemealed to turn into Big Dripleaf.
  • Can be sold by the Wandering Trader.
  • Spawns as an outer covering of amethyst geodes on the outer side of calcite, similar to real-life geodes.
  • Very similar in texture to calcite but different in color.
  • Can be obtained by smelting basalt in a furnace.
  • Can be placed on ceilings.
  • Sends particles downward when opened.
  • Creates ambient particle effects, similar to the nether biomes, but non-biome dependent.
  • A type of glass that does not allow light to pass through.
  • Crafted with a glass block in the middle and 4 amethyst shards in a cross shape.
  • Drops itself when broken, even without Silk Touch, unlike glass.
  • Spawns occasionally in the deepslate layer (below Y = 0).

Items

  • Obtained by using a water bucket on an axolotl, similar to fish.
  • Can contain one cumulative stack of any variety of item types.
    • Stack sizes are sustained. For example, a bundle containing 32 blocks with a stack size of 64 could hold only an additional 8 ender pearls, as the stack size of an ender pearl is 16; the half stack of ender pearls added to the half stack of blocks is calculated as one full stack. Unstackable items like minecarts remain unstackable.
  • Displays a blue bar, similar to a durability bar, that shows how full it is.
  • Items are added by holding the bundle within the inventory and clicking an item or vice versa.
  • Tooltip shows icons of contained items.
  • Items drop to inventory when right clicked.
  • Are crafted with rabbit hide and string.
  • Grow from cave vines.
  • Can be eaten.
  • Used as a light source.
  • Loved by foxes as much as sweet berries.
    • Foxes can pick glow berries from the vine similar to sweet berry bushes.
  • Goats have a chance to drop this item when they ram into a block.
  • Holding use while holding this item plays the raid horn sound effect.
  • Using a bucket on powder snow creates a powder snow bucket.
  • Powder snow buckets can be used to place powder snow.
  • Powder snow buckets can also be filled from cauldrons filled with powder snow.
  • Crafted from an amethyst shard and 2 copper ingots.
  • When used while held, it allows the player to see far away objects through a small square.
    • By pressing F1 you will be able to zoom in your whole screen; avoiding the border that is normally presented when using.
    • Switching to third person view while using the spyglass shows the player holding up the spyglass to where the eyes would be.

Mobs

  • Based on the critically endangered Mexican salamander with the same name in real life.
  • Planned to be found in bodies of water within lush caves biomes.
  • The first amphibian added to Minecraft.
  • Can be caught in a bucket like fish.
  • Comes in four common varieties, lucy (pink), wild (brown), gold, and cyan, and a rare blue variety, which has a 11200 (~0.08334%) chance of spawning.
  • Plays dead when damaged, receiving Regeneration.
    • This regeneration ability is likely based on how real axolotls can regrow lost limbs.
  • Attacks fish and squid, and attacks drowned and guardians (doesn't include Elder Guardians) if tempted with tropical fish by a player.
Glow Squid JE1

A glow squid in Java Edition.

Goat

A goat.

  • Spawns in mountain biomes.
  • Can jump high to avoid obstacles, about 5 blocks tall.
  • Attacks nearby mobs by charging and knocking them a considerable distance.
  • Takes reduced fall damage.
  • Avoids powder snow by jumping over it.
  • Can be bred with wheat, which produces a baby goat.
  • Drops one goat horn when ramming into a block. Goat horns do not regrow.

Non-mob entites

  • A variant of the Item Frame that is made using a Glow Ink Sac.
  • Appears to glow but does not give any actual light.

World generation

File:Amethyst Geode.png

Inside an amethyst geode.

  • A tiny underground cave-like feature.
  • Contains smooth basalt, calcite, blocks of amethyst, budding amethyst, and the amethyst clusters they generate.
  • An amethyst geode that generates underwater will cause water block textures to appear in openings. Placing or breaking a block next to the water blocks causes them to start flowing into the geode.
  • Twinkle-like sounds can be heard near amethyst crystals, which used placeholder sounds when it was showcased, and not the final version.[11]
  • Completely overhauled.
  • Now stretch down to Y = -59.
  • The cavern now generates in 2 layers of different stone bases depending on the depth.
    • Cavern layer above Y = 0 is made up of regular stone.
    • Stone transitions to deepslate from Y = 0 to Y = -7.
    • Deepslate will now completely take place of stone from Y = -8 to bedrock.
      • Certain types of ores and structures will still generate in the deepslate layer, as well as tuff.
      • Dirt, diorite, granite and andesite will not generate in this layer.
  • Biomes inside of caves introduced such as dripstone caves.
  • Contain aquifers, bodies of water with different heights, independent of sea level (Y=63).
  • Improved old caves to blend in with the new generations of caves better.[12]
  • New carver called crack carver, which appears as a fissure on the ground, like ravines but narrower and can go very deep.[13]
  • New noise caves, coming in 2 forms, cheese and spaghetti.
    • The original caves still exist, mixing with the noise caves.
    • Cheese caves have large stone towers stretching from the bottom of the cave to the top.
      • Very large, large enough to fly with an elytra.
      • Abundant with aquifers and ores.
    • Spaghetti caves are long, thin caves which only have small aquifers and are more similar to original caves.
  • For support, if in the air, can generate with log pillars below or chains on fence posts above.
  • Try to generate fully encased in stone at low y-levels.

Biomes

Dripstone Caves
Dripstone Caves

A dripstone caves biome.

Gameplay

Vibrations
  • An action can cause vibrations in the air, which can be picked up by sculk sensors and wardens.
  • Can be caused by player and mob movements, blocks being placed or broken, containers opening, projectiles being fired and landing, blocks like pistons moving, buttons, levers and pressure plates activating, and blocks activating. Vibrations are not caused by ambient weather such as rain or snow. [9]

General

Height limit
  • Has been increased to 384 blocks, expanding 64 blocks up and 64 blocks down, with 320 being the limit upwards and -64 being the limit downwards.
Ores
  • Most of the overworld ores have been retextured and touched up mainly for accessibility reasons. These also apply to the new deepslate ores.
    • This is a great help for colorblind people that have difficulties distinguishing a certain ore of similar texture from another.
    • Diamond ore is an exception to this for being the "iconic" ore of the game.
  • Ore distribution has been changed for more strategic mining.
    • Certain ores are more common at certain depths, and some may generate in lower quantities or not generate at that level at all.

Planned additions

Please note that the names of many features are currently placeholders. They may be marked with the template [unofficial name].

Blocks

Clay Pot
  • Uses the texture of clay.
  • Ceramic Shards can be incorporated into an unfired pot.
  • Can be fired by lighting fire under the pot.
  • Pot can fit up to 8 Ceramic Shards.
Painted Clay Pot
  • Uses the texture of terracotta.
  • Created by firing a clay pot.
  • Upon firing, any placed Ceramic Shards become permanently incorporated on to the clay pot.
Sculk Block
  • Generates in the mysterious new cave biome, referred to as the "deep dark" temporarily.
  • Has an animated texture.
  • May be used in redstone.[14]
Sculk Trap[unofficial name]
Sculk in redstone

This image shows the sculk blocks in redstone, implying that the other sculk blocks also have redstone uses.

  • Generates in the deep dark biome.
  • Has a different top texture than the Sculk Block and Sculk Chute.[15]
  • May be used in redstone.[14]
Sculk Chute[unofficial name]
  • Generates in the deep dark caves.
  • Made of sculk and a bone-like material.[16]
  • May be used in redstone.[14]
  • Glows but does not emit light, similar to the glow squid or the glow item frame.
Sculk Veins[17]
  • Generates in the deep dark cave biome.
  • Generates in a layer on top of blocks, similar to snow.
  • Can be placed in all directions, like glow lichen.
  • Some have parts that are transparent, allowing the player to see the block it is on top of.
  • May be used in redstone as seen in this video when they talk about the sculk sensor.[14]
Processing rubble[unofficial name]
  • A technical block associated with archaeology.
  • At least comes in dirt and gravel variants.
  • Created upon using a brush on what appears to be normal dirt or gravel.
  • Has 16 layers.

Items

Brush
  • Used to sweep debris away from archaeological items.
  • Sweeps debris off archaeological items one layer at a time. If interrupted, the block it was being used on simply disappears, and does not yield custom block heights.
  • Also comes in a blue-green variant.
Ceramic Shards
  • Obtained with a brush at archeological sites.
  • Come in different colors and different designs, each depicting a different picture, such as an ender dragon, a cow, Alex, a skeleton, a tree and a vindicator.
  • Can be placed/customized on clay pots.
  • Currently using placeholder art, according to Jasper Boerstra.[18]
Spawn Eggs
  • Warden Spawn Egg The Warden spawn egg is visually confirmed but not yet implemented.[19]

Mobs

Warden
Warden&Golem

A picture of the Warden and Iron Golem standing side by side

  • Spawns in the new deep dark biome.
  • The first fully blind mob (bats, despite relying almost exclusively on echolocation, still have basic eyesight).
  • When sensing movement, it moves toward the source of the movement.
    • It follows and attacks players, mobs, and other entities that make vibrations.[note 1]
      • It does not attack other Wardens.
    • When attacked, it path finds toward the player.
    • Seems to follow the same rules as the sculk sensor when detecting noise.
      • When it detects a vibration, the growths on its head rattle and light up, similar to the sculk sensor.
    • If any projectile (e.g. egg, snowball, arrow) lands near the Warden, the mob inspects the location where the projectile landed, due to the projectile creating movement and noise. This feature can be used in order to cause a distraction.
    • Does not detect players that are sneaking.
    • Can detect players that are invisible.[20]
    • When aggravated for long enough, the warden follows the player continuously, regardless of any other distractions.
  • Incredibly strong, doing 30♥ × 15 damage, bringing players wearing full netherite armor from full health to 7♥♥♥♥ health points.
  • A mob designed to be extremely difficult and fled from.[21]
  • Has a way to counter the strategy of building up 3 blocks to avoid attacks.[22]
  • At least as fast as the player's walking speed.
  • Seems to have knockback resistance.
  • The warden's chest has a glowing core that appears to brighten and dim in tandem with the ambient lighting of the deep dark cave biome.
    • The core creates a low throbbing sound as it pulses. The sound and animation seem to speed up rapidly when the warden notices a player.
  • Is about 3.5 blocks tall, making it one of the tallest mobs in the game, exceeding the iron golem and enderman in height and width (the same).[note 2][23]

World generation

Deep dark biome
Lush caves
Mesh caves
  • Seems to be possibly a large tunnel-like cave generation.
  • Not much is known about this cave variation yet, but it was confirmed on Twitter by Henrik Kniberg.[24]
  • Possibly contain "catacomb" style branching cave sections.
General
  • More extreme and smooth terrain.
  • Likely change to the generation of alternate stone types, to make them appear in larger but less numerous deposits.[25]
    • Possibly seen in a screenshot tweeted by Henrik Kniberg,[26] in which diorite appears to generate in a long and flat horizontal strip, rather than a small unevenly shaped patch.
  • Ore generation will see further rebalancing and will influence the surrounding stone

Gameplay

Archaeology
  • The player can find items and blocks in gravel and dirt inside the dig site structure by using the brush.
  • Possible items shown in the preview footage include:
Dimming of light[unofficial name]
  • While in the deep dark cave biome, the ambient lighting occasionally dims temporarily, limiting the player's visibility. This serves as a warning that the warden is nearby.[27]

Planned changes

World generation

Mountains
Caves & Cliffs Mountains

The preview of updated mountain generation given during Minecraft Live 2020.

Mineral veins
  • Some stone appears a little different and when that stone is mined, more of the ore should be found behind it.
Other Stones
Example-of-other-stone-generation

An example of how the other stones may generate

Unconfirmed features

Structures

Underground Cabin[unofficial name]
Excavation Site[unofficial name]
  • Seen during the Minecraft Live 2020 stream.
  • Consists of wool tents and a large pit containing rubble.
  • May not be a generated structure but there was mention in the video.

Trivia

  • Swedish painter John Bauer was one of the main inspirations behind the design and idea of the lush caves biome, specifically Bauer's 'Oskuldens Vandring' (Innocent's Journey) painting.[citation needed]
  • This is the first update to add a new ore to the Overworld since emerald ore was added in 1.3.1 (12w21a) for Java Edition and v0.9.0 alpha for Bedrock Edition, in 2012 and 2014 respectively.
  • Although the axolotl is the first amphibian mob implemented into Minecraft, it was not the first announced one, since frogs were announced during the MINECON Live 2019 biome vote.
  • Despite ores being shown to emit light during the reveal of this update, this was later confirmed to be just for demonstration purposes, to give a much clearer vision for viewers, and not for the final version.
    • It was confirmed to be a placeholder for new, biome-specific light sources.[6]
  • The name "Sculk" is derived from the word "skulk", meaning "keep out of sight, typically with a sinister or cowardly motive".[15]
  • Mojang Studios employees explored real caves to research for the update. This helped give inspiration and ideas for the update, including for the mesh caves.[29][30]
  • Tinted Glass is the name of Stained Glass in the April Fools' joke Minecraft 2.0.
  • During Java Edition 1.17 snapshots, Waxed Lightly Weathered Cut Copper Stairs was longest item name in the game, with 41 characters between (20w45a), and (21w05a).
  • The art style of the concept art for Caves & Cliffs was inspired by the concept art of Diamonds and Lemons, the Adventure Time episode featuring a Minecraft crossover.[32]

Gallery

Caves

Screenshots of the Caves & Cliffs Update from Minecraft Live 2020 and other sources:

Concept artwork

Notes

  1. The warden does not attack other entities but it does follow the vibrations that they make. (For example it follows a snowball but it breaks upon impact to a block rendering it non-attackable by the Warden.
  2. Height of the Warden is based from the image found on twitter.

References

  1. "Minecraft Live 2020 @ 2:10:28" – Minecraft on YouTube, October 3, 2020
  2. a b "Minecraft Live: The Recap" – Minecraft.net, October 3, 2020
  3. "My understanding is that Experimental Features only exist in Beta releases."@MattGartzke on X, December 2, 2020
  4. "Goats are still in the latest beta, they just can't be accessed from a full version, only betas."@MattGartzke on X, December 2, 2020
  5. "And yes, Glow Lichen is the new cave light source I mentioned in the cave prototype video a while back. We made them mainly for the not-yet-released larger caves. Glow Lichen generate naturally, but you can also grow it yourself and make eerie glowing cave paths :)"@henrikkniberg on X, January 20, 2021
  6. a b "Once Upon a Time in the Underground (Minecraft cave prototype) @ 0:27" – Henrik Kniberg on YouTube, October 8, 2020
  7. "And speaking of snow, yes, it will be snowier. We will also have a new block called 'powder snow'" — Vu Bui on "Minecraft Live 2020 @ 48:25" – Minecraft on YouTube
  8. "Sculk is looking a little more blue these days..."@kingbdogz on X, November 13, 2020
  9. a b "Small interesting tidbit: We made the design decision for Sculk Sensors to not be affected by ambient weather like rain. My logic for this is "habituation", where the Sculk Sensor essentially becomes used to the constant stimulus, no longer registering it as a vibration"@kingbdogz on X, October 12, 2020
  10. "I think this could be a really unfun mechanic if rain can suddenly mess up your redstone contraptions. This is also why Sculk Sensors don't react to each other, nor the Warden, since they're so accustomed to vibrations of their "species" that it's background noise they block out"@kingbdogz on X, October 12, 2020
  11. "the sounds in the Live video are not the sounds we will be using for the amethyst crystal blocks - those were placeholders, as with most things shown in Live ;)"@Cojomax99 on X, October 6, 2020
  12. "Oh forgot to mention in the changelog: we also added some more variation to the old cave carvers (width, heigh, floor cutoff, etc). Just to make them blend in a bit better with the noise caves instead of being instantly recognizable."@henrikkniberg on X, February 25, 2021
  13. "There it is. The crack carver. Watch your step, they can go REALLY deep!"@henrikkniberg on X, February 25, 2021
  14. a b c d "Caves, Cliffs & Other Updates: How We Make Minecraft - Episode 5" – November 27, 2020 on YouTube
  15. a b "While not related, Sculk name was inspired by Jeb's process with naming the Shulkers - he liked the word "Lurker", but changed it around a bit to feel new. Sculk is one letter changed of Skulk, meaning "keep out of sight, typically with a sinister or cowardly motive""@kingbdogz on X, October 13, 2020
  16. "That is actually a bone-like material, not End Stone :)"@kingbdogz on X, November 13, 2020
  17. "This is really cool, but won't be necessary because Sculk Veins (on the edge of growths) can be placed in all directions like Glow Lichen. That means you can find veins on top of anything, including Grimstone Bricks, which is a better approach than a specific block type."@kingbdogz on X, February 18, 2021
  18. "Note: Everything in the archeology vid was placeholder art"@JasperBoerstra (Jasper Boerstra) on X, October 3, 2020
  19. "Feeling kinda short myself..."@kingbdogz on X, October 6, 2020
  20. "Wardens will still be able to detect entities that are invisible :)"@kingbdogz on X, October 26, 2020
  21. "I'd actually consider it something entirely new. The Warden is a force of nature, not a boss. When a tornado is barreling toward you, you don't try to kill it - you run away! The Warden is exactly the same."@kingbdogz on X, October 3, 2020
  22. "It absolutely has some tricks up its sleeves to counter that particular strategy :)"@kingbdogz on X, October 26, 2020
  23. "Looking kinda short there, Iron Golem."@kingbdogz on X, October 6, 2020
  24. "Mesh caves. You'll see it later."@henrikkniberg on X, October 6, 2020
  25. "Lol been prototyping that today actually! Thx for the pic though very useful."@henrikkniberg on X, October 8, 2020
  26. "Sometimes weird things happen when messing around with world generation. The villagers up there look mighty confused :) #devbloopers"@henrikkniberg on X, October 22, 2020
  27. "The mechanical purpose is to warn you that the Warden is nearby. You should get ready if you start to see pure darkness like that..."@kingbdogz on X, October 4, 2020
  28. https://youtu.be/DWZIfsaIgtE?t=2536
  29. "Yes, and yes. Was hoping to do a larger field trip to different countries with interesting caves, but covid got in the way so we had stay more local."@henrikkniberg on X, October 23, 2020
  30. "Mesh caves were inspired by this field trip."@henrikkniberg on X, October 21, 2020
  31. "I used to travel a lot in the past though (before becoming aware of climate change), and I like visiting caves, so I dug up memories from fascinating cave visits in Spain, South Africa, New Zealand, and British Virgin Isles and some other places."@henrikkniberg on X, October 23, 2020
  32. "Definitely one of my biggest inspirations! My favorite show + favorite game - it shaped a lot how I approached concepts for Minecraft artstyle"@cookiecat_9 on X, October 4, 2020
  33. "Archy is just adding more GAMEPLAY to exploring these structures and uncovering ancient artifacts"@_Ulraf_ on X, October 28, 2020