Caves & Cliffs

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

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

This update's development on 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.

Blocks

 * Amethyst Buds and Amethyst Cluster
 * Grow on any side of budding amethyst blocks over time.
 * Is a light source.
 * Fully grown crystals break to produce an amethyst shard item.
 * These can be crafted into spyglasses and tinted glass.


 * Azalea
 * Has variants with either no blossoms or pink blossoms.


 * Azalea Leaves
 * Part of a new tree, marking the location of the lush cave.
 * Has variants with either no blossoms or pink blossoms.


 * Big Dripleaf
 * A plant that can be used for platforming.
 * If the player stands on top of the plant for 2 seconds (40 ticks), the player falls through the plant.
 * Can be placed on a grass block.
 * Will still tilt, even if the player is sneaking.
 * If hit by a projectile (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 higher.


 * Block of Amethyst


 * Can be crafted with 4 amethyst shards.
 * Generates only in amethyst geode structures.
 * Makes a sparkling sound when placed or walked on.


 * Budding Amethyst


 * 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.


 * Calcite
 * Spawns between tuff 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.


 * Candles and Candle Cakes


 * A light source, has light level of 3.
 * Can have up to four 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.
 * Variants for uncolored and all 16 colors.
 * Emits fire particles.
 * 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.
 * 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.
 * 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.
 * Uncolored candle crafted with 1 string and 1 honeycomb.
 * Colored candle crafted using one of the 16 dyes and one uncolored candle.


 * Cauldron


 * Can now be filled with lava $$, which was previously a exclusive.
 * Striders are not affected by lava cauldrons.
 * Can now be filled from the snowfall in mountains creating powder snow. Can be collected from buckets.


 * Cave Vines
 * Light source.
 * Grows edible glow berries.


 * Copper Block and variants


 * Copper blocks are used for storage.
 * Made with 4 copper ingots.
 * Only cut copper can be used to make stairs and slabs.
 * Made with 4 copper blocks.
 * Can't 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.
 * The stonecutter can be used to craft the different copper block variants.


 * Copper Ore


 * 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.


 * Dripstone Block


 * Spawn in Dripstone Caves.
 * Can be crafted from four pointed dripstone.


 * Glow Lichen


 * A decorative block.
 * Can be water-logged.
 * Looks similar to vines.
 * Emits a light level of 7.
 * Spreads to a random nearby block when bonemealed.
 * This block was hinted at by Henrik Kniberg, who explained that the glowing ores at Minecraft Live 2020 were prototypes for this.


 * Grimstone


 * Can be found under Y=0.
 * Can be found in large chunks.
 * Is slightly tougher to mine than normal stone.
 * Can be crafted into the following blocks with this new stone type:
 * Grimstone Slab
 * Grimstone Stairs
 * Grimstone Wall
 * Polished Grimstone
 * Polished Grimstone Slab
 * Polished Grimstone Stairs
 * Polished Grimstone Wall
 * Grimstone Bricks
 * Grimstone Brick Slab
 * Grimstone Brick Stairs
 * Grimstone Brick Wall
 * Grimstone Tiles
 * Grimstone Tile Slab
 * Grimstone Tile Stairs
 * Grimstone Tile Wall
 * Chiseled Grimstone


 * Hanging Roots
 * Seen in the distance of a lush caves biome behind a spore blossom.


 * Lightning Rod


 * 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.


 * Moss Block
 * 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) across stone surfaces, but not grass surfaces.
 * Breaks when pushed by a piston.


 * Moss Carpet
 * Same texture as the moss block, but one pixel thick. The moss version of a carpet.


 * Pointed Dripstone


 * 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.
 * Falling from a greater height deals more damage than from a shorter height.


 * Powder Snow


 * Similar to snow, but entities fall through it, similar to the effect of cobwebs, but faster.
 * "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.
 * When wearing leather boots, it acts like scaffolding and also protects from freezing.
 * If the player does not have leather boots equipped and they walk or fall in, they will start to freeze and take damage.
 * Freezing lowers the player's FOV (field of view) and puts a frosty vignette on their screen.
 * Any leather armor prevents freezing.


 * Rooted Dirt
 * 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.


 * Sculk Sensor


 * 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.
 * 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 ( Particle of the Vibration.gif ) when it senses a vibration nearby, except when waterlogged.
 * Are not affected by ambient weather such as rain, nor other sculk sensors and/or the warden.


 * Small Dripleaf
 * 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.


 * Spore Blossom
 * Can be placed on ceilings.
 * Sends particles downward when opened.


 * Tinted Glass
 * A type of glass that does not allow light to pass through.
 * Crafted with a glass block in the middle and 4 amethyst shards around it.
 * Drops itself when broken, even without Silk Touch, unlike glass.


 * Tuff


 * Spawns as an outer covering of amethyst geodes on the outer side of calcite, similar to real-life geodes.

Items

 * Amethyst Shard


 * Drops 4 (without the fortune enchantment) from Amethyst Crystals.
 * Used to make spyglasses and tinted glass.


 * Bucket of Axolotl
 * Obtained by using a water bucket on an axolotl, similar to fish.


 * Bundle
 * 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.


 * Copper Ingot
 * Created by smelting copper ore.
 * Can be used to craft copper blocks, lightning rods, and spyglasses.


 * Glow Berries


 * Can be eaten.
 * Used as a light source.


 * Glow Ink Sac


 * Drops from Glow Squid.
 * Used to make Glow Item Frames and glowing signs.


 * Goat Horn


 * Goats have a chance to drop this item when they ram into a block.
 * Holding while holding this item plays the raid horn sound effect.


 * Powder Snow Bucket
 * 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.


 * Spawn Eggs


 * Spawn eggs for the new mobs are added.
 * Axolotl Spawn Egg JE1.png The axolotl spawn egg, currently available $$.
 * Glow Squid Spawn Egg JE1.png The glow squid spawn egg.
 * Goat Spawn Egg BE2.png The goat spawn egg, currently available $$.


 * Spyglass
 * Crafted from an amethyst shard and 2 copper ingots.
 * When while held, it allows the player to see far away objects through a small square.
 * Switching to third person view while using the spyglass shows the player holding up the spyglass to where the eyes would be.

Mobs

 * Axolotl


 * Based on the 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 $1/1200$ (~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


 * Originates from Minecraft Earth.
 * Glows in the same way that magma cube cores, vexes, blazes and the eyes of spiders, drowned, and endermen do.
 * Drops Glow Ink Sacs, used to make Glow Item Frames.
 * Spawns in the deep oceans and underwater caves.
 * Was decided on based on a mob vote between it, the Moobloom from Minecraft Earth, and the Iceologer from the Minecraft Dungeons DLC Creeping Winter.


 * 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

 * Glow Item Frames


 * 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

 * Amethyst Geodes


 * A tiny underground cave-like feature.
 * Contains tuff, 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.


 * Caves


 * Completely overhauled.
 * Now stretch down to y = -59.
 * The cavern now generates in 2 layers with different types of stone as base depending on the depth.
 * Cavern layer above y = 0 is made up of regular stone.
 * Stone transitions to grimstone from y = 0 to y = -7.
 * Grimstone will now completely take place of stone from y = -8 to bedrock.
 * Certain types of ores and structures will still generate in the grimstone layer, as well as andesite.
 * Dirt, diorite and granite will not generate in this layer.
 * Biomes inside of caves introduced such as dripstone caves.
 * 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.
 * Contain aquifers, bodies of water with different heights, independent of sea level (Y=63).


 * Mineshafts


 * For support, if in the air, can generate with log pillars below or chains on fence posts above.


 * Strongholds


 * Try to generate fully encased in stone.

Biomes

 * Dripstone Caves
 * Contains pointed dripstone and dripstone blocks.

Gameplay

 * 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.
 * 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.

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.

Trivia

 * Swedish painter 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.
 * This is the first update to add a new ore to the Overworld since emerald ore was added in  for  and  for, 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, which brought both iron and gold, and in 2012 for , 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.
 * 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.
 * The name "Sculk" is derived from the word "skulk", meaning "keep out of sight, typically with a sinister or cowardly motive".
 * 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.
 * Henrik Kniberg also recalled memories of past visits to caves around the world.
 * Tinted Glass is the name of Stained Glass in the April Fools' joke Minecraft 2.0.
 * During  snapshots, Waxed Lightly Weathered Cut Copper Stairs was longest item name in the game, with 41 characters between, and.
 * 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.

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