Caves & Cliffs

Official logo for 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 it includes new caves and mountains features.

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

Notable features

Blocks

• 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

• Generates and grows amethyst clusters on any of its sides, 20% chance of it receives a random tick.
  • The chance of the each sides are 1/6.
• Unobtainable in survival.
• Relatively rare, generates only in amethyst geode structures.

• Amethyst Buds and Amethyst Cluster

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

• 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.

• Tuff

• Spawns surrounding amethyst geodes on the outer side of calcite, much like real-life geodes.

• Tinted Glass

• A form of glass that does not allow lighting to pass through.
• Crafted with a glass block between 4 amethyst shards.
• Drops itself when broken, even without Silk Touch, unlike glass.

• Copper Ore

• New ore 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, used to craft copper blocks, lightning rods, and spyglasses.

• 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.
• 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.

• Lightning Rod

• Crafted with 3 copper ingots.
• Redirects nearby lightning strikes to the top of the rod, which can prevent flammable structures from catching on fire during thunderstorms.
• Emits a redstone signal when struck by lightning.
• Can be oriented in different directions.
• Can create lightning when struck by a channeling trident in a thunder storm, but does not output a redstone signal.

• Candles, Dyed Candles, Lit Candles, and Candle Cakes

• A light source.
• Can have up to four in a single block, similar to sea pickles.
• Variants for uncolored and all 16 colors.
• Emits fire particles.
• Can be lit with a flint and steel or fire charge or 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.
• Right-clicking a candle on an uneaten cake makes a "birthday cake", which can have 1 candle placed on it.
• Uncolored candle crafted with 1 string and 1 honeycomb
• Colored candle crafted using one of the 16 dyes and one uncolored candle
• Can be placed on a cake, and the candle can be lit on said cake.
• If the cake is eaten, the candle will pop off.

• Powder Snow

• Similar to snow, but entities fall through it, similar to cobwebs, but faster.
• This is how regular snow layer blocks worked in old versions of Minecraft, but it was changed because it created accidental booby traps when lava ponds generated at the right height to cut out the ground but not the snow.
• "Snowier snow" was announced to be part of the Mountains biome in the biome vote at MINECON Live 2019, which is related to powder snow.
• When wearing leather boots, it acts like scaffolding.
• If the player does not have leather boots equipped and they walk or fall in, they will start to freeze.
• Freezing lowers the player's FOV and puts a frosty vignette on their screen.
• After a while, the player will start taking damage slowly.
• Leather armor is supposed to slow freezing, but it is currently not working.
• In the Bedrock Edition Beta powder snow can be used like a ladder
• In the Bedrock Edition Beta jumping is the only way to stay on top of powder snow

Items

• 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.

• Amethyst Shard

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

• 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, and it changes texture.
  • When full, the blue bar disappears.
• Items are added by dragging the bundle to an item or by dragging items onto the bundle.
• 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.

• Spyglass

• Crafted from amethyst shards and copper.
• When used while held, it allows the player to see far away 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.

• Goat Horn

• This feature is currently available in beta development versions of Bedrock Edition 1.16.200.
• 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.

• Spawn Eggs

• Spawn eggs for the new mobs are added.
• The goat spawn egg is present in the Bedrock Edition beta.

Mobs

• Goat

• This feature is currently available in beta development versions of Bedrock Edition 1.16.200.
• Spawns in mountain biomes.
• Can jump high to avoid obstacles, about 5 blocks tall.
• Attacks nearby animals by charging and knocking them a considerable distance.
• Takes reduced fall damage.
• Avoids powder snow by jumping over it.
• Can be bred with wheat, and produces 3-8 babies at once.
• Has a chance to drop a goat horn when ramming into a block.

World generation

• Amethyst geode

Geodes can also be generated underwater (the brightness is increased in the picture)

• A tiny underground cave-like feature.
• Contains tuff, calcite, blocks of amethyst, budding amethyst, and the amethyst clusters they generate.
• Twinkle-like sounds can be heard near amethyst crystals, which used placeholder sounds when it was showcased, and not the final version.
  • The sounds are caused by the amethyst blocks in the geode.

Planned additions

Please note that the names of many features are currently placeholders.

Blocks

File:Restoring clay pots.png Clay Pot

• Seems to use 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.

File:Painted clay pot.png Painted Clay Pot

• Seems to use the texture of terracotta.
• Created by firing a clay pot.
• Upon firing, any placed Ceramic Shards become permanently incorporated on to the clay pot.

File:Blooming Azalea Leaves.png Azalea Leaves

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

File:Baby azalea tree.png File:Baby blooming azalea tree.png Azalea Shrub

• Has variants with either no blossoms, pink blossoms, or purple blossoms.

File:Azalea Roots.png Azalea Roots

• Part of the Azalea plant.
• Resembles a dirt block, but with the roots of the Azalea tree intertwined.
• Probably is the source of all the life in lush caves.
• May be a new variant of the dirt block.

File:Roots bloody roots.png Hanging Azalea Roots

• Seen in the distance of a lush caves biome behind a spore blossom.
• Can also be seen hanging beneath the dirt variant that spawns below the Azalea tree and on the ceiling in the axolotl clip, possibly just a decorative feature of this block.

File:New Vine.png File:New Vine 2.png Glow Berry Vines

• Light source.
• Grows edible glow berries.

Spore Blossom

• Can be placed on ceilings.
• Sends particles downward when opened.
• This item can be found in the lush caves.

Dripleaf Plant

• 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.

File:Baby dripleaf plants.png Small Dripleaf Plant

• Appears highly varied in models.

File:Unidentified foliage object.png Moss Block

• An opaque block that appears grassy on all sides.
• Can be found in lush caves.

File:Foliage carpet.png Moss Blanket

• Same texture as the moss block, but one pixel thick.

Sculk Block

• Generates in the mysterious new cave biome, referred to as the "deep dark" temporarily.
• Has an animated texture.

File:Unidentified Sculk Block.png Sculk Trap

• Generates in the deep dark biome
• Has a different top texture than the Sculk Block and Sculk Chute.

File:Sculk Something Dev2.png Sculk Chute

• Generates in the deep dark caves.
• Made of sculk and a bone-like material.

File:Sculk Growth Dev2.png Sculk Growth

• Generates in the deep dark cave biome.
• Generates in a layer on top of blocks, similar to snow.
• Some have parts that are transparent, allowing the player to see the block it is on top of.

File:Sculk Sensor Dev3.gif 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.
• Can be used with a piston to create a wireless redstone clock.
• File:Particle of the Vibration.gif Emits particles when it senses a vibration nearby.
• Are not affected by ambient weather such as rain, as well as other sculk sensors and the warden.

File:Unnamed Stone.png Darkstone/Deepstone

• Can be found around the deep dark cave biome walls.
• Can be found in large chunks.

File:Unknown speleothem block.png Dripstone

• Found in dripstone caves.

File:Stalagmites.png Stalagmite

• Can be found on the floor of the new dripstone caves.
• Deals damage to entites when landed on.
• Appears to be made of dripstone.

File:Stalactites.png Stalactite

• Can be found on the ceiling of the new dripstone caves.
• Can fall, but unlike sand or gravel, it breaks apart upon impact and damages any mob or player standing underneath.
• Drops itself when broken, regardless of whether or not Silk Touch is used.
• Has a similar texture to dripstone blocks.
• Cannot be moved by pistons; it breaks instead.
• Drips water, which can fill cauldrons placed under it.

Unspecified underground light sources

• A video by Henrik Kniberg explicitly states that the temporary showcased feature of ore blocks emitting light was intended as a placeholder for underground light sources, potentially hinting at further new cave light sources.

Items

File:Axolotl Bucket JE1.png Bucket of Axolotl

• Obtained by using a water bucket on an axolotl, similar to fish.
• Had no name in the Minecraft Live 2020 demo, showing its translation string item.minecraft.axolotl_bucket.

Brush

• Used to sweep away debris 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:
  • This may imply a connection to copper, as both the variant and normal brushes have corresponding colors to the blocks shown.

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.

Glow Berries

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

Spawn Eggs

• The Warden spawn egg is visually confirmed but not yet implemented.

Mobs

File:Axolotl (albino).png File:Axolotl (brown).png File:Axolotl (green).png Axolotl

"Axolotl" redirects here. For the music track, see Music § Underwater music.

• Based on the critically endangered Mexican salamander with the same name in real life.
• Found in bodies of water within lush caves biomes.
• The first amphibian added to Minecraft.
• Can be caught in a bucket like fish.
  • Can be tamed by capturing it in a bucket.
• Come in different colors (leucistic, yellow, green, brown, and purple/pink).
• Plays dead when damaged, receiving Regeneration. Appears to turn invisible or teleport after this, although the latter may be just a bug or a glitch.
  • This regeneration ability is likely based on how real axolotls can regrow lost limbs.
• Attacks drowned, guardians, elder guardians and fish. Damage is yet to be confirmed.
• Sometimes can give Regeneration to the player who tamed it.

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.
• Spawns in 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. Failing mobs are less likely to be added but still have a chance to be implemented in the future.

Warden

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

• Spawns in the new deep dark biome.
• The first blind mob.
• When sensing movement, it moves toward the source of the movement.
  • 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, like a snowball or an arrow, is thrown and lands near the Warden, it causes the mob to head to the location of where the projectile landed, due to the projectile creating movement and noise. This tactic can be used in order to cause a distraction.
  • Does not detect players that are sneaking.
  • Can detect players that are invisible.
  • Can detect players using elytra.
  • When aggravated for long enough, the warden follows the player continuously, regardless of any other distractions.
  • Attacks any mob that makes vibrations, not just players.
  • Can detect ringing bells.
  • Can detect players eating.
• Incredibly strong, doing 30 × 15 damage, bringing players wearing full netherite armor from full health to 7 health points.
• Has at least 84 × 42 health points, although it is estimated to have up to 100 × 50, putting it on par with the iron golem and ravager.
• A mob designed to be extremely difficult, and fled from.
• Has a way to counter the strategy of building up 3 blocks to avoid attacks.
• At least as fast as the player's walking speed.
  • Seems to use the energy of vibrations to move faster.
• 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 3.2 blocks tall, making it one of the tallest mobs in the game, exceeding the iron golem and enderman in height and width (the same).

World generation

Archaeological excavation

• A new semi-underground structure where archeological items and ceramic shards can be found.

Deep dark biome

• New biome at the "deepest depths of the world".
• Wardens can spawn here.
• May contain candles.
• Contains sculk blocks, and the new Skulk Sensor Blocks, a new block that responds to vibrations.
• Contains a new Unnamed Block.

Dripstone caves

• A massive cave biome containing vast quantities of stalactites and stalagmites.

Lush caves

• Generate below azalea trees.
• Contains tall grass, glow berries, dripleaf plants, spore blossoms, moss blocks, moss blankets, clay blocks, azalea roots, and azalea saplings.
• Can spawn axolotls.

Mesh caves

• Seems to be possibly a large tunnel-like cave.
• Not much is known about this biome yet, but it was confirmed on Twitter by Henrik Kniberg.

• 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.
  • Possibly seen in a screenshot tweeted by Henrik Kniberg, in which diorite appears to generate in a long and flat horizontal strip, rather than a small unevenly shaped patch.

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:
  • Ceramic shards of varying color that depict different images.
  • Diamond blocks and emerald blocks are probably not a part of this list and serve as a placeholder.

Dimming of light

• 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.

Vibrations

• An action can cause vibrations in the air, which can be picked up by sculk sensors and wardens
• Can be caused by walking (but bats?), block placing, block breaking, doors or trapdoors opening, chests of any kind opening, pistons activating, and projectiles such as snowballs, eggs, or arrows landing. This does not include ambient weather such as rain or snow

Planned changes

Blocks

Wool

• Used to block a sculk sensor's ability to sense vibrations.

A picture of the local water levels in use forming an underground lake or ocean shown at Minecraft Live 2020.

World generation

Caves

• Complete generation overhaul.
• Many variations on cave types and cave design.
• Biomes within caves introduced.

Local water levels

• A new underground water level generation aspect has been introduced, which allows for certain areas of a world to generate with a specified water level different from that of another area (such as sea level).
• Allows for the generation of larger underground lakes and connections to oceans.
• Allows for the generation of many underground waterfalls.
• Allows for underwater entrances.

Mountains

• File:Caves & Cliffs Mountains largersize.png

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

• Height dependent generation.
• Revamped, featuring some new small spruce trees on the slopes and ice or packed ice above the peaks.
• Contain snow blocks, goats, and a new form of snow called powder snow, which is said to be "snowier than snow".

Mineral veins

• To be revamped, possibly to balance the generation of copper.
• Some stone appears a little different and when that stone is mined, more of the ore should be found behind it.

Other Stones

• Diorite and what appears to be tuff spawn in layers of rock in straight lines instead of splotches.

An example of how the other stones may generate

Unconfirmed features

These features are not confirmed for 1.17, but were mentioned or showcased by developers during the development of 1.17. Main article: Mentioned features.

Structures

Underground Cabin

• Seen in the Deep Dark biome during the Minecraft Live 2020 stream.
• Consists of a chamber with a cobblestone floor and stripped log support beams, containing 3 barrels, a blast furnace, and a large chest, with cobwebs and candles in and around it.
• May possibly not be a generated structure, but instead a construction built for the purpose of the Warden showcase.

General

Height Limit

• May be increased.

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.
• 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.
• This is the first update to add a real-world metal into the game since Classic 0.0.14a in 2009 for Java Edition, which brought both iron and gold, and v0.3.0 alpha in 2012 for Bedrock Edition, 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 sensor" is derived from the word "skulk", meaning "keep out of sight, typically with a sinister or cowardly motive".
• Mojang 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 fool's joke Minecraft 2
• As of Java Edition 1.17 (20w45a), Waxed Lightly Weathered Cut Copper Stairs is the longest item name in the game, with 41 characters.
• Lava can be placed in a cauldron even if the cauldron is underwater.
• The artstyle 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.

Gallery

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

• 

  A view of the lush caves.

• 

  A view of the dripstone caves.

• 

  A player boating inside of a cave, showcasing a subterranean water feature.

• Amethyst Geode.png

  A view of an amethyst geode.

• 

  Lightning striking a lightning rod.

• 

  Multiple axolotls in a lush cave.

• 

  A player and multiple axolotls attacking an elder guardian, including one "playing dead."

• 

  Multiple goats, showcasing jump height.

• 

  Multiple axolotls, showcasing three different color variants.

• 

  Amethyst buds atop Budding Amethyst blocks.

• 

  Underground lake formed by local water levels

• 

  A copper roof house with oxidized copper.

• 

  A mesh cave.

• 

  How the other stones may now generate.

• 

  Candles can be placed on cakes.

• 

  A leaked screenshot showing "waterlogged-rail" in the title.

Concept artwork

• 

  Concept art of the lush caves and its vegetation.

• 

  Concept art of the lush caves and its vegetation at night.

• 

  Concept art of the lush caves and its vegetation at day.

• 

  Concept art of the stalactites and stalagmites in the dripstone caves.

• 

  Concept art of some flooded caves, using the texture of the old vines.

• 

  Concept art for the Warden.

• 

  Possible early designs for the Warden.

• 

  Concept art for the Axolotl. The "Cutie in a Bucket"

• 

  Concept art for the Axolotl, Goat, and Warden. Known as the "Scale of Cuteness"

• 

  Concept art for the Axolotl and Warden.

• Archaeology concept art.png

  Concept art for Archaeology.