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

1.18,[1] the second release of Caves & Cliffs, is an upcoming major update to Java Edition set to release in late 2021.[2] It was first announced alongside the release of 1.17 snapshot 21w15a when Mojang stated the Caves & Cliffs update would be split in two.[3] The version number may be subject to change.[4]

Planned additions

Mountains
Caves
  • 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 now completely replaces stone from Y = -8 to bedrock.
      • Certain types of ores and structures still generate in the deepslate layer, as well as tuff.
      • Dirt, diorite, granite and andesite do 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.[5]
  • New carver called crack carver, which appears as a fissure on the ground, like ravines but narrower and can go very deep.[6]
  • 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, often large enough to fly with an elytra.
      • Abundant with aquifers and ores.
    • Spaghetti caves are long, thin caves that have small aquifers and are more similar to original caves.

Biomes

Deep dark biome
General
Mountains
  • Come in 5 sub-biomes:
    • Mountain Meadow
    • Mountain Grove
    • Snowy Slopes
      • The second highest layer of a mountain.
      • Covered in snow, snow blocks, powder snow and ice.
      • Goats spawn only in this biome.
    • Lofty Peaks
      • The highest layer of a mountain, and will only generate if the mountain is high enough.
      • Generates if the surrounding biomes are too warm for snow capped peaks.
      • Covered in snow and ice.
    • Snow Capped Peaks
      • The highest layer of a mountain, and will only generate if the mountain is high enough.
      • Generates if the surrounding biomes are too cold for lofty peaks.
      • Covered in snow, snow blocks, powder snow, ice and packed ice.

Gameplay

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.[7]

Planned changes

World generation

  • More extreme and smooth terrain.
  • Likely change to the generation of alternate stone types, to make them appear in larger but less numerous deposits.[8]
    • Possibly seen in a screenshot tweeted by Henrik Kniberg,[9] in which diorite appears to generate in a long and flat horizontal strip, rather than a small unevenly shaped patch.
  • Ore generation has further rebalancing and influences the surrounding stone.
Fossils
  • The fossils in the deepest part of the underground generate with Deepslate Diamond Ore instead of Coal Ore.
Strongholds
  • Try to generate fully encased in stone at low y-levels.

Unconfirmed features

Structures

Underground Cabin[unofficial name]

References

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