Caves & Cliffs

Caves & Cliffs

• Part I
• Part II

Release date	June 8, 2021 (Part I) November 30, 2021 (Part II)
Version(s)	Java Edition 1.17 (Part I) Bedrock Edition 1.17.0 (Part I) Java Edition 1.18 (Part II) Bedrock Edition 1.18.0 (Part II)
◄◄ Nether Update The Wild Update ►►

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    "footer": "<div style=\"display:inline-block\">\n<div style=\"display:inline-block;padding:0 .4em\"><span style=\"margin-right:-0.35em\">◄</span>◄ [[Nether Update]]</div>\n\n</div><div style=\"display:inline-block\">\n\n<div style=\"display:inline-block;padding:0 .4em\">[[The Wild Update]] <span style=\"margin-right:-0.35em\">►</span>►</div>\n</div>"
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Caves & Cliffs logo.

“	Go underwater to team up with the axolotl and meet the glow squid. Tread carefully on higher ground because the goats might ram you!	„
	— minecraft.net on Caves & Cliffs: Part I

“	Explore bigger mountains, caves, and biomes along with an increased world height and updated terrain generation in the Caves & Cliffs Update.	„
	— minecraft.net on Caves & Cliffs: Part II

Caves & Cliffs, also known as the Cave Update, is the name of two major themed updates for Java and Bedrock editions. The first part was released as Java Edition 1.17 and Bedrock Edition 1.17.0 on June 8, 2021, which focused on blocks and mobs. The second part was released as Java Edition 1.18 and Bedrock Edition 1.18.0 on November 30, 2021, and brought revamped Overworld generation, including new caves and mountains.

Caves & Cliffs was announced in Minecraft Live 2020, and on April 14, 2021, Mojang Studios announced that the update would be split into two portions due to the amount and complexity of content, as well as team health. It was later announced in Minecraft Live 2021 that the Deep Dark portion, as well as certain items, of the Caves & Cliffs update would be delayed until The Wild Update to improve quality.

On Java Edition, Part I started development with snapshot 20w45a, which was released on November 4, 2020. The first pre-release for Caves & Cliffs: Part I was released on May 27, 2021, and the first release candidate on June 4, 2021. Part II started development with 1.18 Experimental Snapshot 1, which was released on July 13, 2021, followed by the first pre-release on November 11, 2021, and the first release candidate on November 25, 2021.

On Bedrock Edition, Part I started development with beta 1.16.200.52, which was released on October 28, 2020. Most of the Part I features were behind experimental gameplay toggle until the Part I release and were not included in the full 1.16.200, 1.16.210, and 1.16.220 release. In Part II, development continued with beta 1.17.30.23, which was released on August 25, 2021. In 1.17.10, released on July 13, 2021, non-beta users were able to test out most of early Part II features behind experimental gameplay.

Both Java and Bedrock editions received Caves & Cliffs: Part I on June 8, 2021, and Caves & Cliffs: Part II on November 30, 2021.

Additionally, features from Caves & Cliffs: Part I, were released for Minecraft Education in 1.17.30 on November 2, 2021. Part II features were released in 1.18.32 on August 9, 2022.

For China Edition, Caves & Cliffs: Part I was released on January 21, 2022, and Part II on August 26, 2022.

Notable features

New blocks

• Azalea & Flowering Azalea
  • Found in lush caves.
  • Can also be generated from using bone meal on a moss block.
  • Using bone meal spawns an azalea tree.
• Azalea Leaves
• Flowering Azalea Leaves
• Calcite
  • Found surrounding amethyst geodes and in stony peaks.
• Candle
  • Crafted by combining 1 honeycomb and 1 string.
  • Unlit when placed.
  • Can be lit using flint and steel or fire charge
  • Can also be dyed in 16 colors.
  • Can also be placed on cakes.
• Cave Vines
  • Found in lush caves.
  • Planted by placing glow berries on the bottom of a block.
• Big Dripleaf
  • Found in lush caves.
  • Can be used as a temporary platform.
    • The longer a player, mob, or entity stands on it, the leaf droops down and drops them before returning to its untilted state.
• Small Dripleaf
  • Found in lush caves.
  • Using bone meal turns it to a big dripleaf.
• Dripstone Block
  • Found in dripstone caves.
  • Can also be crafted using four pointed dripstone.
  • Used to grow pointed dripstone.
• Hanging Roots
  • Found on the undersides of azalea trees.
• Lightning Rod
  • Crafted using three copper ingots.
  • Used to redirect lightning strikes within a 128 block radius.
  • Can also be hit with a trident with Channeling during a thunderstorm.
• Moss Block
  • Found in lush caves.
  • Spreads to adjacent blocks using bone meal.
• Moss Carpet
  • Crafted using two moss blocks adjacent to each other.
• Pointed Dripstone
  • Found in dripstone caves.
  • Forms a stalactite when placed on the bottom of a block.
  • Forms a stalagmite when placed on the top of a block.
  • Forms a pillar when a stalactite and stalagmite meet.
• Powder Snow
  • Found in groves and snowy slopes.
  • Can also be farmed using a cauldron when snowing.
  • Causes players and mobs to fall through and move at a slow speed.
    • Staying too long in powder snow causes freeze damage.
• Rooted Dirt
  • Found near azalea trees.
  • Can also spawn post-generation by growing an azalea tree with bone meal.
• Sculk Sensor
  • Not available outside of commands.
• Smooth Basalt
  • Found surrounding amethyst geodes.
• Spore Blossom
  • Found in lush caves.
  • Produces green particles from above.
• Tinted Glass
  • Crafted using a glass block surrounded by four amethyst shards.
  • Allows the ability to see through the block but blocks out light from within.
• Tuff
  • Found in blobs sizes underground from y-levels of -63 to 0.
  • Can also be found in iron ore veins.
• New amethyst blocks, all from amethyst geodes:
  • Amethyst Bud and Amethyst Cluster
    • Grows from a budding amethyst.
    • When amethyst clusters are broken, it drops amethyst shards.
  • Block of Amethyst
  • Budding Amethyst
    • Cannot be mined using Silk Touch
    • Used to grow an amethyst cluster.
• New copper blocks:
  • Copper Ore and its deepslate counterpart
    • Found in y-levels between -16 and 112.
    • Drops raw copper when mined without Silk Touch.
  • Copper Block
    • Has 4 levels of oxidation and can be waxed to prevent further oxidation.
      • The wax can be scraped off using an axe.
  • Cut Copper
    • Cut Copper Stairs
    • Cut Copper Slab
• New deepslate blocks:
  • Deepslate
    • Found below y-levels from 8 to -63, gradually replacing stone.
    • Is harder and takes longer to mine compared to stone.
    • Drops cobbled deepslate when mined with a non-Silk Touch pickaxe.
  • Deepslate variants of the 7 existing Overworld ores
  • Infested Deepslate
  • Cobbled Deepslate
    • Can be used in lieu of cobblestone for most recipes.
    • Cobbled Deepslate Stairs
    • Cobbled Deepslate Slab
    • Cobbled Deepslate Wall
  • Polished Deepslate
    • Polished Deepslate Stairs
    • Polished Deepslate Slab
    • Polished Deepslate Wall
  • Deepslate Bricks
    • Deepslate Brick Stairs
    • Deepslate Brick Slab
    • Deepslate Brick Wall
    • Cracked Deepslate Bricks
  • Deepslate Tiles
    • Deepslate Tile Stairs
    • Deepslate Tile Slab
    • Deepslate Tile Wall
    • Cracked Deepslate Tiles
  • Chiseled Deepslate
• New raw mineral blocks:
  • Block of Raw Iron
  • Block of Raw Gold
  • Block of Raw Copper

New items

• Amethyst Shard
  • Obtained by mining an amethyst cluster.
  • Used to craft tinted glass, blocks of amethyst, and the spyglass.
• Bucket of Axolotl
  • Obtained by using a water bucket on an axolotl.
  • Can be used to transport the axolotl to a new location.
• Copper Ingot
  • Obtained from smelting raw copper.
  • Used to create copper blocks, lightning rods, and the spyglass.
• Glow Berries
  • Grows on cave vines found natrually in lush caves.
  • Restores 2 () hunger and gives 0.4 hunger saturation.
• Glow Ink Sac
  • Obtained as drops from glow squids.
  • Used to make signs glow in the dark.
  • Can also be used to craft glow item frames.
• Powder Snow Bucket
  • Obtained from using a bucket on powder snow or a cauldron that is filled with powder snow.
  • Used to place powder snow, which does not have an item form.
• Spyglass
  • Crafted using a amethyst shard on top of two copper ingots.
  • Used to zoom in from afar.
• New raw mineral obtained from mining their respective ores:
  • Raw Iron
  • Raw Gold
  • Raw Copper
• New music disc:
  • Lena Raine - otherside
    • Obtained from loot chests in monster rooms and strongholds.
• Spawn eggs:
  • Axolotl Spawn Egg
  • Glow Squid Spawn Egg
  • Goat Spawn Egg

New mobs

• Axolotl
  • Spawns in lush caves.
  • Can assist the player in aquatic combat, and grant Regeneration.
  • Will play dead in order to recover health.
  • Comes in five different colors: Leucistic, Wild, Gold, Cyan, and Blue
    • Blue axolotl are rare and only obtainable through breeding axolotl that have a blue mutation.
  • Can be bred with buckets of tropical fish.
• Glow Squid
  • Spawns in dark, underwater areas.
  • They appear to glow, but does not produce any light.
  • Drops glow ink sacs when killed.
• Goat
  • Spawns in mountain biomes.
  • Will try to ram into a stationary entity, including the player.
    • If successful, the entity takes 1HP to 3HP damage and is dealt 9 blocks of knockback.
  • Can come in both a normal variant and a screaming variant.
  • Can be bred with wheat.

New non-mob entities

• Glow Item Frame
  • Crafted using an glow ink sac and item frame.
  • Acts similarly to standard item frames, but items and maps are visible in the dark.

Ore distribution changes

New world generation

• Major overhaul of terrain and cave generation, with a new expanded world height from top to bottom.
  • Biomes can now be generated in 3D, with different biomes depending now on y-level.
  • Caves are now composed of two layers depending on depth.
    • A stone layer, found in y-levels above 0.
    • A deepslate layer, found in y-levels below 8.
  • Aquifers, or bodies of water, generate deep underground, independent of sea level at Y=63.
  • Caves now come in three noise generations: "cheese", "spaghetti", and "noodle".
    • Cheese caves are large sprawling caves with stone pillars from top to bottom, and allows for elytra flight.
    • Spaghetti caves are long, thin caves with smaller aquifers.
    • Noodle caves are thinner, and smaller compared to spaghetti caves.
  • Ore generation has changed.
    • Coal ore now tries to generate twice, evenly between Y=136 and Y=256; and as a spread between Y=0 to Y=192 with a peak at Y=96.
    • Copper ore generates as a spread between Y=-16 and Y=112 with a peak at Y=48.
    • Iron ore now tries to generate three times, as a spread above Y=80 with a peak at Y=256; another spread between Y=-24 to Y=57 with a peak at Y=16; and a small even distribution between Y=-64 and Y=-32.
    • Gold ore now generates between Y=-64 and Y=32 with a peak at Y=-16. Extra gold can also generate below Y=-48.
      • In badlands, gold now generates from Y=79 to Y=256 with an increase number of blobs.
    • Lapis lazuli ore now tries to generate twice, as a spread between Y=-32 and Y=32 with a peak at Y=0; and unexposed evenly between Y=-64 and Y=64.
    • Redstone ore now tries to generate twice, evenly between Y=16 and Y=-64; and as a spread below Y=-32 with a peak at Y=-64
    • Diamond ore now generates as a spread, generating below Y=16 and peaking at Y=-64.
    • Emerald ore generates above Y=-16 and peaks at Y=256, decreasing in quantity as the altitude decreases.
  • Upgrading worlds before this update now blend chunk boundaries from old chunks to new chunks seemlessly.
    • The bedrock layer for older worlds is converted to deepslate.
• New biomes:
  • Cave biomes:
    • Dripstone Caves
      • Found underground in areas that are the farthest away from any ocean biomes.
      • Generates with dripstone blocks, pointed dripstone, water, and copper ore.
    • Lush Caves
      • Found underground in areas with high humidity, such as jungles.
      • Axolotls can only be found here.
      • Generates with azalea, moss block, moss carpet, grass, tall grass, vines, water, clay, small and big dripleaf, spore blossoms, and glow berries.
  • Mountain biomes:
    • Jagged Peaks
      • Found in sharp and jagged peaks in areas with snowy, cold, or temperate biomes.
      • Goats can only spawn here.
      • Generates with snow, snow blocks, and stone.
    • Frozen Peaks
      • Found in smooth and less jagged peaks in areas with snowy, cold, or temperate biomes.
      • Goats can only spawn here.
      • Generates with snow, snow blocks, ice, and packed ice.
    • Snowy Slopes
      • Found near slopes of mountains next to plains or snowy plains.
      • Goats and rabbits spawn here.
      • Generates with snow, snow blocks, and powder snow.
    • Grove
      • Found near slopes of snowy mountains that are near forest biomes.
      • Generates with snow blocks and powder snow.
    • Meadow
      • An elevated grassy biome, that is cold but filled with flowers.
      • Generates with grass, tall grass, dandelions, azure bluets, cornflowers, poppies, oxeye daisies, and alliums.
    • Stony Peaks
      • Found in areas that are surrounded by warm biomes, such as jungles and savannas.
      • Generates with stone, gravel, and calcite.

• New structure:
  • Amethyst geode
    • Found underground.
    • Surrounded by smooth basalt and calcite; the inside contains block of amethyst and amethyst clusters.
  • Azalea tree

New soundtrack

• Eight new ambient tracks from Lena Raine and Kumi Tanioka were added; all but the tracks by Kumi Tanioka would play on the main menu until The Wild Update.
  • "Stand Tall" by Lena Raine
    • Plays in snowy slopes, jagged peaks, frozen peaks, and stony peaks.
  • "Left to Bloom" by Lena Raine
    • Plays in lush caves, meadows, and any other biome that does not already have a corresponding set of biome-specific music.
  • "Wending" by Lena Raine
    • Plays in groves, jagged peaks, stony peaks, and dripstone caves.
  • "Infinite Amethyst" by Lena Raine
    • Plays in groves and dripstone caves.
  • "One More Day" by Lena Raine
    • Plays in meadows, snowy slopes, lush caves, and any other biome that does not already have a corresponding set of biome-specific music.
  • "Floating Dream" by Kumi Tanioka
    • Plays in jagged peaks, lush caves, and any other biome that does not already have a corresponding set of biome-specific music.
  • "Comforting Memories" by Kumi Tanioka
    • Plays in groves and any other biome that does not already have a corresponding set of biome-specific music.
  • "An Ordinary Day" by Kumi Tanioka
    • Plays in snowy slopes, dripstone caves, and lush caves.

Notable changes

• Ores received a texture change in their ore shape to better made them distinct for colorblind players.
  • Diamond ore kept the classic shape with only some minor tweaks with colorization.
• Iron ore and gold ore no longer drops itself when mined with a non-Silk Touch pickaxe; instead giving their raw mineral form.
  • This permits both blocks to be affected with Fortune for the first time for increased drops.
• Mineshafts now generate with oak logs as pillars, and oak fences with chains as a means for support.

Further revisions

Java Edition

1.17

• 1.17.1 made changes to some game mechanics and fixes bugs.

1.18

• 1.18.1 made minor changes to fog and fixes bugs.
• 1.18.2 added the /placefeature command, made a lot changes to tags and custom world generation, and fixes bugs.

Bedrock Edition

1.17

• 1.17.1 was released exclusively on Nintendo Switch to fix a bug in which players weren't able to connect to any server.
• 1.17.2 was released to fix bugs related to world generation.
• 1.17.10 added candles, brought additional parity with Java Edition, experimental features for 1.18.0, and fixed bugs.
• 1.17.11 was released to fix some critical bugs.
• 1.17.30 was released to bring additional parity with Java Edition, new features behind the experimental toggle, and fixed bugs.
• 1.17.32 was released to fix some critical bugs after the release of 1.17.30.
• 1.17.33 was released exclusively on Fire tablets to fix a bug in which players weren't able to launch the game.
• 1.17.34 was released to fix a bug in which owned content did not appear in the inventory after redeeming a retail code.
• 1.17.40 was released to fix bugs and add more features behind the experimental toggle.
• 1.17.41 was released to fix some critical bugs after the release of 1.17.40.

1.18

• 1.18.1 and 1.18.2 were released to fix some critical bugs after the release of 1.18.0.
• 1.18.10 was released to bring more parity with Java Edition and fix bugs.
• 1.18.11 was released exclusively on Nintendo Switch to fix bugs.
• 1.18.12 was released to fix bugs.
• 1.18.30 was released to add new Create New World UI, more parity with Java Edition such as 64-bit seeds, hunger changes, and fixes bugs.
• 1.18.31 was released to add the Spectator mode experimental toggle and fix bugs.
• 1.18.32 was released exclusively on Android, Fire OS, and Nintendo Switch to improve game performance.
• 1.18.33 was released exclusively on Nintendo Switch to fix bugs.

Videos

Trailer

A trailer for Part I was released on June 8, 2021.

Caves & Cliffs Update: Part I - Official Trailer (view on YouTube) [show]

A trailer for Part II was released on November 30, 2021.

Minecraft Caves & Cliffs Update: Part II - Official Trailer (view on YouTube) [show]

Showcases

Videos made by slicedlime:

Java Edition

1.17

What's New in Minecraft 1.17 - The Caves and Cliffs Update Part I? (view on YouTube) [show]

Technical News in Minecraft Java Edition 1.17 - The Caves & Cliffs Update Part I (view on YouTube) [show]

Custom World Changes in Minecraft Java Edition 1.17 (view on YouTube) [show]

1.18

What's New in Minecraft 1.18 - The Caves & Cliffs Update Part II? (view on YouTube) [show]

Where Are The Diamonds? Ore Distribution in Minecraft 1.18 - The Caves & Cliffs Update (view on YouTube) [show]

Texture Updates in Minecraft 1.18 - The Caves & Cliffs Update (view on YouTube) [show]

Technical News in Minecraft 1.18 (view on YouTube) [show]

Other

Caves, Cliffs & Other Updates: How We Make Minecraft - Episode 5 (view on YouTube) [show]

The Secrets of Minecraft: Caves & Cliffs Part I (view on YouTube) [show]

Dev Diaries: World Generation (view on YouTube) [show]

Dev Diaries: Caves & Cliffs Mobs (view on YouTube) [show]

Dev Diaries: Community Collaborations (view on YouTube) [show]

Caves & Cliffs Special: Blocks (view on YouTube) [show]

Caves & Cliffs Special: Mobs (view on YouTube) [show]

Minecraft 1.18 - But what happens to my old world? (view on YouTube) [show]

Minecraft 1.18 - Candles cancel creeper parties?! (view on YouTube) [show]

Soundtrack

Lena Raine - "Stand Tall" (view on YouTube) [show]

Lena Raine - "Left to Bloom" (view on YouTube) [show]

Lena Raine - "Ancestry" (view on YouTube) [show]

Lena Raine - "Wending" (view on YouTube) [show]

Lena Raine - "Infinite Amethyst" (view on YouTube) [show]

Lena Raine - "One More Day" (view on YouTube) [show]

Lena Raine - "otherside" (view on YouTube) [show]

Kumi Tanioka - "Floating Dream" (view on YouTube) [show]

Kumi Tanioka - "Comforting Memories" (view on YouTube) [show]

Kumi Tanioka - "An Ordinary Day" (view on YouTube) [show]

Trivia

• Mojang Studios employees explored real caves to research for the update. This helped give inspiration and ideas for the update, including for the noodle caves (previously called mesh caves).
  • Henrik Kniberg also recalled memories of past visits to caves around the world.
• The art style of the concept art for Caves & Cliffs was inspired by the concept art of the Adventure Time episode Diamonds and Lemons, which was a crossover with Minecraft.
• Archaeology, bundles, the deep dark biome, sculk blocks, the warden, and goat horns were originally planned to be added in this update, but were delayed to a later version when the update was split. Sculk, the Deep Dark, the warden, and goat horns were added in The Wild Update, archaeology was added in the Trails & Tales update, and bundles are added in the Bundles of Bravery drop.

Trailer trivia

• At the 0:24 mark of the Caves & Cliffs: Part I trailer, the Capricornus constellation can be spotted in the sky, which represents the sea-goat and is the Latin name for the goat horn.
• In the same trailer at 0:30, a Necromancer laugh from Minecraft Dungeons can be heard.

Gallery

• 

  Caves & Cliffs release logo

• 

  Caves & Cliffs: Part I artwork

• 

  Caves & Cliffs: Part I artwork without logo

• 

  Caves & Cliffs: Part II artwork

• 

  Caves & Cliffs: Part II artwork without logo

• 

  The reveal of the Caves & Cliffs: Part II artwork

• 

  The logo used at Minecraft Live 2020, which uses the former "Minecraft" logo.

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

• 

  A view of the lush caves.

• 

  Big dripleaves.

• 

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

• 

  A path of glow lichen in a cave.

• 

  A large underground lake in a cheese cave.

• 

  One of the very few pictures of a mesh cave.

• 

  In an image from a developer, a likely prototype for calcite strips can be seen.

• 

  The full image.

• 

  A view of the dripstone caves.

• 

  Multiple goats, showcasing jump height.

• 

  Inside of an amethyst geode.

• 

  A copper roof house with weathered copper.

• 

  Lightning striking a lightning rod.

• 

  Multiple axolotl in a lush cave.

• 

  An axolotl army attacking an elder guardian.

• 

  Lush Caves.

• 

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

• 

  Several Caves & Cliffs features around a cozy cabin.

Concept artwork

• 

  Lush caves and its vegetation.

• 

  Lush caves.

• 

  Lush caves at night.

• 

  Dripstone caves and pointed dripstone.

• 

  Lake caves.

• 

  Flooded caves.

• 

  Axolotl and the warden.

• 

  "Cutie in a Bucket" - concept art of axolotl.

• 

  School of axolotls.

• 

  "Scale of Cuteness". Concept art of the axolotl, goat, and the warden.

• 

  Concept art of underground crystals, which was later reiterated into the amethyst geode.

• 

  Ditto.

Artwork

• 

  Goat and Powder Snow

• 

  Copper Ore and Copper Block

• 

  Amethyst and Spyglass

• 

  Axolotl

• 

  Original artwork from where the individual assets came.

Comparison artwork

• 

  New cave generation

• 

  Changes to ore distribution and introduction of ore veins

• 

  Aquifers providing local water levels

• 

  Changes to world height from Y=-64 up to Y=320

• 

  3D biome distribution

• 

  Biomes now adapting to any type of terrain generations

• 

  World blending between old and new chunks

• 

  Mob spawning changes

External links

• Minecraft Caves and Cliffs Update | Minecraft (Archive)