Minecraft – upcoming version 1.17

Minecraft version 1.17 ‘Caves and Cliffs’ is true to its name, bringing a massive overhaul of gameplay’s vast aspects. Minecraft wouldn’t be Minecraft without the mining, and naturally, all players must delve deep underground. So it should come as no surprise that an update to the cave generation systems would drastically energize a significant aspect of the game.

In the past, the players have often criticized big updates as somewhat lackluster and bringing little changes. Mainly when you consider, there are so many mods out there that include much more innovative content. Some official updates have added content that has already existed as a mod for years, and often the mod is broader and of higher quality than the official content as well.

For years the caves in Minecraft tended to be fairly simple and similar to each other. Now with 1.17, several new types of caves are being added to create more diversity in the underground landscape. Stalagmites and stalactites are being added to give some more flare in the caves, while new variations in shape like huge open caves or tight twisting tunnels encourage the player to explore further.

Besides, the maximum depth and height of worlds are significantly increased by 64 blocks in each direction. Meaning mountains will be higher, and caves will be deeper. The depth levels at which to find coal, iron, and gold have been slightly shifted to motivate the player to more strategically mine. Most ores have been retextured to make them more distinguishable from each other. New ores have also been added, including copper and amethyst.

Existing biomes will also be getting some new mobs such as the axolotl and the glow squid, which was added in response to a vote from fans at last years Minecraft Live event. The glow squid drops, what else, glowing ink sacs, which can be used to craft illuminated item frames. There will also be some minor changes, such as allowing players to use dye to color the text on signs (including the use of glowing ink sacs to make the text glow in the dark). And of course there will be bug fixes to improve performance and stability.

In the beta test for version 1.16, Bedrock players were allowed to test out some of the features planned for 1.17, predominately with the new content related to mountains. That’s right. Mountains are also getting some love with the addition of mountainous sub-biomes, including Lofty Peaks, Snow Capped Peaks, Snowy Slopes, Mountain Grove, and Mountain Meadow. As the developers said of the beta release, “…mountains are now exactly 271% more majestic, but also 184% more dangerous.” These areas will be noticeably different and have different wildlife, including new mobs such as goats and rabbits. Iron, coal, and emeralds can be found in this new upgraded mountain terrain.

It is currently unclear when Mojang will be releasing this update, but it is expected within the next couple of months.