Even after a decade, Minecraft is still receiving substantial updates. The latest of these arrives very soon, bringing with it the first part of the long-anticipated Caves and Cliffs update. The Minecraft community has been looking forward to these particular updates for a while now, and for good reason. By the time the full update rolls out, Minecraft will essentially be a different game. Not only are new mobs, items, and materials being added, but entire biomes, a new build height, and new cave and cliff variations will be added to world generation. And as any Minecraft player can tell you, there is a lot of time spent in caves.
The first half of the Caves and Cliffs update drops on June 8, and brings with it many of the mobs and items promised for the pack. These include goats and axolotls, as well as the glow squid, which was previously exclusive to Minecraft Earth. The items include the spyglass and glow ink, as well as assorted blocks. The second half of the update comes later this year, and will be where the build heights are updated and new cave and cliff variations are implemented into world generation. Mojang has stated that players will be able to update their existing worlds to the versions released both this summer and winter. Even saying all of that, there’s still a lot of specifics to cover.
How Minecraft’s Caves and Cliffs Are Changing
The Caves and Cliffs updates are changing how both of these features are being generated in Minecraft. Caves are getting more variations in shape and size, and will tend towards being bigger. Elaborate water systems can appear in caverns now, and they sport their own wildlife like the glow squid. Not only that, but caves are getting new biomes with their own vegetation, blocks, and wildlife. Lush Caves, Dripstone Caves, and the ominous “Deep Dark” will all be accessible by intrepid explorers. In some moments, subterranean Minecraft will feel like a new game.
Cliffs aren’t quite as dramatic, but they’ll still bring a fresh feeling with their new variations. Build height will be higher, and that means higher mountains as well. Regions with a lot of elevation should feel more natural, and should offer more interesting opportunities for sky-high builds. Still, while one is admiring the view, they had best beware of ticking off any nearby herds of goats.
New Mobs and Items in Minecraft’s Caves and Cliffs Update
The new areas wouldn't be much without new things to fill them with. Fortunately, the Caves and Cliffs update has more than enough to fill all of its new regions. Goats will be joining the aboveground mobs; the prior existence of which sadly means that the remixed cliffs won’t have many more new sights to offer other than easily-collapsed Powder Snow blocks. Fortunately, the caves more than make up for this. Copper, Amethyst, Grimstone, Deepslate, Moss blocks, and Azaleas will all be found underground, and Lush Cave biomes will be particularly filled with plant life. Axolotls live there too, and befriended ones can accompany players on undersea expeditions.
Dig too deep, however, and the shadows will grow thicker. The “deep dark” seems to be a pseudo biome measured by how deep the player has dug, and is marked by any present light dimming. Here is where the dreaded Wardens live, and they don’t like intruders. Blind due to the lack of light in their natural environment, they hunt by detecting nearby vibrations. Packing a lot of health and damage, spelunkers will need to tiptoe past them as they seek out the new, naturally occurring Skulk Sensors.
While there are several other new tools being introduced in the Caves and Cliffs update, Skulk Sensors have caused the most excitement. This is due to the fact that, upon sensing nearby movement, they emit a Redstone signal. With how many occurrences classified as “movement,” the potential for insane Redstone builds has now become even more mind-bogglingly huge.
With even more new elements like bundles that can be used as storage, candles for a new light source, lightning rods, archeological excavations, and even telescopes, it’s no exaggeration to say that the Caves and Cliffs update will change Minecraft. It’s great to see Mojang continue to push what its game can do, and add more elements to Minecraft's maps for players to explore, experiment, and decorate with. When the first part of the update drops on June 8, there’s no telling what players will come up with, but there’s no doubt that it will impress.
Minecraft is available now for PC, PS4, Switch, Xbox One, and various other platforms.
