The first part of the Caves and Cliffs update for Minecraft is here, and players are already digging into everything that it adds. Between new mobs like the Axolotl and Glow Squid, new blocks like Deepslate, and new crafting recipes for things like Spyglasses and Lightning rods, players have a lot of new things to explore. One other new addition will certainly get builders excited, and that is Tinted Glass. This new block has some very unique properties that make it stand out from all the other blocks that are already in the game.
The second part of Caves and Cliffs will change the rules for how the titular caves and cliffs of Minecraft generate, resulting in more explorable spaces that make sense and feel less random. Until that releases, players have been enjoying discovering all the new stuff that's come with the first part of the update, and Tinted Glass is one such example.
Tinted Glass functions very similarly to regular glass in Minecraft, with the exception that light cannot pass through it. In essence, the block is translucent and players can see through it, but any and all light that tries to pass through will be blocked as if it were an opaque block like stone or dirt. There are a myriad of potential uses for this, but a few that come to mind include creating dim atmospheres or blocking off a dark space to grow mushrooms while still being able to see inside.
The recipe for Tinted Glass may be a bit of a challenge at first, though, as it requires the new amethyst item. In order to find this, players will need to find an Amethyst Geode in Minecraft, a structure that now spawns underground and on the ocean floor as of this most recent update. Once inside, players need to harvest the outcrops of amethyst crystals with an iron pickaxe or better, being sure to leave the large purple blocks alone as these spawn more amethyst crystals. In order to craft Tinted Glass, players need to place a regular block of glass flanked on all four sides by amethyst shards.
Aside from all that, Tinted Glass does have one major difference between it and regular glass, namely the way players can pick it back up again. With regular glass, breaking it with any kind of tool or even by hand will cause it to shatter, meaning players need Minecraft's Silk Touch enchantment if they'd like to reuse it, but that isn't the case with Tinted Glass. Instead, players can pick up Tinted Glass with any tool or by hand.
Minecraft is available now on Mobile, PC, PS4, Switch, and Xbox One.
